Cordova turned to face me, and I felt my breath catch in my throat. Lordy, the man was breathtaking! He wore a white shirt open at the throat, black slacks, and boots. His hair gleamed blue-black in the overhead light.
I felt a blush warm my cheeks as his gaze moved over me, the look in his eyes telling me he liked what he saw.
“Good evening, Miss McKenna.”
“You might as well call me Kathy,” I suggested somewhat breathlessly.
“Kathy.”
The sound of my name on his lips sent a shiver down my spine, made me think of warm bodies intimately entwined on cool satin sheets. Maybe letting him call me by my given name wasn't such a good idea, after all. I touched the crucifix at my throat to give me strength.
Raphael observed the gesture with a wry grin. “The belief that crosses scare off Vampires is an old wives' tale,” he remarked. “In any event, it isn't the cross that wards off the Vampire, but the wearer's belief in the power of good over evil.”
“I didn't know that.”
“And then you have to ask yourself, what if he's Jewish or Hindu?”
I folded my arms under my breasts. “Now you're making fun of me.”
He shook his head. “Not really. In any case, if you feel the need to wear one, it should be silver.”
“What difference does that make?”
“Silver burns Vampire flesh, gold does not. Not only that, but silver renders us powerless if we're bound with it.”
I filed that bit of useful information away for future reference.
“Are you ready to go?” He glanced at the crucifix again. “Or have you changed your mind?”
“I haven't changed my mind,” I said. “Just give me a minute to lock up.”
He followed me to the door, waited on the sidewalk while I turned off the interior lights and set the alarm.
After I slipped my keys into my handbag, he offered me his arm in a rather courtly gesture and walked me to his car, something sleek and black that looked like it was going a hundred miles an hour even when it was parked at the curb.
He opened the door for me, and I sank into a rich black leather seat that automatically contoured itself to my size and shape. A deep breath carried the rich new-car scent to my nostrils.
My heartbeat kicked up a notch at the thought of being alone in the car with a Vampire. What on earth was I thinking? I had only lived in Oak Hollow a short time, and I didn't really know anyone. If I never came back, would anybody even notice?
Raphael slid behind the wheel in a sinuous movement, started the car with a touch of his hand, and pulled away from the curb. Late-model cars, like most computers, could be operated by verbal command or manually. I wasn't surprised that Raphael opted for hands-on control.
I tried to think of something witty to say to break the silence between us, but my mind had gone blank.
Raphael drove with one arm resting on the edge of the open window, his right hand draped negligently over the steering wheel. I felt a shiver of unease as he turned off Main Street and onto the highway.
“Are you new to our fair metropolis?” he asked.
“You could say that. I moved here a little over a month ago.”
“Where did you live before you came here?”
“New York.”
“Ah. Oak Hollow must be quite a change from the big city.”
“Quite,” I agreed with a smile. “So, are you still enjoying Montgomery's work?”
“Very much. I like his voice, the way he turns a phrase. And the fact that I can't always figure out who the murderer is by page three.”