Sarah swung her legs down, scooted out of the booth and said calmly, “I'm not going back to the warehouse. I need to help with Trish and the others, and I can't—"
"No."
"Excuse me?” she demanded. She glared up at him towering over her and wished she was wearing heels instead of her Nikes.
"I told you,” he explained with infuriating patience. “It's too dangerous for—"
"And I told you,” she cut in, each word clearly enunciated. “I'll do what I want. I'm not one of your damn vampires, hanging onto every word—"
He grabbed her then, lifting her off her feet and swallowing her next words as he crushed her mouth against his. His kiss was hungry and demanding, his touch rough and familiar at the same time, full of anger and need all at once. She kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck with a little moan. God, she'd missed this. Missed him. Every frustrating, obnoxious, wonderful inch of him.
He deepened the kiss and she felt his fangs press against the soft flesh of her lip, felt the sting as her blood began to flow. He groaned and hitched her higher up his body, sliding one hand beneath her ass and pressing her against his erection which lay hard and long against the rough fabric of his denims. Sarah wrapped her legs around his waist with a sigh of pleasure against his mouth. “This isn't going to stop me from—"
He pulled back long enough to say, “You talk too much.” And then she was lost in sensation. The feel of him was everywhere, his tongue caressing hers, his kiss moving from her mouth to her jaw and down to her neck where he lingered, sucking the skin just below her ear, stroking it with his tongue.
She was vaguely aware of the bartender yelling more indecipherable Polish, of Raj struggling to twist something out of his pocket. Money, she thought, as he threw it on the table and headed for the door. She didn't know how they got outside, but suddenly they were at the car, his heavy body crushing her against the cold metal, his hands beneath her sweater, shoving her bra aside until her br**sts filled his hands and he was strumming her ni**les to exquisite hardness. She could feel her heart beating wildly and knew he must be aware of it, knew he could sense the rush of her blood beneath her skin. She threaded her hands through his thick, wavy hair, urging him closer to her neck, feeling the press of his fangs against her skin, wanting to feel—
A trilling sound suddenly rang out, seeming unbearably loud in the quiet parking lot. “Ignore it,” she gasped, tightening her legs around him. The ring came again and Raj froze, his breath shivering across her damp, hot skin. She felt him stiffen beneath her, and not in a good way.
"No,” Sarah pleaded softly.
"Jesus,” Raj said. “I shouldn't—"
The touch of his hands changed, no longer caressing, but an impersonal cage supporting her as her legs dropped to the ground. She slid down his body, feeling his obvious arousal as he set her on her feet, putting a few inches and a hundred miles between them. “I shouldn't have done that,” he muttered. The damn phone rang a third time. “Fuck,” he cursed and stepped away from her, digging into his pocket to retrieve his cell.
Sarah leaned against the car, too shocked to say anything, still reeling with the rush of feeling his mouth against her neck, his hands all over her body. She shook herself slightly. Raj glanced at her, his eyes no longer hot, but shuttered and blank, and Sarah ground her teeth, wondering if she could find a piece of sharp wood somewhere nearby. She straightened her clothes, refusing to look at him, refusing to see the look on his face. She heard the locks click open and slipped into the car, sitting sideways on the seat, running shaking hands through her long hair, trying to comb out the worst of it, remembering his thick fingers twisting it out of the way, his mouth . . . She closed her eyes against the sensory overload, shivering slightly.
Raj stood with his back to her, the phone at his ear. “Do not go in without me, Em. I'll see you in . . . Fuck, I'll get there as soon as I can.” He jammed the disconnect with his thumb and shoved the phone back into his pocket, then spun around and headed for his side of the car. His door opened and he slid inside, filling the car with his presence, sucking all the air from her lungs. Sarah swung her legs into the car and closed the door.
"You okay?” he asked.
"Sure,” she lied. She brushed nonexistent lint from her denims, avoiding his no doubt sincere gaze.
"I'll take you back to the warehouse,” he said. “Some of the guards are there and Em should be back—"
"Don't worry about it,” she interrupted. She could feel him staring at her across the endless gulf between their two seats.
"Sarah,” he began.
"You don't have to say it. I understand.” She turned and forced herself to smile at him, meeting his eyes briefly. “Sounds like you need to get going."
He frowned. “I've got people in the field, sweetheart, or I—"
"Don't call me that,” she snapped.
He stared at her, clearly startled by the sharpness of her words. She shook her head. “I'm sorry. It doesn't matter."
He swore softly beneath his breath, but didn't say anything else, jamming the car into gear and gunning it out of the parking lot. Sarah sat there, staring out the window and telling herself it was all for the best. She'd be leaving soon anyway and the last thing she needed was one more complication, one more detail to clean up before she hit the road. Not that this particular detail needed cleaning up. Raj had made it pretty clear that he considered anything to do with her to be a mistake on his part. So, it was better this way. A clean break. She'd pick up her money and be free again, maybe take a few weeks off, drive around and see a few sights before she settled down somewhere and built a new life. She clenched her jaw and looked out the window, wondering why freedom tasted so bitter this time around.
Chapter Thirty-seven
Raj took surface streets back to the warehouse, breaking the speed limit all the way, skimming through stop signs and tearing around corners, not slowing until he was turning into the warehouse lot. Sarah's little sedan was sitting at one end of the parking lot and he frowned, not sure he was happy to see it there. She didn't need her car. What she needed was to stay put until he was sure it was safe for her to be out on the streets. Right, he scoffed privately. Like she's any safer in here with you.
He shook his head in disgust. He'd practically attacked her back at the bar. She'd been standing there giving him hell like she always did and something in him had just snapped. He tried to blame it on hunger. He hadn't fed properly in days; the bagged blood was good in a pinch, but he needed more. He wanted more. What he wanted was Sarah, and he wanted her in the worse way, hell, in every way.
He parked beside the front entrance and Sarah immediately opened her door, all but jumping from the car, clearly eager to get away from him. Smart girl. He followed, striding around to unlock the warehouse door, pulling it open and holding it while she stepped past him. He pushed open the interior door before she could get to it, holding that for her as well. Sarah gave him a silent nod of thanks and went directly for the stairs to the mezzanine.
"Sarah,” he called softly, unable to bear the silence any longer. She stopped at the foot of the stairs, her back to him, head bowed. “I didn't mean,” he began. “That is . . . Look, I'll probably be back too late tonight, but I'll be here tomorrow and we'll—"