Serafina and the Virtual Man - By Marie Treanor Page 0,12
to love, because it conveyed so much more than mere words. Pictures, ideas, connotations, emotions all came with it. And yet he had a distinctive voice tone that melted her bones.
She slipped her panties back on and reached over to kiss his naked shoulder before returning to the matter of dressing. “Home. Got stuff there I need to do before tomorrow morning.”
“Can I come?” His finger slid down her spine, making her shiver. She glanced down at her tall, gorgeous lover. Her stomach still did backflips at the sight of him, his lean, sharp-boned, inhumanly handsome face and his terrifyingly strong, sexy body: smooth, pale skin over hard muscle. Even his fangs, those long, pointed, biting teeth with which he brought the weirdest, most perverse joy, were a turn-on.
Where would be the harm…? Her breath caught as his finger continued lower.
“I won’t work if you’re there,” she exclaimed, pulling her top on. Disappointingly, his finger dropped away. “Besides, Jilly’s got a date tonight. I want to hear the dirt without distraction.”
It wasn’t the real reason. Or, at least, only part of it. Every so often, she just needed to remind herself of her independence. To remind him. They were together, but he didn’t own her any more than she could or would control him. He was a vampire, for Christ’s sake. She knew hers wasn’t the only neck he bit, although if she could arrange such matters, she was aware she’d pick out only old men for him, for purely selfish and jealous reasons. That alone should scare the pants off her.
Blair didn’t say anything as she pulled on her jeans and her boots.
Ask me to stay, a voice whispered in her head. Her own voice, this time. Make me stay… Would she, if he exerted all his considerable persuasion? Her body flushed, despite its recent and entirely satisfying sex. Should she, was more appropriate. And no, she shouldn’t.
She swung around to face him, and something caught the corner of her eye: a shadow, a blur of movement. For an instant, she imagined it was Blair himself, diving at her to make her stay, with the inhuman speed only he was capable of. But Blair remained lounging against the pillows, watching her with his intense yet expressionless eyes.
“What was that?” Sera said. Not imagination. She could sense something, some presence that reminded her of Blair himself. “Blair, there’s another vampire in here,” she gasped, jumping up off the bed.
Now, he moved, blurring across to the door, fangs bared. And fuck, he was beautiful. Even through her alarm, she acknowledged that. He reached for her, dragging her behind him, and they both stood still, listening, feeling.
“He’s gone,” Blair said. He sounded almost—bewildered.
“How?” Sera demanded. But Blair was right. The force of actual presence had been a mere instant. What remained was an echo, already fading into nothing.
“I don’t know.”
She came out from behind him and waited for his scanning eyes to come back to her. “But you felt it, didn’t you? I could swear it was undead.”
“I felt something.” For the first time in ages—possibly ever—Sera realised she didn’t have his full attention. It piqued her.
“Did you see it? Him? Whatever…”
“I saw something. A shadow. He’s gone.”
“Who was it?”
Blair gazed around the room once more, paused at the window. “I don’t know.”
Sera frowned. “What’s the matter? Is this some kind of threat to you?”
He shook his head, and she stared up at him, a new, quite unfamiliar fear gathering in her stomach. “Blair, what is it? Why are you so…distant?”
His gaze came back to her. His lips quirked into a lopsided smile. “Distant? You’re the one who’s leaving.”
Her eyes narrowed. Was that what this was about? He wasn’t above manipulating her emotions for his own ends. Well, she wouldn’t let him, not tonight.
“So I am,” she said as if pleased to be reminded. “See you tomorrow.” She reached up to give him a quick peck on his cheek—a suitably distant embrace in the circumstances. But unexpectedly, his arm came around her, his other hand held her head, and he kissed her full on the mouth for long enough to remind her that he was completely naked and quite ready for Round Two.
“Tomorrow,” she forced herself to whisper against his lips, and when his arm loosened, she dragged herself reluctantly away and ran into the hall and along to the front door, glancing over her shoulder just to make sure there were no shadows lurking. There weren’t. Not even Blair’s.