Survivor - By Kaye Draper Page 0,22

a prank. I hugged my arms around myself. It was a warm day, but the water was cold and the breeze was making my damp dress into a clinging, freezing thing. Without a word, Peter grabbed my wheel chair and started walking.

*****

When we got to my apartment, I went to the bedroom and got a dry change of clothes, teeth chattering. Taz sniffed at my damp dress, snorted, and went to pester Peter. I gave the bathroom, and my big walk-in shower with the roomy bench, a wistful look. It would be nice to get warmed up right now, but Peter was standing in the living room dripping. I grabbed a big towel and took it to him. He gave me a soft look, and I knew his anger was mostly because he had been worried for me.

“You can take a shower,” he said as he toweled off his hair. It was a complete mess, and unbelievably attractive. “Don’t worry about me.”

“I’m not leaving you here to drip-dry,” I said in exasperation. “Do you want to put your clothes in the dryer or something…” I trailed off. Of course, then he would have nothing to wear but a towel. I tried not to pant.

He raised an eyebrow as if he knew exactly what I was thinking. Maybe he did. Not human, I reminded myself. “Melody,” his voice held a note of warning and I raised my chin defiantly.

Seeing it, he laughed. He bent down and kissed my forehead, surprising me. “I won’t do anything to take advantage of you. I care for you too much.”

I turned and wheeled away toward the bathroom, peeved. He thought I was too mentally incapacitated to do more than hold hands or kiss. Like a teenager. Fine. Let him drip-dry. I shut the door with a thud and went to turn on the shower. I stripped off my clothes in a hurry, but it still took forever because they were wet and clingy. Levering myself out of the chair, I transferred onto the long, wide bench in the shower. The contractor that did the renovations had gone a little overboard. My shower is easily big enough for two. I shot a sharp look toward the door and the idiot beyond it. Not that it was ever going to happen.

I relaxed in the hot water, leaning my head back and closing my eyes as I let it warm me. It had been a confusing day. I wondered just what Peter was doing that upset the other vampires so much. Apparently, he was more a nuisance than some sort of serious threat. They hadn’t killed him, after all- at least not permanently. I was roused from my musings by a tentative tap on the door.

Peter’s voice filled the room. It still sounded odd. It made my skin ripple. “You left your clothes out here,” he said hesitantly. “Can I bring them in for you?”

I sighed. “Just get in here, will you?” For Christ’s sake, we were both adults. I was not an eighteen-year-old girl anymore. And I was not suffering from some sort of mental disorder.

The door squeaked open and I leaned forward to peek around the shower curtain. He put my clothes on the vanity and turned to go. He was still wearing his wet clothes. “Will you please just put your clothes in the dryer?” I said in an exasperated tone. “You can wear a towel. I won’t look at you if it makes you feel better.”

He laughed. “I was concerned about that.” He turned around. “I need to leave soon anyway,” he said slowly.

I thought that maybe he needed to, you know, get a bite to eat. He had been acting a little odd since the whole being slammed around and half-drowned thing. His movements had this liquid quality to them, and his voice was making my fingertips tingle.

I looked down at my legs and gave a tired sigh. The warm water had relaxed me and I really didn’t feel up to the effort it took to wash up. Everything was such a battle. Sometimes I just got sick of fighting. Peter had moved closer. When he spoke, his melodious voice was just outside the curtain. “Are you okay? Is something wrong?” He sounded worried.

“I’m fine,” I snapped. Then I thought about it. “Why do you ask?” It could just be that he was concerned about how much I’d been through. I didn’t think so.

He hesitated. I could feel him out there. I wanted