A Vampire for Christmas - By Michele Hauf Page 0,20
hot tour guide. Curiously, all the windows were outfitted with retractable shutters. If she hadn’t been examining all the details, she may not have noticed them because the windows were unshuttered now, the blackness outside pressing against the panes.
When they entered the library, her heart rate jumped. The walls were lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. A ladder on a track reached to the second set of shelves above them. Everywhere she looked, there were books. Probably more than some small-town libraries could boast.
The atmosphere seemed charged, almost electric. Like the room was filled with possibilities. Which, she supposed, was accurate.
Needing a distraction, she examined the large antique desk set at an angle near the window. The top was well polished, the scrollwork on the front exquisite. It had to be several hundred years old. She ran her hands over the wood and for some ungodly reason, she found herself wondering if any of its owners had ever had sex on it. It would’ve been unplanned, of course. Sex on a hard surface wasn’t something one set out to do. It would’ve happened spontaneously.
Her belly tightened, heat concentrating between her legs.
What was wrong with her? Her imagination. These sensations. Clearly, her night with Trace had addled her brain, had left her completely out of sorts.
Despite her efforts to control them, images from the other night kept appearing in her head. She and Trace had made love several times. At first, she’d been fully clothed with only her panties gone. He’d paused only long enough to drop his trousers before he was on top of her. The whole experience had been deliciously naughty. But instead of leaving afterward, as she half expected him to do, he’d undressed her and made love to her again.
This time, with her on top.
Had she really told him she didn’t think he’d fit? She tried not to smile at how silly that sounded now. Chewing at her lip, she walked around to the far side of the desk. Every man must dream of a woman saying that to him. Although she’d have to imagine she probably wasn’t the first woman to say it to Trace. He hadn’t acted all that surprised, just pleased.
Goose bumps sprang up on her arms at the memory of him. He’d been slow and surprisingly gentle at first. One thing she was sure of: it was a night she wouldn’t soon forget.
“So how do you envision decorating this room?” he asked.
She gathered her wits about her, took a deep breath, and turned to face him. With his arms crossed, he’d been watching her, a dark expression on his face. Anger? Irritation? Boredom? He seemed so emotionally closed off now, like he’d suddenly erected a wall between them. What was going on with him? She could’ve sworn he’d been warming up to her. Or maybe it was just her wishful imagination. She stifled her disappointment and had to remind herself that a relationship with a client wasn’t a good idea anyway.
“Given that your event is right around the corner, there won’t be time to place any orders,” she said to Trace as she chewed on her pencil. “I’ll have to make do with what we have. Where do you keep your holiday decorations?”
“We’ve got a storage room downstairs, but I’m not sure what’s in it.”
“A storage room?” She shivered. Normally, she enjoyed taking inventory of what a client had that she could use, but for some reason, the mention of a downstairs storage room gave her chills.
As if sensing her discomfort, he added, “I’ll have one of the staff bring all the holiday boxes upstairs.”
She relaxed and opened up her planner. “Perfect. I’ll go through the boxes when I come back tomorrow and make a list of things we need. Don’t worry. I’m very resourceful. Then the following day, I’ll hit a few places in town before the Xtark Software holiday party, and if I can’t find what we need, I’ll—”
His head jerked up, his eyebrows two dark slashes above his eyes. “Xtark Software?”
“Yeah. I didn’t handle their party—they’d already had it contracted—but they did invite me.”
“And who are you going with? Do you have a date?”
The strain in his voice pleased her for some reason. Was it a tinge of jealousy? “I’m meeting up with a couple of girlfriends there.”
“Including the one who left you at the club?” he asked.
“Kari? Yes. She works for Xtark.”
“Well, there’s been a slight change in plans.” A determined light shone in his eyes, as if he automatically expected