The Reluctant Vampire Page 0,54

Smiling down at his surprise, she said, "You should feed me."

Harper peered at her for a moment, his eyes narrowing in calcula on, and then he heaved a reluctant sigh. "Yes, I suppose. I am hungry."

Drina blinked and managed to hide her disappointment. She'd rather hoped for some protest, maybe a li le wrestling session, and then round six of mad passionate sex . . . or maybe it would have been round seven. She'd lost count. It didn't matter anyway, it seemed Harper was more hungry for food than her. Forcing a smile, she started to slip off of him, to stand beside the bed, and then cried out with surprise when she was caught around the waist and tugged back onto the bed.

Drina landed on her back on the ma ress, and he was immediately coming down on top of her again. Harper did seem to like to be the one in control in the bedroom, she'd no ced. Oddly enough, Drina found she didn't mind, which was kind of unexpected when she considered that she had spent most of her life struggling for independence and control in the rest of her life. But then, perhaps that was why. It was nice to lay down the burden and let him steer the boat, especially when it was such a pleasant journey.

"I thought you were hungry?" She laughed, as he set about pinning her legs with his own and pinning her hands down by her head again to be sure she couldn't roll on top again, or even move really.

"I am," Harper assured her, and then bent his head to flick the p of his tongue repeatedly over one hardening nipple, before adding, "And we will eat. After."

"After," Drina agreed on a moan as he stopped teasing and finally closed his mouth over her nipple.

Chapter Nine

Drina glanced over the dark schoolyard they were hovering above and then to Casey Co age on the corner across the street. She stared at the lit windows of the house, wishing with all her heart that the storm had con nued, and they hadn't had to return. It wasn't because she didn't want to see Stephanie, Mirabeau, and Tiny, or even Anders, but the closer they'd go en to Port Henry, the more grim Harper had become. She very much feared the passion and laughter of the last twenty-four hours would soon be nothing more than a memory as Harper sank back into his guilt.

"Idiot man," she mu ered under her breath as the helicopter touched down, and then she sighed and moved along the seat toward the door when Harper shi ed to open it. He got out first, and turned, raising his hands to help her out.

Drina hesitated, taking in his impersonal expression, then got out, her teeth grinding together when he took her elbow to usher her away from the helicopter.

Like she was an old crone rather than the life mate he'd made love to seven mes in the last twenty-four hours, she thought bi erly. It was a no ceable difference from the affec onate way he'd slid his arm around her waist and tucked her to his side as they'd made their way to the helicopter in Toronto. She could actually feel the ghost of Jenny Harper slipping between them, cold and clammy. Infuriated by that fact, Drina searched her mind for something to say or do to stop what was happening, but in the end she simply slid her booted foot to the side, tripping him. She then allowed herself to fall with him when he went crashing toward the ice. Harper did what she expected and caught her to his chest, turning as they fell, so that he took the brunt of the impact.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! My foot slipped on the ice," Drina lied, raising herself up on his chest and shi ing

"unintentionally" on his groin to peer into his stunned face. "Are you all right?"

Harper struggled briefly to regain the wind that had been knocked out of him, and then nodded. "I'll live."

"Oh, my poor Harper. Thank you for saving me from the worst of the fall," she said, and kissed him. It was no, "my hero" peck. It was an "I-ain't-wearing-these-bloody-painful-FM-boots-for-nothing-buddy,"

devouring of his mouth.

Much to Drina's sa sfac on, Harper only managed to hold out for a moment before his arms closed around her, and he took the lead. She knew she'd won this round when he rolled her in the snow