“The women. They told you it wasn’t safe here, with me?”
She nodded. “They said you kill the women you bring here.”
“And you believe them?”
“What kind of question is that?” she exclaimed. “Of course I believe them. You’re a vampire. Isn’t killing humans what vampires do?”
“It is, indeed.”
His hands, large and strong, folded over her shoulders, pulling her closer, holding her immobile. Every instinct urged her to flee, but she couldn’t escape his hold. Fear coiled around her insides, colder than ice. Shirley was right, she thought frantically. He was going to kill her.
“Relax, Kadie,” he said soothingly. “You’re in no danger.” He stroked her cheek with the knuckles of one hand, then drew in a deep breath. “Have you any idea how delectable you smell? So fresh and clean.” He brushed a kiss across the top of her head, his lips moving in her hair. “So soft,” he said quietly. “No wonder Vaughan wanted you.” He drew back abruptly, his gaze suddenly fierce. “Did he have you?”
“I . . . I don’t know what you mean.”
“Did he take you to his bed?”
“No!”
“I always knew the man was a fool. But in this case, it likely saved his life.”
Kadie stared at him, horrified. It was bad enough that he wanted to drink from her. That, at least, she could endure. But to share his bed . . . Revulsion speared through her. She would rather die! Still, a little part of her mind couldn’t help wondering what making love to him would be like. Did vampires make love like other men? If his lovemaking was as mind-blowing as his kiss, how would she survive?
He smiled at her in a way that made her glad he couldn’t read her mind.
Taking her by the hand, he led her to the high-backed sofa in front of the fireplace and drew her down beside him, his arm sliding around her shoulders to hold her close.
“Time for a taste,” he said, and bent his head to her neck.
“No!” Panic surged through her. She tried to wriggle out of his hold, but his arm, as hard and unyielding as iron, held her fast.
She gasped when she felt the faint sting of his fangs at her throat. His mouth was incredibly hot against her skin. He was drinking from her. She expected to feel revulsion, disgust, horror. Instead, a delicious warmth spread through her whole body, pooling deep within her, culminating in a rush of unexpected sensual pleasure that stole the breath from her body. Hardly aware of what she was doing, she grabbed a handful of his hair to hold him in place, afraid he would take his mouth away.
She moaned softly, heard his soft chuckle as he ran his tongue along her neck, and then drank again. She was lost, she thought, lost in a world of sensation unlike anything she had ever imagined. It was almost beyond bearing.
If only he would stop.
If only he would never stop.
When he lifted his head, she stared up at him, suddenly ashamed of the way she had responded to him.
“That wasn’t so bad, now, was it?” he asked, a gentle chiding evident in his tone.
“Of course it was.” She would not give him the satisfaction of knowing how much she liked it.
“What a little liar you are.” There was no censure in his voice, only mild amusement. “You will stay here from now on. You may have the run of the house, but you will not invite anyone else inside. You may come and go as you please, spend your days as you see fit, but your nights will be spent here, with me. Do you understand?”
She nodded.
“There are a number of bedrooms upstairs. Take whichever one pleases you. Redecorate if you wish. You’ll find several catalogs in one of the drawers. In the kitchen, I think. Make a list of whatever you want and I’ll see that you get it.”
“Where do you sleep?”
“That’s something you don’t need to know.”
“How did you get in my house? I was told none of the vampires could come in without an invitation.”
“I don’t need an invitation. The town—and everything in it—belongs to me.”
And she was part of “everything.”
“My car is out back. Go get your things. You won’t be going back to Vaughan’s house again.”
“But . . .” She glanced out the window. It was dark as pitch outside.
“No one will bother you.”
She lifted a hand to her neck. “My scarf . . .” Without it, she would