Alluring Tales

One

“They’re cockier than usual tonight,” TJ Evans whispered to his partner as a gang of five young men ambled down the deserted streets of inner-city Houston, kicking soda cans and talking loud enough to wake even the undead. “As expected. They’re looking for anyone who might have ignored the mandatory evacuation order.”

Ryan nodded in the dark. “Probably getting hungry.”

“Good, when they’re hungry they don’t always think straight.”

It was the witching hour, the time of night you didn’t want to be out on the streets with all the creepy and dangerous people littering the hours between midnight and four.

TJ and Ryan crouched behind the abandoned automobile they’d chosen as cover for their mission. As cops assigned to the Houston Special Task Force, they were responsible for keeping the streets clean of the worst kind of riffraff, and the guys headed their way qualified-young, aggressive and vampires. He recognized them from the sketches at the station.

“Ready, Ryan?” TJ asked.

Ryan nodded and fitted a wooden dart into his crossbow.

About the time he was set, a woman emerged from an evacuated apartment building, carrying a laundry basket piled with belongs.

The vamps whooped and made a beeline for their first unwilling victim of the evening. Halfway to her car, the woman spotted the men, her eyes growing round. She darted a look from her car standing against the curb and back to the doorway as if debating which she could make faster.

“She’s mine.” The short, stocky vamp wearing a black T-shirt and sporting dragon tattoos on each arm led the way.

The woman dropped the basket and dove for the car, fumbling to fit her key in the lock.

“It’s show time.” TJ pressed the stock of his recurve crossbow against his shoulder. “Let’s go.”

The two cops stepped from behind the rusted-out vehicle.

Ryan called out, “Halt or I’ll shoot!”

TJ snorted and sighted his weapon on the man in the lead. “You’re such a rookie.”

But the shout brought the gang of men to a standstill, and they turned toward the two cops. Their leader laughed out loud. “You’re kidding, right? You want us to stop?”

“Houston Police, step away from the woman,” TJ said, his weapon at the ready.

“And who’s going to stop us? You?” The guy with the tattoo dragons threw back his head and laughed, his long white incisor teeth reflecting the light from the nearby streetlamps.

“Can’t say we didn’t warn you.” With his hand firmly wrapped around the grip, his sights targeting the first man’s chest, TJ squeezed the trigger, sending the solid wooden dart straight into the man’s heart.

The laughter died on the tattooed man’s lips and his eyes widened. As he glanced down at the wooden dart embedded into his heart, his body jerked and then jerked again. Within seconds he shook so hard he fell to the earth, screaming, his flesh dissolving into dust until the wind lifted his remains and blew them away.

The other four men stared down at where their leader had been. By the time they looked back at the two cops, Ryan squeezed his trigger, another dart flying into the chest of the nearest man.

TJ had already reloaded and fired off his next round when the gang of three remaining vampires turned and attacked. He was able to fire his last round into the heart of one, dropping him in mid-lunge. Neither TJ nor Ryan had time to reload. They moved back, pulling wooden stakes from the knife sheaths on their belts.

The two vampires left standing leaped onto the hood of the abandoned vehicle and roared, flashing their teeth. The bigger vamp growled and dropped to the ground, stalking toward TJ. “You’re in luck. I believe the only good cop is a dead cop.”

“Is that so?” TJ said. He braced his legs for the attack, adrenaline pulsing through his veins giving him an almost orgasmic rush. God, he loved his job! “We may have a bit of a problem. I believe the only good vampire is a dead vampire.”

The vampire leaped at TJ, knocking him to the ground. For a moment, TJ’s hand loosened around the stake. If he didn’t get it into the vamp’s heart quickly, he didn’t stand a chance. Vampires had superhuman strength and resilience. TJ’s only advantage was his ability to think under pressure. His opponent clamped clawlike hands into his shoulders and leaned forward, his lips peeled back from long, wicked teeth.

“No!” TJ yelled, acting as though the vampire had him now. But when the teeth neared his neck, TJ raised his hand in a sudden upward thrust, driving the stake through the man’s ribs into his heart. He collapsed on top of TJ, his body shuddering and twitching as he withered into a cloud of dust scattered by the wind.

TJ rolled to his feet, brushing the dust from his shirt.

The other vampire had Ryan pinned to the pavement.

“Need help, partner?” TJ asked, retrieving the stake from the ground.

“Nope,” Ryan grunted, straining to keep the vampire’s teeth from sinking into his neck. “Got this one under control.”

TJ chuckled. “Looks to me like he has you.” He raised the stake and plunged it through the vampire’s back into his heart. “Come on, quit playing around. It’s nearing daylight and the end of our shift.”

Ryan remained pinned for several more seconds by the dying vampire. Then he stood and brushed the dust from his shirt. “You take all the fun out of the job.”

“You’ll get over it.” TJ glanced around for the woman in time to see the taillights of her compact car disappearing around a corner. He stared down at the dirt on his uniform and sniffed. “God, I hate the smell of dusted vamps. What say you and me head for the station?”

Ryan stooped to gather his recurve crossbow. “You’re on.”

The sun popped up over the horizon as TJ and Ryan left the station an hour later in TJ’s pickup.

“Hard to believe a hurricane’s headed our way,” TJ commented. The wind was picking up, but the sunshine didn’t give a clue as to what was headed straight for the coast.

“Know what you mean.” Ryan stared out the passenger seat of TJ’s F250 pickup. “Think it’ll hit at category five?”

“That’s what the forecast predicts.” TJ turned left at the traffic light and drove down the deserted streets of his neighborhood. “I’m just glad most folks decided not to wait until tomorrow to leave Houston. The traffic on the evacuation routes was bad enough, yesterday. It’s bound to be worse today. Glad I’m not on duty.”

“I have a feeling we’re in for another tough night.” Ryan tapped his fingers on the armrest. “I’ll bet the looters will come out in force.”

TJ’s lips tightened. “Yeah, and we’ll be responsible for protecting the looters from the monsters. Doesn’t seem right.”

Ryan shook his head. “Should just let ’em have at it.”

TJ nodded. “They deserve each other. But there’ll be those who, for some reason or another, ignored the mayor’s mandatory evacuation order. They’re the ones we’ll be out there for.”

Ryan snorted. “Again, they deserve each other.”

“I don’t know. The elderly don’t always listen to the news. They might not even know they’re in the path of a hurricane.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Ryan tapped his fingers on the arm rest. “Damned hurricanes. Seems like nothing’s been right since hurricanes Katrina and Rita back in 2005.”

Evacuation of New Orleans had not only inundated the housing market in Houston, it had also impacted the crime rates. Rape and murder were on the rise, as well as the addition of more frightening crimes.

At first, TJ had laughed off the rumors, but more and more people disappeared or were left dead, drained of blood. The problem couldn’t be ignored-thus the need for the Special Task Force with the best of the Houston Police Department pulled from all over the city.

Because of their successful careers taking out the bad guys, TJ and Ryan had been reassigned to the Special Task Force, on permanent night shift. TJ was glad he’d finished night school before he took on the new assignment.

“Think your neighbor made it out?” Ryan asked. “You still seeing her?”

As the thought of Cassidy Jones’s liquid brown eyes and smooth-as-cream skin crossed TJ’s mind, his foot lifted from the accelerator. For a moment, he was back between the sheets, sliding inside her. His groin tightened and pushed against the hard metal zipper of his uniform pants. “I hope she made it out and no, I’m not seeing her anymore.” TJ jammed his foot on the gas and the truck shot forward. Not because he didn’t want to.

“Sorry I asked,” Ryan said, clutching the “oh-shit” handle above his head.

Cassidy was the past, a one-night stand TJ still couldn’t explain. After weeks of study-group sessions last semester and working together over her dinner table, she’d finally agreed to go out.

Their date had culminated in his bed-tangled in the sheets, skin-to-skin and satiated from the best sex he’d had in…Well, the best sex ever.

He shook his head, still unable to figure out Cassidy. She didn’t return his calls, didn’t drop in like she used to and didn’t even come out of her house. He should have known better than to date the girl next door. When the connection didn’t work out, you still had to live next to her until one or the other moved. And TJ didn’t plan on moving because of a ruined love affair.

As much as he liked to think he was over her, he missed her smile across a table loaded with books. Her laughter still echoed through his days, and the memory of her body beneath him haunted his sleep.

“Hey, don’t forget to drop me off,” Ryan said.

TJ hit the brakes and pulled into Ryan’s drive. He slammed the truck into park, pushed the dark-haired beauty from his mind and stared at his friend’s house. “You ready for the storm?”

“As ready as anyone. Got storm shutters installed after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. I’ll be locking them tight before I report to work tonight.”

“Need help?” TJ asked, not really interested in hanging around, but Ryan was his friend.

“Naw.” Ryan climbed down from the truck, closed the door and slapped the open window frame. “Get going, we’ve only got a few hours before the wind gets really strong.” He shook his head as he opened the door. “Tonight’s going to be one long one and tomorrow even longer.”

How many times had they had the hurricane warnings this year? Often enough to make TJ want to skip attaching storm shutters and go straight for the beer in his refrigerator.

The drive to his house five blocks away was completed in a surreal silence. The deserted streets were mostly still, only a few families, with cars loaded to the gills, hurried to flee the city.

In the short time involved in dropping off his friend, a line of clouds appeared in the southern sky, rolling in from the Gulf of Mexico. Trees shuddered as the first gusts of wind buffeted branches and shrubs, a little teaser for what was to come.

As he rolled to a stop in his driveway, a slight movement caught TJ’s attention and he glanced up at the bedroom window in the house next door.

The sun crept through the windows from the eastern sky, not a cloud in sight from this direction. Cassidy Jones stood in the shadows, away from the deadly rays. She stared at the truck below, her heart clenching in her chest when TJ climbed out.

His muscles rippled beneath his dark blue uniform. The fabric hugged his taut buttocks and framed his thick thighs to perfection.

Desire swelled in each molecule of her being, rising like a pulsing wave, engulfing her in a torrent of sensation. Her fingers clutched the cotton fabric of the curtain and her nails dug into her palm as she fought the overpowering surge of need-a need as debilitating as starvation to a refugee.

Not long ago, she’d have rushed out to greet him, inventing an excuse to ask him over so she could test her flirtation skills on the sandy-haired cop. Her college courses hadn’t been hard, but she’d insisted she needed his help, wanting his company more than the assistance while she studied. Not that she could study with TJ close by. His presence distracted her in the most delicious ways.

When they’d started the criminology class together last semester, they’d hit it off immediately. He was finishing his last few courses for his degree in criminology, and she was working toward one in forensics. Both were non-traditional students having decided to complete degrees after being in the workforce for several years.

A smile tugged at Cassidy’s lips as she recalled her own shy attempts at flirting and how TJ’s tender caresses worked into gentle kisses. When they’d finally consummated their relationship, Cassidy had worried her limited knowledge of sex, gleaned from clumsy groping in high school, would turn TJ off.

He’d been tender, trailing his lips and hands across her body, touching her in ways she’d only dreamed about, until he brought her to her first orgasm. That moment was a moving, almost spiritual, experience for Cassidy, and she dared to hope they’d be together forever.

But the night after their “date,” everything changed. She’d been giddy with happiness. So giddy, she didn’t pay attention. She snorted. Isn’t that how it happened to women who don’t consider all the factors-dark night, shadowy walkway, walking alone? Hell, as stupid as she’d been, she deserved her fate. She shuddered.

No. No one deserved her fate.

After the attack, her injuries healed, but her life had changed completely. Cassidy wasn’t the woman TJ had made love to only a few short days before. Hell, she wasn’t even human. She couldn’t undo her carelessness and because of it, they could never be together again.

Yearning coiled deep in Cassidy’s belly, pressing her to go to him. She hungered for the strength of his arms around her, the touch of his tongue against her breasts and the thrust of his cock filling her. Her panties moistened as the image of him leaning over her, naked and glistening with sweat, wavered in her fevered mind. An image forever engraved in her memories.

When TJ’s green eyes glanced toward her window, Cassidy backed away, dropping the curtain over the glass, shutting out the harsh sunlight and her hopeless dreams.

She couldn’t trust herself to be with a man again. Her urges were too powerful and she hadn’t found the strength to control them. The best course of action was to avoid temptation altogether. With her eyes pressed closed to the darkened room, she could feel the sting of tears pushing against her eyelids, demanding release. Anger knotted her chest and she slammed her fist against the wall, leaving a small indentation in the painted sheetrock. As with her sexual appetite, her physical strength was also a factor she hadn’t quite mastered, yet even that was fading with each passing day.

Since the incident on campus, she’d mourned the loss of her freedom, cursing her stupidity for walking alone in the shadowy path between buildings. Her lack of forethought and self-preservation techniques now doomed her to a life secluded from others-a life without TJ and without the ability to bear children.

The heavy weight of depression settled about her shoulders and she trudged down the staircase to the living room. Once a sun-filled space, the curtains were pulled tightly over the windows blocking out every last ray of sunshine-the most deadly poison to Cassidy’s body. Only a few weeks ago she’d lazed in the back yard, enjoying the scent of freshly cut grass, allowing the late-afternoon rays to soak into her skin. Now she could only relive those moments in her mind-memories that would have to suffice for the rest of her existence.

Her eyes filling with tears, she stumbled on the antique Persian carpet and knocked a lamp off the end table next to the couch. The lamp couldn’t have fallen onto the carpet. No, it had to fall backward onto the hardwood flooring, the bulb shattering into a million tiny shards of razor-sharp glass.

Instinctively, Cassidy bent to retrieve the pieces.

The moment her fingers closed around the largest shard, the doorbell rang. She jumped back, her hand compressed around the glass and the sharp edges pierced her palm.

The pain was sharp, but dissipated by the time she reached the door. Who would be calling on her? She’d cut herself off from all her friends and acquaintances.

Perhaps it was a salesman. She hesitated on the other side of the solid wood paneling, wanting contact with others, but fearing the stream of sunshine that would fill the entranceway.

The doorbell chimed again and Cassidy jumped, her nerves stretched to their limits.

“Cassidy, it’s TJ. I know you’re home. Please let me in.” The low baritone of TJ’s voice was barely muffled by the solid wood standing between them, and it poured over Cassidy like hot chocolate.

Cassidy leaned against the wall and sank down to her haunches. A surge of emotions threatened to make her forget herself. She wanted to fling the door aside to let the only man she’d cared for into her home.

No. She bit into her lip, the sharp pain a slim reminder of the control she needed to get through this encounter. If she ignored him, he would go away. Like he had before. Guilt had eaten at her when she’d refused to return his calls. Longing had built like a demolition ball repeatedly slamming against her chest. But she couldn’t act on it, couldn’t let TJ back in her life. She didn’t deserve him.

A soft sob caught in her throat and she willed TJ to go away. As silence settled on the hallway, Cassidy held her breath, straining to hear the sound of footsteps leading away from her front door.

Then the handle twisted and she remembered she hadn’t locked the door. With speed born of desperation, she leaped from the hardwood floor and reached her empty hand for the lock. But the door opened and TJ stepped in, bringing with him a flood of sunshine.

Cassidy winced, her eyes blinded by the brilliance. Where the sun lanced across her body, her skin seared.

She staggered backward into the shadows of the darkened hallway.

“Cassidy?” TJ frowned, moving forward to grab her arm. “Are you all right?” He sniffed the air. “What’s that smell? Is something burning?”

Her mouth moved, but she couldn’t form the words to answer him. The pain of the sun was intense, but no more so than the pain of seeing TJ again.

TJ’s frown deepened. “You don’t look well. Here, let me help you to the couch.”

No. Please go away, a voice screamed inside her head, but her heart refused to let the words past her lips. Fool! Don’t bringhim down with you. Despite her inner warning, she let him lead her into the living room and press her onto the cushions of her grandmother’s antique sofa.

All her senses were focused on where his hand held her elbow. The pulse beating in his fingertips pounded through her awareness like the bass drum of a marching band.

She should send him away. Now! Before she did something stupid. Her veins pulsed to the rhythm of his, as if they were one being, connected at a single point, sharing the same blood she so desperately needed.

“What have you done to your hand?” He grasped her other hand and leaned over her.

She hadn’t realized she still held the jagged remains of the light bulb. Blood oozed from between her fingers. “It’s nothing,” she managed. “I can take care of it myself.”

“Like hell.” His voice was gruff as he pried her hand open and removed the offending glass. “Damn, Cassidy.”

Yeah, she was damned all right. Instead of staring at where his hand touched hers, she could only see the suntanned length of his exposed neck, the jugular vein thumping just beneath the skin.

“Where do you keep your first aid kit?” he asked.

She couldn’t think past the thrumming of the blood in his veins.

When she didn’t respond, he turned her face up to his and spoke slowly, “Cassidy, where is your first aid kit?”

With all the control she could muster, she concentrated on his words. “In the medicine cabinet in the downstairs bathroom.”

By the time the last word passed her lips, he’d left her.

Without the warmth of his hands on hers, or his nearness scrambling her wits, she regained a semblance of balance and stood. She had to get him out of the house as soon as possible.

His life and her sanity depended on it.

Two

TJ rifled through the medicine cabinet in the bathroom, his heart beating hard in his chest, forcing blood to slam through his body charged with adrenalin.

As he’d walked across the lawn to Cassidy’s house, he’d told himself he only wanted to make sure she left the city. She should have evacuated today. As a cop and protector of the population of Houston, he was only as concerned about her as he was anyone else still left in the city.

So he’d thought.

When she’d refused to answer her door, panic seized him. Was she sick? Was that why she hadn’t contacted him? Had he been nursing his bruised ego while Cassidy had been laid up, unable to answer the telephone?

He gripped the edge of the counter and steadied himself. God, if he had been wrong all this time, would she ever forgive him?

Hell, she was bleeding and he was standing in the bathroom berating himself, wasting valuable time. He shook off his thoughts and grabbed a red pouch marked First Aid. As he loped back into the living room, he dug through the package for antiseptic, gauze and adhesive tape.

When he rounded the corner of the hall leading into the living room, he had his head down and didn’t see Cassidy until too late.

He plowed headfirst into her. Tossing the first aid kit to the floor, he grabbed her arms to keep her from falling to the floor. The forward momentum didn’t stop them and they ended up slammed against the wall.

A puff of minty air blew into his face when his chest crashed into hers and a soft fragrance wafted up to tease his nostrils. Every nerve ending clamored beneath TJ’s skin, sending urgent messages to points south. His uniform trousers tightened, his cock springing to attention at the softness of her belly beneath the rigid row of his fly.

A groan escaped him and he pushed against the wall, bracing his hands on either side of her. “Are you okay?” His gaze fell into her bottomless brown eyes, and he was immediately struck by the longing he could swear was shining through. Then she blinked and lowered her gaze to his mouth. Had he only imagined it?

Her tongue darted out tracing a line of moisture over her lower lip, highlighting the deep rose hue with a glistening sheen.

TJ leaned closer, drawn to her despite his resolve to play the unaffected cop. Cop who? He was a man, she was a woman-an extremely desirable woman and all he wanted was to kiss her. To thrust his tongue deep into her mouth and taste the woman who’d been part of his thoughts every minute of every day since he’d made love to her.

For a moment, her chin lifted as if to accept his kiss, then her hands inserted themselves between them and she pushed. “No.”

He stood in a sensual daze for a few seconds after her firm refusal. While TJ mentally pulled his brain out of his briefs, Cassidy ducked beneath his arms and stepped out of reach.

Forcing a smile, he straightened, his arms dropping to his sides. “I saw you in the window and wanted to make sure you plan to evacuate soon.”

“Evacuate?” Her confused stare looked genuine.

“You must not have been watching the news.” Who in this day and age didn’t watch the news?

She twisted the fabric of her sundress, crimping wrinkles in the thin cotton. “No, actually, I haven’t turned on the television in days.”

“You haven’t?” He shook his head.

“No.”

“Then you might not be aware, the mayor issued a mandatory evacuation order.”

“Why?”

“A category five hurricane is headed straight for us.” TJ’s brows pushed together. “Have you been sick?”

She turned her profile to him, avoiding eye contact as she answered. “Yes…yes, I’ve been ill.”

TJ’s chest tightened. So she had been sick and he hadn’t done anything about it. “Do you want me to drive you the hospital?”

“No!” Her gaze darted toward him, her eyes widening.

He held up his hands. “Okay, okay. So, maybe we won’t take you to the doctor.” Why was she so spooked by the prospect? Had she had a bad experience with a doctor or hospital in the past? TJ realized just how little he knew about Cassidy’s past. At the time he’d taken her to his bed, he didn’t think it mattered. In every other way, she’d been his perfect mate. And she made him laugh. Surely he could reach her again, push past this barrier she’d erected between them. “Then tell me, Cassidy…what’s wrong.”

“Nothing. I’m fine.” Again, her gaze swept the vicinity of his knees.

When he moved to take her arms, she backed away. “I think you should leave.”

“What happened between us, Cassidy?” God, he hated the pleading in his voice, but he couldn’t help it. He’d missed her, and he wanted her so much he was willing to plead a little.

Her bunched fist rose to her mouth and her eyes glistened. “Nothing. It just wasn’t meant to be.”

No explanation, no excuses, just a brush off. So be it. As if pulling a shutter down over his heart, TJ stood taller and nodded. “Okay, I can take a hint.” Could he, when all he wanted was to grab her and shake the answers out of her? But that didn’t solve anything. “When are you going to evacuate?”

She stared up into his eyes, searching. “Do you think it’s as bad as the forecast predicts?”

“You saw what happened with Katrina in New Orleans and the damage Rita did to east Texas. Don’t take the chance. Get out.”

“I will,” she said, her voice unconvincing.

Crossing his arms over his chest, TJ demanded, “When?”

“Tonight.”

“Promise?”

“Yeah,” she said, chewing at her lip.

“Don’t fuck with me. I need to know you’ll be safely away from Houston when this one hits.”

A brief smile lifted the corner of her lips before she nodded. “Don’t worry about me.” She pushed strands of her long black hair behind her ear and stared around the room before her gaze returned to him. “By the way, what’s her name?”

“Who?” Her softened look and the way her dark hair curved around her earlobe made TJ’s thoughts muddy with the desire to fill his hands with all those silky strands.

Again the flitting smile, one like she used to give him when they studied for their criminology class. “The hurricane?”

For a moment, TJ thought the old camaraderie was back. “The hurricane?” He leaned his head back and inhaled. With only a glance, she made him forget himself. Righting his head, he stared back at her, determined to keep this on a professional level. “It’s a him. Hurricane Thomas. A cat five hurricane, as of the last report from the weather center, and headed our way.”

“When is it supposed to hit?”

“Tomorrow night.”

She nodded.

“So, you’re going to evacuate?” Once she agreed, he could leave. With Cassidy out of the way, he could concentrate on his job-killing vampires.

She nodded, her hands clasped behind her back.

“Good,” he said, although he felt anything but good about her answer.

“Yes, good.” Her brows rose in her pale face.

TJ didn’t remember her being so pasty-white the last time they were together. It worried him. At the same time he found the pallor of her skin gave her an ethereal quality unlike before. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

Emitting a gentle snort, she nodded. “Couldn’t be better.”

He stood there with nothing more to say. She didn’t want him back in her life, having made it perfectly clear by the way she’d urged him to leave. “Then I have work to do to get my storm shutters in place. Do you need help with yours before you leave?”

“I’ll take care of them.” She held up her hand to forestall his next protest. “Don’t worry, they’re new and easy to close.”

“If you’re sure. I don’t mind.” And if he stayed to help her with the shutters, he’d be around her that much longer.

Pathetic.

“You need to go. I’m sure you have to work tomorrow.”

TJ turned to leave, but something stopped him. When he turned back to Cassidy, he caught her staring at him like she wished he wouldn’t go, but was unwilling to stop him.

Her chin dipped toward the floor, a soft rosy hue staining her cheeks.

“What happened, Cassidy?” TJ asked. “What went wrong?” He could feel her hesitation and he closed in on her. “Was it something I said or didn’t say?”

She shook her head and a single drop slid from the inside corner of her eye all the way down her cheek. “It wasn’t you.”

He reached out and lifted her chin to look into brown eyes awash with tears. “Did you ever feel anything for me? Or was it all about the sex?” That’s what the woman was supposed to say to the man. A laugh threatened to bubble up in his throat. Not that anything was funny about the situation.

Her bottom lip trembled and more tears slipped down her face. “It wasn’t you.” She twisted free of his hand.

TJ wasn’t ready to let her go, the familiar anger rising in his chest. He couldn’t walk away without a fight. He ran his finger along her jaw, the moistness of her tears tugging at his heart. “Look at me and tell me you don’t care.”

With her gaze trained on the top button of his uniform, she said in little more than a choked whisper, “I don’t care.”

He curled his fingers around her shoulders and shook her gently. “Cassidy, look me in the eyes and say it,” he said. When she refused, his control slipped and the frustration of the past lonely days burst out. “Look at me!” His shout sounded harsh even to his own ears.

Cassidy’s head shot up, her eyes, sparkling through the un-shed tears. “Okay, I felt something! Damn it! I felt something! Are you happy?” She pulled out of his grip and strode across the floor, her back to him. “Now will you go?”

“Not yet.” All the resentment drained from him and his heart squeezed in his chest. He closed the distance between them and took her in his arms, slowly turning her around. “Not yet.”

His mouth descended on hers and he felt the worry and anger wash away in that single kiss.

When her lips parted in a gasp, his tongue darted between her teeth. He tasted and toyed with her tongue, coaxing her to the level of his passion.

For a moment she stood in his arms unyielding and stiff. Then her hands crept up his chest and circled the back of his neck, pressing his head down toward her and her body relaxed into his.

TJ’s hands slid downward, cupping her buttocks and pulling her against his rigid arousal. With his heart beating like a runner in a marathon, he reminded himself to slow down. He didn’t want to scare her away again.

The way she moved showed no fear or hesitation. Soon, she took the lead in kissing and caressing, her fingers dancing across his skin, kneading his flesh, digging in to stake her claim. She maneuvered him around until his back was against the wall. Then her hand cupped his face and she bit down on his lip, nibbling and teasing him until his cock pressed painfully against the confines of his pants.

A vague thought skittered by. How could this be happening when she would have nothing to do with me a moment ago? What magical cure had righted the wrong he still couldn’t name? Whatever it was, he didn’t care. Cassidy was in his arms. He pressed his trouser-clad knee between her legs and marveled at the moisture he felt all the way through the fabric.

With deft hands, she unbuttoned his shirt and spread it wide, threading her fingers through the crisp blond hairs sprinkled across his chest. Then her lips joined her hands, teasing the hard brown nipples until TJ moaned.

He reached out, eager to see her naked skin, to touch those places he had only dreamed of a moment ago. With more haste than gentleness, he caught her sundress by the hem and yanked it up and over her head in one fluid movement. Then he tossed it to the floor, his gaze skimming over her, his cock swelling at the sight of her naked breasts and the thin wedge of black lace panties covering the apex of her thighs. “God, I’ve missed you, Cassidy.”

Pulling her close, TJ slanted his mouth over hers in a kiss so deep and tender, he felt it fill the empty space in his chest. This was the woman for him, and now that he had her back in his arms, he’d never let her go.

Cassidy’s hands ripped at his shirt, tearing it away from his body. Then her cool slim fingers dove lower, slipping the top button free on his pants. With a slow sexy smile, she dragged the zipper down with one hand while the other glided inside the fabric, following her heated handiwork. The pressure against his penis eased with every inch of unveiling. At the same time, the tension increased until he felt he would explode.

Inside his trousers, her hands slid around his backside to cup his ass. Then she shoved his pants down until they hung to his knees. His cock jutted forward, angling toward her, hard and eager. With only the thin scrap of lace panties between them, TJ was in a frenzy to take it the rest of the way.

But Cassidy had taken full control, and she cupped his balls, squeezing gently, rolling them with the smooth pads of her fingers.

He reached for and captured her hips in his grip, pressing her against his hardness, rubbing the tip of his penis against the erotically abrasive lace.

His breath hissed between his teeth as he dragged in air, reminding himself to breathe.

Cassidy’s hand froze in the process of sliding up his shaft. “Did I hurt you?”

“Yes! No! Oh God, that feels incredible.” Then his fingers hooked into the lace and dragged it down her legs until her pale body gleamed naked in the shadows of the entryway. With her near-black hair hanging about her shoulders, and the pearly white of her skin beckoning him, he couldn’t hold back any more. “I want you, Cassidy. I want to make love to you like we did before.”

She closed her eyes and inhaled a shaky breath. Then her shoulders pushed back and she came to him, sliding a sleek feminine leg up his thigh to rest at his hip. Her cunt rubbed against his thigh, the moisture sending shockwaves of lust to his cock. “I want you too, Officer Evans.”

His mouth consumed hers and he lifted her legs up around his waist, lowering her until her pussy creamed over the tip of his cock. Hesitating for only a moment, he stared into her eyes. Then he eased into her warmth.

Moaning against his throat, she licked a line from his collarbone to his earlobe. His balls tightened in response, and he lifted her up, taking her to the end of his cock and back down to sheath him again in her creamy depths.

Cassidy leaned into him and practically purred against his cheek. “Stop me now, TJ, before it’s too late.” While her words said one thing, her hands racing across his skin encouraged him to continue.

With his mind caught in a cloud of desire, TJ couldn’t stop. Couldn’t pull free of her until he slaked his desire. Tension built, rising in surges, centering on the juncture of their joined bodies.

Cassidy moaned, her breasts bobbing up and down in TJ’s face.

He captured one of the pale round orbs in his mouth and sucked hard, drawing the rounded flesh into his mouth, laving the taut rosy nipple.

She murmured her approval and nuzzled his neck, nipping at the skin with her teeth.

The tender bites only fueled the fires and spurred him on. He spun around and pressed her back to the wall where he could leverage her while he plunged deeper inside. He pumped into her again and again, until his entire body tightened into an orgasmic knot.

On his final thrust, he peaked, teetering on the verge of shooting sperm deep inside her.

At that exact moment, Cassidy clamped her legs tightly around his waist, licked his neck in a long, sexy swipe, then she leaned in, her mouth opening to take his throat between her teeth.

The pager buried deep in TJ’s trouser pocket beeped, cutting through their labored breathing and vibrating against his knee. The effect was to jerk him out of the sensual haze and remind him they’d used no protection.

“Damn it!” Without pulling out of her, TJ fumbled to reach for the pager around his knees. With his cock still firmly entrenched in her channel, the task was impossible.

When the pager beeped again, Cassidy’s lips were sealed around TJ’s carotid artery and her teeth were poised to puncture the skin. Holy shit! She jerked her head away. Holy Shit! She’d almost bit him.

“I’m sorry, Cassidy.” TJ pulled her close and kissed her open lips.

The touch of his mouth to hers almost stung in its intensity. She could feel every beating pulse in his body, and she was still joined to him. How could she have let it go this far? “Let me down!” She beat her palms against his chest. “Let me down!” She had to get away. Hell, he had to get away!

“It’s okay, it’s just a pager and I didn’t cum inside you.” But he slid her upward and off his still stiff erection.

As soon as her feet hit the ground, she groped for her clothing and ducked out of reach. With her dress clutched to her chest, she turned to him.

He’d already pulled his pants up, buttoned them and stood with a confused expression denting his forehead. “I didn’t come here to do that.” He held his hands up. “Not that I’m sorry I did.”

She turned away, fighting the desire to climb back onto him and finish what she’d started. “You should go, now.”

He stepped toward her, his hand outstretched. “Cassidy, don’t shut me out.”

“Go. Please!” Her voice caught on a sob, and she spun to race up the stairs.

Three

TJ spent an agonizing night fighting hungry monsters. Damn, he hated vampires, the bloodthirsty bastards. He’d kill every one of them if he could.

When the day shift came on, the night shift was asked to stay and assist in last-minute evacuations. Near dusk, after being on duty for over eighteen hours, rain began to fall, gently at first. As the wind picked up, the droplets became projectiles, blowing in sideways from the south. He’d had to beg the police chief to let him weather the storm at home. Most of the force would be bedded down for the night in the precinct basement.

As he’d left the station, sustained winds blew at fifty miles an hour. Now, based on the way he was fighting to keep his truck on the road, the gusts must be nearing seventy. He hoped to hell Cassidy had gone like she said she would. He’d left so late the previous evening he hadn’t had time to check.

All night and day long, his gut kept telling him she’d lied. That she never intended to leave the city. That the crazy fool would try to ride out the storm in her two-story, wood-framed home.

After parking in his garage, he peered through the sheets of blinding rain trying to glean whether or not Cassidy was still there. He couldn’t see a blasted thing. With no other way to be certain, he had to go over there and check for himself.

He breathed in the innocent scent of a summer rain, hoping the torrential downpour would slack up, but knowing it wouldn’t. The storm was going to get a heck of a lot worse before it got better. He hunched his shoulders and leaned against the wind as he launched into the downpour. With his hand raised before his eyes to ward off the stinging rain, he splashed through soaked grass and up onto the front porch of the old colonial house.

When he shook the water from his hair and eyes, he stared at the house and swore. None of the shutters had been closed and streams of water ran down exposed glass windows. His lips pressed together. Stubborn woman. He would have closed the shutters for her if she’d let him.

Now that the hurricane was at hand, he didn’t have time to worry about her shutters. He pounded on the door and waited. No response. Wind and rain beat against his back and made standing still difficult.

“Cassidy!” He pounded again. “You better not be in there!” he shouted, feeling stupid, but not really caring. No one else was around to hear him.

With the rain thundering against the tin porch roof, he couldn’t hear anything going on inside to indicate whether or not Cassidy was still at home. His gut tightened when he noticed her car parked in the garage. If she tried to ride out the storm in her house, no telling what would happen.

He hammered against the door again. “Cassidy!”

No answer and he didn’t feel any more confident that she’d evacuated. The only other choice was to break the door in and check from room to room. He stepped back, took a deep breath and kicked his heel against the door next to the deadbolt.

The loud sound of wood splitting wasn’t followed by the door flying open like TJ had hoped. He snorted. She would have a good deadbolt. Hell, he’d helped her install it.

He stepped back again, breathed deeply once…twice…and kicked the door again. The wood cracked and the door shook but didn’t open.

A gust of wind slammed into him and slung him against the hardwood paneling. The weather was getting rougher and the sky darker as night approached. He couldn’t stay outside much longer without risking injury from flying debris.

“Cassidy!” He pounded his fists on the door. “Open the damned door!” With his hand raised to pound again, he stopped just as the door whipped open.

The wind jerked the knob out of Cassidy’s hand and slammed the door against the wall with enough force the doorknob penetrated the sheetrock.

Cassidy staggered backward as the storm swept through the opening, entering the house uninvited and claiming what it could reach as its own. Before she could object, TJ allowed the wind to push him through the doorway. He turned and forced the door closed behind him, shutting out the sideways rain.

Outside, the storm wailed and thrashed against the house as if angry it had been cheated. The windows shuddered to hold back the force of nature threatening to break through the single-paned glass.

With the door closed, TJ spun to face Cassidy, anger pulsing through him like a jackhammer through concrete. “What the hell are you still doing here?”

She stood, her shoulders hunched in silence.

“Why?” he asked. “Why didn’t you leave when you had the chance? Are you completely out of your mind?”

Her head jerked up and she stared at him, her arms crossing over her full breasts. “You think I didn’t want to leave? You think I’m stupid for staying? Well, to hell with what you think, TJ Evans. I sure as hell don’t need you telling me what I have to do!”

The fire in her eyes beat the defeated look of yesterday. This was the woman who’d captured his imagination and every sleeping and waking thought, not the one he’d seen hiding in the shadows for the past couple weeks.

TJ took a deep breath and let it out slowly before he attempted to say anything else. He reminded himself he was glad he’d gotten to her before anything happened. “I’m sorry.” He scrubbed a hand through his hair. “I was angry and scared for you.” He wanted to shout, but he held his voice in check. Before he pissed her off again, he had to get her out of her house and into his. Soon. Really soon.

“Don’t worry about me,” she said, the anger draining out of her voice. “I can take care of myself.”

“I know you can. But you don’t have your storm shutters in place. All it takes is flying debris to break through a window-”

At that exact moment, a window shattered upstairs.

Cassidy screamed and threw herself at TJ, burying her face against his chest. “I didn’t think about that. I guess I just wasn’t thinking much.”

“Come on,” he commanded in a low coaxing voice, tugging her toward the door. “Let’s get to my house before this storm gets worse.”

“No!” She pushed against him, her pathetic attempt to break free wrenching at TJ’s heart. Her face looked almost gray in the dim hallway and her skin was cool to the touch.

“I should have taken you to the hospital, yesterday.” He held her, refusing to let her get away this time. If he had to, he’d pick her up and carry her the short distance to his house.

She mumbled into his shirt.

TJ bent his head to hear her over the howling wind and could swear he heard her say, “It’s too late.”

“Cassidy, come with me to my house,” he coaxed softly.

“I can’t,” she said, lifting her face to his, her eyes filling with tears. “You’re not safe with me. Just leave me alone.”

“No. I won’t leave you alone.” TJ’s jaw tightened and his brows lowered over his eyes. “Your house isn’t ready for the storm. I can’t walk away knowing you’ll be hurt.”

Past caring, her shoulders sagged. “It doesn’t matter what happens to me, now.”

“Cassidy, how can I help you if I don’t know what’s going on?” He pulled her against his chest.

So weak she could hardly hold her head up, she leaned into him and pressed her forehead to his wet shirt. Her knees buckled and before she knew what was happening, TJ scooped her into his arms.

“I’m taking you to my house. No more arguments.” With that he flung the door open and launched them out into the rain.

Too weak to resist, Cassidy clung to his jacket, tucking her face against the solid muscles of his chest.

Streetlights barely penetrated the darkness of the night and driving rain, but TJ strode sure-footed across the lawn and into his home. Without loosening his hold, he kicked the door shut behind him and carried her into the living room, switching on the lights as he went.

He sat her on the couch, perched on the cushion next to her and gripped her hands in his. “Now, tell me what’s going on? Are you sick?”

She leaned back, enjoying being taken care of at the same time as she worried about what would happen now. “I guess you could say I am sick. But it’s nothing anyone can cure.”

“Have you talked to the doctors?” he asked, his voice soft, yet concerned.

She rolled her eyes and stared at him. “No. And please don’t do the gallant thing and haul me off to the hospital. I’m weak right now because I haven’t eaten in three days.” Her head fell back against the sofa.

“I can make you some food. Let me help.”

His eagerness to help made the tears harder to hide, and one slid down her cheek. “You can’t help. What I need, I refuse to eat.”

“I don’t get it, Cassidy.” TJ squeezed her hands. “Why won’t you eat? What’s happened?”

Cassidy sighed and pulled her fingers free. “I was attacked three weeks ago on campus.”

He leaped to his feet, his fists clenched at his side. “Why didn’t you tell me? I’m a cop for godsakes!”

“What could you do?”

“Find the filthy bastard and put him in jail, for one.”

She shook her head. “Wouldn’t do any good. The damage is done.”

“What happened, Cassidy?” He gripped her shoulders. “Did the guy rape you?”

“Yes.” Her gaze dropped to where her hand pleated the hem of her damp dress. “And worse.”

TJ dropped to his knees in front of Cassidy and took her hands in his. “Did you think it would make a difference how I felt for you? I love you, Cassidy. I think I’ve known it from the day we met.”

“Don’t.” She pulled her hands from his. “You can’t love me. I’m tainted. Ruined.”

“Not to me.”

“Wait’ll you hear the rest.” She dragged in a deep breath. “The attacker bit me, TJ.”

Still kneeling on the floor, TJ’s gaze narrowed. “Where?”

“On the neck.” Cassidy leaned her head to the side and pointed to the smooth column of her throat.

“You mean like a vampire?” His voice dropped to a low rumble, and he stood.

A chill swept over her body. “Not like. He was a vampire.”

TJ’s face grew still, the only movement the muscle twitching in his jaw. “And are you?”

“What? A vampire?” She breathed deeply, fighting back the anger and tears. “If not being able to go out in the sunlight means I’m a vampire…or craving blood…or being unable to control my sexual urges…then yes. It’s safe to say I’m a vampire.” She held up her hand. “Not that I chose to be one.”

“Wow.” TJ turned away and pushed a hand through his hair.

“Thanks.” She pushed to her feet and swayed, her head spinning, reminding her of her need for sustenance. “Now, if you’ll excuse me I think I’ll go back to my house. Maybe the storm will blow it and me away so you don’t have to think about what this means to your job.”

TJ spun to face her, his forehead creased in a fierce frown. “This isn’t about my career, Cassidy. You were the victim here.”

“Yeah, but if I stay around you much longer, you will be the victim.” She returned his piercing gaze with one of her own. “That’s why I wanted you to leave me alone.”

The broad-shouldered cop sucked in a breath and blew it out slowly.

Although she’d expected it, his hesitation hurt.

Then he reached for her hand and threaded his fingers through hers. “You are the victim.”

She tried to pull her hand from his, but he held tight. The only defense against a broken heart was to launch her own attack. Schooling her face into a blank mask, she asked, “What do you do on your job, Detective TJ Evans?”

A muscle twitched in his jaw and a long moment passed where the only sound was the wind howling against the eaves.

The outside storm couldn’t begin to compete with the internal tempest twisting her in knots. This was the man she’d been falling for since the spring semester began. One night of carelessness had ripped all that away.

TJ stared down into her eyes and admitted, “I kill vampires.”

“Yeah.” She smoothed a hand over his cheek.

He looked away as if so confused, so lost.

“Don’t you see?” she said, turning his face toward her, willing him to look her in the eye. “It’s your job and your duty to kill me.”

“No!” He grasped her hand and held it to his cheek. “This isn’t right.”

“Right or wrong, it’s your job. You have to keep the streets safe from monsters like me.”

“But you’re not a monster. You’re my Cassidy.”

She shrugged. “Not anymore. I crave blood, I need it to survive. No matter how much I want to ignore it, I can’t control my blood lust and my sex-”

A spark flared TJ’s eyes back to life. “And your sexual lust?” He trailed a finger down the side of her breast. “Is that what happened in your hallway yesterday? Was it all part of the vampire package?”

“There has to be some attraction for the lust, but yeah.” His hand did incredible things to her insides. If she wasn’t careful she’d lose control again. “Look, I should go.” When she took a step toward the door, the room swam and she grabbed for something to hold onto. Her hand found his and she held on until the wave of dizziness passed.

His arm circled her waist and he held her against his damp body. “Let me help.”

“What can you do? You don’t have a pint of blood handy do you?” Her words were meant to be flippant, but they caught in her throat on a sob. “Oh, TJ, I’m so sorry.”

“It wasn’t your fault.” He pulled her into his arms and pressed his check against her cold one. “After that time we made love, I thought I’d scared you off. That’s why you stayed away.”

“No way,” she said into his neck, her teeth only a breath away from the strong flowing blood beneath his skin.

“Let me help you.” He pushed her back and stared into her eyes.

“How? Do you think that you could drive me to the nearest blood bank and I’ll just run in and make a withdrawal?” She shook her head. “It doesn’t work that way.”

His hands tightened. “Let me feed you.”

“No!” She tried to back away from him, horrified at how her body leaped at the offer, her mouth watering in anticipation. “I can’t. You can’t.”

“Why not?” He straightened his shoulders. “You didn’t ask to be a vampire, but you have to be fed to stay alive, right? I’m offering to help. Let me.”

Temptation stared at her in the form of one very sexy, muscular cop. Should she take him up on the offer and slake her thirst? Would she be able to stop at just enough or would she go too far? “I don’t know how to control how much I take.”

“Have you fed off others?” he asked, tipping her chin up.

“Yes.” It cost her to admit to it. She found it disturbing, biting into a stranger’s throat. Taking without asking. “I didn’t kill anyone or make them a vampire. I stopped in time.”

“Then feed off me. I’ll take my chances.”

The sincerity in his voice and the gentleness of his touch were her undoing. “You don’t know what you’re getting into. Hell, I don’t either. This is all new to me.”

“Then let’s learn together.” He brushed his lips against hers.

The tenderness of his kiss slammed into Cassidy like the wind against the outside of the house. The door to her restraint blew open and all her cravings burst free. “Are you sure?” She gasped as she pressed her breasts to his chest, not convinced she could stop herself, even if he changed his mind.

“Absolutely.”

“Will it put your career in danger?” she whispered as her lips trailed along his jaw line and down to the warm pulse in his throat. Hunger surged up from her belly, filling her chest and rising upward. Her mouth opened and her gums stretched allowing the incisors to lengthen and sharpen into gleaming white daggers.

“Just do it, Cassidy. Let me worry about my job.” He reached up to cup the back of her head and shove her down on his neck.

Four

Pain ripped through him from the point of penetration to every nerve in his body. Self-preservation instincts kicked in and he grasped her arms to shove her off. Before he could, the pain fell away like so much chaff in the breeze, replaced by tingling warmth. Sensuous heat spread through his body.

Fear fluttered through his belly. For the past weeks, he’d been fighting vampires on the streets of Houston. They were evil, treacherous monsters. Now he’d given his throat to one of them.

No. Cassidy was his girl. His neighbor, human in every way except the teeth penetrating his jugular. What had he been thinking? Was her plea of blood a trick? Would she kill him and have the last laugh on the gullible cop?

Cassidy’s hand skimmed down his back to his buttocks, cupping it firmly and pressing him into her pelvis.

His cock jerked to life and swelled beneath his trousers.

Thoughts jumbled in his head as the waves of desire clouded his brain and forged their way to his lower extremities, igniting his senses into a frenzy of lust and a need so commanding he couldn’t deny.

The hands he’d gripped her with smoothed down her arms, sliding over moist droplets of rain. Lower still, they traveled to the hem of her dress, lifting it up over her hips.

A loud thump sounded from outside the house, but it barely registered in TJ’s head. He couldn’t think beyond driving his engorged penis into this incredible woman.

The harder and faster the better. But he was limited to how far he could move without breaking her hold on his neck. Intense waves of pleasure surged from the point her mouth touched him, and he was incapable of turning her away.

With her dress bunched up around her waist, he tore at her panties, pushing the scrap of lace and elastic over her hips and down her thighs.

Cassidy moaned and pressed her furry mound against his pants, fumbling to unbuckle his belt with one hand. Her haste only cost more time.

Shoving her hands away, TJ grabbed for the belt, unbuckled and ripped it from his belt loops.

“Show-off,” she said into his neck, her lips brushing against his skin like feathers of a boa.

“I take it you’re feeling better?” His fingers worked loose the top button of his uniform trousers.

“Ummmm, you’ve no idea.” Before he could unzip his pants, her hands were there, sliding beneath the waistband, pressing the zipper down at the same time her fingers slid into his briefs.

“I think I do.” All the air left his lungs when her hand rolled his balls between her fingers. “Oh, yes. I think I do.”

He lifted her legs around him and carried her down the hall into his bedroom. Setting her ass onto the edge of the bed, he eased her back until he lay over her, his chest pressing against hers, the fabric of his shirt and her dress unwanted layers between their skin.

Her legs fell open and TJ pressed his cock against her creamy opening, fighting the urge to slam his way home and fuck her like there would be no tomorrow. And the way the storm raged outside, there might not be a tomorrow for the two of them.

Yet, he held back, knowing how much more satisfying it would be to see her come, to witness her screaming out his name, begging him to take her.

Insinuating his hand between them, he parted her folds and flicked her swollen clitoris.

Cassidy bucked beneath him, her teeth sinking deeper into his neck, inspiring bittersweet rivulets of pain to trickle across his nerves. “Easy, now.”

Her jaw loosened and her tongue shot out to lave his skin.

As the pain subsided, his fingers slid lower and dipped into her cunt, stroking the inner walls with first one, then two fingers until he had all four fingers shoved in as deep as they would go.

Another moan vibrated against his neck and her legs rose up around him.

Before she could lock them around his middle, he put out a hand halting her progress. “Un-uh. Not yet.”

A mewl of protest gurgled from her throat as she released his throat and licked his blood from her lips.

For all the nights of fighting bad vamps, TJ wondered why seeing a tongue lap at the deep red blood didn’t repulse him.

Her heels braced on the edge of the bed, she pushed upward, ramming his hand farther into her.

With his other hand, he cupped her ass and slid a finger down the crease between her cheeks until he found her anus. He dragged her juices downward circling the tight little hole, coating it before he poked in.

Cassidy’s fingers raked across his back and kneaded the muscles along the base of his spine. Her strength had returned and she was ready.

A vague thrill of satisfaction filled him knowing he was the one to provide her sustenance. His penis throbbed, demanding release, aching for the smooth, slick walls of her vagina wrapped around him.

“Scoot back,” he urged, lifting her to shift her farther onto the mattress.

She inched backward until she lay across the middle of the bed.

The brief loss of connection left TJ breathless and off balance, until Cassidy looked up at him, her hooded gaze beckoning him. She spread her legs wide and ran a hand down over her mons, swirling a finger across the opening to her pussy, coating it with a thick sheen of come. With his blood still staining her lips bright red, she said, “Fuck me.”

Unable to resist, and completely mindless of the consequences, TJ climbed between her thighs, and poised his cock at the mouth of her glistening core.

Her legs snaked up and around his waist and slammed him into her at the same time she reclaimed his neck.

A euphoric haze blinded him but for the woman writhing beneath him. TJ rammed into her, lifting her hips to drive deeper until her teeth clamped tight over his throat and her body went rigid.

Blood pounded against his eardrums like a freight train, roaring through his head like a raging storm. His own body peaked and spiraled into a mind-blowing kaleidoscope of exploding sensations. With his cock sheathed to the hilt, he froze, letting his orgasm wash over him until he lay limp against her body.

Sometime afterward, he could feel her teeth retract, slipping free of his skin. Her tongue swept over the wounds, gently laving the punctures, the gesture strangely soothing.

“Wow,” he said, nuzzling her ear as he lay on the bed next to her, turning her to face him without breaking their intimate connection.

“Wow,” she echoed, a smile curving her lips as she lay with her eyelids at half-mast.

“If I’d known making love with a vampire was so great, I’d have done it much sooner.”

Her brow furrowed and she slapped at his arm. “And here I thought you actually liked me for who I am, not what I am.”

He pulled her into his arms and held her against his chest. “More than you can imagine. I thought you never wanted to see me again.”

Snuggling closer, she unbuttoned his shirt and pressed her cheek to his naked chest. “I wanted to come to you so badly. But I didn’t know how you’d react to my…er…condition.”

He nipped at her ear. “I can see where your…condition could be an advantage.” He pushed his still stiff cock deeper.

“But what about your job, your life?”

Tugging gently, he inched her dress up and over her head. He loved seeing all of her body and it was even more beautiful with her appetite satiated, her skin pink and healthy. “I definitely have some rethinking to do on this whole vampire thing.” His stomach flipped at what his supervisor would say if he knew TJ had slept with the enemy.

She reached up and traced a finger across his lip. “I’ll understand if you don’t want to see me anymore.”

Not see her? This was Cassidy, not a mindless, heartless beast. Had he been wrong all along about vampires?

“Not all vampires are bad,” she said, as if reading his thoughts. “Just like not all humans are good.”

“True. As it is, I like working nights, and I can’t imagine spending my life with a mere mortal after having you.” He rocked his hips, his cock swelling within her channel.

“I can never have children,” she said, sliding her arms out of her bra.

He pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder and took one rosy-tipped breast between his teeth. “Kids are overrated.”

“I’ll never die. Unless I stand out in the sun too long or someone stakes me.”

“I’ll make sure you stay away from sharp objects. And maybe someday I’ll join you.”

“Would you do that for me?” Her fingers laced around his neck, pulling him down to her lips.

Would he? He stared down at Cassidy, her dark hair fanned across his pillow and couldn’t think of another face he’d rather see there, human or not. “We’ll take it a day at a time and see what tomorrow brings.” Then he kissed her.

Outside, the raging storm spent itself and eased into a gentle, cleansing rain.

MYLA JACKSON is an award-winning, multi-published author of highly sensuous romances. Ever since she and her sister, Delilah Devlin, challenged each other to write romance, neither one has looked back. From kick-ass action/adventure to character-driven stories, she takes her readers on wild and sexy rides, garnering fabulous reviews and rabid fans. Myla atributes her success to her sense of adventure, a love of fast-paced fantasies, and the synergy she and Delilah generate as brainstorming partners.