“Money. Looks. Intelligence. And now the hottest chick this side of the Atlantic? You kill me, man. Totally.”
“He means both sides of the Atlantic. And everywhere else. He’s just a bit slow. Sam? Apologize to the lady.”
Cassandra frowned slightly before turning back to Jake, and looking up. He was watching for it. Olive green eyes met hers. He had the slightest copper shade in his eyes…toward the center. She’d noted everything about them last night. They were just as deep and unfathomable as she recalled. He might as well have visible tendrils reaching from him, binding her against his side. She couldn’t stop the shivers. She’d found her mate! Her entire sphere seemed filled with Jacob anymore. The others were mere irritants.
“Uh…you want us to take a hike or something, boss?”
“If you need it in words, you really are fired. All of you,” Jake replied. And then he winked and looked toward them, releasing her gaze. Cassandra dropped it to his shoulder. His chest. He didn’t have much body hair, although he didn’t look shaved. Or waxed. There was the slightest line of light brown splicing his torso, and leading down…
Cassie gasped and shut her eyes. She was too new to this.
“You heard him, gentlemen. After you, Grant. Oh no!”
“What now?”
“I just remembered I left a date at that fundraiser. She’s going to be sore. Really sore. What time is it?”
“Now, that’s funny.”
“Midnight. You better run back, Doctor. Before she talks to the tabloids.”
“Oh! And secure the door on your way out. No admittance tonight. You got that, guys? I don’t want to be disturbed unless the place is on fire. And even that’s chancy. It better be a big fire.” The words rumbled through the chest she was held to.
“Sure thing, Mensa. Wait! I’ll just take the pc pad with me. You guys need to see this. Oh shit. Grant! You lost my program! You are one big clumsy ape. You know that?”
“Come on, Ryan.”
Words accompanied their steps. Away. Down a plateau of steps. Through the doors. And then there was silence. And him. Jacob. The one being that brought every dead cell back to life. Energized her existence. Elevated this afterlife to paradise. Gave everything meaning and purpose. And joy. He was moving, turning her toward him with one arm, while the other came around her, encircling. Hugging her against him. Granting her everything she’d lost. And more she’d never known.
But she had to tell him. Wasn’t that part of this? Wasn’t that what she’d been told? A mate needed to be willing. You couldn’t just take a man and make him undead. She couldn’t recall the rules. It was so long ago…and it had seemed so far-fetched.
Then.
She felt his fingers beneath her chin, working at the bow she’d fastened. She hadn’t pinned the hat on, so if she tipped her chin just slightly, it would drop off, taking the veil with it. He pulled the ribbons free. She tipped her chin. The hat fell somewhere behind her. A moment later she felt him searching for and then pulling the myriad of pearl-tipped hairpins securing her hair off her shoulders. Each time he pulled a pin, the resultant lock fell, caressing her shoulders and upper arms as it went.
“You’re here. Oh…Cass. Cass. You came back.”
“Cass?”
She moved her glance to his, and the moment their eyes met reason and responsibility went right out the window, fading quicker than the other humans had. She’d seen a grainy old photo of him from years earlier. He’d been handsome in that. It was nothing compared to the reality. Especially when he smiled, highlighting little laugh lines on both sides of his eyes.
“Cassie is such a mouthful,” he replied.
“It’s Cassandra,” she told him with what was supposed to be an authoritative tone, but just sounded whispered and wanton and eager.
“Are all Brits so strict?”
“No. I—wait.”
“What for?”
He lifted her, and bent his head, giving her the slightest hint of breath at her lips with his words. The embrace stole her intentions and tossed them aside. She daren’t kiss him. Not yet. She had to keep her thoughts lucid, her motives clear. She had to tell him—
His mouth touched hers. He had an arm about her waist and, the other hand at the back of her head, securing her…to him. The hold was superfluous. She was glued in place in order to absorb him, giving and then taking every facet of the kiss. It was too perfect. Too wondrous. She wasn’t careful, and a canine elongated, then it sliced, and at the first taste, her knees buckled, heaving her against him.
A moan surged through their entwined forms, coming from both throats, the meaning in perfect collusion. She needed him. She needed the real physical pleasure he gave, and the way he gave it. She craved it. Desired it. Had to have it. Her hands flew about his sides, his back, over his shoulders, skimming along every ridge of flesh-covered muscle, while his fingers threaded down her spine, following the line of her clothing. Up. Back down. Lifting the seventy little hooks she’d sewn there and getting nowhere. That gained her a bit of sense. She had to tell him before she lost restraint. Making love to him was too beautiful an experience. Vast. All-encompassing. It robbed her control. Obliterated her limits. She was afraid and trembling with it. She didn’t know if she could keep from draining him. And changing him. She didn’t know if she could stop.
“You’re…shivering,” he told her. “Oh Babe. Are you cold?”
“No, I—Jacob…wait! I have to tell you something.”
“The only thing you have to tell me is how to get through this damn corset.”
“Bustier,” she replied.
His huff of breath carried a hint of laughter. “Fine. Bustier. Whatever. Who fashions such a thing? With tons of little hooks up the back…but not one of them work. It’s like they’re sewn…closed.”
“They are.”
“What? Who designs such a thing? Sadists?”
Cassandra put her hand atop his and moved his fingers to the hidden zipper at her side, right at her waist. And heard the sound of metal teeth releasing as the material opened. “Me. I designed it.”
“Cute. You designed the skirt, too?”
“I design…all my clothing.”
Her words stuttered. The jade colored piece fell to the floor, making a thudding sound beyond what material should cause. Her senses were heightened more than ever. That came from the taste of him. The scent. Touch.
“Really? You should have your own label—never mind. I see you do. CB Designs. You own your own business?”
“Yes.”
“In London?”
“I live below my shop.”
“Don’t you mean…above?”
“No. That’s part of what I need to tell you.”
“Oh…
Baby
. You’re beautiful. Exquisite. Everywhere.”
He lost his voice more than once, the words shaky-sounding. Then his body joined in. And all because he’d slid his fingers down the sides of her bodice, cupped her breasts, and lifted them free of material. Reverently. As if she might break. And then he moved his hands to her waist and just held her. All of it stabbing right through to where she didn’t think she had a heart anymore.
“This mate thing you spoke about last night. I think I know what you mean.”
He lifted his gaze and met hers. Cassandra had never seen anything as beautiful as the sheen atop his eyes. She knew her heart was dead. It had been for decades now. There wasn’t any way it could feel a swoop of movement. Yet that’s what happened. Because of the emotion behind his words and on his face.
“Jacob, you must listen to me. Before it’s too late and we go too far.”
“I think that happened last night, Love. And I’m willing to do a repeat here. I’d like to best my stroke. My repetitions. And maybe my timing. You on?”
“But—”
“Will you marry me?”
Her mouth was still open to finish telling him, and the rest of the words became a garbled mess. “What?”
“Marry. Me. As in bridal veil. Ceremony. Groom. Supposedly I’m a hell of a catch. I’m on a few lists of top 50 bachelors, anyway. You game?”
“Oh…Jacob.”
She was going to cry. Impossible. Incredible. Her? Cassandra Braun? She’d never cried. Even before. Finding her mate had given her back sensations and passions and emotions she’d thought dead and gone forever. She blinked rapidly at his image.
“I mean, I didn’t exactly plan this. It’s rather spur of the moment…uh. It’s crazy. I know. But I can’t shake the feeling that if I don’t lock you down somehow, you’re going to up and disappear on me again in the morning. And I just couldn’t take it. Say you’ll marry me. Stay with me. Please?”
“Jacob.” She choked on his name.
“Am I failing? Crap. I’ve never done this. And I know it’s sudden. It’s more than sudden. It’s insane. I’m doing it wrong, too. I should be on my knees. Begging. I don’t exactly have an engagement ring, either. And the one I’m going to design will take some time to craft. You might have a hard time lifting your hand. You’re pretty small. Probably a five. Maybe a five and a half. Yes?”
“Five and a half?”
“Ring size. You’re not going to cry, are you? That’s good, right? I should’ve waited. Done this with caviar and champagne. Showered. Shaved. Put on a tux. I have closets full of them. Hell, I should have hired a full orchestra. And I—wait! I know.”
He started prying at the little finger of his left hand.
“I’ve got a signet ring. From when I was a kid. It might fit. Here. Give me your left hand.”
“Jacob.”
“Please don’t say you’re turning me down.”
“I have something I have to tell you first.”
“Do you love me?”
Cassandra’s eyes went wide. He stepped away from her, folded his arms, and started pacing, patting his sides as he went. “I know. I’m rather manic, but I swear, I’ve never felt like this. I mean…I’m head over heels here. I want to keep you at my side day and night. You got it?”
“But—?”
“You do love me? Yes?”
Cassandra smiled. “You’re my mate, Jacob. It’s not negotiable. It’s not changeable. It’s not something either of us can fight.”
“And that means you love me? Yes?”
“Jacob, you have to listen to me. I’m not like…other women.”
“No lie. Who wants them? I want you. Cassandra Braun. I don’t want you to leave me at dawn. I want you here. With me. Always. What’s it going to take to get a yes out of you, Babe?”
“Oh, Ja…cob.”
“You stumbled on my name. That’s promising. Is any of this a yes? You do love me? Yes?”
She nodded.
He blew a heavy sigh, cooling her from an arms-length away. “That’s one hurdle over. And you’ll marry me? Make me the happiest man in the world?”
“It’s…not that simple.”
“Of course it is. We go file papers. Find a magistrate. Hell. I’ll order one in. I’ve got enough witnesses here already. And I can’t wait to show you off to the press.”
“Show…me off?”
“On my arm. I’ve been press shy for years. Not anymore. I think the world needs to see my wife. I might call the news channel. They’re always trying to get a story.”
“You mean…a photograph?”
“Photo. Digital. News feed. Whatever it takes.”
“I can’t get photographed, Jacob. That’s one of the things—.”
“You’re publicity shy? Fair enough. That’s why I have Malcolm. We’ll send him out with a babe on his arm, while we’re honeymooning in Tahiti. Or Bora Bora. Or Nassau. What?”
“You go too fast.”
“You said yes. I heard it. Yes? You did. Right?”
In reply Cassandra held out her left hand. The ring was too large for every finger save her middle one. And he kissed it after he slid it on.
CHAPTER SEVEN
She was ready early, moving like a shadow. Silently. Stealthily. Cassandra could’ve stayed a few minutes longer in his arms. The hangar where her plane sat wasn’t but twenty minutes away if she moved at slow speed. If she rushed, she’d be there in five. She was still early. She’d wanted the extra time. Needed it. She planned to memorize every facet of him…and what they shared. She hadn’t known love felt like this.
She was so lucky! How was it possible? Some of her compatriots waited centuries. Millennia. Akron was a prime example. He’d had years of existence. None of them graced with a mate. And yet, without a hint of notice, Cassandra got hers. It was pure pleasure just to look at him. And not just at his handsomeness. Although that was striking. It was especially noticeable as he slept, the slight touch of recessed lighting casting shadows that emphasized just how handsome. Virile. Masculine.
She didn’t touch him. She didn’t dare. Shifting from his arms had almost wakened him. He seemed to know she was going to leave – but how could she stay? The sun was going to be up in less than an hour.
She’d just received the ability to feel again, and while it was the most wondrous thing imaginable, it had a dark side. It carried fear. Anxiety. Worry. They just kept increasing. That’s why she hadn’t told him. She was afraid of his reaction. Terrified of it. Cassandra Braun. Paid assassin. Vampire. One of the undead. Terrified.
She should have said something the moment he asked her to marry him. Definitely before he took the last film of clothing from her body. And well before the second time, when he’d spent so much time worshipping every inch of her body that she’d been squirming in need and torment that only he could ease.
She hadn’t said any of it. The sort of passion they shared wielded an intensity that demanded satiation. And then there was the slow, perfect time afterwards. It had been so sweet. So loving. So…amazing. Jacob made certain she knew exactly what intimacy and love meant to him. There was emotion behind every caress. Every hug. Every word.
He’d been talkative. He’d regaled her for hours – sometimes animatedly, sometimes in a husky soft tone, and lastly in a hoarse whisper – about all the places he was going to show her. All the experiences he couldn’t wait to share with her. The children he planned on having that he was already naming. He wanted two. One of each. But if she gave him only daughters, he’d be the happiest man alive. Sons would gain the same emotion. All he wanted was her. Each word added to the worry. Her breast grew heavy with fear, thick with anxiety, and then it filled with dread.
She had to leave. Soon. She was wasting time. She knew he wouldn’t understand. He’d think she deserted him again. Cassandra wrapped her arms about her to hold in the hollow feeling. She already felt lost. Alone. Empty. But she’d be back. Tonight. She’d tell him tonight. The moment the sun set and she rose—