Date with a Vampire (6 page)

A frown drooped the corners of her perfectly shaped lips.

Sensing her hesitation, he held his hand out to her. “I can assure you, I don’t bite.”

A hint of a smile brightened her face. “I’m Melody Johnson.” Her gaze flicked over the endless expanse of empty beach before she placed her small, warm hand in his.

Two things surprised him: the firmness of her handshake and the incredible softness of her skin. Although petite, she was by no means frail. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Melody Johnson.”

She seemed to relax some, but still appeared uneasy. Was there something about him that made her uncomfortable? He’d taken his daily dose of the potion, so he should appear as human as she.

“You’re one of the bachelors, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”
And you’re most definitely a Dream Girl.
He dropped his gaze, letting it travel slowly over her slim body, lingering a little at where her breasts nicely filled out her bikini top, and at the rounded curve of her hips, but not too long so as to be rude. Her skin blushed to a lovely shade of rose while he openly admired her.

“You shouldn’t be here.” Her voice rose an octave.

He lifted a brow. “And why’s that?”

“It’s against the rules.”

“Really?” He reclined beside her, crowding her on the big white beach towel, the edge of his wet swim trunks brushing the side of her thigh. “And what rules are those?”

“This beach is private. You’re not supposed to be here. Not supposed to meet me… Not until tomorrow.” She curled her toes into the sand and bit her lip, but she didn’t kick him off her towel or demand that he leave.

Guystof propped himself up on one elbow and smiled. “Well, the damage is already done, and no harm has come to you.”

She set the drink she’d been holding down on the towel and shook her finger at him. “I’m serious. If the producers find out…well, I don’t know what might happen. They just might boot you off the show.”

He tried hard not to laugh. She certainly was a feisty little thing. “Don’t you think that would be a tad extreme?”

“Not if they thought you’d gained an unfair advantage over the other men.”

“And what do you think, Melody? Have I?” he asked in his sexiest tone.

Her delicate brow furrowed. “What kind of question is that? I’ve only just met you and I know nothing about—”

He leaned over and pressed his mouth against hers, cutting off her words. Her petal-soft lips parted beneath his gentle but insistent pressure, and the fragrant aroma of musk, sandalwood and amber surrounded him. Her back stiffened, he was sure from shock, but then he felt her surrender to his deepening kiss. Draping an arm across her shoulders, he pulled her nearer, so that the wild pounding of her heart mingled with his own. As she began to melt against him, he pulled back. She stared with glazed eyes into his. Her breasts rose and fell in a deep sigh beneath the deliciously skimpy bikini top.

“What do you think now, Melody?” His words rolled off his tongue in the deep Romanian accent he worked so hard to conceal. “Now that you know how I kiss…”

She blinked quickly and shook her head as if what had just happened had been a dream. “I-I-I don’t know,” she stuttered and ran her fingertip over her lips. “I don’t know what to think, other than you’re awfully bold.” Melody scooted across the towel so that at least a foot separated them.

“Perhaps, but you can’t deny that you enjoyed our kiss as much as I,” he said with a wicked grin.

She planted her hands on her hips. “I didn’t kiss you. I don’t kiss men I don’t know. You kissed me.”

“You may not have initiated it, but I know when a woman responds to me. And you, darling, were on fire.”

Her eyes smoldered to almost black. “Why you arrogant—”

“Careful,” he interrupted. “You might hurt my feelings. I’m really quite sensitive.”

“I doubt that,” she muttered beneath her breath. “Is that how men behave where you come from?”

A chuckle rose from deep in his belly. “My dear, some are much worse than I.” An image of Theo came to mind, clouding the otherwise sunny day.

“And where exactly do you come from?” she asked. “I know I’ve heard that accent before.”

“Moldavia.”

“Romania?”

He nodded.

She studied him closely, as if there was something familiar about him. “Huh, I’ve never met anyone from that part of the world before, and now I’ve met two.”

The blood pulsed through Guystof’s temples. He struggled to keep his expression composed. “Really? And where did you meet the other?”

“At JFK, while waiting for my flight. He seemed really nice but disappeared before I could even get his name. Maybe you know him. He has curly blond hair…”

A dreamy look came into her eyes, and Guystof’s stomach churned. “Sorry, I’m afraid I don’t know who that might have been.” He had no doubt that it was his evil, conniving brother, but he wasn’t about to tell Melody that. He should have known the dirty dog would try to prevent him from winning her heart. Well, at least he was familiar with Theo’s tricks and would be ready for whatever Theo planned to do from here out.

He reached over and squeezed her hand. “I should go, before someone sees me here with you.”

She shaded her eyes again, and the cornflower blue turned sapphire. Her freckled nose wrinkled as she grinned. “I have a feeling this isn’t the first time you’ve broken a rule.”

“And probably not the last. I like to win, Melody. And I’ll do whatever it takes to get what I want.” He held her gaze in an unwavering stare. She looked away first, obviously embarrassed by his intensity.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” he said as he stood.

She tipped her head, her eyebrows arched in gentle reproach. “Yes, when we’ll meet for the first time.”

“No need to worry, Melody. I’ll never give today away. It’ll be our little secret.” He turned and walked toward the water, but before diving into the waves, he called over his shoulder to her, “Don’t forget the sun block. I don’t want my future wife to get burned.” His splash covered up her reply, but he didn’t need to hear her words to know he’d made a lasting impression on her. And that was just as he’d hoped. What he hadn’t planned on, though, was what he’d felt for her. He’d expected her to be beautiful, but he’d had no idea how wonderful she’d feel in his arms or how his heart would skip a beat when he kissed her.

A deep sadness came over him as he remembered what he was—a blood-sucking monster not all that different from his brother—and despite the potion’s ability to make him appear human, its effects were temporary. Nothing would alter what he was or what he ultimately had to do. And if he didn’t keep his emotions at bay, it would only make it more difficult when the time came for him to end Melody’s mortal life.

— : : —

Melody watched Guy disappear amongst the waves. The man was incorrigible. She ran her fingertip over her lips—where just a few minutes ago his kiss had left her breathless. She’d never been kissed like
that
before. And by a stranger. What had she been thinking to allow him to do that?

She gathered up her belongings and marched back to her
bure
, as angry with herself as she was with him. The next time she saw him, she’d better be cool and distant. There were nineteen other bachelors for her to meet, and if they were anything like Guy, she was in trouble. Her hormones were raging like a sixteen-year-old’s.

Melody set the coconut drink on the bar, dropped the books on a chair, and padded toward the bathroom to freshen up. There were no clocks in her
bure
and her watch still showed New York time, but her internal clock told her it had to be late afternoon. Since she had no idea when dinner was; the only thing she knew was that she’d better be ready when that
lali
drum beat.

The relaxing sound of the Jacuzzi filtered in through the french doors, a reminder that she needn’t bathe inside. She hesitated, her reserve holding her back, then smiled and stepped out of her bikini. There was no need to act the part of the uptight librarian here. She could let loose. Melody could become the spontaneous woman she’d always wanted to be. Why, hadn’t she already begun her transformation? She’d encountered two gorgeous men and hadn’t shrunk away from either one. Quite the opposite. She’d even let one kiss her. And enjoyed it too. Yes, she could have the time of her life here.

She dunked her toe in the spa and sighed deeply. This was indeed paradise. As she sank into the bubbling water, she imagined Guy in the hot tub with her. She envisioned his startling ice-blue eyes—a pale blue as she’d never seen before—locked with hers in a “do I ever want you” stare. She dipped her face in the water and blew out a stream of bubbles. Oh, yeah, he was definitely hot. But despite her physical attraction to him, she needed to remember how arrogant and bold he’d been. Men like that were nothing but trouble. What she should be looking for was a nice, quiet man who shared her love of books. One who would want her more for her mind than for her libido.

She shifted her thoughts away from men and onto what to wear to dinner. An hour later she steadied her trembling hands in the folds of her tangerine silk dress and entered the large
bure
where seated at a round table in the center of the hut sat the
Dream Girl
producers. Although she’d met with them all before, the impact of what they had in store for her hadn’t hit home until now. In less than twenty-four hours, the cameras would roll and the taping of
Dream Girl
would begin.

Somewhere not too far away, twenty hunks waited to meet her, hopeful that she’d fall in love and make one her husband. What they didn’t know was that she had no intention of doing that. Of course, she hoped to meet the man of her dreams someday, but she had little faith that would happen on network TV. When this was all over, she’d go home to her mundane life and live in peace again. After all, that was why she was here, to rid herself of those bothersome gold-digging men. If she just focused on her objective, maybe she’d forget that thirty million people would be tuning in each week to watch her find her soul mate.

Above her head, paper lanterns hung from the ceiling, casting a golden glow over the faces of the people she was about to dine with. Eddie Hatch, supervising producer and a no-nonsense kind of guy, chatted with Sugar. His gaze kept drifting up to her big hair that swirled like a copper halo around her head. Across from him sat Daniel Stone, the director, and to his right was executive producer Wendy Jackson, the toughest one in the group. Even Henry Lyons, the show’s host, was there. With a deep breath and a firm resolve, Melody stepped up to the table, plastered a smile on her face, and said, “Good evening, everybody.”

Daniel pulled a seat out for her beside him. After she sat, she looked around the table at the sea of smiling faces staring back at her. Wendy folded her perfectly manicured hands together on the table. “I hope you had a restful afternoon.”

Restful? Definitely not. Melody thought back to her encounter with Guy and how his kiss had ignited a fire in her she hadn’t known existed. “It was wonderful.”

“Good, because tomorrow you’ll meet the bachelors, and from then on it’s bound to be a whirlwind.”

A waiter came over and filled Melody’s water glass. “Would you like a cocktail, miss?”

She looked around the table at all the little umbrellas, each one a different color, and was about to ask for his recommendation when Wendy answered for her.

“She’ll have an iced tea. Nonalcoholic iced tea.” The producer dismissed the waiter by turning her attention back to Melody. “Can’t have you drinking tonight. We need you in top form tomorrow; then after that you may drink whatever you like. In fact, we hope you’ll partake in a few cocktails with the bachelors. It’ll help to loosen everyone up.”

A blush stole up Melody’s face. And how loose did they want her? The show aired in prime time, when parents watched with their children. Besides, no matter how many cocktails they had her drink, she would never do anything to compromise her high moral values.

Thankfully, the waiter arrived with her iced tea. She took a long sip, letting the cool liquid slide down her throat. She was nervous enough without now having to worry about the producers wanting her to get intimate with the bachelors.

As if sensing her uneasiness, Daniel reached over and patted her hand. “Melody, you won’t have much time to get to know the bachelor’s before the first elimination ceremony, so to help you get a feel for them, I brought you their photos. On the back, you’ll find some background info.” He took a file folder out of the eel-skin briefcase he had propped open on the floor and handed it to her.

“Thank you.” She placed it on her lap just as the waiter served dinner.

Although the food looked delicious, she had very little appetite. After eating less than half of her fish and a few bites of her vegetable, Melody set her fork down. All she wanted was to go back to her
bure
and relax.

“You should go to bed, sweetie. You look beat. Besides, I’ll be over early in the morning to make you look gorgeous.”

Melody nodded, thankful for Sugar’s intuitiveness. She slipped the file folder under her arm and bid everyone good night.

A short while later, dressed in her nightgown and slippers, she lay on the rattan sofa, going through the eight-by-ten color glossies of the bachelors. Each one looked better than the last. When she came to Guy’s photo, she immediately flipped it over to read his bio and nearly choked. Guy was a count and heir to a tiny kingdom in western Moldavia. She’d been kissed by royalty! Ann and the girls were sure to get a kick out of that.

With her eyes closed, Melody envisioned herself wearing a beautiful brocade ball gown and being swept across the floor by the dashing count. But instead of moving gracefully, her steps a perfect match to his, she stumbled and stepped on his toes. Her eyelids flew open. What kind of daydream was that? She sighed and dropped the picture on the sofa. Guess she wasn’t cut out to be a countess.

— : : —

As Guystof unpacked his suitcase, he wondered if he’d made a mistake coming to Fiji. There was no denying Melody had enjoyed his kiss, but that didn’t guarantee he’d win her heart. She might be just as attracted to the other bachelors.