Dead End Dating (23 page)

L
ike, I know I should be concerned with being spotted hovering outside someone’s eighth-story window, but I’m not.

We’re talking in-your-face and the reason Bigfoot and his buddies no longer exist. My dad had raked in the big bucks betting with colleagues on how many pictures it would take for SOB to find the colony and take the poor furry things out (SOB being Snipers of Otherworldly Beings aka vamp/were/anything-that-goes-bump-in-the-night hunters). All in all, the Bigfeet had been annihilated in a matter of minutes and all because a few of them had been suckers for the paparazzi.

Sure, I was on the backside of the apartment complex with nothing but an alleyway beneath me. But I was floating in full view of the surrounding buildings, not to mention the bondage duo on the other side of the window. Talk about scary. Or it would have been if my radar had extended beyond the made vampire who was hovering directly behind me.

There was nothing sweet or sugary about the man. He smelled of fresh air and raw, rugged strength, and leather. The mix was musky and potent, and I breathed it in. My stomach grumbled in response. A crazy reaction, I knew. I was supposed to get off on rich and decadent and
born.
Sweet scents, I reminded myself. There was nothing remotely sweet about Ty Bonner.

No wonder I wanted him.

Want?

Okay, so I did want him. In a bad way. Not that I was acting on it. There were a zillion reasons why Ty was not the vamp for me. He wasn’t born. I’d given up wasting my time with temporary flings. He didn’t even know what a fertility rating was. I’d given up wasting my time with temporary flings. He could care less about my orgasm quotient. I’d given up…Wait a second? What was it I’d given up?

I tried to remember, but my brain was fogged with Ty’s essence. Suddenly, I couldn’t seem to concentrate. I trembled and my body swayed, and my balance took a nosedive.

“Easy,” Ty murmured. One large hand slid around my waist, and he pulled me back up against his hard length. His lips brushed my ear, and a shiver went down my spine. “What’s wrong with you?” he murmured. “Did you feed tonight?”

“No.” I did, of course. But I wasn’t about to tell him that because then I would have to tell him why I’d lost my balance.
You just smell so good and it’s
scrambling my brain.
Not! “I’ve been really busy tonight. I was going to get a bite later after I managed to catch up on things.”

“Most vampires feed first and work later.” His palm settled fully against my tummy and held me firmly against him. “Then again, you’re not most vampires. At least none I’ve ever met.”

The comment sent a rush of tingles through my body. I had the overwhelming urge to turn in his arms and press my body up against his. My nipples tightened and my mouth went dry. My ears prickled and the frantic
zip, zip
of cars on the nearby streets faded into the steady thump of his pulse. Slow and sure and mesmerizing. Hunger gnawed inside me. I wanted to taste him almost as much as I wanted to touch him.

Almost.

I swallowed against the urge and tried to get a grip on myself.
Think! Remember what’s important.

Oh, yeah. Fertility ratings, wasn’t it? I had to think of the future. It was all about finding the perfect born vamp with the highest fertility rating and making perfect little baby vamps.

Or was it? I drew another deep draft of air and breathed Ty in, and, suddenly, I wasn’t so sure. In fact (another deep breath), I’d take sexy over fertile any old day.

“We should go,” Ty murmured. “I don’t think there’s a law against getting your ass spanked.” I followed his gaze to the couple and watched as Hunka-hunka bent a very naked Action-Adventure—with the exception of the blindfold and handcuffs—over the bed. He proceeded to swat her with a black feather boa he’d pulled from her nightstand drawer.

She let loose a low, stirring moan, and my stomach quivered.

“Isn’t there something on the books about unnecessary force?” I didn’t want to go. Not just yet. Not when Ty felt so close and so strong and smelled so delicious.

And, let’s face it, it had been
so
long since I’d been close to any male that I was starved for contact.

Hey, that was my story at the moment, and I was sticking to it.

“He’s not using force.” Ty’s deep voice stirred the hair on my neck. “She’s provoking him, and he’s giving her what she wants.”

Action-Adventure struggled against her restraints and let loose a string of curse words that made my ears burn. (A first since I’ve been around
forever
and have heard every expletive known to man thanks to my three brothers. Heck, I’ve said most of them a time or two. When provoked, of course.)

“If you keep giving me attitude, I’m going to make you pay,” Hunka-hunka told her. “You know that, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Action-Adventure breathed before she called him a dozen names that brought a smile to his lips.

“If you insist on being a bad girl, then I have no choice but to punish you appropriately. Do you know what happens to bad girls?”

My guess would be another swipe of the black feather boa.

Ty and I both watched as the feathers slid across the pale white flesh of the woman’s back. She gasped and moaned, and my skin tingled where Ty’s hand rested just above the waistband of my DKNY hip huggers. I felt his hips press against me from behind, and I could tell he had a hard-on (boy, did he ever). More moaning and panting echoed in my ears—some of it my own, I realized, when I felt his lips graze my ear—and his fingertips curled around my rib cage. His thumb brushed the underside of my breast.

Okay, so vamps didn’t really need air. We drew it in and out like everyone else, but it wasn’t crucial to our life force. Our hearts kept our rejuvenating blood pumping, and so it was the only truly vital organ in our bodies.

Yet here I was and I couldn’t seem to get enough air into my lungs. My breaths came short and shallow.
Panting,
of all things. Every nerve in my body stood at full alert, aware of every scrumptious inch of the man holding me close, screaming for more than the closeness. I wanted naked closeness. Followed by a spectacular orgasm. Followed by another, and an other and…

“We should leave.”

“We should do a lot of things, but leaving isn’t one of them.” The thought flew out of my mouth before I could stop it. “That is, I mean, unless you want to.”

“Not at the moment. At the moment, I’d rather stay right here.” He nibbled at my earlobe, and I tipped my head to the side to give him better access.

His own cool breath rushed over my skin a split second before he pressed his lips to the spot. His tongue darted out, and he licked a path from the base of my jaw down the slope of my neck.

It felt so good that I didn’t think it could get any better. But then I heard his deep hiss, followed by a low, throaty rumble, and I felt his sharp fangs glide across the tender flesh.

He wanted to bite me. I knew it deep in my gut. Even more, I felt it in the tension that held his body so rigid and the erection pressed up against me.

He wanted me bad.

So why didn’t he bite me, already?

Instead, he ran his open mouth up and down the length of my neck, tasting and touching and grazing until I couldn’t stand it any longer.

“Are you going to kiss me or what?” I breathed.

And just like that, he was.

He whirled me around and his mouth covered mine so fast that my head went light again and I actually felt myself floating higher and higher.

His lips nibbled at mine before he slid his tongue into my mouth. It was the best kiss of my life, and that was saying a lot since I’d had many kisses and been around for one heck of a long time.

But there was just something about the way he held me and the way he tilted his head as if he couldn’t get enough, and the way he tasted, that made me forget all those other times with all those other men.

It was just him. And me.

“…stop, stop! There’s someone outside the window.”

Make that him. And me. And the bondage duo.

Ty was pulling away just as my eyes snapped open. Our gazes swiveled toward the window in time to see Action-Adventure scramble out from under a very naked Hunka-hunk.

“See,” she shrieked, her eyes widening as she pointed at me. “I told you there was someone out there…”

The rest of her words faded as Ty gripped my hand and pulled me to the ground with one fell swoop.

I landed in a greenish-looking puddle that had dripped from a nearby trash can, which would have killed the romantic moment if being caught spying hadn’t already done the trick.

“Do you think they’ll call the police?” I asked as I examined the gunk on my shoes.

“And tell them there were a couple of vampires levitating outside their eighth-floor bedroom window?”

“Good point.”

We stood there a few more moments, an awkward silence stretching between us. “I should really get going. I was in the middle of a ride-along with a homicide detective from the Seventh Precinct. He’s up against a murder investigation he can’t seem to get a break on. I thought I’d help him out while I’m in town. Never know when I’ll need to call in a favor.”

“I get it. You scratch his back and he scratches yours.”

“Right.”

“Right.”

I licked my lips and tasted him. My tummy flipped and my heart did a double thump. I had the sudden urge to rip off his shirt and do a little back scratching of my own. Maybe if I scratched his, he would be inclined to scratch mine and then we could—

“Look, this is wrong on so many levels,” I blurted before I could venture any further into the land of the crazies. “You…me…It just isn’t going to happen. You know that. I know that. It can’t happen.”

“You’re right. It can’t.” He winked. “At least not tonight.”

Not ever,
I wanted to add, but I couldn’t seem to make myself say the words. Not with him smiling that little half smile, as if he knew something I didn’t. His neon blue eyes crinkled at the corners, and a dimple cut into his dark, shadowed cheek.

Just like that, the expression faded and he frowned. “You shouldn’t have set this up yourself,” he said, his voice cool and clipped and totally pissed. “If he had turned out to be the kidnapper, you could have made the situation worse. He might have ended up with two victims this time instead of just one.”

I managed a sarcastic laugh even though I wanted to (a) punch him in the nose for even suggesting that I couldn’t take care of myself and (b) pull him close and kiss him until he smiled at me again. “I can take care of myself and anyone else who comes along.” I gave him my best holier-than-thou imitation. “I
am
a vampire, remember?”

“I’m not the one who keeps forgetting.” He stared down at the can that had fallen to the ground when he’d floated up behind me. He bent down and retrieved the small container. “What were you planning to do with this? Give him a makeover?”

“You can’t prove that’s mine.”

“True. It probably belongs to that homeless guy over there. He can’t afford a place to live, but he can drop a quick twenty for designer hairspray.”

“It was twenty-five and just because I wasn’t going to tear Hunka-hunka to shreds if he’d really been the kidnapper doesn’t mean I can’t.” I bared my fangs for a quick moment and snatched the can from him. “This must have fallen out of my purse while I was levitating.”

“Sure it did.”

“Don’t you have a back to scratch?”

“Call if you suspect anybody else.”

The
if
niggled at me as I watched Ty disappear down the street. My body trembled, and my nipples stood at attention. My skin felt itchy and tight and needy, and I’d never been so thirsty in my entire life.

Just one drink and I would feel better.

My gaze swiveled to the homeless guy whom Ty had mentioned. He was leaning back against the building, his eyes closed, an empty wine bottle in his hand. The steady beat of his pulse filled my ears. The warm, inviting scent of blood overpowered the smell of stale beer and old tuna fish, and drew me closer.

Ka-thump. Ka-thump. Ka-thump.

I knelt down next to him and willed his eyes open.

His eyelids fluttered. His gaze focused, lit with recognition, and then widened in fear.

“What the…” he sputtered.

But then I touched him, just the light press of my fingertips on his arm, and his fear faded. His expression eased into one of pure bliss.

I leaned toward him, and he leaned toward me and…

“Come on,” he slurred, wanting me more and more with each moment that passed. “Do me, baby.”

Do me, baby
? The cheesy line pushed past the bloodlust that fogged my senses and jerked me back to reality and the fact that I’d been about to feed off this poor soul.

Even worse, I’d
wanted
to feed off him. To sink my teeth into his neck and feel his life force rush into my mouth. My nipples tingled at the notion, and a wave of remorse washed through me.

Forget matching up everyone else. I needed a date of my own in the worst way. Otherwise…

My gaze zeroed in on the smelly drunk, and my stomach did a somersault. I turned and left the alley as fast as my Christian Louboutins could carry me. I headed back to the office with only one thought on my mind: finding someone for myself.

Okay, so I had two thoughts on my mind: finding someone and having mad, passionate, monkey sex with him.

But first things first.