Forbidden Blood (29 page)

“I guess I will see you two soon. Good luck. Naya, call me with any questions you might have before I see you again.”

“Can I keep the pictures?” she asked.

“Of course. They’re yours after all.”

Naya took the pictures and walked slowly toward the door. Dr. Montgomery told her good-bye, but she barely noticed due to the big cat breathing down the back of her neck.

How mad was he?

Vaughn was quiet as he walked behind her while they exited the clinic. When they reached the car, she couldn’t stand the silence any longer.

She swung around. “Look, Vaughn, I’m really sorry I didn’t—”

She didn’t get to finish because Vaughn pulled her into his arms and kissed her. The kiss was hot and full of passion, leaving her breathless.

When he broke the kiss, he said, “So, that’s what you do to my neck?
I suspected, but I knew vampires fed from other vampires, so I didn’t think you had actually fed from me. But now that I know, babe, I’d better be the only one you’re feeding from—pregnancy or no pregnancy.” He dropped another kiss on her lips and walked around to the driver’s side.

“So, you’re not mad?”

“Nah.”

“Then, why did you look like you were?”

“I admit, I was jealous at first, thinking of you feeding from someone else. Then, when I figured out it was me, I decided I needed to keep you on your toes,” he said before he opened his door and got in.

She chuckled. “Jerk,” she said in a low voice so that he couldn’t hear.

She jumped when she heard him laugh out loud from inside the vehicle. She’d forgotten he had cat hearing.

“Serves you right for feeding from a man without his permission,” he called out.

Naya just shook her head and smiled as she got into the car.

D
ISORIENTATED,
K
ENZIE AWOKE from a deep sleep. The room was completely dark, except for her alarm clock telling her it was the middle of the night. Still half-asleep, she figured it was Crabby Abby that had roused her. She was about to slip back into a deep slumber when she felt someone shake her shoulder.

Now scared and fully awake, she flung her eyes open, knowing she had gone to bed alone. A big figure loomed over her, and her thoughts flew to kidnapping, rape, and murder.
I’m too young to die.
Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth to scream, hoping her neighbors would hear her, when she heard his voice.

“Kenzie, it’s me.”

Sawyer
.

She
exhaled the breath she was holding, and her shoulders sagged with relief. He might be an asshole, but he wasn’t a murderer.

“What the hell are you doing here? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” She placed her hand on her chest and tried to calm her racing heart. No longer scared, she was now mad. “How the hell did you get in here anyway?”

He backed away from her bed, giving her space. “You wouldn’t answer your door. I had no choice but to break in.”

She sat up in bed. “Um,” she said, popping her lips for emphasis, “I don’t really remember inviting you, so maybe that’s why you couldn’t get in.”

She suddenly felt uncomfortable with his big, imposing body in her bedroom, so she made a beeline out of bed to leave the room. From the doorway, she watched as he bent to pick up her traitorous feline, who had been rubbing herself on his legs, before he followed her.

Once in the kitchen, she turned on the oven light and stood behind the breakfast bar. It was tall and big enough to seat two. More importantly, it placed some much-needed space between Sawyer and herself. He gave her cat another friendly pat before setting her on the floor.

“I know you didn’t invite me, but I needed to talk to you,” Sawyer said.

“Why didn’t you just call me?”

“I don’t have your phone number,” he said through clenched teeth.

She’d known that, but it was fun to goad him. She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine.
What’s so imperative that you have to break into my apartment in the middle of the night?”

“Have you talked to Naya recently?”

“She sent me a text earlier, saying she was getting checked out at the doctor’s office, but I haven’t heard from her after that. Why? Is something wrong?”

“Shit. I can’t find Vaughn. You were my last option.”

“Vaughn? They’re together? What? Why? What’s going on?”

Sawyer either hadn’t heard her, or he was ignoring her because he began to pace back and forth without saying a word. With him lost in thought, she had a moment to study him. This was the first time she’d seen
him since—what she’d dubbed—
the club incident
.

A few weeks had passed
, and she was hoping she could forget it had ever happened, but it was as if the memory had been etched into her brain. No one had ever given her such a powerful orgasm, especially from his hand alone. She could only imagine how good it would feel if they actually had sex. He was always so intense and commanding, so he’d probably be the same when he moved inside her. A shiver ran down her back from just thinking about it.

Sawyer paused in his pacing and glared at her. “Stop looking at me like that,” he bit out.

She pretended like she hadn’t been thinking about him fucking her or the club incident. She still felt embarrassed by the whole thing. She hadn’t been completely sober, and she’d let some guy she didn’t even like pull her into the restroom, stick his hand down her pants, and get her off like they were trying to set some world record for fastest time to orgasm.
How humiliating.
Her only relief was the hope that he didn’t remember much of the episode since he’d been drinking, too.

So far, he was acting like it had never happened. However, as with all the other times she’d thought about the incident, she caught herself subconsciously rubbing her neck where he had bitten her, which had taken over two weeks to heal. His tone, on top of her memories and sexual frustration, put her on the defense.

“Stop looking at you like what? Like you’re a criminal, out committing a little B & E when you feel it’s necessary because someone doesn’t answer the door?” She didn’t wait for an answer. Instead, she went back to the previous subject. “Why are you looking for Vaughn and Naya?”

She could see the tic in his jaw, but he sensibly stayed on topic.

“I think you’d better talk to Naya to get all the details, but they’re together, and no one knows where they are. If you see them, will you have Vaughn contact someone to let us know they are okay?”

Kenzie narrowed her eyes at him, and he heaved a big sigh.

“
Please
?”

This was the nicest he’d ever been to her, and she was a little surprised. It probably wasn’t because his opinion of her had changed. He probably had something more important on his mind.

Still, he’d said please, so she walked past him into the living room to grab her phone off the coffee table.

“I’ll just send Naya a quick text to see if she responds.”

Kenzie turned back to look at Sawyer. He was standing there with his eyes closed and mouth drawn tight. She raised her brow and then shook her head. He was strange sometimes.

She
unlocked her phone and went to messaging.

Kenzie:
Sawyer is looking for you and Vaughn. Are you together? Are you okay?

Naya:
We’re fine. Tell him not to worry.

Kenzie: What’s going on?
Are you sure you’re okay?

Naya:
Yes. I’ll tell you everything tomorrow. Call me after work.

Tomorrow?
The suspense would kill her, but at least she knew Naya was okay. That was the most vital part.

Kenzie looked up from her phone. “Naya says…” She lost her train of thought for a moment when she saw the way Sawyer was staring at her so intently. “They’re okay.” She had to fight the impulse to shift from one foot to the other.
What the hell?

Sawyer didn’t respond. He just stood there, watching her.

What’s his problem
? Did she have drool on her face or something? She looked down at herself. She was wearing her standard pajamas—underwear and a tank top. She could see her nipples poking out in response to the cool air—and possibly her reaction to him—but she didn’t think there was enough light for him to see anything.

She shook her head and chose to pay no attention to his actions. Besides, she didn’t have time to deal with his idiosyncrasies. She would have to get up for work soon, so she needed to go back to bed.

She turned and headed for her apartment door with the intent of kicking him out. “Well, Sawyer,” she said with extra sweetness, “it was
lovely
having you visit this evening, but you really must go now.”

She opened the door, but suddenly, Sawyer was standing right in front of her, slamming it closed. She hadn’t realized he could move so fast. He curled his lip and made a growling noise, and she swore his eyes were glowing. She took a small step back. She wasn’t afraid of him, but this was new.

“I’ll let myself out,” he said with a snarl.

Once again, he rubbed her the wrong way, but she bit her tongue. She told herself to focus on getting him out of the apartment, so she could go back to sleep.

She held her hands up in surrender. “Fine. Whatever. It doesn’t matter.” She rolled her eyes.

She seemed to do that a lot around him, but he knew just how to push her buttons.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and visibly swallowed. She realized he was trying to calm himself, and she almost snorted.

What does he have to be mad about
?

Wisely, she kept her mouth shut. When he opened his eyes, they looked normal again.

He managed to choke out the words, “Thank you,” before opening the door and slipping out quietly.

Will I ever understand that man
?

She went ba
ck to bed, but she didn’t sleep a wink the rest of the night.

“Are you still okay with this, now knowing there are two babies?” Naya asked Vaughn as they drove away from the clinic.

He looked at her. “Nothing is going to make me change my mind.”