Authors: Amanda Ashley
She had a feeling he expected her to pay for whatever he wanted. “So, what are we looking for?”
“New attire,” he said, glancing at his shirt and trousers. “Something a little more up-to-date.”
Kari nodded, though she couldn’t help thinking that his loose-fitting white shirt and tight breeches suited him perfectly. She wondered what he had done with his cloak.
“Graphic design,” he remarked a few minutes later. “What does that mean?”
“It’s a way of communicating thoughts and ideas with graphic media. Pictures. Images.”
He frowned.
“I work for a printing company. We design catalogs and brochures and corporate stationery, as well as posters and advertisements, that kind of thing. I also design Web sites on the side. There’s good money in that.”
He nodded, though she wasn’t at all sure he understood what she was talking about.
Leaning over, she opened the glove compartment, pulled out a full-color brochure advertising a new iPod, and offered it to him. “Here’s a sample of what I do.”
Rourke ran his hand over the paper, then read it, front and back.
Kari glanced at him, wondering what he thought of her work.
“Impressive,” he said.
“Do you know what an iPod is?”
He tapped on the brochure. “According to this, it is the best way to play music.”
Kari grinned. Every job had its perks. Her cousin worked for the electric company and got a discount on his bill. The company that made the iPod 5000 had sent her one so she could try it out. Word of mouth was still the best kind of advertising.
Ten minutes later, she pulled into the parking lot of the downtown mall. It was the city’s newest addition. Three stories high, it housed just about every retail store and food chain in existence.
Rourke followed her inside, his preternatural senses assaulted by a plethora of sights and sounds and smells. There were people everywhere. Men, women, and children, old and young and in-between, in a variety of ethnic backgrounds. He smiled inwardly. A veritable feast, his for the taking, he mused. Various shops lined both sides of the vast building, selling everything from jewelry to footwear, food to fashions, cutlery and housewares and anything else a mortal could possibly want or need. Truly a remarkable place, he thought, his mind reeling as he took it all in, amazed by the wide selection and abundance of goods and services.
He followed Karinna into something called Sam’s Big and Tall, which proved to be an establishment that sold men’s clothing. Numerous racks held suits, coats, jackets, trousers, and belts in a dizzying array of sizes and styles. Counters and shelves were filled with dress shirts, sweaters, T-shirts, and vests in a wide array of fabrics and colors.
A tall man with a thin red mustache approached them. “May I help you?”
“We’re just looking, thanks,” Kari said.
“Certainly. If you need help, my name is Dirk.”
Kari smiled at the man. “Thank you.” She waited until they were alone, then looked at Rourke. “So, what kind of clothes do you want?”
“I have no idea. What do you like?”
She studied him a moment. “You don’t seem like a jeans kind of guy,” she remarked. But she liked men in jeans, so she steered him toward a rack of Levi’s. She picked out several pair, then moved through the store selecting shirts, T-shirts, briefs in blue and black and white, a dozen pairs of socks in assorted colors, a pair of navy sweatpants and a matching sweatshirt, a brown leather jacket, a pair of dark brown dress pants, and a brown sports coat.
She found an empty dressing room and thrust the pile of clothing she had collected into his hands. “Go in there and try those on.”
“You will be here when I come out?”
“Where would I go?” she asked with a shrug. “You know where I live.”
He regarded her a moment, then went inside and closed the door.
Kari waited outside the dressing room. Standing there, she couldn’t help wondering what he wore beneath his tight buff-colored breeches. She had no sooner dragged her mind away from that line of thought when she found herself imagining him standing in front of the mirror wearing nothing but a smile.
Alarmed at the turn of her thoughts, she walked briskly to the front of the store and spent the next twenty minutes looking at neckties and wallets and key rings, none of which Rourke needed at the moment.
She knew he was standing behind her even before she turned around.
“What do you think?” he asked. “Does this attire suit me?”
She could only stare. He wore a pair of snug blue jeans that outlined his long, muscular legs, and a dark blue T-shirt that emphasized his broad chest and shoulders and revealed long, muscular arms covered with fine golden hair. He was gorgeous, though that word seemed woefully inadequate to describe him. A dim corner of her mind noticed that he had kept his supple brown boots.
He canted his head to the side when she didn’t say anything. “You do not approve?”
She swallowed hard. “No. I mean, yes. I mean…”
A slow smile spread over his face, as if he was completely aware of the effect he was having on her senses.
“Did you find anything else you liked?” she asked.
“A few things. Have you the means to purchase them?”
She would have bought the jeans and T-shirt even if it meant taking out a second mortgage on her house. She gathered the other things he had selected—the only thing he had rejected was the sports coat—and carried them to Dirk, who quickly rang up her purchases, accepted her credit card, and thanked her for shopping at Sam’s. From the enthusiastic smile on the salesman’s face, she figured he worked on commission.
Carrying a bulging shopping bag in each hand, Kari left the store. Rourke, attired in his new jeans and T-shirt, walked beside her, shortening his stride to match hers. She had expected him to offer to carry one of the bags, if not both, and then remembered that things had been different in his time. Women had been expected to fetch and carry, leaving the men with their hands free to draw their weapons if need be.
Strolling through the mall, Kari noticed that almost every woman they passed slowed to gawk at Rourke. She couldn’t blame them. Not only was he sinfully handsome, but he oozed testosterone from every pore!
Judging from the smug look on his face, he was not only aware of the admiring looks being sent his way, he was used to it.
Just like a man
, Kari thought irritably. They all had egos the size of the Grand Canyon, whether they were genuine hunks like Rourke, or clowns built like Homer Simpson.
They were headed for the escalator when Kari saw Tricia walking toward them. Tricia noticed Kari at the same time.
“Hey, girlfriend,” Tricia called, hurrying toward her. As always, Tricia was dressed to the nines, her make-up immaculate, every hair in place. There were times when she made Kari feel like an unmade bed.
“Hi.” Kari glanced at the Babies “R” Us sack in Tricia’s hand. “Been shopping for the baby, I see.”
“Yeah, just a few odds and ends I couldn’t resist,” Tricia replied, her gaze zeroing in on Rourke. “Who’s your friend?”
“Oh, Tricia, this is Jason Rourke. Jason, this is my best friend, Patricia McPhee.”
Rourke inclined his head. “I am pleased to meet you, Miss McPhee.”
“Likewise,” she said, “and please, call me Tricia.” She looked at Kari, her brows lifting in an expression that clearly said,
Wow, what a hunk!
“So,” Tricia said, glancing from Kari to Rourke, “have you known each other very long?”
Rourke smiled. “Not long.”
“Well, I’d really love to stay and chat,” Tricia said, “but I’m supposed to meet Brent downstairs. We’re going to the movies. Do you two want to come along? I think we’re going to see the latest Sandra Bullock flick. It’s supposed to be pretty good.”
“Thanks,” Kari said, “but I don’t think so.”
“Maybe another time. Call me later, girlfriend,” Tricia said, her tone clearly indicating she wanted to know everything there was to know about Rourke.
Kari grinned in reply.
Tricia smiled at Rourke. “It was very nice meeting you.”
“It was my pleasure, Miss McPhee.”
Tricia stared at him as if she had never seen a man before.
Well, Kari could understand that. Jason Rourke was incredibly good-looking and he radiated sensuality, but enough was enough! “Tricia? Hey, Trish.”
“What?” Tricia shook her head as if she was coming out of a trance. “Oh, yes, well, good-bye.”
Kari stared after her friend, amused by Tricia’s behavior. “Honestly, you’d think she’d never seen a handsome man before,” she muttered.
“You think me handsome?” Rourke asked with a roguish grin.
Kari felt her cheeks grow hot as she realized what she’d said. “You know you are. Everywhere we go, women turn to stare at you like they’re starving and you’re the last chocolate chip cookie on the planet.”
He shrugged as if to say it wasn’t his fault, and she supposed that was true. He couldn’t help it if he’d been blessed with abundant good looks and enough charisma for a dozen men.
“She really doesn’t remember meeting you before, does she?” Kari asked a short time later.
“No.”
“Amazing. A little creepy, but amazing.” She blew out a breath. “So, is there anything else you need?” she asked, leading the way to the escalator that went up to the food court on the third floor. She didn’t know about Rourke, but she needed something to eat.
“I think not.” He glanced around when they reached the third floor, his nostrils wrinkling with distaste at the stink of so many bodies occupying the same enclosed space, the myriad odors and scents that emanated from the food booths. “What are we doing here?”
“I’m hungry.”
“Hungry, yes,” he murmured. His gaze rested avidly on the pulse beating in the hollow of her throat.
“Don’t even think about it!” Kari warned. She thrust the shopping bags at Rourke and went to stand in line. When it was her turn, she ordered a cheeseburger with grilled onions, country fries, and a cherry Coke.
When her order came up, she carried the tray to a small table and sat down. Rourke sat across from her, a curious light in his eyes as he watched her eat.
“Want a bite?” she asked, offering him a taste of her burger.
Grimacing, he shook his head. “No, thank you.”
“Can you eat regular food?”
“No.”
Kari frowned thoughtfully. “Have you ever tried?”
“Only once.”
“What happened?”
“Are you sure you want to know?”
“From your expression, I’m guessing it made you sick.”
He nodded, though sick was a mild term for his body’s violent reaction to mortal food.
“Why did it make you sick?” she asked curiously.
“Because I cannot digest it.”
“Oh.” She took another bite of her cheeseburger. “What about beverages, like coffee or tea?”
“No, although I enjoy a little wine now and then.”
“Red, I’ll bet,” she muttered dryly.
He grinned at her. “The redder the better.”
She popped a french fry into her mouth, then wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Have you killed a lot of people?”
He lifted one brow, obviously surprised by her question. “Not lately.”
“But you’ve killed to survive?”
“As have you.”
“Me? I’ve never killed anyone!”
“Perhaps not,” he replied with a wry grin, “but that slab of meat you are eating came from a living creature.”
“That’s hardly the same thing!” Kari exclaimed.
“Isn’t it?”
It was by far the strangest conversation she’d ever had with a man, or with anyone else, for that matter. “How old were you when you were turned?”
“One and thirty.”
“How long have you been a vampire?”
“Seven hundred and thirty-six years.”
She blinked at him, the burger in her hand forgotten. Seven hundred and thirty-six years. Good heavens. She did some quick mental arithmetic. He had been born in 1242, making him 767 years old! What would it be like to live such a long time? She nibbled on her lower lip. He had been trapped inside the Vilnius since 1709. You could hardly call that living.
She stared at him, her brow furrowed in thought. Was he alive? Weren’t vampires dead? What was it they called vampires in the movies? Undead? She recalled one movie where the vampire had called his kind Nosferatu and said that it meant not dead. Was there really a difference between undead and not dead? If so, she had no idea what it might be. Undead, not dead—both meant not alive.
The grisly thought sent a shiver down her spine.
“Are you cold?” Rourke asked.
She shook her head. “No.”
He regarded her a moment. “Afraid of me, are you?”
“No. Yes. I don’t know, but I should be, shouldn’t I? I mean, you’re…” She made a vague gesture with one hand.
“Pray go on. What am I?”
“I wish I knew,” she muttered unhappily.
“I am just a man.”
“Yeah, right, a man who just happens to be a vampire.”
“But still a man.” His gaze moved over her face, slid slowly and seductively down her neck and over her breasts, and returned to her face once more. “I could prove it to you,” he said, his voice low and whiskey smooth.
Imagining how he would do that made it suddenly hard to breathe. All she could think about was his mouth on hers, their bodies entwined, bare skin sliding sensuously against bare skin. The look in his vibrant blue eyes told her he knew exactly what she was thinking.
Tearing her gaze from his, she glanced at what was left of her burger, only to find that, thanks to him, she had lost her appetite for char-broiled beef.
“Let’s go.” She pushed the tray away and gained her feet. “Do you need anything else?”
His gaze brushed her throat. “No.”
Without waiting to see if he followed, she dumped her trash, then headed for the escalator. He was right behind her. She could feel his nearness like a physical caress.
Rourke followed Karinna out of the mall, relieved to be outside, away from the bombardment of so many strident voices, the rapid tattoo of a hundred beating hearts all calling his name.
Kari opened the trunk and he dropped his packages inside. When she moved toward the car door, his hand closed over her forearm.