“I took advantage of your innocence. But I selfishly wanted you with me forever.” He smiled and pulled me against him. “I haven’t regretted it.”
“I was not innocent.” I rubbed against him.
“Of the vampire world you were.” Jerry growled when I nipped his ear. “Give over, Gloriana. Let me take care of you again. It’s always been my pleasure to do so.” He met my lips with his, kissing his way into my mouth until I sighed and let my tongue tangle with his.
My Jerry. I grasped his hair and felt the edge of the worktable when he sat me on top of it. He leaned me back until I lay on it, then trailed his fangs along my jugular until I moaned and tried to press them into the vein.
“Drink from me, Jerry.”
“No, lass, you’re too weak. Take from me.” His hands were on my breasts as he angled his neck to within an inch of my mouth. “Please. Let me help you heal properly.”
I knew I shouldn’t take anything from Jerry. It was opening a door. A slippery slope and all that. What about my independence? But this was my sire. Vamps just can’t say no to their sires, or at least that’s what I told myself.
So I settled in. He tasted like everything wonderful and familiar and what I needed to be whole again. By the time I came up for air, I could fight a hundred Westwood kids. Which was just as well, because it turns out Vivien wasn’t an only child.
Three
“Feel better?” Jerry sat beside me on the table.
“Like new.” I jumped off, then pulled off my sweater. “Check out my back. Is it healed?” I turned around, then felt his fingers trace the spot where I’d been hit.
“You seem fine.” His finger slid down to the edge of my bra. “But I’d better make a more thorough examination.” He deftly opened the clasp.
“I don’t think that’s necessary.” I grabbed my bra to keep it from falling off. “I wasn’t hit anywhere else.” His arms wrapped around me. “Jerry, stop. I’m not doing this.”
“Why not? I can lock the door. This is your shop. No one will bother us.” He put his hands over mine, both of us holding my breasts. “I’ve missed you, Gloriana. Missed touching you.” His breath was warm against my neck. “Tasting you.” His fangs slid lightly along my throat.
“Jerry.” I sighed, almost admitting how much I’d missed him. I closed my eyes and leaned back. I hated being so weak with him. All my resolutions, all my vows of independence were so much talk when it came to actually saying no to Jerry. He slipped one of his hands inside the waistband of my jeans to stroke my stomach. Oh, give me strength. When he eased his fingers into the Promised Land, I gasped and clutched his arms. My panties had been damp since I’d seen him come through the door.
“Shall I lock the door?” His voice was deep, his breath tickling my ear.
“Mmm.” His arousal pressed against me. He wanted me, had always wanted me. And wasn’t that an ego boost to a woman who had too much junk in her personal trunk? I wiggled against him and he groaned.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” He locked it with a glance, then plunged his fingers into me and bit my earlobe. The combo was enough to make me shudder and reach back to grab his ass. I held him tight, wild for him.
“Yes.” I let go and opened my jeans, sliding them and my panties down. I heard his zipper as I leaned over so he could spread my legs. My jeans were stuck down near my calves because I still had on those damned boots.
“Yes.” Jerry held my breast with one hand while he surged into me from behind. He gripped my inner thigh to keep me from toppling over.
The pressure was exquisite torture as he found his place and his rhythm. I reached out, grabbed a shelf and held on. The shelf wobbled and sweaters tumbled to the concrete floor. I didn’t care. I was too focused on how, um, wow this felt to worry about my storeroom.
“Jerry!” I shrieked as I lost my grip on the shelf. Jerry tugged me against him and sat on the table with me on his lap. The new position did it for me, and Jerry clapped his hand over my mouth to keep me from screaming the building down when I came.
At least one of us had remembered there was a roomful of people on the other side of the door. Not that it inhibited us. Still hard and pulsing inside me, Jerry held my hips. I moved and his arms tightened around me. I shivered, savoring the pleasure he’d given me. When his hand fell from my mouth, he leaned on my shoulder, his kiss trailing up to my neck and that pulse point vampires can’t resist.
I came back to Earth and heard rock music through the walls and people talking. Flo, Richard, Lacy and a few customers were right outside. I leaned back and realized Jerry had never even taken off his sweater.
“Drink from me, lover.” I smiled and felt his answering grin against my cheek.“You sure you’re recovered enough?” He kissed my vein.
“Mmm. I think I just proved that.” I tugged on his hair. “Bite me, baby.”
He growled and did, drinking with a rhythm that I felt from my throat to my womb. Then he moved inside me again.
Oh, my God, but he was going to give me another orgasm. Surely not. I couldn’t—but he reached around and touched me where he knew I was so incredibly sensitive, and I exploded. This time I held my own hands over my mouth and bit my palm. Maybe someday I’d learn self-control. But not tonight.
By the time I slipped off his lap and found another sweater to wear from the pile on the floor, I was so boneless I staggered. Glory the slut grinned at Jerry the satyr.
“You going to let me stay with you today and sleep beside you?” He slung his arm around me, the picture of a sated male who was pretty damned proud of himself. I couldn’t fault him for it.
“Afraid not.” I smiled to soften what came next. Oops. His arm slid off of me and his face was stony. “Come on, Jerry, you know that shouldn’t have happened. I was in shock after my brush with death. We have issues. You know that.”
“Issues be damned. You love me, or did I imagine your words when we made love just now?” He didn’t smile.
“No, you’re right. I love you. So I’m willing to work on our relationship. Are you? Are you back for a while?” I put my hand on his chest and smiled. Cozening. It usually worked.
“Yes.” No answering smile. Not good.
“And you still have your house here, don’t you?” I grabbed my purse and put on fresh lipstick, then ran my hands through hair that had to look wild. Flo and the rest had probably heard enough to know what we’d done, but I didn’t need to look like it.
My friend wanted Jerry and me together. And since she’d gotten married, she thought everyone should enjoy wedded bliss. I didn’t believe an immortal should tie that particular knot. Jerry didn’t agree, had even bought me a ring. I wasn’t going to fight either of them about it. One battle a night was enough.
“You want to come home with me? I’ve got great security. Westwood’s brat couldn’t get to you there.” Jerry smiled at last, sure he’d just misunderstood my answer the first time, and squeezed my shoulders. “And we could talk tomorrow.” “Talk.” A four-letter word in any man’s vocabulary. My, but Jerry was serious about this relationship.
“No. My security’s fine.” I stroked his cheek. “I’d love to fall asleep in your arms. Really. But I’ve got phone calls to make. Call me tomorrow night?”
“This sounds like I’m getting the brush-off again.” Jerry stepped away from me.
“I’m not brushing you off. It’s business, Jer. And important. I’m sure you have things to do too.” I glanced at the clock on my phone, which I’d dug out of my purse. “We’ve got a few hours before dawn, and I need to deal with some wedding stuff, among other things. Okay?”
“See you tomorrow. You’ll not get rid of me so easily then.” He kissed me long and hard. “I’m going out the back way. If I see that Westwood female, I’m taking care of her.”
“Jerry, no! It’s too dangerous. She has backup. Don’t—”
“I’m shifting first. Besides, she’s after you, not all vampires. So I’ll have the element of surprise. Right?”
“I don’t know that. She recognized me. Guess her father left records, maybe a photo album.” Which was a creepy thought. Westwood’s most-wanted list. “She knew I’d been the one to take out her father. Maybe one of his bodyguards got away the night I—” I shut up. Didn’t want to go there again. Sure I’d been stalked by that lunatic. But it still bothered me that I’d killed a human being, though I’d known at the time I had no choice. It had been kill or be killed. I’ve gotten used to the immortality thing.
“Glory, quit second-guessing. You did what you had to do.” Jerry put his arms around me. “I won’t go on a killing rampage. Yet. But she did attack you. I won’t let that happen again.”
“How? Whammy her into forgetting the whole thing? Maybe tell her that Daddy dear died in a hunting accident?” I said this into Jerry’s sweater since dredging up the whole Westwood fiasco had me near tears and he’d pulled me close.
“Sounds like a plan to me.” Jerry stepped back and stared into my eyes. “Valdez told me exactly what happened. Westwood brought on his own death. The fool should have known better than to take on a vampire, especially one with your skills. I’m proud of you, Gloriana. And I’m damned glad he’s dead. I just wish you’d made him suffer more at the end.”
“I know you do, Jerry. Because he killed your best friend and flaunted his kills with his sickening fang trophy necklace.” I cupped his cheek. Jerry had taken the loss hard and almost inherited his friend’s widow on top of everything else. Mara. No man deserved that woman.
“So you did all vampires a service that night.”
“Sure, I’m a freakin’ hero.” There had been a dozen or more fangs on that necklace. I shuddered, remembering it.