a flush of embarrassment heat her cheeks. “I felt something . . . something cold and kind of clammy. It was creepy.”
He started to assure her that the dead couldn’t hurt her, then changed his mind. Most of the Undead were more dangerous than the living.
“Anything else you want to know?” he asked, though he had no idea why he was answering her questions. He had never done so for any of the others.
“Just one. I was wondering why there are so few men here. Human men, I mean.”
“Probably because men rarely get lost.”
“Yeah, right,” Kadie said. But she smiled in spite of herself. “Seriously, why?”
He shrugged. “Very few people find this place. Sometimes there are more men, sometimes more women. At the moment, the females outnumber the males. Women live longer. Men are more aggressive than women, less inclined to accept captivity, more likely to start fights they can’t win.”
She contemplated that for several minutes before asking, “Are you going to keep me here forever?”
“Perhaps.” His gaze moved over her, as warm and tangible as a caress. And then he took her hand in his and drew her to her feet and into his arms. “But I think not.”
Unbelievably, at that moment, with his arms holding her close and his dark eyes making love to her, there was nowhere else she wanted to be.
She woke early the next morning, still thinking of Saintcrow, still wondering what it would be like to make love to a vampire.
Going downstairs, she came to an abrupt halt at the entrance to the living room. All the old furniture was gone, replaced by the Jonathan Adler furniture, the new end tables and lamps. Saintcrow had arranged it so the sofa faced the fireplace. The easy chair and one table were to the sofa’s left, the love seat and the other table to the right.
How had he gotten everything so quickly? she wondered, and then grinned. More vampire mojo.
There was a note on one of the end tables.
Kadie—
If you want to rearrange the furniture we can do it when I rise.
RS
The kitchen was also refurbished. She couldn’t help smiling when she noticed there were two new chairs though she had only ordered one. The new blender and microwave were in place, new silverware gleamed in the drawer.
After making a pot of coffee, she pulled a new Spode china cup from the shelf. She hadn’t seriously expected Saintcrow to buy all these things. She glanced at the cup in her hand. What if she broke it? It wouldn’t be like breaking one of her cheap ceramic mugs back home.
With a shake of her head, she poured herself a cup of coffee. If he wanted to keep her, then he could keep her in the manner to which she was seriously unaccustomed!
Cup in hand, she returned to her bedroom. She hadn’t paid much attention on waking, but now she noticed several packages on the dresser. No doubt she’d find her new sheets, towels, and bath soap inside. Not to mention a bottle of the world’s most expensive perfume.
Unable to resist, she opened the smallest package and spritzed herself with Clive Christian No. 1. It smelled divine. Feeling like a movie star, she returned to the kitchen, wondering if Saintcrow would hire her a maid and a cook if she asked him to.
Kadie was sitting on the new sofa, watching a movie on her new DVD player, when Saintcrow appeared. As usual, her foolish heart skipped a beat—partly from the suddenness of his arrival, but mostly because he was such an amazing-looking man.
He glanced around the room. “So, how do you like it?”
“How do you like it? You paid for it.”
He shrugged. “A sofa’s a sofa. A chair’s a chair. Do you need anything else?”
“Yes.” Sitting up, she leaned forward, her elbows braced on her knees. “I want to know about you.”
He lifted one brow. “What about me?”
“Gee, I wonder. Let’s see. You’re a nine-hundred-year-old vampire. Why don’t you start there?”
He dropped into the chair and stretched his long legs out in front
He started to assure her that the dead couldn’t hurt her, then changed his mind. Most of the Undead were more dangerous than the living.
“Anything else you want to know?” he asked, though he had no idea why he was answering her questions. He had never done so for any of the others.
“Just one. I was wondering why there are so few men here. Human men, I mean.”
“Probably because men rarely get lost.”
“Yeah, right,” Kadie said. But she smiled in spite of herself. “Seriously, why?”
He shrugged. “Very few people find this place. Sometimes there are more men, sometimes more women. At the moment, the females outnumber the males. Women live longer. Men are more aggressive than women, less inclined to accept captivity, more likely to start fights they can’t win.”
She contemplated that for several minutes before asking, “Are you going to keep me here forever?”
“Perhaps.” His gaze moved over her, as warm and tangible as a caress. And then he took her hand in his and drew her to her feet and into his arms. “But I think not.”
Unbelievably, at that moment, with his arms holding her close and his dark eyes making love to her, there was nowhere else she wanted to be.
She woke early the next morning, still thinking of Saintcrow, still wondering what it would be like to make love to a vampire.
Going downstairs, she came to an abrupt halt at the entrance to the living room. All the old furniture was gone, replaced by the Jonathan Adler furniture, the new end tables and lamps. Saintcrow had arranged it so the sofa faced the fireplace. The easy chair and one table were to the sofa’s left, the love seat and the other table to the right.
How had he gotten everything so quickly? she wondered, and then grinned. More vampire mojo.
There was a note on one of the end tables.
Kadie—
If you want to rearrange the furniture we can do it when I rise.
RS
The kitchen was also refurbished. She couldn’t help smiling when she noticed there were two new chairs though she had only ordered one. The new blender and microwave were in place, new silverware gleamed in the drawer.
After making a pot of coffee, she pulled a new Spode china cup from the shelf. She hadn’t seriously expected Saintcrow to buy all these things. She glanced at the cup in her hand. What if she broke it? It wouldn’t be like breaking one of her cheap ceramic mugs back home.
With a shake of her head, she poured herself a cup of coffee. If he wanted to keep her, then he could keep her in the manner to which she was seriously unaccustomed!
Cup in hand, she returned to her bedroom. She hadn’t paid much attention on waking, but now she noticed several packages on the dresser. No doubt she’d find her new sheets, towels, and bath soap inside. Not to mention a bottle of the world’s most expensive perfume.
Unable to resist, she opened the smallest package and spritzed herself with Clive Christian No. 1. It smelled divine. Feeling like a movie star, she returned to the kitchen, wondering if Saintcrow would hire her a maid and a cook if she asked him to.
Kadie was sitting on the new sofa, watching a movie on her new DVD player, when Saintcrow appeared. As usual, her foolish heart skipped a beat—partly from the suddenness of his arrival, but mostly because he was such an amazing-looking man.
He glanced around the room. “So, how do you like it?”
“How do you like it? You paid for it.”
He shrugged. “A sofa’s a sofa. A chair’s a chair. Do you need anything else?”
“Yes.” Sitting up, she leaned forward, her elbows braced on her knees. “I want to know about you.”
He lifted one brow. “What about me?”
“Gee, I wonder. Let’s see. You’re a nine-hundred-year-old vampire. Why don’t you start there?”
He dropped into the chair and stretched his long legs out in front
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