it mean?”
“He wasn’t sure. Some sort of name, maybe. Or it symbolized all the families. I’ve got his stuff stashed in my room. It’d be great if you’d come look at it. Maybe you can figure it out.”
“I told you. I don’t know Ancient Vampiric.”
I hear his words, but I know what he’s really saying is that he doesn’t trust himself to be alone with me in my bedroom.
“You know, you’re not as irresistible as you think,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest.
A corner of his mouth quirks up. “Is that a challenge?”
“I’m just trying to figure out this stupid dream, Victor, so it’ll go away. Do you know how boring it is to dream the same thing over and over?”
“Vampires don’t dream.”
“But you told me you do.”
His grin widens. I’ve always loved his smiles. They don’t appear very often, but when they do, they’re incredible. “All I dream about is you. Over and over. And it’s not boring at all.”
I feel the warmth of a blush creeping over my face and down my neck. With my blood rising to the surface, his smile diminishes.
“Please, Victor, just take a look. I promise to keep my hands to myself.”
“Unfortunately, I can’t make the same promise.”
“You won’t hear me complaining.” I can’t believe that when I left the Agency I was angry with him and now I’m flirting with him. Could our relationship be any more complex?
“Bad idea,” he mutters under his breath as he pulls the car to a stop outside my apartment building. He turns off the car and faces me, studies me, and I know a battle is raging within him.
“Five minutes,” he finally snaps. “That’s all I can spare.”
I grin in triumph. “That’s all I need.”
The apartment has that quiet, empty feeling when we step into it. “I guess Rachel is still at the Agency,” I say. Just in case she returns before Victor leaves in five minutes , I write her a note and stick it on the fridge: I’m home, safe, sound, asleep.
“Why the note?” Victor asks.
“A precaution. She wouldn’t be happy to discover a vampire in my bedroom.”
“I told you—”
“I know. Five minutes. Come on.”
In my bedroom, I close the door and turn on a lamp. I always feel a need for low lighting when Victor is around, a way to make him feel more comfortable. Vampires live in the shadows. Well, except for Sin and his newly minted minions.
I go to my closet, move a few things around, and pull out the box that I hid in the back. I don’t know why I felt such a strong need to keep the contents secret. It’s not just because I took them without permission. Something about my father’s findings bother me. I think they may be more important than he realized.
By the time I turn back to the room, Victor has removed his jacket and tie, unbuttoned the top two buttons on his shirt, and rolled up his sleeves to reveal his amazing forearms. He’s slender but powerful. Instead of sifting through these aging documents, I want to brush my fingers over his hair, his jaw, his shoulders. I’m already regretting my promise to keep my hands to myself, but I’m not going to break it. Clearing my throat, I carry the box to my desk. “Okay.”
I lift the lid, acutely aware of him standing behind me, so close that I can feel the warmth of his body, his breath wafting across my neck. I force myself to concentrate on the reason I wanted him here so I don’t spin around into his embrace. I’ve never understood this immense attraction between us, but it’s been there from the beginning. Even when I was with Michael, something about Victor called to me. It filled me with guilt at the time, and that aspect hasn’t diminished. He’s pure temptation, an apple I shouldn’t bite.
I force my fingers not to tremble as I locate the document that my father thought was a contract. I spread it on the desk and iron it out with my palms, realizing that’s a bad idea because they’ve become damp. I don’t want to ruin or compromise
“He wasn’t sure. Some sort of name, maybe. Or it symbolized all the families. I’ve got his stuff stashed in my room. It’d be great if you’d come look at it. Maybe you can figure it out.”
“I told you. I don’t know Ancient Vampiric.”
I hear his words, but I know what he’s really saying is that he doesn’t trust himself to be alone with me in my bedroom.
“You know, you’re not as irresistible as you think,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest.
A corner of his mouth quirks up. “Is that a challenge?”
“I’m just trying to figure out this stupid dream, Victor, so it’ll go away. Do you know how boring it is to dream the same thing over and over?”
“Vampires don’t dream.”
“But you told me you do.”
His grin widens. I’ve always loved his smiles. They don’t appear very often, but when they do, they’re incredible. “All I dream about is you. Over and over. And it’s not boring at all.”
I feel the warmth of a blush creeping over my face and down my neck. With my blood rising to the surface, his smile diminishes.
“Please, Victor, just take a look. I promise to keep my hands to myself.”
“Unfortunately, I can’t make the same promise.”
“You won’t hear me complaining.” I can’t believe that when I left the Agency I was angry with him and now I’m flirting with him. Could our relationship be any more complex?
“Bad idea,” he mutters under his breath as he pulls the car to a stop outside my apartment building. He turns off the car and faces me, studies me, and I know a battle is raging within him.
“Five minutes,” he finally snaps. “That’s all I can spare.”
I grin in triumph. “That’s all I need.”
The apartment has that quiet, empty feeling when we step into it. “I guess Rachel is still at the Agency,” I say. Just in case she returns before Victor leaves in five minutes , I write her a note and stick it on the fridge: I’m home, safe, sound, asleep.
“Why the note?” Victor asks.
“A precaution. She wouldn’t be happy to discover a vampire in my bedroom.”
“I told you—”
“I know. Five minutes. Come on.”
In my bedroom, I close the door and turn on a lamp. I always feel a need for low lighting when Victor is around, a way to make him feel more comfortable. Vampires live in the shadows. Well, except for Sin and his newly minted minions.
I go to my closet, move a few things around, and pull out the box that I hid in the back. I don’t know why I felt such a strong need to keep the contents secret. It’s not just because I took them without permission. Something about my father’s findings bother me. I think they may be more important than he realized.
By the time I turn back to the room, Victor has removed his jacket and tie, unbuttoned the top two buttons on his shirt, and rolled up his sleeves to reveal his amazing forearms. He’s slender but powerful. Instead of sifting through these aging documents, I want to brush my fingers over his hair, his jaw, his shoulders. I’m already regretting my promise to keep my hands to myself, but I’m not going to break it. Clearing my throat, I carry the box to my desk. “Okay.”
I lift the lid, acutely aware of him standing behind me, so close that I can feel the warmth of his body, his breath wafting across my neck. I force myself to concentrate on the reason I wanted him here so I don’t spin around into his embrace. I’ve never understood this immense attraction between us, but it’s been there from the beginning. Even when I was with Michael, something about Victor called to me. It filled me with guilt at the time, and that aspect hasn’t diminished. He’s pure temptation, an apple I shouldn’t bite.
I force my fingers not to tremble as I locate the document that my father thought was a contract. I spread it on the desk and iron it out with my palms, realizing that’s a bad idea because they’ve become damp. I don’t want to ruin or compromise
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