was employed as some kind of enforcer for the vampire organization that her other friend Kelly’s new husband Marc headed.
Simply put, Ian was assigned to watch her. Watching and waiting, ready to end her life should she make any move to reveal the existence of vampires or disseminate her knowledge of their kind. He was like police, judge and executioner for his kind, keeping sacred the most important of their laws, that of secrecy. She had no doubt the man was a cold blooded killer, though the thought of him didn’t send shivers of fear down her spine. Nor revulsion. No, if she shivered it was in a very sexual kind of anticipation.
Since Christy’s wedding, she hadn’t been able to get the man out of her mind. They had shared a dance and conversation that wasn’t quite as light or banal as it should have been between strangers.
They’d started out quite normally, talking about the bride and groom. It was Ian who turned the conversation to a more philosophical discussion about the miraculous existence of love in the world, even for a couple as unlikely as Christy and Sebastian. A battered woman and an English nobleman turned vampire over two centuries before.
Ian’s firm belief that there was someone for everyone touched her heart, as had the warmth in his dark eyes. After that one dance, she’d felt the heat of his gaze on her as the party progressed, and she found herself watching him as well. Not only was he a fine figure of a man, but his manners were impeccable, and he seemed to have genuine affection for his friends. When it came time to toast the bride and groom, Jena was touched by Ian’s eloquent, romantic, and tender salute to the new couple.
He wormed his way into her soft heart that night, and she hadn’t been able to oust him since. Of course, it was nearly impossible to forget the man, since he was watching her every time she turned around. She’d seen him observing her come and go from her small, suburban home almost every night.
Yes, every night when she came home from work he was there, watching her, making his presence known but never speaking. His quiet appearances were probably meant to be menacing, but she found his surveillance oddly comforting. In fact, when she hadn’t seen him tonight, for a moment—just a moment—she’d panicked.
But it was Saint Valentine’s Day and she had a date. Jena had put Ian’s absence from her mind with some difficulty and prepared for her evening out.
She didn’t date much these days, spending most of time at the hospital, but she didn’t want to be alone on this special night. So she’d given in and finally said yes to one of her fellow doctors, Dick Schmidt, a cardiac specialist with a big ego and very expensive car to match. Normally Jena wouldn’t have given such a frivolous man the time of day, but Dick had been asking her out for weeks now, and his persistence had worn her down. Plus, what single woman really wanted to be alone on Valentine’s Day?
She’d agreed to dinner and a few hours later, there she was, sitting in a trendy little bistro with a man she really didn’t like sitting across from her. And a drop dead gorgeous vampire eyeing her from across the room.
They sat on the enclosed patio with tinkling white lights and soft moonlight filtering in through the glass roof. It was chilly outside, but within the heated glass enclosure they had the illusion of sitting outside without the cold February air intruding.
She tried to focus on Dick’s inane conversation but it was hard. For one thing, he kept trying to touch her. The man was like an octopus, though mostly respectful of the fact that they were in public. Still, he was forever reaching across the table and touching her arms, her hands, and anything else he could reach. It was repulsive.
And then there was Ian. Sitting there, his eyes hot as sin. Watching her.
It was comforting in a way, but at the same time, rather annoying. As a vampire, Ian was totally off limits,
Simply put, Ian was assigned to watch her. Watching and waiting, ready to end her life should she make any move to reveal the existence of vampires or disseminate her knowledge of their kind. He was like police, judge and executioner for his kind, keeping sacred the most important of their laws, that of secrecy. She had no doubt the man was a cold blooded killer, though the thought of him didn’t send shivers of fear down her spine. Nor revulsion. No, if she shivered it was in a very sexual kind of anticipation.
Since Christy’s wedding, she hadn’t been able to get the man out of her mind. They had shared a dance and conversation that wasn’t quite as light or banal as it should have been between strangers.
They’d started out quite normally, talking about the bride and groom. It was Ian who turned the conversation to a more philosophical discussion about the miraculous existence of love in the world, even for a couple as unlikely as Christy and Sebastian. A battered woman and an English nobleman turned vampire over two centuries before.
Ian’s firm belief that there was someone for everyone touched her heart, as had the warmth in his dark eyes. After that one dance, she’d felt the heat of his gaze on her as the party progressed, and she found herself watching him as well. Not only was he a fine figure of a man, but his manners were impeccable, and he seemed to have genuine affection for his friends. When it came time to toast the bride and groom, Jena was touched by Ian’s eloquent, romantic, and tender salute to the new couple.
He wormed his way into her soft heart that night, and she hadn’t been able to oust him since. Of course, it was nearly impossible to forget the man, since he was watching her every time she turned around. She’d seen him observing her come and go from her small, suburban home almost every night.
Yes, every night when she came home from work he was there, watching her, making his presence known but never speaking. His quiet appearances were probably meant to be menacing, but she found his surveillance oddly comforting. In fact, when she hadn’t seen him tonight, for a moment—just a moment—she’d panicked.
But it was Saint Valentine’s Day and she had a date. Jena had put Ian’s absence from her mind with some difficulty and prepared for her evening out.
She didn’t date much these days, spending most of time at the hospital, but she didn’t want to be alone on this special night. So she’d given in and finally said yes to one of her fellow doctors, Dick Schmidt, a cardiac specialist with a big ego and very expensive car to match. Normally Jena wouldn’t have given such a frivolous man the time of day, but Dick had been asking her out for weeks now, and his persistence had worn her down. Plus, what single woman really wanted to be alone on Valentine’s Day?
She’d agreed to dinner and a few hours later, there she was, sitting in a trendy little bistro with a man she really didn’t like sitting across from her. And a drop dead gorgeous vampire eyeing her from across the room.
They sat on the enclosed patio with tinkling white lights and soft moonlight filtering in through the glass roof. It was chilly outside, but within the heated glass enclosure they had the illusion of sitting outside without the cold February air intruding.
She tried to focus on Dick’s inane conversation but it was hard. For one thing, he kept trying to touch her. The man was like an octopus, though mostly respectful of the fact that they were in public. Still, he was forever reaching across the table and touching her arms, her hands, and anything else he could reach. It was repulsive.
And then there was Ian. Sitting there, his eyes hot as sin. Watching her.
It was comforting in a way, but at the same time, rather annoying. As a vampire, Ian was totally off limits,
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