Playing with Passion Theta Series Book 1 by Gayle Parness

vampire and for a moment, he believed a female vamp had
somehow broken in the downstairs door and stolen up to the roof of
the building.
    “Lift me higher," Ingrid whispered to
Sam, who complied without protest, holding her up with a single
hand and tossing her to Gene. He caught her effortlessly and the
dance progressed with a grace and strength incredible, and yet
disturbing for Mack to watch. Before today, he would have sworn
these leaps, spins, and throws could only have been accomplished in
a lower gravity environment, but here on a roof in New York City,
he was witnessing true magic.
    Diane growled, hissing out the feral
noises of a newly made vampire. She crouched on the ground,
sniffing the air.
    Mack stopped the rehearsal right
there; gently slowing his power share, then cutting it off when he
knew no one would be injured by the aborted energy.
     

CHAPTER NINE
    “We…weren’t…finished.” Ingrid knew Mack had tried to be
gentle, not like what Mack Stone had done in Atlanta, but it hadn’t
been pleasant.
    “You were more than finished. That
kind of power is over the limit. Someone could have been
injured.”
    “That's bullshit. Think about who made
up those limits. Not thetas, that’s for sure. Why can’t we change
the limits? You should be encouraging us to use our full
potential.”
    Gene took Ingrid's hand and spun her
toward him, grinning like a chimp. “That was fucking incredible.
How did you learn to do that?” He grabbed her forcefully at the
waist, lifting her and spinning them around. He let her slide down
along his chest, obviously aiming to kiss her on the
cheek.
    If she hadn’t been angry with Mack,
she would have pushed Gene away with a laugh, but she’d planned to
show them more, and Mack had stopped the rehearsal for no good
reason.
    She leaned her body into Gene's and
put her hands around his neck, kissing his mouth with passion. Gene
must have known she was doing it to piss off Mack, but he didn't
push her away. At the same time, he didn't kiss her back, which was
fine with her, since she was managing to make it look good without
his help. When they pulled apart, the rest of the troupe was quiet,
waiting for Mack’s reaction.
    His face showed no emotion, which
pissed her off even more. She realized with irritation that she’d
wanted him to give a shit that she'd kissed Gene. Well, fine. She
wouldn’t allow herself to care about this guy. She needed his axis
power to do what had to be done and that was that.
    She’d wipe those precious moments of
closeness they’d shared on the terrace from her memory immediately,
or at least as soon as she could convince her heart that she didn’t
want to hold him in her arms again.
    Mack said, “I think we’ve rehearsed
enough for this afternoon." He looked straight at Gene, ignoring
Ingrid completely. "I’ve arranged for security if you two are going
out this evening. Let Alan know, and please morph. It’s
safer."
    Gene nodded, looking slightly
uncomfortable about the kiss. “Sure, boss.” Maybe that kiss hadn’t
been one of her better ideas.
    Mack's expression grew concerned as he
looked at Diane. "Are you all right, Diane?”
    Her face was flushed. “I’m fine. It
was...it was astonishing. I was sure it was real. I thought I was
truly a vampire for a minute or two. I completely forgot there was
a script." She glanced at Ingrid, her respectful tone surprising.
"If we were able to give an audience that kind of experience, The
Director could double the ticket prices.”
    "I didn't do it for The Director."
Celeste turned away from the group, staring at the cityscape,
unwilling to meet his gaze.
    Mack shook his head. "I’m calling a
production meeting for tomorrow afternoon at three. Ingrid, I'd
like to meet with you tomorrow morning at eleven. We have things to
discuss.” She nodded. I have an appointment tonight, so I’ll see
you all at breakfast. Try not to oversleep, Dave.” Mack moved
quickly through the door and down the