The Vampire With the Dragon Tattoo (Love at Stake) by Kerrelyn Sparks Page A

window.
    Leah took a deep breath. I’ve waited so long for you. Did that mean he thought they were somehow fated to be together? Her heart thundered in her ears. How could she have a future with him?
    Abby sat at the table. “I don’t usually eat like this, but I’m so hungry.” She bit into a chicken strip.
    Gregori sat beside her, his gaze focused on Leah and Dougal. “So what’s up? You two were deep in conversation.”
    “It was nothing.” Leah took a sip of water.
    “She was explaining why she decided to stay,” Dougal said.
    “Ah.” Gregori gave her a charming smile. “How could you resist us? We’re so utterly fascinating.”
    Abby snorted. “And modest.”
    Leah smiled. “I guess it’s not surprising that I would end up in a strange world. The other kids in college always said I was strange. ‘Dr. Freakazoid’ they called me.”
    Beside her, Dougal stiffened.
    Abby winced. “That was mean.”
    Leah groaned inwardly. What had possessed her to confess that? It was all Dougal’s fault. He’d completely unnerved her, and now she was babbling like a fool. “To be honest, I was kinda strange. I was fourteen when I started college.”
    Gregori leaned forward, his elbows on the table. “Since you were so young, they should have been nicer to you, not meaner.”
    “Aye,” Dougal said quietly. “If ye give me their names, I’ll track them down—”
    “ Doon ?” Leah looked at him. Why did he have to sound so adorable?
    “Aye, doon,” Dougal muttered. “They deserve to have their heads knocked together. And as head of security here, it is my duty to protect you.”
    “Retroactively?”
    His eyes flashed an intense green. “Anytime, anywhere.”
    Another wave of goose bumps prickled her arms as if he’d reached out to caress her. “It was a long time ago. I’m over it.”
    “Are you?”
    No . For the entire twenty-three years of her life, she’d felt like she was alone in the world without any friends. Alone in a world where she didn’t fit.
    So how old was Dougal? Did he have centuries of pain that he carried around on those broad shoulders? I’ve waited so long for you. Did he crave a comforting touch as much as she did?
    Her so-called friends in college had wanted her for the free tutoring. Her parents had wanted her as living proof of their own intellectual superiority. Even Dr. Lee and the other Vamps here wanted her for her expertise.
    But Dougal was surprisingly different. He looked at her like she was the most desirable woman on the planet. And even more surprising, she reacted like a woman. Heart pounding, breathless, and nerve endings tingling all over. She wanted to know everything about him. And God help her, she wanted to touch him.
    She shook herself mentally. He was a vampire, a volcanically inclined Vamp with a fiery dragon tattooed on his chest. She couldn’t let herself get involved with him. Her carefully mapped-out life would go up in flames.
    “I’m fine.” She stood, pushing back her chair. “And I’m going back to work.”
    D ougal groaned inwardly. His one joke had been lame, and his attempt at being charming had chased her away. How could he manage to be alone with her? What would impress her? His thoughts returned to the movie she’d watched earlier. Of course. He knew exactly what to do.
    He cleared his throat. “Gregori, instead of giving Leah a ride home from work, would ye mind if I teleport her?”
    Gregori’s eyes narrowed. “I suppose that’s all right.”
    “And can ye give me the phone number for the guy at DVN?”
    “Wilson?” Gregori stood. “Excuse me a minute, okay?” he said, patting his wife on the shoulder.
    She nodded, her mouth full.
    Gregori motioned for Dougal to join him over by the window. “You want a makeover? Why?”
    Dougal shrugged. “Ye said I looked like a pirate.”
    “That never bothered you before.” Gregori frowned at him. “You were staring at Leah like a half-starved animal.”
    Dougal winced. Was he that