A Mate for Lazarus (The Program Book 3) (12 page)

“I need to shower.” His gaze drifted to one of the
closed doors on the far side of the lounge area. “Make yourself at home.”

“Okay.”

Lazarus walked to the door and her gaze moved back
to his ass. Leather pants should be banned from being on a guy like Lazarus.
She even found herself taking a step towards the door he had just disappeared
through.

Okay, so he’d left the door wide open. Lazarus faced
away from her. He was just opening his pants as he toed off his boots. Then he
pulled off his socks one by one.

Turn around Alex.

An impossibility. He peeled his pants down his
thighs, giving her the perfect view of that solid ass and in all of its naked
glory. It was tanned, just like the rest of him.

Alex couldn’t seem to make herself turn away. She
was even hoping that he would turn around no matter that he would catch her
staring. She wanted to see him…all of him.

“You’re welcome to join me.” He threw her a grin
over his shoulder and sauntered through another door which she assumed was the
bathroom.

Alex averted her eyes for a few seconds. Busted.
Damn. In reality, she found that she truly didn’t care. The angle of the
bathroom door was all wrong. She would have to go into the bedroom if she
wanted to keep looking. How irritating!

Alex sighed. She couldn’t be that brazen. Seeing
Lazarus naked would be a really bad idea. She might just lose all hold on her
sanity and do something really stupid like jump on him and ride him like a
pony…better make that a stallion. It was really hard but she managed to make
herself turn away. Only just.

She took a minute or two to compose herself and then
took a look around. The apartment was beautiful, just like the rest of the
castle but it was also impersonal, like a hotel room rather than a home. There
were no pictures, plants, or keepsakes of any kind. The view was just gorgeous.
She watched swans and ducks drift on the surface of the large lake. There was a
forest in the distance. There were still guys practicing in small groups on the
field.

Her stomach growled.

Maybe she could grab something to eat while Lazarus
was showering. It would take her mind off of the big naked vampire. He would
probably take up the whole space in there. She could only imagine how
magnificent he would look wet, lathered up in soap.

No way.

Not going there. She walked to the refrigerator and
opened it, taking an immediate step back. Half the fridge was filled with blood
bags. The kind you would find in a hospital. She swallowed hard. It put it all into
perspective. Lazarus was not human. It should scare her, revolt her, but it
didn’t. It intrigued her, just like she knew it would intrigue a lot of people.

It was big news. She really needed to try and force
herself to stay focused. To write everything down. She also needed to message her
Uncle James. Let him know where she was, that she hadn’t signed a non-disclosure
agreement and that she was working on the story.

No, it would be better if she waited until she was
definitely picked for the next round.

There were three of the plastic bottles Lazarus had
been drinking out of in the door. Alex took a deep breath and moved back to the
opened fridge door. She picked up one of the blood bags.
Interesting.
The unit said AB negative. She checked the bags in the fridge. They were all AB
negative. Same as her own blood type, which was rare.

“When I said to make yourself at home, I didn’t
expect to find you holding one of those. You’re most welcome to it, although I
would recommend that you take from me instead…it’s more fun, I assure you.”

Alex practically threw the bag back into the fridge.

“Careful with those. They weren’t easy to find. I
doubt I’ll get my hands on more any time soon.”

Alex turned to face him and then wished she hadn’t.
He killed the cargo pants he was wearing. The green shirt looked so damned good
but she still wanted to rip it off of him because dammit, it should be illegal
to cover a body as great as his. “I’ll bet.” She managed to squeeze out. Alex took
a deep breath. “It’s the rarest blood type that there is. Don’t tell me that
vampires are picky about the blood they drink. Do you guys have flavors? Do the
different blood types taste different to you?”

Lazarus nodded. “I’ve tried them all and this is my
top choice. Each of the bags tastes different even though the blood types are
the same. I prefer some more than others.”

“Oh wow! Seriously?”

He smiled and nodded. “I can’t help my tastes. The
others are fine but this particular blood type works best for me.” He shrugged.
“If I have to slum it by drinking old, cold blood…” He pulled a face again. “May
as well pick the best of the blood groups. It’s just a pity that it’s so rare.”

“It’s my blood type. Good to know that you have it
on hand for just in case.”

He looked excited for a second. “Why? Do you want to
try some?”

She made a pained noise. “No way. Just no! I’m
talking about if I hurt myself and need a transfusion.”

His jaw tensed, like the thought of her hurting
herself was abhorrent to him. “You’re not going to hurt yourself, Alexandra.
I’ll look after you. The guards are all here to ensure your protection as
well.” His eyes turned really dark and his shoulders tensed. “If anything
should happen, I will feed you my blood and it will help you to rejuvenate.”

She gasped. “Would I become a vampire?”

Lazarus looked amused. “I’m not sure where you got
your information…maybe I should call it misinformation, but no, you would not
become a vampire.”

She breathed out a sigh of relief. Good to know. Not
that she planned on drinking his blood or anything…that was never going to
happen.

“You look relieved.”

“I would hate to have to depend on others for my
survival. To feed off of others.” She shook her head. “I don’t like the idea.”

“You are dependent on animals for your food source.
It’s not so different, we are just more evolved.”

She folded her arms. “You think so, huh?”

Lazarus nodded. He stepped in next to her and the air
seemed to thin. She could smell his clean just showered scent. It was yummy.
Although she hadn’t been complaining earlier when he smelled of sweat either.
There weren’t that many that could pull off being dirty and sweaty and still being
incredibly attractive.

“I take it that you are hungry,” Lazarus said.

She nodded. “I’m starving.”

“Me too,” he growled. His eyes were firmly on her
neck.

Alex felt heat rise in her face. “Can’t you drink
from one of the guys?”

Lazarus looked so horrified that she had to laugh.
“It’s not fucking happening. I’m not into males. I have nothing against male on
male action. What others do is up to them but it isn’t for me.”

“You said that blood drinking is always sexual for
you.”

“It is,” a low growl.

“Well”—she sucked in a lungful of air—“it wouldn’t
be sexual if you drank from a guy.”

“It’s always sexual for me, Alexandra. Fucking
always. The last thing I want is to get a hard on for a guy. I drink and I
fuck…there is no other way for me.”

“Oh,” a squeak. Stuff clenched and puckered. Her
lady bits did all the other things you read in those dirty, romance novels she
loved. Her clit throbbed. Her nipples tightened. It all happened and all at
once.

Lazarus made a low growling noise. His nostrils
flared and it sounded like he was sniffing the air. Then he stuck his head
inside the refrigerator and pulled out the makings for a ham and cheese
sandwich. “I’m going to feed you and then I’m going to make you come.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me, Alexandra.” Lazarus’ voice had turned
gravelly.

He grabbed some bread out of a cupboard and began lathering
mayo onto some slices.

“We should…”
Definitely do that.
Her heart
raced. Her body continued to react to his body in the most inappropriate ways.
“…talk a bit. You shouldn’t have touched me yesterday.”

“Why the hell not?” He growled.

“It gets in the way of conversation.” A ridiculous
excuse but she couldn’t really think of any good ones. Not when her body was
fully on board with his making her come plan.

Lazarus spread mustard onto the bread. “We will talk
while we eat. We are talking now. There is only so much talking we can do.” He
slapped a slice of ham down. “Besides”—he stopped what he was doing so that he
could look at her—“you really need to come badly.”

“No, I don’t.”

He snorted. “You fucking do, now stop arguing. He
handed her a plate, which she took from him.

Lazarus gestured towards the table. “Let’s sit.” He
took his own plate and followed her. “You can start by telling me what you do
for a living.”

Alex tripped on the rug. She grabbed the back of a
chair to keep from falling. By some miracle, her sandwich didn’t go flying. Oh
hell! She had known this question was coming. She was the one that continually
harped on about getting to know one another. What had she expected, that he
would keep talking about himself and not expect anything in return?

Alex had decided to be honest. To stick to the facts
as much as possible. “I’m such a klutz.” She said as she put down her plate and
took a seat at the table. Lazarus did the same.

“You were saying.” He took a big bite of his
sandwich.

“I’m a journalist. I write for the local Sweetwater
paper.”

He stopped mid chew. “Oh.” He nodded a few times,
chewing furiously and then he swallowed. “That’s interesting. What all do you
write about? I don’t think I’ve ever seen the paper. We tend to stay away from
that sort of thing. Although, Brant has been taking a vested interest lately
with all the publicity surrounding
The Program
.”

“Yeah, I noticed the lack of media. No magazines, no
television. You guys pretty much live in a bubble. If you want to get to know
humans better, you should really look into that sort of thing.”

Lazarus cocked his head. “You’re right. I will bring
it up with my kings. It is certainly something to consider.”

“Do you think your kings or a vampire representative
would ever consider doing an interview?” A girl had to try.

His eyes widened. “Not a fuck. We prefer to keep to
ourselves.”

“You do realize that things have changed? By
introducing
The Program
, you are integrating with humans. There is just
a slew of bad press and speculation. It would be so much better if you would
agree to a press release or an interview…something.”

“It’s not going to happen.” His jaw tensed and he
put the half-eaten sandwich down. “I really hope you’re not here to try and
snag yourself an interview with one of the vampire kings. I kind of got the
feeling that there was an ulterior motive. Is this it?”

Fuck! She’d gone and said too much. What an idiot!
“No.” She shook her head. “I’m here to be a part of
The Program
but that
doesn’t mean that I can change who I am. Would I like an opportunity for an
exclusive? Hell yes. I’m not going to lie to you.”

The tension in his shoulders eased. “Thank fuck and
thank you for being honest with me. For a second there…” He shook his head.

He gripped the base of her chair and pulled her
around so that she was facing him. His big thighs slid around either side of
hers. “You’re the kind of female I could really fall for. It excites the fuck
out of me but it also scares me.”

It was so refreshing to see a big, badass alpha
admit that he was afraid of something. It was also endearing. It made her feel
like the worst person alive.

Argh! She had to force herself to maintain eye
contact.

“What is it?” He slid his hands up her thighs.

“It’s nothing.”

“Are you afraid?” He asked.

Alex nodded. “Yes, this is moving really quickly.”
It shouldn’t be moving at all. It was pretend. She was on the job. It was
nothing.

“You have nothing to be afraid of, Alexandra.”
Lazarus leaned forward. A beautiful smile graced his soft lips. “I will always
be honest with you. I will never intentionally hurt you.”

It was all pretend.

Just a job.

Nothing.

Oh crap! She was in such deep trouble. His whole
demeanor turned serious. “I think we just experienced a moment.”

She nodded and swallowed hard. “I think we might
have.”
All true
. She was in such deep shit that it was scary.

“It is your turn to kiss me but what the hell.” He
closed the small distance between them and gently brushed his lips against hers.
The kiss was ever so sweet. Ever so soft. It could even be referred to as
tender. It also made her heart beat faster. It made her want more.

Lazarus pulled away ever so slightly. This time, Alex
kissed Lazarus. Her kiss was not as soft or as tender. She crushed his lips.
Nipped them. Sucked them, all out fucked them.

She felt him smile against her. A chuckle sounded
from somewhere deep inside him. “Alexandra.” He mumbled her name against her
lips. “So demanding.”

He picked her up as he stood. “I like demanding.” He
crushed his lips to hers and she straddled him. Then he was peeling her off of
him and placing her on the sofa.

His mouth was back on hers. He cupped one of her
breasts through her shirt. His chest vibrated with a deep groan. Lazarus
squeezed her nipple and it was her turn to moan a little. Make that a lot. He
squeezed and pinched, squeezed and pinched. He could work magic with those
hands of his. Utter magic. She whimpered and tried to shamelessly dry hump him.
His other hand held her in place, making it difficult to create any sort of
real friction though. She made a sound of frustration.