Dying to Date (3 page)

Melissa thought of her long life. Though she’d had the odd job here and there, being Lucian’s heir had provided a very different way of living. She’d been more of a patron than a worker for most of her life. Even now she was following that pre-determined role.

“So you see,” Tarian said, breaking her from her thoughts. “There is not much to tell about me.”

It was on the tip of her tongue to ask about his age, but she bit back the impolite question. Most supernaturals didn’t like to discuss such matters, and either way it was a moot point. For Tarian, she’d been willing to overlook her age gap rule.

“Where were you before the city?”

He focused his attention on his food. “We moved around quite a bit. There isn’t much of this country I haven’t seen.”

“And before that?”

Tarian glanced up at her, but his expressive gaze was shuttered. “Let’s just say I’ve spent more than a few lifetimes on this continent and leave it at that. Unless, of course, you wish to tell me intimate details of your past in exchange for stories from mine.”

She smiled slightly. “I was being rude. My apologies.”

He shook his head. “While I appreciate the interest, there are parts of my life I prefer not discussing. I’m sure it is the same with you.”

The accident flashed across her mind as she inclined her head. “On to more mannered subjects then,” she said. “I hope you enjoy your time in New York.”

“It’s definitely growing on me,” he replied, eying her.

The fresh blood circulating in her body made it easier to blush. That was the only reason her cheeks were heating.

“What about you?” Tarian asked. “What do I need to know about the famous Melissa Redgrave?”

She made a face. “That I don’t like the attention, for one.”

“Not a fan of the spotlight?”

Melissa took a sip from her glass. “I suppose I don’t really know any alternative. My human life ended abruptly, and my immortal one had only ever been lived as Lucian’s sole heir.”

“It must be grating that people make assumptions about you before even meeting.”

“Exactly,” she agreed. “There are times when I want to shout that I’m not just a mirror image of my father. I have my own ideas.”

Tarian chewed slowly as he nodded. “It is important not to make snap decisions. People are more complex than a bloodline.”

It was rare to hear someone understand her thinking and not simply smile and agree with anything she said just because she had Lucian on speed dial.

“You should be warned,” she said, “sticking with me will shine the spotlight on you as well.”

Tarian’s gaze slid away from her, and for a moment she feared she’d scared him away. Not everyone wanted their face plastered on the front of magazines. If he was a man who valued his privacy, dating her could be a problem.

But when he looked back at her, there was a smile on his face. “I’m not easily dissuaded from things I want,” he told her. “And a few articles are a small price to pay to see you again.”

Pleasure filled her. “Glad to hear it,” she said, tapping her wine glass against his.

“I take it you enjoy your work with the Redgrave foundation?”

“I do,” she replied. “It’s something I seem to be good at, but every now and then…” Her voice trailed off.

He arched an inquiring brow, popping a carrot into his mouth.

Melissa leaned forward to rest her arms on the table. “I want to do more than plan parties and hold events. My father is always caught up in making important policy changes that help govern our world, and I have no part of that branch of the Redgrave responsibilities.”

“What would you change?”

She sighed, shaking her head. “I don’t know. I plan other people’s charities but I have no cause of my own.”

“Nothing to fight for.”

“Exactly.” Melissa leaned back. “But I suppose I’m too young to be of any real use to my father. I haven’t had time to learn about all the inner workings of our world.”

“I disagree,” Tarian replied. “Your youth gives you fresh eyes. Allows you to look at problems from a different perspective. Is there nothing facing your father you could assist with?”

Melissa scoffed. “He’s dealing with the necromancers. Not an area I’d be inclined to offer ‘fresh eyes’ on.”

Tarian paused in mid chew. “No,” he replied, his voice subdued. “I suppose not.”

Melissa studied her companion as she tipped the last swallow of blood to her lips. He scraped up the last of his potatoes before setting his cutlery on the empty place.

“Was it good?” she asked with a smile.

“Wonderful,” he replied. “I’ll have to remember this place.”

“There are several restaurants that cater to our kind, but Celeste’s reigns supreme.”

“Dessert?” he asked.

She shook her head. While they did have a delightful blood sorbet, she couldn’t eat another drop. “I’m completely satisfied.”

When a knowing smile tugged at his lips, she mentally amended the statement. Her hunger for blood was completely satisfied. Her hunger for him, however, was only growing.

“Then let me grab the check,” he offered, flagging down the waiter.

Melissa leaned back in her seat. Usually she offered to split the bill, but it tended to annoy the more old-fashioned immortals. Given how well the night was going, she decided to let this time slide.

“Thank you for dinner,” she said as he signed the bill and handed it back to the waiter.

“It was my pleasure,” he replied, offering a hand to help her stand.

Though unnecessary, Melissa would take any chance she could get to touch him.

She slipped her fingers into his and rose from the chair. This close, she had to tilt her head up to see him, despite her heels.

“We’ll have to do it again sometime,” she breathed.

Tarian raised her hand to his lips and pressed a light kiss to her knuckles. “Agreed.”

With him keeping hold of her hand, they navigated their way through the restaurant. Melissa grinned at the envious glances being thrown her way. Logic told her he’d be going on other Fated Match dates, but tonight he felt like he was hers alone.

Together they stepped into the night, and she inhaled the cool air out of habit rather than necessity.

“Full moon,” she said, looking at the sky. “There’ll be weres running around Central Park tonight.”

“No doubt,” he agreed from by her side.

Leaving the bright sky, she transferred her gaze to her date.

“So,” she said, unsure of what to say.

A grin flashed across his lips. “So.” He turned to face her, still keeping a hold of her hand.

Nerves gripped her as she looked up at him. It was ridiculous at her age to be acting like a schoolgirl out with her first crush. She’d perfected the art of suave seduction, but Tarian made her forget all her tricks.

He stepped forward, crowding her against the brick wall.

“I was told 48 percent of first dates don’t end in a good night kiss. I think that’s an appalling statistic.”

“Absolutely terrible,” she agreed. “We should do our best to offset the data.”

She caught a brief view of his grin before his mouth claimed hers.

Melissa’s eyes closed as she twined her arms around his shoulders. His lips trailed over hers with tantalizing gentleness. She knew he was teasing her, and though she enjoyed the play, she pushed up on her tiptoes to demand more.

The light teasing left his touch as he took possession of her mouth. Her lips parted for him and welcomed his questing tongue.

Tarian’s hands slid over her hips to cup her waist. He pulled her against his hard body and she moaned against his mouth. Fire flared through her as she kissed him. In the back of her mind, she pictured them making out like teenagers on a very exposed street corner but didn’t care. All she could think about was the pressure of his mouth, the heat from his hands.

Her fangs ached in her gums. What would it be like to drive them into his neck as he drove into her body? The thought melted her into a puddle of need. Whatever it was about this addicting man, she had no resistance to him.

“More,” she purred against his mouth, her hands trailing down his chest. Hooking her fingers around his belt loops, she pulled him close, rubbing against his straining erection.

“My apartment is close,” she offered. She nipped his lower lip lightly before leaning back to see his face.

“How close?” he growled.

“Very.” Rising back to her tiptoes, she pressed a gossamer kiss to his lips.

His hands tightened on her waist. “We shouldn’t.”

“I think we really, really should.” Melissa leaned forward for another taste when her arms were magically empty. “Seriously?” she demanded, glaring at the man now standing four feet from her.

“I was thoroughly warned about first date etiquette,” he replied.

She was going to kill Abbey.

“What do they know?” she argued, closing the distance between them.

He cupped her face, staring down at her with a tenderness she couldn’t remember seeing in another man’s eyes. “I have work to do tonight, sweetheart, not to mention I don’t want to do anything to derail this.”

“What?”

“Us.” He kissed her softly.

“Trust me, great sex had never doomed any of my relationships.”

He laughed, releasing her. “Anticipation, my dear. I’m worth the wait.”

He had better be. No one turned her down. Maybe she was losing her touch.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” he said.

She sighed in defeat. “Fine. Tomorrow. But don’t make me wait too long.”

Tarian chuckled and treated her to a last toe-curling kiss. “Let me hail you a cab.”

She shook her head. “I’ve got a town car waiting.”

“Then until tomorrow, Ms. Redgrave.” He swept her a bow that again made her question his age. He might be more lively than the ancients she knew but he sure had some old-fashioned ideas.

“Good night.” With a last, lingering glance, she set off down the street to her car. She couldn’t help looking back over her shoulder and grinned when she saw he was watching her.

Fishing her cell out of her purse, she quickly texted Abbey.

You found a winner,
she typed.
Fill you in when I’m home.

Smiley faces and exclamation marks filled her screen as her friend replied. Putting her phone away, she rounded the corner and spotted her car.

Melissa knew she was grinning like a lunatic but couldn’t do a thing to stop herself. Maybe, after all these decades, her luck was finally starting to change.

Chapter Four

It was impossible to concentrate on work.

Melissa shook her head before focusing on the computer once more. She had too much to do, and spending every free moment thinking about Tarian wasn’t helping.

He’d called earlier so they could make dinner plans for tomorrow night. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, since she hadn’t wanted to appear too eager, and she had a pile of work to get through today. Hours later, however, she wished she’d found a way to play hooky. A date a day might be a little extreme but she wasn’t too proud to admit she wanted to see him as much as she could.

A day apart will do you good
. She’d already ruined one document by doodling his name in the corner of it. Melissa needed to get a grip on herself before she saw him again. Hell, in her current state of eagerness she might scare him off, and that was the last thing she wanted to do.

“Your midnight appointment, Ms. Redgrave.”

She didn’t even bother glancing up from her computer. Though her secretary was rarely wrong, she’d made an error this time. Melissa had gone through the schedule backward and forward to see if she could justify taking an early night to see Tarian.

“I don’t have a midnight today, Mary,” she called. “But I will take the files on the Miller gala when you have a moment.”

“She means she’ll take them after her lunch break,” a deep voice cut in.

Abandoning her charity files, she looked up to see Tarian standing in her doorway.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, pushing from her chair. “We don’t have plans until tomorrow.”

“I realize you’re busy, but I couldn’t wait.” His hands slid over her hips as she stepped up to kiss him hello.

“This is an excellent surprise,” she murmured as her lips touched his. Conscious of her glass door and the eager eyes of her secretary, Melissa forced herself to keep the kiss chaste despite the fire roiling through her with just one touch.

Stepping back, she smoothed her hands over the dark material of his lapel. She hadn’t thought to see him tonight, but now that he was here, standing before her, she had to fight to keep a silly, happy grin off her face.

“Want to hear my master plan?” Tarian asked.

“Enlighten me.”

He held up a brown paper bag. “Even people as dedicated as you need a lunch break. I thought I’d tempt you with some food and excellent company.”

“And I’ve pushed back your next appointment,” Mary threw in.

Melissa arched a brow at the designer sandwich bag sitting on her secretary’s desk. “Did you bribe Mary?”

“Shamelessly,” he agreed. “She was a wealth of information, not only about your schedule, but also on your favorite take out places.” He leaned close enough to whisper in her ear as he added, “She’s also promised not to turn around or let anyone near your office.”

“Has she?” Melissa purred. “I knew she was an invaluable hire.”

“Come on,” Tarian said as he caught her hand. He led her over to the small couch she couldn’t remember ever using. Lounging back on the beige upholstery, Tarian offered a delicious contrast in his tailored black suit. She was a sucker for an impeccable dresser, and Tarian was definitely a man who knew how to wear his clothes.

“What did you bring?” she asked as she sank down beside him.

“A sandwich for me and some blood for you.” He unpacked the bag onto the coffee table before them.

Melissa reached for the travel cup of blood and saw her favorite restaurant’s name blazed across the plastic.

“I must confess,” Tarian said as he unwrapped his sandwich, “I didn’t know there was a difference when it came to blood.”

“Every person has their own unique taste but you’re right, when it comes to bagged blood it’s all pretty much the same.”

“So why did Mary have me tracking down this particular brand?”

“In the past decade or so chefs have been experimenting with making feeding a little less monotonous for vampires.”

“It’d be a huge market,” he agreed.

She took a sip of the gently warmed blood and closed her eyes in pure delight. “They mix spices and flavors into the blood to give it a bit of oomph, and this just happens to be my favorite.”

Melissa opened her eyes to see her date staring at her with a lopsided smile. “I have to say,” he murmured, “that sight might just have been worth racing around the city.”

Heat warmed her cheeks as she looked down. “Well, I appreciate the effort.”

He shrugged as he ate. “This is a welcome break for me, too.”

“Plus you are scoring major brownie points.”

“A wise man plans ahead,” he teased.

“Are you planning to screw this up any time soon?”

His smile slipped a notch even as he shook his head. “Screwing things up with you is not an option I want to contemplate.”

She kicked off her
Manolo Blahnik
s and tugged her legs up under her. The skirt of her royal blue business dress rode up, but she didn’t bother correcting the slip. Instead she enjoyed the way Tarian’s eyes locked on the flash of skin.

“You seem to be off to an excellent start,” she said, leaning closer.

“Sweetheart, you make a man want to put in some extra effort.”

She took a sip of her blood and refrained from commenting on all the men in her past that would dispute Tarian’s words.

“Be that as it may, no one has ever crashed my office before.”

“The idea of staring at my phone for hours on end when I could be staring at you was far too tempting an opportunity to pass up.”

“Fishing for a text, were we?”

He inclined his head. “I don’t even like this new cell phone trend and there I was, walking around with the damned thing in my pocket at all times.”

Melissa didn’t need to glance at her desk to know her own phone sat next to her keyboard, positioned so she would see it the second a text came in.

“The art of romance is no match for the generation of iPhones and cat videos,” she said.

His fingers twined through hers. “Exactly. What happened to the good old days of penned love letters and clandestine meetings?”

“When a simple touch could have your heart racing,” she purred, drawing the tips of her fingers along his palm.

“And a kiss could change everything.” He leaned forward and Melissa allowed him to push her backward into the couch.

“Are you sure you bribed Mary well enough to give us our privacy?” she asked, angling her head back toward the glass doors of her office.

“I added the world’s most decadent brownie to her order.”

“Machiavelli would be proud.”

His lips crashed down onto hers. Smiling against his mouth, Melissa wrapped her arms around his muscled shoulders and gave herself up to the pleasure of his touch. His tongue teased along the seam of her lips, demanding entry even as his hand slid over the curve of her hip. Opening her mouth, she greeted Tarian’s questing tongue with her own eager caresses.

Melissa shifted under him to better fit his body against hers. Even as she moved, she knew she should be thinking about the full office outside her doors. There was work to be done. Meetings to prep for and files to be read. She’d put Tarian off until tomorrow for a reason.

But right now with his hands on her body she couldn’t remember why she hadn’t leapt at any chance to see him again.

Her fingers raked down his back, clawing at cloth when she wanted to feel skin. One of his hands slid up her hose-covered thigh. He was undeterred by her skirt’s hem and merely pushed under it instead.

Not once, in all the years she’d worked, had any man so much as kissed her in this office, let alone engaged in a good old-fashioned make out session. The rational section of her mind demanded she put a stop to this nonsense.

But a far more powerful part of her reveled in Tarian’s attentions. He’d been all she could think about since they’d parted ways yesterday. The man had filled her daylight dreams and consumed her waking thoughts. She’d been counting down the hours till she’d be able to see him.

His hands gripped her thighs, pushing them apart as he shifted more intimately against her. The couch was by no means wide, but Melissa didn’t mind the close contact. When his mouth trailed a burning path down her throat she arched under him, tilting her head back to give him better access.

Her fangs ached to explode from her gums, but she held back. Miss Manners would certainly frown at heavy petting for lunch, and Melissa didn’t even want to imagine what the woman would have to say about biting on a second date.

The knowledge that she had no business lusting after Tarian’s blood didn’t quell the desire. It usually took months to get to the point where she’d be comfortable feeding from a lover. Longer sometimes to convince her partners to accept such an intimate act.

Yet here she was with a man she barely knew, breaking all her rules.

“What is it about you?” she breathed as he cupped her breasts through her dress.

Why did he make her crave things she had no business dreaming about? It was too soon to need him this badly, to lust for his body and his blood in equal measure.

That secret, troublemaking corner of her mind whispered that attraction was always intense between mates. Her father had been unable to think of anything but Abbey once the couple had met.

Melissa shook her head to clear the impossible thought. Whatever Tarian and she were to each other, it was far too early to even contemplate the M word.

Lover
, however, was a word she’d be more than happy to consider.

“You really should have come home with me last night,” she whispered in his ear.

“A mistake I’ll regret for a long time to come,” he replied. “I was trying to be a gentleman.”

“Does that mean I have to be a lady?” She reached down to stroke her fingers along the erection straining from his trousers.

His swift inhalation brought a smile to her lips.

“You can be whatever the hell you want to be.”

What if I want to be yours?

She cleared her throat and pushed back the rogue thought. “Right now,” she said, pressing a hand to his chest, “I want to be professional.”

He allowed her to push him off of her, though he arched a brow at her words. “Want?”

Her lips twitched. “Need,” she amended.

Tarian ran a hand through his tousled hair. “Understood. I want it noted I hadn’t intended to seduce you in your rather exposed office.”

“No?”

His boyish smile made an appearance as he righted his jacket. “Hoped is not the same as planned.”

Melissa wiggled her dress back into place and patted her hair. “Do I look like we’ve been doing naughty things?”

“You look perfect,” he replied, reaching out to tuck a curl back into place.

The mixture of lust and tenderness in his eyes would have made her heart race if it still had the ability.

“We could just hang out at my place tomorrow,” she suggested. “I can dazzle you with my cooking skills.”

“You cook?”

She shrugged. “I microwave. And when I have people over who consume food, I am a takeout ordering queen.”

His laughter filled the room, and an inordinate amount of pride filled her that she’d caused such a wonderful sound to emerge.

“How about we make it a quick dinner?” he compromised. “Then back to your place.”

“Not going to fight me this time?”

“Never again,” he said. “Gentlemanly behavior be damned.”

“Excellent news.” She leaned over to press her lips to his.

It was a light touch. One meant to promise rather than enflame, but even so, Melissa didn’t want to pull back.

Tomorrow,
she told herself. Once she had him in her apartment she could explore his body at her leisure.

“I should go,” he said against her mouth. “We’re running out of time.”

“I know.” She sat back with a sigh as he scooped his half-eaten sandwich back into its brown bag. “Looks like the concept of lunch got a little lost on us.”

He tossed her a grin. “I’m not complaining.”

“Me, either,” she said as they stood.

“Till tomorrow then.”

“Tomorrow,” she agreed. “I can’t wait.”

He took her hand and pressed his lips to her knuckles. “Neither can I.” With a last heated look, he strode from her office.

Melissa had barely managed to make her way back to her desk when Mary swept in with files for her perusal.

“Good lunch?” her assistant asked.

“The best,” she sighed.

“He’s got damn fine taste in chocolate,” Mary said. “An excellent quality in a man.”

“The list of his excellent qualities is rapidly growing. I’m half waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

Mary shrugged. “Unless it’s one hell of a shoe, I doubt it’ll make much difference.”

“You are, as usual, correct.” Accepting the files she shooed Mary from the office.

When it came to Tarian, she had the suspicion she’d be willing to forgive a hell of a lot. A smile curved her lips as she attempted to focus on her work once more. Tomorrow she’d just have to try and uncover more of his secrets. After she got the man in bed, of course.

Grinning, she glanced at the clock on her wall and wished that time would move just a little bit faster.

…

Tarian sighed as the elevator doors closed behind him.

“Damn,” he whispered into the empty space.

He’d come there tonight half hoping their first date had been a fluke. After all, no necromancer could really be that interested in a vampire so quickly. Even if that vampire was as close to perfection as he’d found in hundreds of years.

Except seeing Melissa again only underscored what he’d felt the night before. He liked being around her, and not just because he’d love to spread her out across his bed. No, it was far more insidious than that. He liked her unique mix of confidence and uncertainty. The blushes that stained her cheeks even when she tried to appear unaffected. The way she lit up when she spoke about the charities she worked with.

His instinctive reaction to her may have driven him to see her at Celeste’s, but tonight he’d hunted her down because he couldn’t stand not to.

“Grandfather will have a heyday with this,” he murmured.