Irresistible Nemesis (14 page)

Ten days passed in a blur. Eva spent the better part of those days filling out case logs on the eighteen bloodsuckers she’d sent to the afterlife during her last month of patrols. January had been an unusually slow month for her. But considering that a large amount of her time and energy focused on the Kristopolous investigation, that figure didn’t surprise her much. Andreas. Eva let out an audible sigh as she thought about him for the millionth time that day. Even though he’d respected her wishes by not contacting her, she found it difficult to keep her mind from wandering toward him.

The battled-hardened body of a god. His sexy, shoulder length locks. Those piercing green eyes that searched out her soul. His perfect lips.

They’d only made love, if you could really call it that, once.

That single, mind-blowing sexual experience with her vampire lover seemed more like an animalistic mating ritual. Eva still felt the remnants of Andreas’s calloused hands as he pawed her desperately-scorched skin. She recalled the tangy, metallic taste of his blood after she sank her teeth into his broad, muscled shoulders. Suddenly, her panties were drenched. Andreas must be so proud of himself. He’d turned the huntress into a sex-starved basket case.

But it was more than that. Eva could no longer deny that she’d developed feelings for him over the past few months. Until their brief encounter in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, she hadn’t realized how just deep those emotions ran. Now that she’d had time to think, she forced herself to admit the truth. Like it or not, Eva was in love with him. All the more reason for her to get the hell out of town. The quicker the better.

As she signed the last page of the report in an endless stack of case files, Eva’s cell phone rang. She tried her damnedest to ignore it, but the call had come at a moment of utter weakness. She flipped open the phone and listened, her vocal cords suddenly ravaged.

“I know you told me not to call,” came the intimately familiar voice on the other end of the phone. Andreas. His speech sounded broken up, almost as if he’d been crying. “God knows I tried to stay away. Problem is I can’t. I can’t stop thinking about you. I’m not eating or sleeping. Not that I sleep much anyway, but that’s beside the point. The fact is…I’m miserable.” Then he was silent, presumably waiting for Eva to respond.

She let out the faintest of sobs. “Me, too.” Eva murmured more or less unintelligibly. She prayed he hadn’t heard her exact words. She had to remain aloof. She needed to hold her ground if she wanted any chance of escaping with her heart intact. She counted to ten before continuing and tried to prevent the onset of an all-out panic attack. “This is wrong. On
so
many different levels.
We’re
wrong.” The pitch of her voice like gravel scraped against tender skin.

“Yes, hypothetically speaking,” Andreas agreed. Through the phone, she heard his feet tap against the floor as he paced around the room. “But if that’s the case, why do we feel
so
right together, baby?

Explain it ‘cause this is a totally new experience for me.”

“I don’t know. Don’t ask me.” Eva shouted at him in self-defense. Frustrated and filled with pent-up anxiety, she rubbed the stiff muscles of her neck. She didn’t have a clue how to fix their screwed up situation. Frantic, she tried to come up with a rational explanation for what existed between them.

How was it even possible for a vampire hunter to fall in love with her mortal enemy? She’d resisted the hypnotic pull of every damn bloodsucker she’d come across in five years of working for the BPA. Why now? Why him?

“Hell, maybe it’s an addiction? Like serving beer to an alcoholic. Or letting a gambler hang out in a casino.” Andreas cleared his throat and cut off her rambling tirade.

“Enough excuses. Just tell me. When are you leaving town?” Eva hesitated, the deafening silence rang in her ears like a drum. “Four days from now. My flight’s already booked.”

“Have dinner with me. Tomorrow night at my apartment.” Andreas pleaded with her. The frustration Eva sensed earlier, completely disappeared. “Just one night. That’s all I’m asking.” Eva felt the room spin. She felt lightheaded. Ready to faint. The man wasn’t even in the same damn room with her, and still, he had her insides melt. He went from arrogant, hot-head to crooning romantic in less than a millisecond.

With a sigh, she accepted defeat. At least in part. “I’m not making any promises.”

“I’m not expecting any. But if you
happen
to be in the neighborhood, stop by any time after sundown.” Eva could almost picture Andreas’s ear to ear grin pleased as pie with himself for having won this particular battle. “Good night, Eva. Sweet Dreams.”

“Good night, Andreas.”

Even as she tried to deny it, she knew herself well enough to admit the truth. She’d show up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on the man’s doorstep tomorrow evening. After all, she’d be moving to New Orleans full-time in a few days. What would one night of passion and pleasure hurt in the grand scheme of things? Not much. All she had to do was convince Oliver to let her out the front door.

Later the next evening, Oliver sat in the study. He sipped a cup of after-dinner tea while he prepared tactical protocols for his agents. His relaxed posture put Eva at ease. She needed him to be in a good mood if she planned to ask for permission to leave headquarters tonight. She entered the room in silence and moved to the arm chair next to her boss. She picked up a magazine off the end table, and she flipped through it as she waited for a sign that the seer had already read her thoughts.

Oliver lifted his head from his work and adjusted the wire-rimmed glasses over his ears to see her better. His hand came up to rest on his chin, a nonchalant gesture that seemed almost natural. But Eva wasn’t fooled. She hesitated, anticipating his next move. Then his index finger rubbed against his jawline. It served as a mirror into his mind. Still he remained quiet and shook his head from side to side in response.

“Why not?” Eva asked, already privy to the answer. Her very existence hung in the balance. Aristotle Kristopolous had his henchmen waiting in the wings. They would take her out at the first chance they got. Her life was at risk, but putting an end to her obsession with Andreas seemed like a fair trade.

Oliver wouldn’t take the bait. He hadn’t said a word. But his body language spoke volumes. “Just hear me out. It’s not only about finding closure. Although that’s crucial for my sanity, I think you’ll agree that seeing him one last time is a necessity we can’t afford to ignore.” Eva expected him to deny her request outright without any discussion at all. Instead, he nodded reluctantly, willing to listen to her relentless banter.

Eva had a plan. Even if she couldn’t see the investigation through to fruition, she wanted to ensure that her colleagues had a chance to put an end to the vampire coven’s corruption and brutal killings. Maybe Andreas wasn’t like the rest of them, but his downfall would be collateral damage. She’d get him out of her head and leave this hell-hole long before the fallout began.

Careful to provide as much detail as possible, she laid out her plan to Oliver. She’d go to his apartment for one final, bitter sweet good-bye. In the process, she would plant a listening device in his luxurious Manhattan pad, making for an easy transition for the next BPA agent to infiltrate the notorious Kristopolous family empire.

From an emotional standpoint, it would be hard for Eva to handle. But she owed it to Oliver and his team. Their intervention kept her from living on the streets and getting into trouble.

After a long and heated discussion, Oliver relented. He agreed to let her go with a contingent of agents close on her heels for protection. She smiled and bowed slightly as she prepared to go get ready for her interlude with Andreas.

“You’re fooling yourself though,” Oliver told her as she turned to leave, his sympathetic grin not the least bit reassuring. “This won’t help you get him out of your system. He’s embedded himself in your heart. If you’re not careful, he’ll soon possess your soul, too.” He wagged his finger at her in admonishment. Eva shook her head in agreement. She knew, without a doubt, he was right. It didn’t take a mind reader to see it.

At ten minutes past nine, Andreas got up to turn off the oven.

There was no sense in keeping dinner warm. She wasn’t coming. Why was he even surprised? She’d told him a hundred different ways that she wanted nothing to do with him. Obviously, Eva didn’t feel a thing. She was a cold-blooded killer after all.

Andreas had never been rejected before. But coming from the woman whose beautiful face haunted him day and night, made it ten times worse. Images of Eva flashed through his mind on a regular basis.

Golden-brown hair strewn across his pillow. Lips red and swollen from his kisses. The twin peaks of her breasts puckered and ready to be suckled. Long legs and creamy thighs wrapped around his torso. The aroma of gardenias and sex mingling in the air.

Andreas stood and adjusted his trousers, cursing himself for letting it get to this point. He wouldn’t wallow in misery for very long. Fuck it! He was going to
The Crypt
,
where he could find a willing companion to distract him. He needed sex. Badly. At the very least, a blow job. He re-corked the bottle of Chianti set out on the kitchen’s center island, grabbed his coat and headed for the door.

Andreas jerked it open and there she stood, flanked by three big, burly bodyguards. In a shimmery black rayon jumpsuit cut low to reveal her ample bosom, Eva looked amazing. Sin and savior incarnate. A slow grin settled across her face, setting off a range of emotions inside him. She looked beautiful. So beautiful in fact, that it left him speechless.

“Aren’t you gonna invite me in?” Eva asked, the words sputtered out after a tense moment of silence. Still in shock, Andreas stepped back and motioned for her to come in. Before she entered, Eva turned and held up her hand. It was a signal to the three goons behind her to stay outside the apartment. Once they’d agreed, Andreas kicked the door shut after them. Afraid to scare her off, he hesitated before he reached for her hand. Then he entwined their fingers and nudged them both toward the kitchen.

After he poured them each a glass of wine, he gestured for her to take a seat on the bar stool adjacent to his. Andreas took a sip of the luscious red concoction and let its warmth ooze down his throat.

Anything to help relieve the sexual tension. Eva stared at him with an odd expression on her face.

“Don’t feel like you
have
to drink because of me.” He chuckled softly, amused by the question. “I don’t
have
to do anything,” he replied. “But I like drinking wine. There are a lot of human frivolities I enjoy. You’d be surprised.” Andreas walked to the stove and pulled out two plates full of scrumptious-smelling food. The delicious smell of chicken cacciatore stuffed with gooey mozzarella cheese and slices of aromatic bell peppers arranged in a rainbow of colors on top wafted through the air as he set the dishes in front of her. Eva rested her palm against her abdomen just in time for her stomach to growl loud enough for him to hear. They both laughed aloud, then picked up their forks to enjoy the meal.

Andreas was careful to avoid the topic of Eva’s impending geographic relocation. He needed her tonight and broaching that topic might inadvertently set her off. The conversation at dinner flowed naturally without any awkward pauses. After each ate their fill, the couple moved to the living room for a second glass of wine. They shared stories, talking about everything from favorite books to past lovers. But when the subject of their families came up, Andreas cringed. He struggled with whether or not to bring up her parents. It was a rather sore subject.

“It must have been difficult for you to lose your parents at such a young age.” Andreas winced inside, half-expecting Eva to lash out at him.

Eva bit down on her bottom lip and lifted her eyebrows. Then, it must have dawned on her, and she smiled. “I see you’ve done your research. I guess I should have expected that.” Andreas frowned at her and set his wine glass on the coffee table. “It’s not like that. I mean, of course I need to know who’s been breaking into my properties all over town. But in all sincerity, I want to find out more. I’m intrigued by you, Eva.” She stood and walked several feet away to stand in front of the fireplace, as if being close to him made her claustrophobic. Andreas followed, a shoulder to lean on once Eva felt comfortable enough to relay the details of her parent’s horrific murder. His heart stuck in his throat, grateful she trusted him enough to share the story of their untimely demise.

“Now, it’s my turn to ask you a question.” Eva was a master at deflecting the attention away from her. “What would your father do if he knew we were here together?” Eva probably had a pretty good idea what the answer would be. But he sympathized with the need to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth.

Still, Andreas twitched uncomfortably, afraid of where this line of questioning would lead. “To put it in crude terms, he’d have you killed on sight. So I am very pleased that you decided to bring an entourage with you,” he answered rather stone-faced, referring to the bodyguards stationed outside his front door. “Me, on the other hand, I’m not so sure. My father and I don’t have the best relationship, and I’m sure I’ve pissed him off on quite a few occasions. But never have I disobeyed a direct order. Only time will tell.” Between what Natasha conveyed to him, and the digging Andreas did on his own, he was surprised Eva tuned out so well-adjusted. With no parents to speak of, she was labeled a rebellious, out of control teenager who took out her frustration on those closest to her. She had trouble forming normal, healthy relationships with others once she’d lost her mother and father. The public school system couldn’t see past the violent and quick-tempered vigilante, and soon gave up on her.

The irony of the situation was that Andreas had a lot in common with the huntress. He lost his mother at a relatively young age and turned his anger toward those around him. His father, in particular. Andreas was a hell of a fighter and could get the job done better with his fists than by any other means.