Night's Touch (25 page)

"I'd love to, but my folks are coming over."

"Well, how about next Monday?"

"I'll have to ask Vince," Cara said, and even as she said the words, he was striding through the library doors, as big as you please. He smiled when he saw her.

Dressed in black jeans, a white T-shirt, and a black jacket, he didn't look much like a knight or a soldier, but he looked sexy as all get-out as he walked toward her.

"What are you doing here so early?" she asked. "It's not even six."

"I couldn't wait until later," he said. "I had to see for myself that you're all right."

"A true knight," Sarah Beth murmured for Cara's ears alone. Walking toward the door, she said, "Behave yourselves, you two."

"What fun is that?" Vince said, drawing Cara into his arms.

"Vince," Cara admonished. "The door."

He kicked it shut with his heel. "Can I kiss you now?"

"Hmm, please."

His kiss was slow and wickedly sensual. Lowering his head, he nuzzled her neck. "I've been missing you all day."

"Me, too, you."

"Good." He captured her lips with his own, his tongue delving into her mouth.

Desire shot through Cara with the intensity of a lightning bolt, stealing her breath and her thoughts, leaving her aware of nothing but his body pressed intimately against hers, the seduction of his mouth on hers, the strength of his arms, and the evidence of his arousal.

She didn't know how many times the phone rang before it penetrated the haze of passion that engulfed her.

Grabbing the receiver, she managed a raspy, "Miss DeLongpre, can I help you?" She listened to the voice on the other end, made what she hoped were the proper responses, and said good-bye.

When she hung up the receiver, she couldn't remember who she'd been talking to or what the man had wanted.

"One more kiss," Vince said, pulling her into his embrace again, "and then I'd better go."

"Do you have to?" She had visions of herself locking her office door and making love to Vince on top of her desk, or maybe on the floor…

The gleam in his eyes told her he knew what she was thinking. "You've still got three hours of work ahead of you," he reminded her, "and I've got a few things at the shop to finish up." He kissed the tip of her nose. "I'll see you at nine. Don't go outside until I get here."

"Yes, master! Oh, wait, Sarah Beth wants us to come over for dinner a week from Monday and then go to a movie. Can you make it?"

"I'll have to see what's on my calendar and let you know, okay?"

"Okay."

And so saying, he kissed her again, hard and quick, and then he was gone, leaving her to stare after him, her fingertips pressed to her lips, his taste still on her tongue.

Oh, yes, she thought again. She had it bad.

Vince was as good as his word. He arrived at the library at nine sharp. Cara bid a quick good-bye to Sarah Beth, grabbed her handbag, and hurried outside, eager to be alone with Vince.

"Do you want to go out?" he asked.

"No, let's go home. Did you check your calendar?"

"No, I forgot." He hated lying to her again, but dinner with her friend just wasn't in the cards. "So, your place or mine?"

"Mine," she said. "I don't have a nosey cat. Besides, I want to change into something more comfortable."

"Like nothing at all?" he asked with a wicked grin.

She batted her eyelashes at him. "Maybe, maybe not. Guess you'll just have to wait and see."

"I'm game," he said, "but 'nothing at all' has my vote."

"Men!" she muttered, her tone indicating she had tons of experience on the subject though she really had very little. "Oh, Vince, maybe we should swing by the hospital and see how Frank's doing."

"Whatever you want, darlin'," Vince said.

"You're going to spoil me, you know," Cara said, unlocking her car door.

"That's my plan."

"The hospital first, then," she said.

With a nod, he closed her door, then went to his own car.

When they arrived at the hospital, they learned that Frank had signed himself out earlier that day.

"I guess he's feeling better," Cara said as they walked back to the parking lot.

Vince grunted softly, wondering what kind of effect Roshan's blood would have on the bodyguard. It wouldn't make him a vampire, but it might increase his strength and his longevity.

He followed Cara home and pulled into the driveway after her, only then realizing that she already had company. Her mother and father were waiting for them on the front porch. As usual, her father was attired in black from head to foot. Her mother wore a gauzy white blouse, a colorful skirt, and suede boots. A necklace of amber and jet circled her throat.

Cara felt a twinge of unease as she climbed the stairs. "Mom, Dad, is something wrong?"

"No, dear," her mother said, smiling. "We were just worried about you, that's all."

"I'm fine."

"I can see that," Brenna said, "but after last night… we just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Oh." Cara glanced at Vince, then unlocked the front door and stepped inside. Vince followed her.

Roshan and Brenna remained on the porch.

When Cara realized her parents were still outside, she turned back toward the door. "Aren't you two coming in?"

"We can't enter without an invitation," her father said. "Remember?"

"Oh, right," she said, recalling that vampires needed an invitation. "So, you really can't come in unless I invite you?"

Her father nodded. "Exactly."

Cara grinned, thinking how odd that was. "What happens if you try?"

"The threshold repels us."

"I don't believe it."

"Would you like a demonstration?"

"Sure."

Cara stepped back and her father moved forward. As soon as he reached the threshold and tried to cross, it was like he ran into an invisible barrier.

"Are you doing that on purpose?" she asked.

"No."

"Amazing. Well, come on in, both of you."

Although he was standing a few feet behind Cara, Vince felt the ripple of preternatural power as her mother and father crossed the threshold into the house. He glanced at Cara, but she seemed unaware of it. It was probably a good thing, he mused. If she didn't sense her father's power, then she probably hadn't sensed his, either, though her father's power was so strong, Vince wondered how she could remain oblivious. But then, most mortals were completely ignorant of the supernatural world.

Cara smiled at her parents. "Do you need an invitation to sit down, too?" she asked, thinking Sarah Beth would never believe any of this. Not that she would ever tell her!

"No, dear," Brenna said, taking a seat on the sofa, "but it is good manners."

Roshan sat on the sofa beside his wife. Cara sat beside her father, leaving Vince to take the chair.

"Is there anything else I need to know about your… uh, lifestyle?" Cara asked. She frowned, thinking about all the old vampire movies she had seen. Her parents didn't seem anything like the ravening monsters portrayed on film.

Her mother and father exchanged glances. Cara wondered if they were communicating with each other somehow, saying things only they could hear. She had a feeling they were deciding how much to tell her and how much to keep secret.

After a moment, her father said, "Most of what people believe about vampires is false. The truths are that silver burns our skin, we can pass unnoticed among humans if we wish, we are capable of changing our shapes, and we cast no reflection in a mirror."

Cara stared at her father. Funny she'd never noticed that the only mirrors in her parents home had been the ones in her own room. Now that she thought of it, she realized that the drapes had always been drawn across the windows, as well. Her mother loved jewelry, but none of it was silver.

Cara glanced at Vince. Did he find this conversation as bizarre as she did? He smiled at her, his expression impassive.

She took a deep breath. She didn't want to talk about vampires anymore, so, to change the subject, she said, "We went to the hospital to see Frank, but they said he'd gone home."

Her mother and father exchanged looks again. It was obvious they understood why she had changed the subject.

"Frank's resting comfortably," her father said. "He asked me to thank you for the flowers and the candy, and to tell you that he would be back on the job on Monday."

Now you see why we wanted you to have a bodyguard
. Though her father didn't say the words aloud, Cara could almost hear them hanging, unspoken, in the air.

"I'm glad he's going to be all right," she said, "though I can't understand how he could recover so quickly."

Vince glanced at Roshan, but said nothing.

"Some people have remarkable recuperative powers," Brenna said to fill the silence. She glanced around. "I love what you've done with your new place. It suits you."

Cara smiled, thinking Vince had said the same thing. "Would you like to see the rest? It's not very big, but I like it."

"Of course," Brenna said. "Are you coming, Roshan?"

"In a minute, love." He waited until his wife and daughter had left the room, then focused his attention on the other man. "Just how serious are you about my daughter?"

Vince stared at Cara's father. It was all he could do to keep from laughing. They were vampires, both of them, yet DeLongpre glared at him like a character out of a gothic novel, asking the hero about his intentions—except that Vince was no hero, and he had no right to court DeLongpre's daughter. Other than the sizzling physical attraction between them, they had nothing in common and no hope for a future together. He knew it, and so did DeLongpre.

Vince blew out a deep breath. "I love her."

"Does she know what you are?"

"Only what you told her."

"Except that she didn't believe me."

Vince shrugged. "Is that my fault?"

"Your whole relationship is built on a lie."

"I know that. Don't you think I know that? I want to tell her, but…"

"You're afraid you'll lose her."

"Yeah."

"And you can't exist without her."

Vince nodded. "Why do I get the feeling you've been down this road yourself?"

"I loved Brenna the moment I saw her, but I never pretended to be anything other than what I am. If you love Cara, you owe her the truth before things go any further."

Vince swore softly.

DeLongpre's eyes burned into him. "You know I'm right, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"So you'll tell her?"

"When the time is right."

Anger rolled off the other vampire. "And just when will that be?"

"How the hell should I know? I don't like…" Vince cut his words off in midsentence as Cara and her mother reentered the room.

"What don't you like?" Cara asked, sitting beside her father.

"The way the playoffs are going," Vince lied smoothly. "My team's losing."

Brenna looked at Vince sharply as she sat down, her expression telling him she had heard the entire conversation between Vince and her husband, and that she agreed with Roshan.

Cara glanced at her father and then at Vince. "All right, what's going on? What aren't you telling me?"