Oliver's Hunger (Scanguards Vampires #7) (12 page)

“Oh God, baby!”

Then he sank his lips onto her neck and planted open-mouthed kisses onto her hot skin.

“So beautiful,” he murmured, and slid one hand down her torso.

When he encountered her braless breast and cupped it, Ursula let out a sigh. Then a breathless word came from her lips. “Yes.”

Both man and vampire in him howled triumphantly. He nibbled his way to her earlobe, while continuing to tease her breast, his fingers capturing her hardened nipple through the fabric. With every moment, her breathing became more erratic, her heartbeat faster. Her scent changed: the sweet smell of arousal now teased his nostrils, awakening the vampire inside him. But he couldn’t allow the beast to come to the surface. Too much depended on how she perceived him, and unleashing his untamed side would only destroy what progress he’d made so far.

After all, Ursula was responding to him, clearly forgetting that she was kissing a vampire and allowing him to touch her intimately. Allowing him to arouse her. Just like she aroused him. He didn’t want to destroy this feeling by reminding her of what he was: a predator.

Her body felt pliable in his arms, precious even. Maybe knowing what she’d been through in her short life was the reason why he felt protective toward her. There could be no other reason for it. As for the lust she roused in him, the reason for it was undeniable: Ursula was the most enticing woman he’d ever met. Beautiful and exotic, strong and determined, and so passionate. Her sexual energy was impossible to overlook. It seemed to radiate from every pore of her tantalizing body. How a man could ever look at her and not be instantly tempted to haul her off to his bed was unfathomable to him.

At the thought, he felt a sharp stab in his chest, as if somebody were poking him with a blade. Reminded of how Blake had looked at her earlier, how he’d tried to use his—admittedly considerable—charm on her, drove Oliver to press his lips back onto hers to sear them with a kiss that he hoped would make her forget that his half-brother even existed.

Yes, he had to make sure Ursula only looked at him, only offered her sinful body to him. Tangling with her tongue, he captured more of her sweet taste, inhaled more of her scent. Like a cocoon, it wrapped around him, just like her arms embraced him, holding him close to her.

Releasing her lips, he issued his demand, “Touch me.”

Without missing a beat, her eyes still closed, her hands slid down to his ass.

“My cock, touch my cock.”

He pulled one of her hands from his backside and drew back just enough for her to slide her hand between them. When her warm palm cupped his straining hard-on a second later, he groaned loudly and sank his lips back on her neck, kissing her heated flesh.

“Yes, baby!” he encouraged her.

A bolt of electricity shot through him when she squeezed him. Instinctively, he pressed himself harder into her hand, asking her for more, demanding she repeat her action.

She did.

The pleasure she gave him with her touch was building with every stroke and every caress of her hand. Like an experienced temptress, Ursula traced the length of his erection with her fingernails, chasing every sane thought from his mind.

“Like that?” she whispered, her voice as breathless as his own.

“Just like that,” he mumbled against her skin, not wanting to remove his lips from her neck. He licked and nibbled, kissed and caressed purposely playful so as to keep himself from losing control. But he knew it was in vain. If she continued touching him like she did, he would have her naked underneath him in a short while. But was she ready for this? For him?

Or would she curse him when she came to her senses? Because he wasn’t any better than the vampires who’d taken her blood and . . . Oh God, he couldn’t even finish the thought of how else they had used her body. How could he, Oliver, dare to do the same?

Before he could answer the question for himself, he felt hands on his shoulders, ripping him away from Ursula. He stumbled backwards, crashing against the banister before he caught himself.

“What the—?”

His last word was shoved back into his throat by Blake’s fist landing in his face.

“Fucking asshole! You’re biting her? Jerk!” Blake cursed and swung again.

But Oliver had already recovered and caught the fist flying toward him once more. With a practiced blow, he catapulted his interfering half-brother against the wall, then pinned him there.

“I didn’t bite her, you idiot!” He tossed a sideways glance at Ursula, whose eyes had widened.

She shrunk back from him now, her hands nervously smoothing over her T-shirt. Her lips were swollen, her neck red from where he’d kissed her. Only now Oliver noticed that the overhead light in the corridor was on. Blake must have switched it on, and in his addled state, Oliver hadn’t even noticed. His vampire senses had deserted him while kissing Ursula.

Blake followed his look, his eyes traveling over Ursula’s body. “Then what . . . ” He stopped himself. “Oh! Jesus, Oliver! You’re still a jerk! After all she’s been through?”

Sobering, Oliver let go of him. Blake was right, but he would never admit it to him. He sought eye contact with Ursula, but she avoided his gaze.

“I’m sorry, Ursula. I don’t know what got into me.” It was a lie. Yes, he was sorry, but he knew what had gotten into him: Ursula. She’d gotten under his skin. She’d awakened desires in him that he hadn’t paid much attention to in his short life as a vampire. Was that why they were overwhelming him now, because he’d not stilled those desires in a while?

Ursula didn’t answer.

Christ, he felt like an ass. He’d seduced her, and by the looks of it now, she regretted having let herself go. And what added to her obvious embarrassment was that Blake had caught them in the act.

He glared back at his half-brother. “What do you want up here anyway? Weren’t you supposed to guard the doors?”

“Cain’s calling. He has some information for you,” Blake answered.

“Is he still on the phone?”

“He’s waiting on Scanguards’ internal system for you.”

“Excuse me.” With an apologetic glance at Ursula Oliver turned and went downstairs, leaving Blake with her.

At least he could be sure of one thing: Ursula wouldn’t allow Blake to touch her now, not after what had just happened. And Blake was smart enough not to try anything, if only not to be thrown into the same pot as Oliver.

Oliver marched into the study and dropped into the chair behind the desk. The screen showed Cain, also sitting at a desk. They were connected via Scanguards’ secure communication system, a video conferencing program similar to Skype. However, it was encrypted and, thanks to Thomas’s programming skills, hacker-proof.

“There you are.”

“What’s up? What did you find?”

Cain looked serious. “Quite a bit, but I’m not sure you’ll like it.”

Oliver squeezed shut his eyes for a moment. He was in so deep already, he could only hope that the news wasn’t all bad. If Ursula was lying to them and turned out to be a plant by a rival vampire group, he wasn’t sure how he’d extricate himself from the situation he was in. He wanted Ursula, and with every kiss his need grew stronger.

“Go on, don’t make me pull it out of your nose.”

Cain nodded. “I’ve found newspaper articles about her disappearance, and Thomas was able to get me the corresponding police reports. The photo is definitely her. Her name is Ursula Wei Ling Tseng. Daughter of a Chinese diplomat stationed at the Chinese embassy in Washington DC. An only child. She went to NYU before she disappeared.”

Oliver relaxed, dropping his shoulders to release the tension in his neck. “So far it checks out then. So, what am I not gonna like?”

Cain grimaced. “She told us she was abducted.” He shook his head. “More like she ran away.”

A gasp from the door made Oliver look away from the screen. Ursula stood there, her mouth gaping open. Blake was behind her.

“That’s not true!” She rushed into the room and rounded the desk, then repeated her words when she stared at Cain on the screen. “It’s a lie.”

Oliver sensed her distress, but didn’t dare put a soothing hand on her arm. “Are you sure, Cain?” he asked instead, forcing his voice to remain calm, despite the storm raging inside him.

“Sorry, but yes.” He held up a few sheets of paper. “It’s in the police report. Apparently they found a note written by Ursula.”

Shock rolling off her in spades, Ursula leaned toward the computer. “I never wrote a note! There was no note!”

“That’s not all,” Cain continued. “The report says that you and your parents had a big fight days before your disappearance.”

Ursula jerked back, and Oliver noticed how she flinched. “But . . . ” She hesitated, looking down to him, tears welling up in her eyes. “I . . . it was all a big misunderstanding. I was stressed out about my exams. I didn’t mean to quarrel with them.”

Her eyes begged him for understanding, and his heart broke for her.

The clearing of a throat came from the speakers. “The evidence the police found, the note, a piece of your clothing on a pier in Manhattan . . . they concluded that you cracked, that you couldn’t take it. It was ruled a suicide.”

A sob tore from Ursula’s chest. Oliver noticed her grip the edge of the desk for support and jumped up, catching her before her knees buckled.

“My parents think I’m dead?” she sobbed. “No. No, please, no.”

Oliver looked back toward the screen. “Thanks, Cain. I’ll call you back later.”

Then he led Ursula to the Chesterfield sofa that stood below the window and lowered her down, taking a seat next to her without releasing her from his arms.

Her tears were only interrupted by frantic gulps for air, which resulted in even louder sobs. He’d never seen a woman cry like this.

“They think I’m dead,” she repeated over and over again.

Oliver stroked his palm over her hair and pressed her head against his chest. “I’m so sorry, baby.”

“Please believe me,” she whispered barely audible.

“I do. I believe you.”

His doubts about her story had evaporated the moment she’d cried out after finding out that everybody believed her dead. Her reaction had been instantaneous and pure. She hadn’t faked her death and run away. Whoever had kidnapped her, had done that to stop her parents and the police from looking for her. He had no doubts about that now.

“My parents,” she sniffed. “I have to let them know I’m alive.”

He nodded. “I’ll take care of it. But you’ll need to give me some time. If your kidnappers took such pains to make you disappear, I wouldn’t put it past them to watch your parents now that you escaped. They must anticipate that your parents will be the first people you’ll contact. I want to make sure nobody is tapping their phone or intercepting any communications to them.”

“But, you don’t understand! They must be hurting. I have to tell them I’m still alive.” She stared at him with a look that could squeeze blood from a stone.

“Oliver is right,” Blake said from the door. “Not just for your safety, but also for theirs. What if they threaten your parents if they have reason to believe they know where you are?”

The words seemed to sink in, because finally Ursula nodded. But it didn’t diminish the pain that was etched on her face.

“I’ll arrange for our office in New York to send somebody to Washington and check out the situation. If everything is clear, we’ll arrange for you to speak to them. I promise you,” Oliver said.

It was a promise he was determined to keep.

15

“You’d better be right about this,” Zane warned.

Oliver squared his shoulders and lifted his chin slightly. They stood next to Zane’s Hummer which was parked outside of Oliver’s house. The sun had set only a half hour earlier.

“She’s telling the truth. You have to believe her.”

“I don’t
have
to do anything. The only reason I’m even authorizing this is because the whole story intrigues me.”

“If Gabriel were here, he would—”

“But he isn’t here,” Zane cut him off. “I’m in charge right now. And I expect my orders to be followed.”

Oliver bit back his next remark. Zane could be such an asshole sometimes. And now that he was subbing for Gabriel, who was visiting Scanguards’ New York headquarters to assure himself that everything was running smoothly, Zane was downright unbearable.

“Understood.”

A black Porsche careened around the corner, barreling toward them. Neither he nor Zane flinched. When the car came to a stop only inches from them, Oliver shook his head.

“He loves to make an entrance,” Oliver said and watched as the car door opened and Amaury emerged.

A wide grin spread over his colleague’s face, and the light evening breeze blew through his long dark hair. His piercing blue eyes were even more brilliant at night than during daytime.

“Right on time,” Zane acknowledged and raised his hand in greeting.

Oliver took a step toward him. “Hey Amaury, thanks for coming.”

“Didn’t want to miss the action.” Amaury’s gravelly voice echoed in the quiet side street.

“We’ll see if there’s any action to be had,” Zane cautioned. “Amaury, you’ll ride with me. Oliver, you’re taking Cain and the girl.”

“She has a name.”

Zane cocked an eyebrow. “Ursula then. We’ll follow you, Oliver. And she’d better not be leading us on a wild goose chase. Call me when you’re in the car, and keep the line open. I want to hear everything that’s going on.”

With a tight nod, Oliver turned and walked back up the stairs leading to the entrance door. After Cain had given him all the information pertaining to Ursula’s background, he’d contacted Zane to ask him for help, knowing that if he did anything without Scanguards’ support, he would put not only himself, but most likely others in danger. That by
others
he was primarily thinking of Ursula was something he kept to himself.

When he entered the living room, Ursula shot up from the couch, and both Cain and Blake looked at him expectantly.

“Zane’s agreed to it.”

Blake grinned. “Excellent! Some action!”