Real Vampires Hate Their Thighs (27 page)

“Gloriana. You think I don’t realize—”

“Hush.” I took Jerry’s hand and pulled it to the edge of my sweater. “Just look at the new bra I had to buy, Jerry. So pretty. They don’t make this in my old bigger size.”

“You
are
bad. You’re trying to distract me with sex.” He did push down my sweater, though, and looked his fill at the plunging bra. “I thought you weren’t doing this.”

“Maybe I changed my mind. Is it working?”

“Unfortunately. I can’t remember why I was mad at you. I was planning to leave you here to find your way back by yourself. Or maybe send Valdez for you right before sunrise.” He leaned down and pushed the bra down with his nose to trace my nipple with his fangs.

“That would be”—I gasped as he sucked it into the heat of his mouth—“mean.”

He looked up, his eyes gleaming. “I felt at the time that you might deserve it. Loyalty to the clan is very important to a Campbell.”

“I’m not a Campbell, Jerry.” I rubbed my breasts against his bare chest to take the sting out of that reminder.

“You should be.” He opened the bra and dropped it and the sweater on the floor. “Ah, they are smaller, but still very fine indeed, woman.”

I unzipped his pants and wrapped my hands around his shaft. “Larger and always very fine indeed.” I dropped to my knees and kissed every inch of him while he groaned my name and pushed his fingers into my hair. I took him into my mouth while I stroked his sacs. Finally I ran my fangs the length of him, resisting the urge to drink from the vein throbbing where his thighs met his trunk. I wanted that vein more than anything, but remembered that I had to keep this weight off. Damn. Were these sacrifices worth it?

He jerked me to my feet and swung me into his arms. He carried me to the rug in front of the fire, where he gently laid me down and peeled off my jeans.

“I shouldn’t let you do this to me, lass.”

“Am I doing it to you? I thought you were doing it to me.” I reached for him. “It’s a really bad idea. Totally doesn’t solve the problem between us. But we have no willpower.”

“Aye.” He kissed me and ran his hands over my body. “Are you sure you feel all right? I wouldn’t cause you pain.”

“I feel fine except for an ache”—I took his hand and pressed it between my legs—“here. Ease me, Jeremiah Campbell.”

“I’ll do my best.” He slid his fingers inside me, stroking me until my hips rose to meet his hand. Then he moved down to taste me, his lips and tongue working their magic as he found the place that always sent me over the edge too quickly. But I could go over the edge more than once, as he proved to me. He did drink from me there, settling in with his fangs and sending me mental messages of his love. He loved my taste, loved my ass, loved my, um, well, you get the idea. He’s a guy.

Finally, he rolled me on top and lifted me to settle on him. I rode him and held his shoulders, his hands on my hips as we found our rhythm. He grinned and then stopped, just when I thought it was over for both of us.

“No, not yet.” He stood while we were still connected, my legs linked around his waist to keep us together, and sat in the leather chair in front of the fire.

“I want to check out these new, smaller breasts. Sorry, Glory, but I miss the larger ones. They had more bounce, more”—he cupped them in his palms—“heft.”

I feigned indignation and grabbed his ears to give them a twist. “You sound like you’re describing a new broadsword, you awful man.”

He grinned. “I love my broadsword. If it were a woman, I’d—” I kissed his mouth and began to move again. This position put a new pressure inside me and I quite liked it.

“Ah, Jerry.” I leaned back, my hands on his shoulders again as I tried to keep it going. “I don’t want to stop but I—I . . .” Spasms shook me as the climax built and he grabbed my butt to hold me tight against him.

“God, Gloriana!”

I came apart then, calling his name.

We arrived back on the balcony with only minutes to spare before dawn. The suite was dark but I knew Valdez waited for me. I kissed Jerry good-bye, admonishing him to hurry back to his own hotel, then let myself in.

“I see you made up.” It was Ray who spoke from the dark, not Valdez.

“Yes.” I looked around. “Where’s Valdez?”

“He and Brittany will be back in a few. I sent them down to have a decent breakfast. They can’t operate full strength on just junk from the minibar.” Ray stood and walked over to lock the French doors. “You smell like sex. Shit.”

“Sorry, Ray. That’s how Jerry and I make up.” I slid past him and headed for the bedroom.

“Wait.” Ray stopped me. “I’m not seeing DeeDee again.”

“Your decision. Don’t deprive yourself on my account.” I realized that had come off pretty cold. “I mean, I’m sorry if you were disappointed in your deal with her. Mortal sex is pretty tame compared to the vampire kind.” I smiled and knew Ray could see it in the dark. “We’ll have to find you a vamp girlfriend.”

“I’d hoped I’d found one.” He moved closer. “Don’t write me off yet, Glory. I can be patient. I’m even surprising myself where you’re concerned.”

I shook my head. “Dawn’s coming. I’ve got to drink Ian’s stuff before I hit the sheets.”

Ray followed me into the bedroom. “Brittany says you’ve lost thirteen pounds. Let me look at you.”

I faced him when he turned on the bedroom light.

“Wow! Look at you. Sexy-peekaboo-bra thing going on there. No wonder you and Blade . . .” Ray shrugged. “Let me see your butt.”

I turned around, gasping when I felt his hands cup my bottom. “Hey! Watch it.”

“I’m watching it. You look fantastic.” He turned me around and hugged me. “You’re one hot mama. I can’t wait to show you off on the red carpet.”

“Aw, Ray, I don’t know how to thank you. Richard said this was really, really expensive. And you never paused one second when—”

“Hush, Glory girl. I’d do anything for you. Got it?” Ray jerked off his shirt, stepped out of his jeans, then climbed into bed. As usual he was totally unconcerned that he wore only his underwear. “Now, drink your stuff and put on your gown. I feel daylight coming and you don’t have a minute to spare.”

I did what he said, but, for once, I didn’t feel the sun in my bones. At all. Weird. I drank Ian’s potion, brushed my teeth, even cleaned my face and tried some of the free hotel samples in the basket next to the sink. Finally I slipped on the gown I’d left hanging on a hook on the back of the bathroom door.

I heard the hall door open and close, then the TV go on. So that meant Valdez and Brittany were back from breakfast. There was a small window in the bathroom and I realized I could see light around the edges of the heavy curtains. Weird. Streetlights this high up?

I walked back into the bedroom and saw Ray dead to the world. Not moving. The death sleep, as Ian called it. And I was wide-awake. I went back to the window and lifted the curtain. The sun was coming up. I dropped the curtain and jumped back.

Holy shit. I was awake and it was daylight. What did this mean?

“
Valdez
, come here!” I opened the door to the living room a crack. Of course Brittany heard me too. She was on her feet in a flash.

“What the hell?” She glanced at the morning light streaming in from the open curtains at the French doors.

“Close the drapes!”
Valdez jumped off the couch.
“Hurry. Glory, get back in the bedroom.”
He ran to my side.
“You’re wide-awake.”

“No shit, Sherlock.” I managed a smile. “Isn’t that what you said to me yesterday?”

“Yes. Now I’m wondering what the hell is going on.”
He glanced at the bed. Of course Ray hadn’t moved.

“I don’t know
what’s
going on.” I sat on the edge of the bed, my side, and looked at Ray again. “I should be out. Dead. Instead I’m talking to you. Still alive. Unless this is a dream.” I held out my arm. “Pinch me. Hard. But not hard enough to leave a bruise in case I don’t heal again. I’ve got that fitting tomorrow. I mean tonight. Guess my arms will show.”

“Lie back. You’re babbling.”
Valdez gave me a gentle headbutt.
“I can’t pinch you, Glory. Paws, not fingers, right now. I put on jeans before I shifted this time, though. In case I have to carry you back to bed later.”
He shook his head.
“Figured it was better for our relationship to go for a little modesty.”

“Too bad.” I was finally feeling the sun. “You’ll tell me later if we really had this conversation. Right?” My eyelids started to droop.

“Maybe.”
He pushed his head under my hand.
“You’re still warm, not cool like you should be. I don’t like this one damned bit. I wonder what would have happened if you’d stepped into the sun out there.”

“Don’t know. Might have fried.” I yawned. “Tired. Hope . . . don’t dream.”

I was running. Down a beach. The water was a beautiful turquoise, but the sand felt hard under my feet, and hot. Ouch! I had to keep running, though. Couldn’t rest because they were chasing me. The Campbells. They wore plaid and carried broadswords, old-fashioned cudgels and laptops. The laird screamed a battle cry, then threw a BlackBerry at me. It hit me between my shoulder blades. I staggered but didn’t go down. Had to keep running.

“Traitor!” Mag suddenly appeared in front of me. She wore a beautiful gold dress and started posing for pictures. The paparazzi loved her and the flashes blinded me for a moment. Beside her, Mara, her breasts hanging out of a low-cut red dress, smirked at me. Mara’s dress looked just like mine except hers was a size zero, mine a six. I’d never get that skinny.

Mag pointed at me. “Get away from here, bitch! Forget the red carpet. Israel Caine will take Mara to the ball.”

“Ball? It’s not a ball, old woman. You’ve been reading too many fairy tales. It’s the Grammys. Ray’s going to win an award. He’s up for best vocal by a duo.” I dodged a printer, then caught a broadsword that missed me by inches. I used it to slash a
G
in the front of Mara’s dress.

“My beautiful dress. You ruined it. You jealous commoner! No handsome man would ever want to be seen with you on his arm.” Mara sobbed and Mag patted her back.

“She’s right, you know. You could weigh ninety-eight pounds and you wouldn’t be thin enough for the tabloids, you chunky monkey.” Mag screeched and ran, dragging Mara with her, when Ian MacDonald and his surfers scrambled out of the sand dunes and surrounded me. They faced off against the Campbells.

“Send out the Campbell heir.” Ian held me against him. “We have his woman.”

“Hah! That’s not
my
woman. My woman has curves! That one is all sticks and stones.” Jerry tossed a monitor at my face and it burned my cheek. “Keep her, MacDonald. Both of you can walk into the sun. It’s what you deserve. Come on, Da. They’re not worth the trouble.”

^“
Jerry,
wait!” I sat up. I held my hand to my throbbing cheek where I’d been hit.

“Damn it, Glory, I’m sorry. I didn’t get to you soon enough.” Valdez frowned down at me. “I never thought you’d get up again so soon.”

“I—I got up again?”

“Afraid so. And I wasn’t there for you. Brittany was on her way out the door and threatening to tell Ray you stayed awake past sunrise. I followed her into the hall, trying to talk her out of spilling the beans because I knew you wouldn’t want him to know.” Rafe sat next to me on the bed. “Just after I shut the door, I heard you scream. You’d walked into the living room and a ray of sunlight hit you. It burned your skin.” He pulled my hand from my face. “Shit. Guess it’s true what they say about vampires. I don’t care what MacDonald claims—you guys can’t handle the sun. That video was bogus.”

I shuddered. If I’d made it all the way to the balcony . . .

“How does it look?” I gingerly touched my face. There was a raised blister more than an inch long and it hurt like hell. “It feels horrible. Bring me Ian’s invention. I have to see.”

“It’ll heal, won’t it?” He reluctantly got up and brought me the webcam. He did have on jeans, old worn ones that hugged his butt. No shirt or shoes, but I guess the fewer clothes the better when you’re stuck in a dog body for hours on end.

“I sure as hell hope so.” I grabbed the “mirror” but Rafe put his hand over mine.

“Don’t look yet. Let it heal first. You’ve got to try to sleep again. I won’t leave you for a minute this time. I’ll stay right here on the floor next to the bed. You’ll have to step on me to get out.”

“That’s not fair to you, Rafe.” I teared up. This must be bad. “I’m looking anyway. I have to know.” I turned on the device and peeked. Hideous. I had an ugly red streak down the left side of my face. Obviously the drapes had been open just an inch or two, but that had been enough to sear me. I probed the blistered skin carefully with a fingertip. How could I be seen on TV like this?

“Does it hurt?” He stood and walked into the bathroom, returning with a tube from the basket of freebies there.