Real Vampires Live Large (22 page)

“Blade.” I swear I felt his mouth on me, every sweep of his tongue. Oh, God. Oh, God. Not happening. Mind control across continents. But I was flat on my back on the table and I swear I hadn't climbed up there. Wow, I thought
I
had a lot of power. My body clenched until I arched against the table. I closed my eyes and saw Blade's face, then his naked body where he lay on a cot in a tent. The sounds of Africa were a murmur in the background. Could I touch him?

“Feel my hands on you, Jerry. I'm pulling you up my body to kiss you on the mouth. A soul kiss to show you how much I've missed you. Can you feel it, Jerry?”

“Yes.”

“I swear I can taste you. And then I look at you, just look at you. I love your broad shoulders. Can you feel me touching them?” I took a breath and knew his scent, unique and all Blade. “I kiss your chest. I sweep my tongue around your nipples and taste the salt on your skin. Is it hot there, Jerry?” I heard him gasp.

“Hot as hell.”

A touch, a pressure then a spasm between my legs. Could he really take me? From so far away?

“I'm pushing inside you, Gloriana. I can't wait. I'm sorry but I've got to have you. Now.”

And I felt it. Insane, but he was hard inside me, filling me and touching my womb. Shock waves rippled through me until even my toes tingled.

“God, I can't believe this.” I knew I was really alone, flat on my back, legs wide. One hand gripped the phone, the other the wooden table. Blade wasn't here, but this felt so
real
. “You can't be doing this.”

“Yes, I can. Come with me, Gloriana.”

He pushed into me again, harder, deeper. I gasped and the bells on the shop door rang.

“No!”

“Yes.” He thrust again while my body held him inside me. The room swam and I couldn't seem to focus.

“I mean no, there's a customer in the shop.”

“Let the dogs handle it.” His hands cupped my breasts before his hot mouth burned a path from one nipple to another.

“I . . . can't.” I sighed. I had to crash back down to earth. I tried counting ceiling tiles. I'd made it to three when Blade's lips circled my belly, then headed south.

A knock on the door.

“Gloriana? Are you all right?” Derek, here to pick up a commission check.

“I'll be out, uh, in a minute. I'm, oh, on the phone. Would you, um, cover the front for me?” Not a customer. My hips came off the table and I bit back a moan.

“Sure. Take your time. Tell Blade hi for me.”

“Eavesdrop on my conversation and you're fired.” Damned mind reading vampires. Right now I was, oh yes, the star in my own triple
X
movie.

“Wouldn't dare, boss. I'll be checking on the Web site. My attention is totally on that.” He laughed. “And I'm turning up the radio.”

The Doobie Brothers blasted through the door. Whatever. I groaned when hands followed lips over my breasts and down my tummy.

“This will take more than a minute, Gloriana.” Blade lifted my hips and pushed into me again. Still hard? Hard again? Obviously this man would never need Vamp Viagra. And, damn, but I didn't want to think about that stuff right now.

“I'm going to have to go in . . .” Gasp, “Maybe five minutes. ” Could I make him scream his satisfaction? I “saw” his thigh, close to his sacs and imagined my fangs piercing the tender skin.

“God, Gloriana. You're evil.”

“Evil?” I could definitely taste him. “I'll show you evil.” I squeezed his cock while his essence flooded my mouth. This was all in my mind, of course. Had to be. But the mind is a powerful thing. Had that been a shriek? Couldn't have been. Way too girly for Blade.

“Mara's here.” Blade sounded like he was strangling.

Ah, the shrieker. I sat up, suddenly aware of the where and the how. “You'd better be covering yourself.” That witch would like nothing better than to take over where I'd left off.

“I told her to get out.” Blade sounded like he was in serious pain. “Where were we?”

I sighed. Just the mention of Blade's female companion was enough to bring me crashing back to a hard wooden table in a chilly storage room.

“Gloriana?”

“Sorry. But I'd better go.”

“Go?” Blade or something pushed me back on the table. “Not yet.”

I felt his fangs on my inner thigh. Pay back.

“Jerry,” I moaned. He drew on me and I jerked like I'd been electrocuted. The pleasure/pain went on and on. Talk about tsunamis . . . hands, mouth, teeth. Finally I collapsed, hitting my head on the wooden table.

“This did
not
happen.” I looked at the phone I still clutched in one fist. Yep, same old cell. Who knew? And now I figured I needed a camera phone. Jerry and I both did. Hmm. Phone sex with pictures. I took slow even breaths before I started heating up all over again.

“It did happen. I've got Mara sulking outside my tent to prove it.” Jerry's voice was low, full of satisfaction.

“Back to reality, big guy.” I smiled and sat up. Showing Mara who Blade really wanted was a guaranteed mood enhancer. “Tell me what's going on there besides a Mara meltdown. ” Did he know about my little confrontation with Greg Kaplan? Apparently not, since he merely gave me a quick rundown of their progress, or lack of, with getting to Westwood.

The billionaire was too smart to go out at night and no amount of shape-shifting or other spy techniques had managed to infiltrate his hideout. The guards, who couldn't be bribed, were armed with vamp detectors and had every entrance, including the windows, well covered.

“Are you sure you're all right, Gloriana? I haven't heard from Valdez this week.”

I have no idea how those two communicate. It sure wasn't with e-mail, since Valdez couldn't exactly type in dog form. Or with the phone, same problem with dialing. Mental telepathy. I'd just had a toe-curling example of how
that
worked no matter the distance. Of course we'd also had cell phones . . .

“We've been busy getting the shop back up and running. The TV interview tonight should help get the word out that we're open again. If it actually airs. And if it doesn't make us look like the latest vampire hangout.”

“Be careful, Gloriana. Westwood's men are everywhere.”

“We're handling it. And I forwarded the e-mail the man himself sent me. Nice to know that he's saving a stake for me that he plans to deliver personally.”

“Over my dead body.”

“Don't even joke about it.” I shuddered. I wasn't about to give Jerry an update on all the e-mails and calls since. “Just stay safe.” I scrambled back into my clothes, one handed because I still had him on the phone.

“I will if you will.”

“I'll do my best. Say hi to Mara.” Am I civilized, or what? Should I tell Jerry about Greg? Ask his advice about the EVs? I heard the bells tinkle again signaling a customer. Derek could handle it, but I took it as a sign that I should leave it alone. Blade had enough worries.

“I'll talk to you again soon.” I hung up and sat on a stool to give myself a moment. From sixty to zero in a few minutes wasn't exactly an easy trip. I felt drained, yet still hungry. That's the problem with virtual sex, virtual anything. It wasn't
real
.

And Blade had no idea when he'd be home. In the meantime, my gut clenched and I still had damp panties. I wanted more than a little, okay, a lot, of phone sex. It made me crazy that I didn't feel satisfied. It was like being all dressed up in your cute new leather mini with nowhere to go. I needed something or someone a little more substantial than my own right hand. The bell tinkled again. I unlocked the storeroom door.

Richard leaned against the counter talking to Derek. I clutched a bottle of Fangtastic I'd pulled from the fridge back there, hoping that would explain the flush I was sure still brightened my face.

A customer picked through my selection of fur jackets. I ignored the men for the moment, my inner saleswoman on high alert.

I spent a few minutes helping the woman pick out a muskrat stroller with curly lamb cuffs. Richard paced the store, obviously impatient.

“Here. Let my associate Derek write you up.” I smiled and nodded, sending Derek a mental message that he could have the commission if he'd give me a few minutes in the back room with Richard.

“Sure, Glory. Richard says you have business to discuss. I'll hold down the fort until Lacy comes in if you want to go upstairs.”

Did I? Want to go upstairs? I could either go upstairs or drag Richard to the back where, one whiff, and he'd know exactly what I'd been up to back there. Richard's hand on my elbow and Richard's set face made me decide the scene might go better upstairs where I could put a couch between us if I needed to.

I glanced at the clock. Only an hour and a half until dawn. Where did the time go? I guess I'd spent more time in the back room than I thought. But time flies . . .

“Thanks, Derek. Upstairs it is. See you tomorrow night.” I grabbed my purse from Derek's outstretched hand.

“Leave the dogs here.” Richard's nostrils flared.

Uh-oh. He'd already smelled sex on me. I'm sure Derek had told him I was on the phone with Blade. Well, so what? Rich and I were friends. Blade and I . . ? More than friends and for a long, long, long time.

“That's fine with me.”

Valdez growled but didn't say anything since the customer was still standing there.

“Thanks, Derek, see you.” I patted each frustrated dog on the head as I swept out of the door Richard held open.

He put his hand on my back and steered me to the apartment entry where I punched in the security code. He was being awfully quiet. Jealous? I didn't have a problem with that. Once we got inside, I turned on some lamps and hit the remote for the CD player. Norah Jones. Slow and sexy. I glanced at Richard and hit stop. He was not in the mood.

“You've been with Blade.”

“Talking to him on the phone. So what?” I headed for the kitchen. I didn't want any more Fangtastic, but needed something to do with my hands. I opened the fridge. “You want one? I can heat it if you prefer it that way.”

He shook his head. “I know you and Blade have been together. But you're not together. Not physically or otherwise. Not exclusively. Am I right?”

I gave up on the drink thing and went back into the living room to sit on the couch. Hey, a man was actually talking about relationships. I was riveted. I patted the seat beside me. “You're right. My connection to Blade is complicated. ”

“So explain it.” He sat close, too close, his thigh brushing mine. Now he could really smell sex on me and I could tell it had an effect on him. Well, I knew just what to say to deflate any notion he had that he might be allowed to take up where Blade had left off.

“Instead, I need you to tell me what you know about the EVs.”

You had to give Richard credit. Except for the tightening of his jaw, you'd never know I'd sucker punched him.

“What do
you
know about the EVs?” His blue eyes were the color of an ice flow and just as warm. Yikes.

“I know that they sent someone after me.” Richard grabbed my hand and I couldn't bite back a squeal at the pain. “Hey, careful.”

“Sorry.” He instantly eased his grip. “You want to tell me what you mean?”

So I did. I told him the whole Greg Kaplan, EV thing. When I got to the part where Greg claimed Flo was involved with them, Richard shot to his feet. I'd suspected he still had feelings for my roomie. Now I knew he did.

“Florence wouldn't sleep with an EV. I've told her how they are. What they've done.” He paced the small room, making a circle around the couch and coffee table. I glanced longingly at the CD player. Maybe Norah could diffuse the tension that was coming off Richard in waves. He gave me a hard look. Maybe not.

“Clue me in, Richard. You've got to admit Flo's not afraid of anyone or anything.” The couch shook when Richard dropped down on it next to me again. “And I'm pretty sure she's enjoying the perks, like the Vamp Viagra.”

“Stupid female.” He shot me a look. “Sorry, that was unbelievably insensitive.” He tried for a smile but failed. “What I meant to say was exasperating bitch.”

“Oh, much better.” I put my hand on his hard thigh. He was really upset and I had to like that about him. Flo had dumped him badly and not looked back. But he still cared what happened to her. “What
do
you know about the EVs? She warned me not to tell you I'd even heard of them.”

“That's because she knows I've been following their activities for decades, no, make that centuries.” Richard ran his hand through his platinum hair. When I'd first met him, it had been practically a buzz cut. Now it had grown out and I itched to touch the silky strands. On that hilltop . . . He gave me a hot look. I was either going to have to block my thoughts or accept that he was going to read me. I sent him a mental message to cut me a break and leave my mind the hell alone. He leaned back then slung his arm around me.

“Okay, okay. No more mind reading. But I do care about Florence. As a friend. The EVs are ruthless bastards, always hunting for new power sources.” Richard squeezed my shoulders gently and I felt myself sway toward him. Nope. Not going to do it. I wanted to hear this.

“Flo said she could check my power level and that I had a ton of it. How does that work? Can they suck the power from someone and use it to make things?” And does the whole power draining operation hurt? I kept that one to myself. Richard didn't need to hear me whine. Besides, I didn't plan to let an EV within sucking distance.