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“No.” As if vampires could feel melancholy.
He sighed and dismissed me with the flick of his wrist. “Well, as much as I hate to admit it, we most certainly can, and I do.” He looked around my father’s office, then leveled his gaze on me. “This was your father’s favorite holiday, you know.”
I gasped and he offered me a sympathetic smile that made my spine itch with irritation. “Don’t talk about my father.”
“You asked me why I am here; I simply responded. Might I suggest you refrain from asking questions you do not want the answer to?” He leaned back and unbuttoned his suit jacket and my eyes followed the motion of his hands. They were strong hands, but slender like the rest of him. I held my breath as I watched those hands, my brain wandering off into dangerous territory as I imagined what those fingers could do to my body—
“As much as I enjoy your tawdry musings, if you continue to look at me with that blatant lust in your gaze, I’ll be forced to respond.” My breath hitched and he laughed, then added quietly, “And you may find yourself in a situation you cannot get out of.”
I swallowed hard and looked up into his eyes, instantly regretting my wayward thoughts. His eyes were dark and hooded—and damn near glowing red. Which meant he wanted one of two things—and I wanted nothing to do with either. Plus, I was smart enough to know he wouldn’t go easy on me in either capacity. When he licked his lips and I caught the faintest hint of a fang, I sucked in a stuttering breath as my belly clenched and heat rushed south.
He tsked again, then stood so quickly I jumped.
“In for a penny, in for a pound, I suppose,” he said as he closed the distance between us. Then his hand snaked around my throat to cup the back of my neck, tilting my head back and exposing my throat. Panic surged within me. My heart beat loudly, the rush of my pulse deafening in my ears.
He brought his nose to my flesh and inhaled, sighing as he leveled me once again with his intense gaze. “So it’s true?” He tilted his head as he stared down at me. “You offer yourself up to my kind?”
“No,” I ground out through clenched teeth.
All these months of training to fight him and now he was going to bite me. I was truly defenseless, and the fact that I’d never be able to avenge my father tore a sob from my lips.
His hand tightened and his brow furrowed. “What was that?”
Tears leaked from my eyes as his grip continued to tighten. If he squeezed any harder, he’d snap my spine clean in half.
“I could, yes, but I’m much more interested in why you’ve been training.”
“To fight you,” I forced through clenched teeth as the pain in my neck made it difficult to speak.
“To fight me?” He laughed and my fists clenched at my sides.
And then, with amusement dancing in his dark eyes, he released me and took a step back, extending his arms to either side and giving me the slightest bow. “By all means, petit colibri, let’s not waste all that effort.”
Chapter Twelve
Elias
Had I known that Franco’s Jack wasn’t a son at all but this bold, beautiful woman with fire in her eyes and a mind so filthy I wanted to pry her head open and climb inside, I wouldn’t have stayed away so long.
Twelve appointments I’d missed in the time I’d been gone.
Twelve opportunities to meet the woman who’d apparently been waiting for me.
I watched her with a strange sort of amusement—and more than a little rapture—as she prepared to fight me.
Knees bent ever so slightly, she brought her fists up in front of her, one tucked close to her chest and the other extended out a bit farther. She’d been trained by a fighter, but being trained in hand-to-hand combat by a human meant little when faced with a vampire, especially one of my age and ability.
But I’d let her get her fill of the fight.
She clearly needed it, had waited for this very moment.
Though that part intrigued me to no end, I’d have to push my curiosity off a bit longer. Toying with the fragile little bird would be far more entertaining than conversating.
“Well, come on then, love.” I crouched, mimicking her stance with my fists in front of me, and she sidestepped to the left so I sidestepped to my right, and we began our deadly dance.
“Don’t go easy on me,” she warned.
I snorted. “Wouldn’t dream of it, pet.”
