AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The way he smiles shoots directly between my legs. “You moved to New York after college?”
“I did.”
“Do you like it in the city?”
The dirt, noise, and crime flash sequentially through my mind. “No, but leaving isn’t practical at the moment.”
“I’ve lived here since I was six years old.”
“Do you want to leave?” I drink my coffee and watch him over the rim.
He looks lovingly around the room. “I’ve traveled, but no. This will always be home. Do you enjoy travel?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been anywhere but Miami, Chicago, and Boston.”
“Does this area make you uncomfortable?” He taps his finger on the edge of his plate as if he has a nervous habit.
What does he have to be nervous about? “It’s pretty in the woods, but I thought I was lost most of the time when I drove here.”
He nods and leans back in his chair to stare at me. “Would it be inappropriate for me to tell you that I find you very attractive?”
“It won’t keep me from getting my story. Even if you seduce me, Oliver, I’ll use your attraction to get what I came for.” It’s cruel, but it’s true.
ChapterFour
Oliver
There is a harshness to her that seems to hide great pain. Still, her jab hurts. “Then you’re not attracted to me”
“I didn’t say that. Few women wouldn’t be attracted to you.” She looks into my eyes without being mesmerized by the vampire in me.
Mollified, I can’t help liking her even more for her honesty. “You exaggerate, but thank you. The ladies did tell you that I’m a monster.”
“What does that mean?” She pushes her plate from the edge of the table and leans forward.
It’s too soon to tell her about my true nature. I long to, but watching her become terrified of me would be unbearable. “Can we return to that later? Ask what the ladies suggested.”
“Who is Wentworth Pettigrew?”
“Come.” I stand and hold her chair. “You are sitting in his chair. He is the true owner of this house, and if you allow me to give you a tour, I’ll tell you all about him.”
“Will you also tell me why those women spoke of him so dreamily?” She blushes the softest pink. Her sky-blue top sways around her waist where it skims the edge of her cropped jeans.
I breathe in her scent. When she leaves, I shall buy a truckload of lilac and vanilla candles so that part of her is always here. I’m going mad, it’s the only explanation.
I offer my arm in a shameless attempt to keep her close.
She slips her hand through the crook of my elbow, and when her skin touches mine, I stiffen with need.
She stills. “Are you okay?”
Born a vampire, the beast in me has been tamed over time. I close my eyes to push back my longing to feel her naked body pressed to mine. The sound of her blood rushing through the vein in her throat is distracting, but I force myself to shut it out. “I’m fine.”
“You growled.” She unhooks her arm from mine.
“Did I?”
Those startlingly light eyes narrow on me. “You did. Do you often growl in the presence of strangers?”
