In a way, it made sense too, and when I thought about that, I knew I could not hate this Maggie. She had made Jade happy, that was good enough for me. Jade had turned into a sometimes fierce, sometimes shy, and always a little bookish librarian, and I loved every part of her—including the parts Maggie had a hand in shaping. Right now, she was exchanging rapid-fire banter with Belfry, who was berating the architecture. She had a dozen little facts and tidbits of knowledge that would somehow manage to catch my bat by surprise. Sometimes, it even made him laugh or begrudgingly admit that that part didn’t suck if that was the case.
On the plane, she’d also told me a little more about David. About his smile and his ego, which, according to her, was quite sizable, and I readily believed that. She told me how her rejection of him had curdled into entitlement, and entitlement into retaliation. The more she spoke, the more carefully I folded my rage away, layer by layer, like a blade returned to its sheath.
A man should know how to take rejection with grace; David clearly did not. He had turned his power on her and tried to ruin her life, and the brightness of her future. Those were the partsJade hadn’t expressed: how she’d been forced to live off her savings as she job-hunted and got nothing but no after no. She had not said how desperate it was, but I knew, and now, I was ever so grateful that Grandma Liz had somehow found her and brought her to Hillcrest Hollow, to me.
Belfry, perched dramatically atop the privacy divider, sniffed.You can say all you want about the architecture, Jade, but this city still stinks. A lot. It smells like ambition and burnt coffee; an utterly vile combination.He wrinkled his nose and flicked his ears, and I was tempted to suggest he might have gone without sleep a little too long.
Jade laughed softly beside me, and the sound eased something tight in my chest. She’d been one bristling ball of tension by the time we’d gotten off the plane. Belfry’s whining had relaxed her, though, and I was very glad to see it.
When the car pulled up to the hotel, she stared. “Luther,” she said slowly, “this place has its own doorman and a fountain.” She turned huge eyes on me, as if she fully believed this was one massive mistake.
I sniffed and wrinkled my nose in the exact same way Belfry had a moment ago. “I like sleeping well when I travel,” I replied mildly. “And their security is impeccable.” That had been the most important aspect of picking this hotel. I wanted to make sure she would be safe if I needed to leave her by herself. It helped that I happened to know the owner of this hotel, and he owed me a few favors. After all, he would not be the proud owner of a real, never-recovered Picasso if not for me.
Her eyes narrowed. “You’re not leaving me alone here while you run errands.” Ah, she was too sharp, she knew exactly why I’d gone with this hotel. Clever girl. The last thing I wanted was to leave her side; however, if I did, I’d know she’d be safe here.
I smiled at her, unrepentant. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” Belfry snorted, as if he didn’t believe me, and I shot him a glare. He didn’t heed it, but made a face at Jade that clearly tried to imply I was a liar. I did not appreciate it, but he didn’t care about that either.
“We’re here together,” she said firmly. “On business. I want this done so I can get back to my library.” Back to Hillcrest Hollow, to the library.Herlibrary, that wasn’t a slip of the tongue, she meant that, she’d come to see the old building next to my shop as hers. I liked that very much.
“To your library,” I murmured as we were escorted inside. I had my hand on the small of her back and was carefully watching the bellhop as he loaded our luggage onto his cart to bring up to our room. Jade tucked close, her scent in my nose and possession racing through me, primal instinct rearing its head at hearing those words.
She paused mid-step, and I slid my hand farther around her middle, holding her to me, urging her forward. “What?” she asked, confused. I loved the way her eyes clung to mine and then dropped to my mouth. We were close, and she was clearly very much aware of that fact.
“You said my library,” I pointed out, a smile pulling at the corner of my mouth. “I was under the impression this was a temporary assignment.” Not that I wanted her to leave, I was merelytesting the waters, trying to figure out if she was beginning to see this mate bond as real. I wanted very much for her to want to stay, and I had not been blind to the fact that she’d felt some resistance to our mating. But if she didn’t want it, the bond couldn’t have formed, I knew that much. It was what I told myself when I caught her looking at the mate mark with a worried frown last night.
She considered what she’d said, her brow making this cute little furrow at the center of her forehead. “It was supposed to be a job I’d leave when I finished it. But restoring that collection?” Her lips curved, and the smile she gave me took my breath away. “I’m pretty sure it’ll take a lifetime.”
I couldn’t stop myself. “Good thing you’ll have several,” I said, just as I swung open the door to our room. I expected her to stare at the interior, maybe be a little surprised by the luxury, but she stopped walking entirely. Pausing in the doorway, I turned back to look at her and discovered she had this fierce expression on her face. It made my gut twist with desire, pulsing heat through my veins. My cock hardened in my pants in a flash, surprising me with the sharpness of my sudden arousal. She was simply so sweet, so pretty, and adorable, trying to glare at me like I’d shredded her most comfortable bra again.
“Explain,” she demanded, her hands on her hips, her stance wide like a warrior. I turned to face her fully and reached to take her hand, drawing her into the room so we’d have privacy. The hallway was empty, but that didn’t mean there were no ears.
“The mating bond doesn’t just tie desire,” I said to her. She came on light feet, following me into the room with her eyes locked on my face. She was oblivious to the expensive Aubusson rug, thelate eighteenth-century golden mirror, the Chesterfield couches, and the widescreen TV that took up most of one wall. Those weren’t things she cared about anyway, I knew that, but I liked having all of her attention. “It binds lifeforces. Fates. I told you there was no going back,” I said.
She tried to glare; it looked to me like she tried very hard, and failed. The heat thrumming through her veins sang to me, bright and undeniable. She was overwhelmed but happy. She could not help but feel the same about me as I did about her.
I pulled her into my arms, my hand curving instinctively over the silver wash of moonlight along her ribs, the mark that tied us together across centuries. “We are perfect together,” I murmured. “And I will spend all my life proving it.” Then, reluctantly, I glanced at the clock. What I had planned should not have a time limit, but in this case, it must. “We have an hour before the meeting.”
Belfry squawked indignantly and leaped from my shoulder to flutter through the sunlit room.I am taking a nap and absolutely not listening to whatever comes next.He fled into the open bathroom to hide.
I kissed Jade like I intended to steal the breath from her lungs, and perhaps the sense from her knees. When we finally parted, time had slipped the way it always did when I touched her. We clung together, and I savored the press of each of her delicate curves. Carrying her through the sitting room to the bedroom, I carefully spread her on the large bed waiting for us there.
“Darling Jade, I think I am going to enjoy testing out this bed with you…” I drawled as I admired the flush crawling upher cheeks. She smiled, might have quipped something sassy I would have loved, but I did not give her the chance. Coming down over her, I kissed her again, and again.
Her skin called to me, as did the pulse at her throat, and when she gasped for air, I nibbled my way down. I peeled open each tiny ivory button on her blouse and revealed one of my latest gifts cupping the pretty globes of her breasts: red silk and lace, with a pretty pearl decoration at the center. “You’re wearing it,” I groaned, heat surging through my veins. Pretty lingerie on my woman, it was quickly becoming my greatest weakness.
She gave me a seductive smile, her brown eyes twinkling—but that smile turned into a moan when I slid down her body and kissed her belly. Then, lower, I skimmed her pants down her hips until she was bare save for the red lace. My fangs pressed against my lips, eager, as arousal—hot and fierce—coursed through me. I’d already done this a dozen times, but I was never going to get enough of tasting her again and again.
I licked her folds through the fragile fabric, tempted to tear it with a fang so I could touch her skin to skin. The lace was simply too pretty on her to do that, but her sounds, sweet and soft, made me want more. The lace slipped from her thighs with a whisper, and then I could delve deep. Her honeyed taste on my tongue drove me beyond reason, and her moans, as they crescendoed, snapped my control.
Rising above her, I freed myself roughly from my pants and took myself in hand. Her eyes met mine, still hot and pleasure-filled after her orgasm. There was an invitation in that look, and she did not need to offer it twice. Lining us up, I curledher leg around my hip and surged inside. Her hot, tight clasp surrounded me, and her pleasure danced through the air.
I knew when she looked at me through the dance, the give and take of body and flesh. I knew that she had accepted the bond between us, that she no longer thought about leaving. Love for her swelled in my chest, but I was not making the same mistake twice. I’d wait, patiently, with all the experience a seven-hundred-year-old vampire could muster. Then the pleasure between us became too much, and as she shattered, so did I.
Later, while she was still flushed and smiling as she came out of the bathroom after washing up, I presented the outfit I had arranged for our meeting in a short while. After hearing how that bastard had forced her out of town and destroyed all her credibility, I wanted to make certain she felt her best. That she knew she was making a fantastic first impression, because we both knew those mattered sometimes. Her eyes widened when she saw it, just the kind of expression I was going for. “Luther…”
“Don’t say no. This is sleek and professional. It’s weaponized competence,” I said proudly. “With heels that won’t betray you.” An added bonus I was always very aware of: clothing should look good, but it should also make you feel good. My Italian leather was well cared for but worn in, making their fit feel divine, and I wanted that for her too. Especially in case she needed to make a run for it. Not that I expected that would be necessary, but it paid to be prepared.
She dressed while I watched, and I took great pleasure in seeing her slide silk and vicuña over her skin. She was marveling at the precise fit and the soft fabric, and when she opened her mouth to protest the expense, I swept in. “No, none of that,this is business, pure and simple.” It really wasn’t, and her answering grin told me she knew. I reached to the silver silk and unbuttoned the top of her blouse before stepping back. “Perfect.”
