She was relieved to see Torin and Bal get up from their places around the fire pit and saunter over to her and Aric. Webb had already disappeared into the night, going wherever it was he preferred to spend his time after hours.
The two warriors nodded to Aric as they approached. “We’re going to head back into the city to look for blood Hosts before the feeding curfew,” Bal said. “Care to join us?”
“No, thanks.” Aric’s reply was immediate. “I fed before I left London. I’ll be back in D.C. before I need to find a vein again.”
The two vampires glanced at Kaya. Torin had the audacity to wink at her. It was all she could do not to leap up and pummel the amused look off his face.
“You should go,” she told Aric as her comrades strode away. “You don’t have to keep me company. I was just about to turn in for the night.”
Aric smiled. “Always trying to get rid of me.” He rose, then held his hand out to her. “Come on, Mrs. Bouchard. As I recall, we never finished our dance.”
CHAPTER 11
For the second time in less than twenty-four hours, Aric found himself holding Kaya close in his arms while a crooner waxed on about true love and happy-ever-after. Sappy, fairy tale sentiments that should have made his molars ache with their impossible sweetness. But it wasn’t his molars that ached while Kaya swayed against him.
Everywhere their bodies brushed, currents of electric heat crackled beneath his skin. Instead of making jokes or searching for other ways to demonstrate that he wasn’t susceptible to the kind of hearts-and-flowers weaknesses that seemed to have overtaken the other two couples dancing nearby, Aric found himself riveted to Kaya’s lovely face in the half-light on the terrace.
His veins pounded, a possessive need surging inside him as he moved to the tempo of the music and tried not to imagine how soft she felt, how the scent of her was making his mouth throb with the presence of his fangs.
Damn.
Maybe he should have gone with Mira’s teammates to look for a blood Host. It was true he wouldn’t need the nourishment for days, but that had little to do with the hunger he’d been battling since his first taste of Kaya. Kissing her that first time had been an impulsive mistake, though one he couldn’t seem to regret.
Kissing her again in the war room tonight had been worse than impulse or a mistake. It had been possessive, a compulsion he couldn’t have fought even if he tried. That need still raked him. Now, try as he could not to imagine the two of them naked and in a sweaty tangle, his mind refused to obey.
The fact that she seemed to meet him with equal passion each time they’d kissed only made his desire for her burn all the hotter. And now that she was in his arms again, it took everything he had just to keep that desire on a short leash. Especially when she gazed up at him, a note of pleasure in her dark brown eyes.
“Are you going to tell me what that cryptic smile is about or leave me guessing?”
She shrugged, still watching him with an avid interest that made his pulse kick into a higher gear. “I was just thinking that if things don’t work out for you with the Order, maybe you should take up ballroom dancing.”
He choked on a laugh. “Oh, thanks. Remind me never to come to you for career advice.”
Her smile flashed brilliant white, the joy on her face utterly captivating. “I’m serious. You’ve got some impressive moves.”
He grunted, arching a brow. “You haven’t even seen my best ones yet.”
With her face still lit with amusement, he spun her into a low dip. Her surprised squeal and burst of easy laughter drew the attention of their friends. Someone applauded, but Aric hardly noticed and didn’t care. Nor did Kaya, from the delighted look on her face as he brought her back up and held her close.
Her cheeks were bright pink, her dark eyes glittering along with her broad smile.
“Careful, now, or I might think you’re actually starting to have a good time.”
“I am.” She did a little jig in his arms, nodding toward her shoes. “I feel like I could dance all night. Thank you for asking Rafe to heal me. And thanks for standing up for me during the meeting with everyone too.”
Aric shrugged. “No thanks necessary for either one. Partners stick together.”
“Is that what we are now?”
He nodded, brushing a stray tendril of dark hair off her cheek. “For better or worse, Mrs. Bouchard.”
“Right,” she murmured. “Until D.C. do we part.”
He nodded, uncertain why the comment felt like a jab. Once his work for Nikolai was finished, he was leaving Montreal. Kaya had been making it fairly clear that she was as eager for him to go as he was. Perhaps more so.
They continued to dance in silence now, one slow song after another. Eventually, Rafe and Siobhan drifted quietly back into the mansion. Aric didn’t have to guess anymore if his friend was falling hard for the female. The truth of it had been written all over his face tonight.
Christ, what had gotten into Rafe?
