Page 24 of Cooper’s Passion

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Cooper directed Anita to park her car in front of Wesley’s house. Offering Anita to stay with him at his uncle’s house had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, but he didn’t regret it. Indeed, it was fortuitous. It would make it easier to introduce Anita to his family, and for her to see that they were just as normal as humans, even though they were all preternatural creatures: vampires, vampire hybrids, witches, and even a Stealth Guardian. Of course, he’d have to wait until he could tell her the truth about himself, his family, and Scanguards, but he knew he would eventually come clean.

When the young Asian couple had surprised them, and he’d thought that somebody was trying to break in and harm Anita, his protector instinct had immediately emerged, and he’d been prepared to defend her no matter the cost to himself. It had revealed the depth of his feelings for her. Anita wasn’t just a one-night stand or a fling for him. He wanted more, so much more, even though they’d only just met. And soon, he would no longer be able to suppress the need to bite her and drink her blood. And while he could do this without her knowledge and consent by simply using mind control, he wouldn’t do it. He wanted Anita to know what he wanted, and he wanted her to experience the pleasure of his bite. He wanted her to want it.

“This is your uncle’s house?” Anita asked, pointing at the Victorian home, admiration in her voice.

“Yes. That’s his. It’s gorgeous inside too. Come, I’ll show you.” Cooper got out of the car, and opened the trunk to lift out Anita’s suitcase and her computer bag with her files on the serial killer.

Anita joined him and took the computer bag from him, then locked her car. Together they walked up to the front entrance, and Cooper unlocked the front door, then ushered her inside. He shut the door behind them.

Inside the home it was quiet.

“Wes? Virginia?” Cooper called out but didn’t receive a reply. “They’re probably at work.” He walked up the stairs with the suitcase, and Anita followed him closely.

“What do they do? Are they bodyguards too?”

“No, ahm, Wes works in a lab.” Which was mostly true. He was a talented witch, and did indeed spend a lot of time in a lab at Scanguards that he shared with another witch: Charles. “And Virginia sits on a board.” That wasn’t a lie either, only that the board was the ruling body of the Stealth Guardians, an ancient race whose preternatural skills included making themselves and others invisible, and being able to walk through solid objects like walls.

“Do they have kids?”

“No. Guess they’re not quite ready for that.” Cooper opened the door to a guestroom on the second floor and set the suitcase down.

Anita followed him into the room and dropped her computer bag and handbag on a chair. “Wow, this is so cute.”

The room was large and furnished with a queen-size bed, an antique dresser, matching nightstands, and an armchair. Two sash windows let lots of light into the room.

Cooper pointed to a door. “This door leads into the bathroom. I can access it from my room on the other side. We’re sharing the bathroom.”

Her forehead furrowed. “We’re not sharing a room? I thought…”

“Here’s the thing…” he started.

“Don’t tell me your uncle and aunt are religious and won’t allow us to share a bed.”

Cooper threw his head back and laughed. “God no! Those two would be the last ones to do that.” He shook his head and put his hands on her shoulders, drawing her closer. “No. I’m giving you your own room so that you can have a place to withdraw to if you want some time to yourself. Because the moment you’re in my bed, I’m going to make love to you. And if that gets too much for you, all you need to do is sleep here in this room, and I won’t intrude.”

Anita slid her hands around him, putting them on his ass. “And where are you going to withdraw to when it gets too much for you?”

Pleased about Anita’s reply, he smiled and pressed a tender kiss to her lips. “Trust me, it’ll never get too much for me. You’ve whetted my appetite for a lot more than what went down last night. Now, why don’t you unpack, and I’ll quickly check on a couple of things downstairs? Just come down when you’re ready.”

Cooper left the guestroom and shut the door behind him, before he rushed downstairs. He went straight into the pantry, where bottles of blood were stocked in a separate refrigerator. When he’d moved in with Wes and Virginia, he’d brought a supply of blood for himself, since his uncle normally only kept a few bottles for emergencies or for when Cooper’s parents came to visit.

Cooper unscrewed a bottle and gulped down the cold liquid. He felt better instantly. The blood strengthened his body and replenished his energy stores. Normally he only needed a bottle a day, and occasionally supplemented with human food, but today he needed more. He opened a second bottle and drank it down just as quickly. Finally, he was his normal self again. On the drive from Anita’s Airbnb to Wes’s house, when he’d been confined in the car, Anita’s scent had driven him almost insane with hunger. Another ten minutes, and he wouldn’t have been able to resist the urge to taste her blood. But now, his immediate hunger was gone.

He still wanted Anita’s blood, but he knew he could wait until it was the right time to tell her what he was, and hope that she could accept him as a vampire. In the meantime, he had to double his intake of bottled blood so he wouldn’t give into the temptation to bite her while they made love. And they would make love. Anita had practically assured him of that, when she’d shown her surprise when he’d offered her her own room.

Cooper wiped his mouth, making sure there were no remnants of the blood he’d consumed, and left the pantry, just as Anita came down the stairs.

“Are you hungry? We can go out, or I can make us something here,” Cooper suggested.

“I’m hungry, but I think I’d rather eat after I go to the morgue to look at the body.” She placed her hand on her stomach. “I still get a little queasy when I see a dead body.”

“I get it. It’s not pretty. Let’s eat later then.”

“Good. Did you want to come with me to the city morgue?”

“Actually,” Cooper explained, “the body isn’t at the city morgue. It’s at Scanguards.”