Immortal Beloved - Kith & Kynn Book 2 Page 12

  Adrien caught her arm when she turned on her heel to depart. She barely gave him a glance.

  “Wait a minute!” he said. “I’m being a clod about this. What I’m trying to say is that I’m just the kind of guy who needs to take things slowly. I’d like to get to know you before I sleep with you. Does that make sense? Can we please start over? Maybe have dinner or something?”

  She relaxed and her gaze softened. The frost was melting. “Dinner sounds great,” she said. “In fact, it sounds wonderful. I haven’t had a thing all day. I was too nervous. It took me hours just to decide to drive over and try and find you. I almost didn’t.”

  “I’m glad you did.” He glanced down, realizing he was still half undressed. He’d been working hard and sweating like a pig all day. He must stink to high heaven. “Let me catch a quick shower and we’ll go somewhere. Anywhere you like.”

  She eyed him seductively. “Mmmm, too bad I just had a shower or I’d join you,” she teased. “Don’t keep me waiting too long or I just might have to come in there after you.”

  Adrien didn’t think he’d mind a bit if she did.

  Chapter Eleven

  Cassie dipped her tortilla chip into the clay bowl, ladling up salsa and guiding it toward her mouth. Her eyes rolled heavenward as she chewed, then swallowed. To cool her burning tongue, she quickly took a sip of her margarita. Her eyes were watering from the hot sauce.

  “Damn!” she said, still slurping. “I love this stuff but it’ll set your mouth afire.” She dunked another chip.

  Adrien sipped his own drink, Mexican beer with a twist of lime. “I don’t think I’ll dare it,” he said, popping a chip into his mouth. “This boy’s got too much white in him.”

  She laughed and opened her menu. “This place has the best food in town.” She scanned the selections. “I don’t know why I look, I already know what I want—everything! Combination plate, here I come.”

  He set aside his own menu. “Since you recommend the food so highly, I’ll take your lead and have the same.” He took another sip of his beer, then put his hand up to summon the nearby waiter. He wasn’t really hungry. All he wanted to do look at Cassie. She filled that empty space inside him, that space going beyond the physical needs. She filled his spirit and he liked the feeling. She was the perfect combination of brass and charm.

  After he’d showered and dressed, it was Cassie who suggested the ramshackle hacienda on the edge of town. On the outside it wasn’t much to look at, but inside it brimmed with the warm ambience of old Mexico, from the lanterns on the quaint tables to the saltillo tile on the floor. Mariachi music played in the background, courtesy of a live band.

  The place was packed, but a table was found for Miss Wilson, post haste, one away from prying eyes. It was evident that Cassie expected—and got—VIP treatment. Heads had swiveled when they’d walked in. Everyone who was anyone knew who Cassie Wilson was. She was the local celebrity and the natives loved getting a glance of her to fuel their stale gossip. The dress code was simple, dress how you like, but no ties allowed. Anyone daring to enter with one promptly had it cut off by the stout little owner, Senor Rojas, manning the door. It was a badge of honor to have him cut your tie.

  Adrien had bypassed dressing up. He’d put on a decent pair of jeans and a western style shirt. He’d wanted to tie his hair back but Cassie had insisted that she liked it loose. He’d grinned like a fool and let her have her way.

  As to their conveyance, she was more than happy to hop astride his motorcycle, leaving her Mercedes in his driveway. That alone was enough to let him know that she intended to return to his apartment. When he’d worried that she’d catch a chill in the cool desert air, she’d batted those fetching eyelashes of her and asked to borrow his jacket. He’d complied and earned himself a kiss. It didn’t seem to bother her a single bit that her hair presently looked like she’d fixed it with a whisk. Eyes shining, she looked beautiful anyway.

  “You’re so easy, AJ,” she joshed after they’d put in their order. “Are you going to let me make all the decisions?”

  “Adrien,” he said, not liking a stranger’s name on her lips. “You can call me Adrien.” Then he shrugged. “I’m a pretty easygoing guy, Cassie.”

  She accepted the name change without comment, most likely assuming that the A and J were simply initials of his first and middle names. Most people would. She planted her elbow on the table. “So, what does a pretty easygoing guy do in a place like La Lorona?”

  A tricky question. It wasn’t one that he could answer truthfully, so he told the lie he’d practiced the most. “Well, I’m not working right now, but when I do I’m a repossession agent. You know, the man who comes and gets your car when you don’t make the payments.”

  It wasn’t entirely an untruth. He’d worked in the field for several years. It was one of the few occupations where he could work alone, at night and not be questioned about keeping odd hours. All he needed to set up shop was licensing in states requiring it, some business cards and a telephone/ fax machine. He hadn’t set up business locally simply because his future had become a negligible commodity. He knew what he had planned for Devon. He didn’t know what Devon might have planned to counter his threats. He imagined that Carnavorn was prepared to the teeth and then some.

  “At least you work,” she sighed. “Most guys I date are deadbeats. They think just because I have money that I should write a check at the drop of a hat.” Her hand lifted to her face. “That’s what Kevin and I were arguing about that night he beat me up. Money. Such a stupid thing, too. Sometimes I wish I didn’t have it all.”

  “Most people wish they had more,” he replied candidly.

  “Do you?” He could tell it was on the tip of her tongue to say she’d give him anything he wanted. She wisely restrained herself.

  He shook his head. “No, I don’t. I have the things I need. My bike, my clothes—“

  “Your cat,” she laughed. “I saw her throwing evil looks at me from the bedroom. Is she always so unfriendly? She’s very pretty. A Persian, right?”

  “That would be Giselle,” he laughed. “And she is a Persian. She’s not good with strange people. She and I, it’s been only us two for quite a few years.”

  “Then there’s no wife of girlfriend on your horizon?” She was probing, seeking the answers he normally would have danced around and avoided. He wasn’t supposed to be getting involved with any woman. That was the rule. Her question bought images of Anna to the forefront of his brain. A hitch rose in his throat. To quell it, he quickly dunked a chip in the salsa and bit into it.

  “I was married,” he admitted. “A long time ago.”

  “Oh? What happened?”

  “She died.” It was an honest, brutal reply.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, laying her hand on his.

  The waiter arrived with their food, two huge platters covered with a variety of Mexican delicacies: enchiladas, tacos, tamales, beans and rice, along with tons of the hot salsa and guacamole. It was a feast fit for a king. They both dug into the hearty meal with gusto. Cassie obviously wasn’t watching her weight. Come to think of it, she bordered on bony and her skin was just a bit too pale—you could see the thin green lines of her veins underneath her flesh. He wondered if she was one of those women who hit the bathroom after eating.

  “What about you?” he asked. “What’s your history?”

  She forked up some rice and guacamole. “Five husbands, five strikes out,” she said after she’d swallowed. She blotted her lips with a cloth napkin. “The last was Paulo, my Italian boy toy, when I still lived in California. I should have known I was playing with fire. He was all of twenty to my thirty-one. We were married nine months.”

  Her mention of California made his ears prick up. Devon Carnavorn was in California. He’d soon be heading that way. But he didn’t want to think about that. He wanted to focus on the lovely lady across the narrow table. If he wanted, he could lean over and easily kiss her. Instead, he toyed with his fo
od.

  She cocked her head. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I keep thinking I hear an accent in your speech. It’s faded, but it’s there.”

  He cleared his throat. He’d worked for decades to affect the flat tones the American people spoke in. “I was born in England,” he said, then lied, “but my parents moved to the States when I was a kid. I guess it still lingers.”

  She clapped her hands. “Oh, I knew it. I can just hear the hint. I love an accent. I wish I had one. My grandfather kind of had one, too. His family came from Scotland. I love the rolling burr. It’s fabulous.”

  “It’s been a long time since I was there,” Adrien admitted honestly.

  “Ever think of going back?”

  “No,” he said. “I’ve cut my ties with that past.”

  “Too bad,” she countered. “I have always wanted to live in Europe.”

  “Why don’t you?”

  “I might,” she said vaguely. “If I find a reason to get over there.”

  They continued their meal, keep the talk light and chatty, discussing the area, local economy and job opportunities. As dinner wound down, they turned to the local sights.

  “Have you seen the sunken gardens?” Cassie asked.

  “I’ve heard of it,” Adrien said. “But I believe it’s closed at night—that’s the only time I ever get around.”

  “You’ve got to see it," she enthused. “It’s beautiful. Like Eden must have looked when the earth was new and only man and woman walked there.”

  “Maybe sometime I will,” he nodded. How the hell could he tell her that walking around in the daylight would burn turn him into a crispy critter? Being a vampire certainly did put a damper on one’s social life.

  “Why not tonight?” she said, impulsively.

  Her enthusiasm was catching. “How?”

  Her grin was that of a mischievous child. “How the heck do you think the city afforded that thing? My money financed every bit of it, as well as a new wing on the hospital and donation of grandfather’s books to the library. I know the guards there and they’ll let me in any time. I love going there late at night. It’s peaceful.” She pointedly raised her eyebrows. “And private.”

  Caution went with his sense. “Let’s go.”

  Adrien practically threw the money on the table to get them out of there posthaste. He didn’t wait for his change, either. The waiter got a very nice tip that night.

  * * * *

  The perfectly landscaped gardens were impressively arranged; lush with exotic plants from around the world. A cascading waterfall was surrounded by lush tropical plants and flowers. They followed the cobblestone path, hardly saying a word, both appreciating the beauty and tranquility. It was a night for whispers, for kisses, for love to blossom. He could hardly protest when Cassie drew him into the shadows of the gazebo. Cool shadows cloaked them, silent sentinels that would not whisper of the secrets they shared.

  She sat down on an elaborate wrought-iron bench. “I come here when I feel lonely or sad,” she said, a wistful tone coloring her words. “It’s forever spring here, forever unchanging. I wish…” Her words trailed off.

  He leaned back against the railing, studying her. She was so fragile. Like a moth, he felt that she was always on the edge of flight, ready to vanish in the blink of an eye. She needed someone, but was afraid to reach out and make the connection.

  “What do you wish?”

  Tears unexpectedly filled her eyes. “I wish that things wouldn’t change, that they could stay the same.”

  “We need change, Cassie,” he said. “Without it, we’d all be stuck in a rut, unable to grow inside as people.” The words were easy to say. It vaguely occurred to him that he’d never applied to advice to himself. It was true that he’d never readily accepted change in his life. Those afraid to move on eventually destroyed themselves. He’d always been fearful to progress further into the world of the Kynn and learn to live with what he was in this present time. And his hatred was about to wipe out more than the lives of four others. It would wipe out a fifth—his own.

  He looked at Cassie, wondering if a mate, a woman he loved, could help him let go of his anger—help him accept changes he needed to make within his own soul.

  “I fee so empty,” she sighed, as if able to read his mind. “There’s not much left for me here anymore.”

  “How can you say that?” He asked. “You’re young, beautiful, rich—”

  “All that’s nothing when you’re alone, Adrien,” she said sadly. “What is life without true love anyway? It’s nothing. It’s like the vows say; for richer or poor, in sickness and,” her voice cracked, becoming almost unintelligible, “in health. I have no one. I’m all alone. No one would miss me if I vanished tonight.”

  Adrien knew exactly how she felt. They were both two very empty people searching for a connection. He’d long ago shunned the idea of taking a blood-mate of his own. But the idea was insidiously taking seed in the back of his consciousness. Had salvation arrived in the fetching form of Cassie Wilson?

  Without knowing quite what moved him, he reached out and cupped her chin. Tilting back her head, he threw caution to the wind and kissed her, the beginning of a slow exploration of her luscious mouth. She tasted of strawberry lip-gloss and margarita salt, not at all unpleasant.

  “I would miss you,” he murmured.

  Pulling her to her feet, he snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her to him. When his mouth covered hers, all doubts melted away. He felt her press closer to him, her hand sliding across his chest. Her lips were warm and sweet under his. It was a kiss both their drained, battered spirits needed for nourishment. His senses wobbled as if short-circuited. He felt that this woman was meant to be with him.

  Forever.

  The intensity of their clinch grew steamier. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed closer, sighing gently. Their hands roamed each other’s bodies with a familiarity born of instinct, coming dangerously close to intimate carnal knowledge

  Just as things were in danger of getting out of hand, Adrien grasped Cassie’s shoulders and gently drew their bodies apart. It was the last thing he wanted to do—but he also didn’t want to end up going too far and doing something they’d both regret. Things were moving too fast. He had to slow down, think things out. Cassie and her shapely body had just thrown a monkey wrench into his life.

  “Whoa,” he said, the single word clearing his throat if not his thoughts, “I think we’d better stop.”

  She tipped back her head to look up at him. Her lips were moist and enticing, inviting more kisses. “I don’t want to stop,” she purred. She tried to guide his hands to her hips, but he stepped back, drawing a deep breath.

  “I don’t, either,” he hedged neatly. “But it’d be wrong.”

  Her blue eyes were deeply serious. A hint of fire burned in her stare. “It feels too right, Adrien,” she said. “I know you feel it, too.”

  “I do,” he whispered. “And it scares me—more than you can know, Cassie. I—I’m not what you think I am.”

  Her eyes were shining, her lips parted in a moist pout. “Is anyone what they seem?”

  Caught in the moment, he drew her small body close. He couldn’t help but to relish the feel of her curves against his hard male body. He could almost feel those legs around his waist, see that mass of red curls spilling over his pillow. Encircling her in his arms, he kissed the top of her head.

  He wasn’t planning to seduce her. It just happened.

  Without another word, he bent, claiming her lips. His mouth sought to conquer hers, his tongue darting into the softness, circling hers in a duel of teeth and hot breath. He fought the primal urge to tear off her clothes and feast his eyes on her naked porcelain skin.

  Adrien cupped her left breast, tracing the taut tip of her nipple with his thumb. Cassie pressed herself closer. Boldly, he squeezed the soft mound of flesh. They kissed again and he maneuvered his hands to unbutton her jacket, easing it over down her slender s
houlders.

  “I want to see you.” He felt a flame of desire shoot down to his balls, making them tingle, tighten. His hands found and teased her bare nipples, giving them fresh erectness. She made a soft sound, a half gasp, a half laugh. But she did not pull away. When she looked up at him, her eyes were full of desire. A shudder of longing crossed her face.

  He smiled. She welcomed sex like a cat anticipated a bowl of cream. Speaking of cream, there was a particularly sweet cream that he wished to lap from between her legs. His cock was pulsing furiously; he knew she could feel that unmistakable urgency radiating from his body. He wanted to screw her until she wept with pleasure.

  “I want to belong to you, Adrien,” she breathed.

  “I won’t hurt you,” he murmured, stroking those tender tips, circling the pink aureoles with his fingers. “I won’t do anything if you tell me to stop.” He wouldn’t feed off her, take her fully, but he could please her in another way, orally. He quickly swore that was as far as he’d go with her.

  “Don’t stop,” she gasped. “Please.”

  Smiling, he caught her around the waist. His head dipped and his mouth found a hard tip. He kissed her nipples, one after the other, rolling them with his tongue. He swirled his tongue around her nipple, gently biting, then rasping away the ache with his lips. He gave each breast equal attention, suckling deeply. Cassie squeezed her eyes tighter, her breathing ragged from the sensual motion of his mouth on her breasts. He began to draw languid circles around her nipples with his tongue and fingers, never quite touching the sensitive tips. The vulnerable expression in her eyes was quickly replaced with a look of wanton desire.

  “You like that?” he breathed. He tugged gently on one nipple until she released a soft gasp.

  “Yesss...” She opened her legs and let his hand find the spot he was aching desperately to touch.

  Pressing her against the wall of the gazebo to support her back, he dropped to his knees. The tips of his fingers traced her belly, with his mouth following the gentle journey. He ran his hands over her hips, then grasped the firm cheeks of her ass, giving each a playful squeeze. He wanted to lick, suck and taste every inch of her as she hovered in a state of peak sexual arousal. The air around her was sticky, scented from the sizzling heat of raw desire.