"Don"t you want me?"
Kate merely scowled harder. He knew she wanted him. He couldn"t have slipped inside her mind if she didn"t. Still, that didn"t matter. She was finding it difficult enough to fight her desires and do what was expected of her-having him take control of her mind was not helping. And he had slipped in so easily!
The elevator stopped, the doors opened, and Lucern grabbed her hand and pulled her out.
Kate tried to dig her feet in as he dragged her up the hall. "Lucern. One more hour at the ball. One hour. Then we can go visit the blood bank and take care of your little problem. We can"t-Okay, half an hour," she argued desperately as he stopped at their door and used his key card. "Half an hour more at the ball!"
He tugged her inside, pushed the door closed, then walked to the couch.
"Or maybe we could make a quick trip to the blood bank now, then go back to the ball," Kate pleaded. Luc dropped to sit on the couch, still holding her hand. "We can take care of your need for blood, then go back-"
"Kate," Lucern interrupted.
"What?" she asked warily.
"I do not need blood." He tugged her off balance and into his lap. "All I need is you."
Kate didn"t get a chance to respond; Lucern prevented it by sealing her lips with his. She kept her mouth closed at first, ignoring the temptation to kiss him back as she struggled to retain control. But his lips weren"t the only thing moving on her-one of his arms was around her back, the fingers having slipped through the side of her dress to caress the ticklish skin under her arm and along side her breast. The other was working busily at the ties of her gown at her shoulder.
Kate moaned deep in her throat, but managed to keep her lips shut as first one shoulder tie was pulled free, then the other. The material pooled around her waist, and Lucern gave up trying to kiss her and bent his head to her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. "d.a.m.n," Kate breathed as he suckled one nipple, then the other. "Screw the ball."
Grabbing him by the hair, she dragged his head back up and kissed him voraciously. This was their last night together. Chuck and her job could go to h.e.l.l. She was going to make the most of this.
Kate heard Lucern growl in response to her surrender; then he set to work with a pa.s.sion. His hands were everywhere, skimming her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, her waist, her hips, sliding up her thighs.
Kate wasn"t satisfied simply being the recipient of his touch, and with his help, she shifted to straddle him on the couch, forcing the narrow skirt of her dress up her legs to her hips. She wanted to touch and taste him everywhere.
Breaking their kiss, she leaned back and set to work removing his clothes. She undid his cape and pushed it off his shoulders, then pushed the tuxedo jacket off too.
Leaving both garments bunched up behind him on the couch, Kate set to work on his shirt. She breathed a sigh of relief once she had him bare to the waist. Sliding off his lap, she knelt on the floor between his knees and turned her attention to his pants. When she got the b.u.t.ton undone and slid the zipper down, Lucern made as if to stand, but Kate shifted forward, blocking his ability to rise. She pushed his slacks and boxers down and caught hold of his erection.
Lucern jerked and gasped as she took him into her mouth, groaned as she ran her lips down him and back again.
"Kate," he growled and caught his hands in her hair. He couldn"t seem to make up his mind what to do. She suspected he wanted to pull her head away but couldn"t quite manage it and so simply held on as she pleasured him.
He allowed her to do so for a moment or two; then he did exert pressure and pulled her head away.
He was growling again, his face strained, and Kate knew she had woken the beast. Catching her by one arm, Luc stood, pulling her up with him; then he kissed her roughly, his hands shoving her gown down her hips. It barely hit the floor before he caught the fragile cloth of her panties. He gave a tug that ripped them clean off.
Kate gasped and trembled. Then his hand was there, his fingers delving between her legs. Kate squeezed her eyes closed and pressed into his touch, aware that her legs wouldn"t hold her upright for long. Lucern seemed to realize it, too, because he broke the kiss and turned her toward the couch. Pushing her onto her knees on it with his body, he followed her, bending her over its back and pressing close.
Kate cried out and clutched the back of the couch as he slid into and filled her. She cried out again as he reached his arms around, one hand catching under her b.r.e.a.s.t.s for support, the other slipping between her legs as he slid in and out.
It was fast and furious this pa.s.sion, overwhelming them both quickly. Kate never felt Lucern bite her, but she definitely noticed when he suffused her mind with his pa.s.sion. Already teetering on the edge of fulfillment, Kate plunged into it, screaming out with ecstasy. Luc"s pleasure joined hers in her mind. But the sound seemed faint to her ringing ears, and Kate feared she was about to...
Chapter Eighteen.
She hadn"t fainted. She"d come awfully close, though, Kate admitted to herself as she showered the next morning. It was a good thing that she was young and healthy; otherwise these pa.s.sionate encounters quite possibly might have killed her.
Smiling, she turned into the water and let it wash the lathered soap away. Lucern was better than chocolate. As a child, Kate had once asked her mother how she would know she was in love. Her mother had said she would know she was in love when she would be willing to give up chocolate forever to be with that person for even an hour. Kate, a dedicated and hopeless chocoholic, had decided right then that she would never fall in love. She had been sure that no male was worth such privation.
Lucern was worth giving up chocolate. Dark chocolate, white chocolate, milk chocolate-she would happily give it all up for him. But her grin quickly faded.
She doubted she would ever be given a choice.
Sighing, she turned off the shower and stepped out onto the small towel she had laid on the floor. She s.n.a.t.c.hed one of the large bath towels from the rack to dry off, then paused as she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Letting her towel drop away, she stared at her reflection.
Her body was a ma.s.s of bites. There were very few places that Lucern hadn"t marked her. And every bite had been bliss. Anywhere there was a vein, and some places there weren"t, her body was marked. These marks should hurt now that she wasn"t caught up in pa.s.sion and Lucern wasn"t infusing her mind with his pleasure, but they didn"t.
Kate ran her fingers over a set on her shoulder and shuddered as she recalled Lucern biting her there as he drove into her. Her body immediately flared to life, yearning for Lucern again.
"Dear G.o.d, I"m a junkie," she breathed, letting her hand drop. Worse, she was a junkie who was about to lose her fix. This was Sunday, the last day of the conference. There was a tea in the afternoon and a farewell party that night, but those were the only functions scheduled. There was to be no hospitality suite. Most of the attendees were leaving in the afternoon or evening. Some would even be flying home that morning.
Due to his "allergy to the sun" Kate had booked Lucern on a 4:30 flight back to Toronto, and herself and Chris on a 5:30 flight back to New York. That way, they could see him off and still get back to their respective homes early enough to unpack and relax tonight before going back to work in the office tomorrow.
How long did that leave her with him? she wondered. She had woken up at six a.m. and considered crawling onto Lucern, waking him up with a smile, but had come in here to take a shower first. By her guess it was maybe 6:15 or 6:30. That meant she had about ten hours left. Her mouth went dry. Ten hours. Ten hours and then...
Her eyes were suddenly blurry, her heart aching.
Kate brushed away her tears with a disgusted swipe of her fingers. Jesus, what was the matter with her? So they had great s.e.x. She hadn"t done anything stupid like fall in love or anything, she told herself.
But she was lying. It wasn"t just great s.e.x. She"d fallen for the big lug. Cripes. She wasn"t the sort to break the law and rob a blood bank for just any writer. She thought the world of Jodi, but she wouldn"t have done it for her. And she wouldn"t have offered Jodi her wrist for a little breakfast nibble either. Yep, she"d fallen for Lucern. Hard.
How had this happened? When had it happened? Obviously before breakfast on Wednesday. Maybe when Luc had proven he was a man of his word by actually showing up at the conference. No, more likely before she"d ever left Toronto. She was honest enough to admit-at least, to herself-that she hadn"t been able to get the man out of her head during the month between meeting Lucern and seeing him again. She"d taken great joy in reserving his room, registering him at the conference, and choosing and ordering all of his costumes. She"d even dreamt about him-hot, sweaty dreams like the one she"d enjoyed in his home.
Dear G.o.d, she was an idiot. She should have realized. She should have recognized her feelings and stayed away from him. She might have gotten over him in time if she had. No. Now that she had seen his soft side, watched him handle his fans with infinite patience and kindness, smiled and laughed with him and enjoyed the ecstasy only he could give her...
Kate began to cry. Big fat tears rolled down her cheeks. Their reflection in the mirror terrified her. She was afraid she would react the same way at the airport, crying like a baby when she had to say goodbye. Her heart would be on her sleeve, bleeding for him. Lucern would be embarra.s.sed and disgusted. Modern women were supposed to be able to handle such things. They were supposed to embark on affairs with insouciance, then shrug and move on when they ended.
Kate"s heart, ever hopeful, suggested that perhaps this was more than an affair to Lucern, too. She viciously squelched that hope. Luc had never spoken of feelings for her, not even liking. And, as painful as it was to admit, she feared she was just a pleasant meal to the man. He couldn"t control her mind to bite her; he had to impa.s.sion her. And he had impa.s.sioned her. Yet the reason for it was plain to see. He was using her. They had shared pa.s.sionate moments the night he arrived and the morning after, when he had needed blood. Then they"d avoided it again until after the attack by a fan"s husband, when Lucern had again found himself in need.
She was just supper to Lucern. Which was humiliating. But even more shameful was the fact that, if that was her only value to him, Kate wasn"t sure she wouldn"t offer herself on the menu for the rest of her life just to be near him.
She closed her eyes and hugged herself. She couldn"t face Lucern again. She couldn"t risk shaming herself that way.
And if he rejected her...
No. She couldn"t risk seeing him again.
Lucern rolled onto his side and felt around for Kate, but his hand encountered an empty bed. Scowling, he opened an eye and glared through the darkness. She wasn"t there. Forcing himself to sit up, he peered around the room. The d.a.m.ned woman had gotten up and left him alone in bed. He wasn"t finished with her yet. He intended to keep her busy in bed all day. He didn"t give a d.a.m.n about her schedule. This was their last day together, and he planned on making the most of it.
Shoving the blankets aside, he slid out of bed and marched to the bathroom. Kate wasn"t there. His gaze went to the bedside clock. It was a little after 7:30. The only reason the room was dark was because of the blanket he had hung over the blinds on the windows. Turning away from the bed, he jerked his door open and stalked out of his room.
Chris was sitting on the couch watching cartoons. He glanced over his shoulder, then did a double take.
"Oh, geez!" The editor rolled his eyes at Lucern"s nudity and turned back to the TV. "Will you go put some d.a.m.ned clothes on? Man! I... Why am I getting a sense of deja vu here? I"ve never seen you naked before." He turned a suspicious glance Lucern"s way. "Have I?"
Lucern ignored the question. He"d blanked Chris"s memory of the other morning, but he had no intention of telling the editor that. However, he also couldn"t march into Kate"s room like this without revealing the nature of his relationship with her, possibly making her very upset with him. Unless he controlled her friend"s mind again.
You"re watching television, Chris. You don"t see me.
"I don"t see you." Keyes turned back to the television.
Lucern continued on to Kate"s door and thrust it open. Her room was tidy and full of sunlight. The blinds were wide open. Lucern quickly pulled the door closed, then just stood there. He had seen enough to know that the room was empty. The glimpse he had gotten of the closet was enough to make his heart drop into his feet. The closet doors had been wide open, revealing an empty curtain rod and no luggage.
Lucern returned to the living room and whirled toward Chris. Releasing the man"s mind, as he barked, "Where is she?"
Chris turned his head slowly. "Why are you naked?"
"Dammit, Chris, where is Kate? Her stuff is gone."
"Oh." Discomfort flickered on the editor"s face. "She had an emergency. She had to leave. She asked me to keep an eye on you today and see you to your flight tonight."
It didn"t take a mind reader to know Chris was lying; the way his eyes dipped to the side to avoid Lucern"s gave him away. Lucern felt as if he had just been gut-punched. "Kate left?" "Yeah. Like I said, she had an emergency." Chris turned back to the television, but a flush was rising on his neck.
He wasn"t comfortable lying.
Lucern"s mind raced. "How long ago did she leave?"
"Er... well, about half an hour, I guess. She woke me up. Her flight is at eight and she had to get through security and everything. She wasn"t sure she"d make it on time."
Lucern wasn"t listening. He had already run into his room and begun dragging on clothes from the night before.
Re-donning his tuxedo pants and dress shirt, he s.n.a.t.c.hed up his wallet and ran out of his room.
He ran straight out his bedroom door into the hall, rather than waste time moving through the shared living room. Fortunately, there were no resourceful fans hanging about-he would have plowed right over them. He ran to the elevator, waited impatiently for it to arrive, then waited even more impatiently for it to descend the twenty-some floors to the lobby. Everything was awash in sunlight when he hurried out of the elevator. Lucern winced and pulled his collar up to protect as much skin as he could, but otherwise he ignored it and hurried out to the row of cabs lining the front of the hotel. He leapt into the first open one and immediately took control of the driver"s mind, urging him to ignore the speed limit and just go to the airport.
Even so, with traffic, it was 7:56 when he arrived. He still had to find the gate her flight was leaving from. He prayed Kate"s flight would leave late. They often did, he remembered hearing. With one eye on his wrist-watch, he hurried to the information counter and had the woman look up Kate"s name. A little mental nudge from him made sure she didn"t hesitate. Then he was running through the airport, jostling people and pushing them out of the way, and mind-nudging security guards. It was 8:02 when he reached Kate"s gate-just in time to see her plane taxiing away.
Luc stopped short at the door and stood, staring at the aircraft, his shoulders slumping.
"Mr. Amirault?"
Lucern turned slowly, his eyes taking in Lady Barrow"s smiling face. Her eyebrows flew up at his dismayed expression.
"Why, whatever is the matter?" she asked with concern. "You look as if you"ve just lost your best friend in the world." Her words faded into silence as she peered from Lucern to the plane taxiing out of sight. "Oh. I saw your editor before she left."
Lucern"s expression sharpened. "You did? Chris said she had an emergency back in New York."
"Hmm." Lady Barrow didn"t look convinced. "Well, then, there appear to be a lot of those right now. We had one as well. I had to send the editor of my magazine home early to take care of a problem, too. She"s on that flight as well."
Her gaze drifted to the plane again, and she and Luc watched it taxi around the building and out of sight. The woman sighed. "Well, you could probably use a ride. I"ll give you a lift back to the hotel, so you needn"t look for a taxi."
Lucern stiffened when she slid her arm through his. He really didn"t want to ride back with her. He had no desire to talk to anyone at the moment, and was feeling rather raw and weary. Unfortunately, Kate wasn"t the only woman with a strong mind; the thoughts he tried to put into Lady Barrow"s brain obviously had no effect. Rather than drop his arm and leave him to stew in his misery as he wished, she began to tug Luc along the concourse toward the exit.
"Have you enjoyed your first Romantic Times Conference, Mr. Amirault?"
"Luc," he muttered almost sulkily. Then scowled. "No. Yes. No."
"Ah-ha." She didn"t seem the least surprised at his confusion. In fact, she translated his feelings for him nicely. "I gather you were a bit overwhelmed and-added to that-under the weather at first. You began to enjoy yourself after the first day or so, but are now wishing us all to h.e.l.l and back."
Luc turned a startled glance to her, and she gave him a knowing smile laced with understanding. "Watch your head."
He blinked at those words, then realized they were standing beside a limousine with blackened windows. He watched her slip into the car, then followed and closed the door after him with relief. At least he wouldn"t have to worry about the sun on the way back.
"You look a little pale today," Lady Barrow commented, opening the door of a small refrigerator for him to see its contents. "Would you like a drink?"
Lucern"s gaze slid over the bottled water, cans of pop and juice inside, then shifted to Lady Barrow"s throat. He could use a pick-me-up, a quick nibble until he got back to the hotel and his last bag of blood. He"d been saving it for this morning and was now glad he had. He shouldn"t have gone out in the sun.
"Luc?" the woman queried softly.
Lucern sighed and shook his head. He couldn"t bite Lady Barrow without permission. She was far too nice a woman for that. He"d bite Chris instead. The editor deserved it for lying and not telling him at once that Kate had left.
Those few extra minutes might have gotten him to the airport in time to stop her.
"Well, I think you could use a drink," Lady Barrow said. He heard a clinking and the sound of liquid pouring, and he turned to see Kathryn Falk mixing two gla.s.ses of orange juice and champagne. She held one out and asked, "Did you have a spat, or is she running scared?"
Lucern just stared at her agape.
She smiled. "The sparks have been flying off of you two all week. And no one could miss how protective she was of you, or how protective you were of her."
Lucern accepted the morning c.o.c.ktail. He downed it in one gulp, then handed the empty gla.s.s back. What Kathryn Falk said was true, unfortunately. But Lady Barrow couldn"t know that the protectiveness on Kate"s part had been purely professional in nature-she had promised to look after him and had fulfilled that promise beautifully. As for the sparks...
Oh, well I do try to keep my writers happy, Luc.
Lucern"s mouth tightened as Kate"s words rang through his head. He didn"t think she had faked all of her pa.s.sion, or that she had done it as part of her job, but she had left him this morning as if none of it mattered. Or as if she feared he might take it to mean more than it did and cause an awkward scene or something. And he might very well have, he realized. He might have done something as foolish as ask her to come home to Toronto with him, or...
His mind shied away from the "or." Lucern wasn"t ready to admit his possible desire to spend an eternity with Kate.
To laugh and cry and fight and make love with such pa.s.sion for centuries. No, he wasn"t ready for that.
A gla.s.s appeared before his face, which Lady Barrow had refilled for him. When he hesitated, she said, "She"ll come to her senses, Luc. You"re a handsome, gifted, successful man. Kate will come to her senses. She just needs time."
Lucern grunted and accepted the drink. "Time is something I have lots of."
The comment was to weigh heavily on Lucern"s mind over the following weeks. He returned to the hotel with Lady Barrow, but didn"t stay any longer than it took to pack his bags. He headed back to the airport and took the first available flight back to Toronto.
His house, his safe haven for some time, seemed cold and empty when he entered it. There was nothing there but memories. Kate sat on his couch, lecturing him about the importance of readers. She rushed anxiously to his side in the kitchen to exclaim over a head wound he didn"t have. She laughed, did a little dance and gave him a high-five in his office. She moaned and writhed with pa.s.sion in his guest-room bed, which he had pathetically taken to sleeping in. She haunted his mind, filling it nearly every moment of the day. But that was all she did.