"Like what?" Jo asked curiously.
"Food." "Food?" she echoed with surprise.
Nicholas nodded. "Food becomes little more than a troublesome bother and we tend to lose our taste for it around one hundred and fifty or so."
Jo raised her eyebrows, but supposed she could un-demand that. There were nights when she was trying to figure out what to make for dinner for herself and it just seemed a big bother.
She suspected after a hundred years, which would be around thirty-six thousand, five hundred dinners and as many lunches and breakfasts, she too would think, Why bother? But... Her gaze slid to the empty chicken bucket between them. If Nicholas was truly born in 1449 he was well over the hundred and fifty marker, yet was eating. Jo didn" t think for a minute that Charlie had eaten all that chicken on his own while she"d slept.
"And s.e.x," Nicholas said suddenly, drawing her attention again.
Jo"s eyes were incredulous as she asked, "s.e.x? You can get tired of that?"
He shrugged and said almost apologetically, "With non- life mates, it starts to become a lot like masturbation after a while."
"Oh right, you can control them and make them do what you want," she realized, and frowned, wondering if he"d done that with her. Had her pa.s.sion been real? It had certainly felt real. She"d ached for him with every part of her body. Or thought she had. "So, was what we did-"
"It was real," Nicholas interrupted firmly. "I ca-didn" t control you or put thoughts or feeling in your mind. I never have with any woman, at least not intentionally," he qualified with a frown.
She relaxed under the knowledge that he hadn"t controlled her, and she did believe him when he said that. It might be foolish, she hardly knew the man, but when it came right down to it, Jo trusted Nicholas and had from the start. Just as Charlie did.
"So, s.e.x can become boring," Jo commented, finding it hard to fathom.
"I"m afraid so," Nicholas said solemnly. "The best way to explain it is that it becomes just a function; repet.i.tive and boring. There"s no real feeling for the other person when you know you can read and control them, and once you"ve sown your wild oats, so to speak, it"s just not that interesting anymore." He frowned and then glanced down and muttered, "Until you encounter your life mate."
"And what"s it like with a life mate?" she asked quietly.
Nicholas sighed and looked unhappy as he admitted, "Then it"s all brand-new again; incredible, pa.s.sionate, all-consuming, and addictive. You can"t get enough at first. Being in the same room with them makes your body hum and ache. Their scent is like an aphrodisiac, their smile makes you want to rip their clothes off, their touch makes you want to bury yourself deep inside them and stay there forever." Jo swallowed. The man had lifted his gaze to her halfway through his words and his eyes were flaming that silver she"d noted earlier. She supposed it must have something to do with the nanos and the night vision thing, but didn" t ask. The hungry look in his eyes was making her squirm in her seat and goose b.u.mps rise on her skin. Jo was pretty sure her nipples were suddenly erect too; like a dog salivating at the sight of food, her body was responding to just his look.
"You can" t read me," she said abruptly.
Nicholas stilled, his eyes losing some of their silver sheen and going wary. "What makes you think that?"
"Oh, I don" t know," Jo drawled. "Maybe the fact that you said, "I can" t read you" last night in this kind of wondering tone after trying to send me back to the house."
"I was hoping you hadn" t caught that," he muttered, flopping back unhappily in his chair.
Jo blinked. "Let me get this straight. You can" t read me, and your appet.i.te for food and, I"d say," she added dryly, "s.e.x has returned?"
"Yes, but-"
"And according to you these are signs of a life mate. Yes?"
"Yes, but-"
"Also according to you," she continued over him, "life mates are rare and as wonderful as an oasis in the desert?"
"Yes, but-"
"But you don"t want me," Jo finished for him bitterly, and then asked, "What? You"re gay?
"Cause I have to say, if you"re gay, you did a very good imitation of a straight guy here this afternoon."
"I"m not gay," Nicholas a.s.sured her on a sigh.
"And yet you don"t want me... me, your life mate," she said with feigned good cheer. "Weird, huh?"
"It"s not that I don" t want you, Jo," he said, and then cursed with frustration and admitted, "Jesus, all I can think about is you. I nearly gave myself hypothermia taking a cold shower this afternoon, then nearly scalded myself with a hot one to warm up after, and I still can"t think of anything but you. You naked, you half naked, or even you not naked but in a short little skirt that I pull up so I can bury myself in you."
Jo blinked as that image rose up in her mind. She didn"t normally wear skirts, but she had one or two for special occasions and did have one little black leather number that would be perfect for what he suggested. If she"d been wearing it last night, Jo suspected Nicholas would have tugged it up and they"d have gotten a lot further than kisses and caresses before they"d been interrupted by the sounds from the men in the garage.
d.a.m.n, Jo realized with dismay, just a couple of words had gotten her hot all ove r again.
Sighing, she said, "So what"s the problem? You want me, I want you..." Jo paused and frowned, and then said, "Of course, I"m not talking marriage or anything here. We need to get to know each other better and I am very busy. But I wouldn"t be averse to the occasional dinner or movie followed by really hot s.e.x."
"Jo," Nicholas said quietly, and reached across the table, holding his hand out.
She placed her hand in his and felt a quiver of excitement shiver its way up her arm and then spread through her body when his fingers closed over hers. Jeez, she had it bad, Jo acknowledged, and then noted the way Nicholas stiffened, swallowed, and closed his eyes and suspected he was having a similar reaction. They both had it bad, and really she"d had enough talking, they should move this discussion to the bed and talk with their bodies, she thought faintly, running her thumb softly over the back of his hand. Nicholas released her at once and sat up.
"I want you," he admitted grimly, and his eyes were glowing silver again.
Jo suspected that was a tell with him. Like an inbuilt mood ring; when his eyes were sky blue, he was serene. Molten silver meant hot and h.o.r.n.y. Which was fine with her, she was feeling rather hot and bothered herself.
"But I can" t claim you," Nicholas added firmly.
"Claim me?" she echoed blankly, and then gave a laugh. "You make me sound like lost luggage, Nicholas. No one can claim me. I have free will."
When Nicholas looked all mournful and sad and merely shook his head, Jo rolled her eyes.
She supposed it was some tortured vampire thing she didn"t understand, but she wasn" t in the mood for it, her body was still tingling from just holding hands with him, not to mention the memories of what they"d done earlier.
Standing, Jo moved around the table and dropped into his lap. She slid her arms around his shoulders and said, "Fortunately for you, I"m free and willing."
"Jo," he said sadly, but she didn" t want to hear it and covered his mouth with her own.
Nicholas kept his mouth closed and reached for her arms, presumably to push her away, but the moment she let her tongue slide out to run over his lips, he froze.
Jo smiled, and then slid her lips to his ear and nibbled briefly before whispering, "I ache for you."
Nicholas sucked in a harsh breath, and then it was like something snapped. Suddenly his head jerked around so his lips could claim hers, and he launched himself to his feet with her in his arms. In one quick step he was tumbling her to the bed, and then the phone rang. "Ignore it," Nicholas growled, leaning to tug her borrowed T-shirt out of her jeans and push it up to reveal her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.
Jo gasped as he bent his head to suck the nipple of one into his mouth, and then scowled with irritation as the phone rang again. She never had been able to ignore a ringing phone. It might be something important. Cursing under her breath, Jo reached out to grab the phone and pulled it to her ear, gasping, "h.e.l.lo?" as Nicholas drew on her nipple, sending excitement rocketing through her.
"Mrs. Smith? This is the front desk. There"s a pizza delivery here for you."
"Oh... um... yes," Jo moaned as Nicholas pressed a hand between her legs. Shaking her head, she reached down to push his hand away, and cleared her throat before muttering, "That"s fine. Send him..." She paused on a gasp as Nicholas nipped lightly at her nipple.
Fortunately, the officious-sounding woman on the other end understood.
"I"m sorry, ma"am. We don" t allow anyone without room keys past the lobby at night."
"What?" Jo asked blankly, grabbing at Nicholas"s hand as he began to undo her jeans. He stopped at once and levered himself off the bed to begin stripping off his T-shirt.
Jo watched him, eyes eating up the wide expanse of chest revealed as the receptionist explained, "It"s a security thing, ma"am. We"ve had some trouble with people breaking into the rooms and robbing the guests while they were absent, so we no longer allow anyone who isn"t staying here past the lobby unless the guest comes to get them."
"Right," she breathed on a sigh as the T-shirt went flying and Nicholas started on his belt.
"The delivery man will be here at the desk waiting for you though."
"Right," Jo repeated and hung up blindly, feeling around for the phone hook rather than looking. She was too busy watching as Nicholas finished undoing his jeans and pushed them down. She sat up as he stepped out of them and scampered off the bed, barely missing being pinned by his body as he did a belly dive onto the bed.
Rolling over, he growled, "Your turn. Strip for me."
Jo felt liquid pool in her belly at the heated look in his eyes, but shook her head. "As soon as I get back."
"What?" Nicholas sat up in surprise as she headed for the door. He was on his feet and catching her arm before she could get the door wholly open. "Where are you going? Who was on the phone?"
Jo"s eyes wandered naughtily down his body. The man was magnificent naked and smelled good enough to eat. She briefly considered dropping to her knees and doing just that, or at least licking and nibbling a bit, but then her stomach rumbled, reminding her that food waited below and that she was hungry.
"That was the front desk," she explained. "The pizza I ordered is here." "You ordered pizza?" Nicholas asked with horror.
"Well you ate all the chicken you so kindly bought, presumably for both of us," Jo pointed out dryly.
"Oh, right," Nicholas muttered with chagrin and glanced guiltily back toward the empty bucket on the table, but then he frowned and turned back. "Why isn" t the delivery guy bringing it up here?"
"Security. They don"t let anyone without room keys past the lobby. She said they"ve had rooms broken into and robbed while guests were out, but I suspect it"s to discourage guests from having prost.i.tutes in. I have a friend who works in one of these hotels downtown, and she said they have a terrible problem with prost.i.tutes propositioning guests in the hotel. I"m guessing security here is hoping a guy"s less likely to have a prost.i.tute in if the front desk makes them go down to collect them."
Nicholas grunted at this, but then asked, "What name did you give?"
"Smith," she said patiently. "It is the name you checked us in under... and I"m paying cash."
He relaxed, but frowned. "I don" t know if I have enough money on me at the moment to-"
"I do." Jo pulled her wallet from her back pocket and waved it between them. "I don"t carry a purse. My wallet is always in my back pocket. Comes in handy on those occasions when I"m on the run and hungry, huh?" Jo grinned and then leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, one hand sliding the wallet back in her pocket, the other reaching down to briefly squeeze the more than firm erection he sported. "Mmm, still hot and hard. Good thing pizza is good cold.
We" ll pick up where we left off when I get back."
Nicholas growled and tried to draw her into his arms, but she quickly slid away and ducked out the door, promising, "When I get back."
Jo heard him sigh a moment before the door closed and smiled to herself as she scurried up the hall to the elevator.
Chapter Eleven.
Jo spotted the pizza guy the moment she entered the lobby. He stood by the concierge"s desk and was hard to miss in his red jacket and red hat with the pizza place logo on the front. She paid him quickly, tipping him handsomely for having to wait, and then headed for the elevators, only to decide they might need more pop. She"d purchased only the two cans earlier; those were now open and no doubt going flat and watery as the ice melted in them and would probably be completely unpalatable by the time they got around to the pizza. The thought of what would come before the pizza made her smile as Jo detoured toward the small convenience store. She walked in, automatically tossing a smile of greeting toward the cashier, but the man had his back to the till as he stocked cigarettes in the cupboard behind the counter. Shrugging, she continued on her way to the refrigerators at the back.
Once there, Jo shifted the pizza to rest on one hand like a tray and used her other hand to open the gla.s.s door. She had just jarred it open with one knee so that she could reach in and grab a couple of cans when someone said, "This is where Jo made the cash withdrawal."
Jo stiffened, recognizing Bricker"s voice. She also recognized Mortimer"s when he said, "That was almost an hour ago. She won"t be here now."
"No." This time it was Anders"s voice. "But they"re probably staying in this hotel."
"And the cashier might remember her," Decker suggested. "He might be able to tell us if she said anything that might indicate if they"re staying here or what."
"Hmm."
Jo turned her head cautiously to peer toward the front of the store where the voices were coming from, but the rows of shelves were in the way and she couldn"t see the front of the store. That meant they couldn"t see her either, Jo decided as she took her hand off the cans in the refrigerator and gently eased the door closed.
"We"re looking for a woman who was in here about an hour ago. She used the ATM and may have purchased something. She"s about five foot four inches tall, cute, with dark brown hair she wears in a ponytail."
Jo closed her eyes, sure the man was about to admit she"d been in there, but instead she heard, "Sorry, no one like that today and it"s been slow. I"d have remembered."
Jo"s eyes blinked open and for one moment she thought the guy was covering for her, and then she recalled the wild ma.s.s her hair had been when she"d seen herself in the mirror after returning with the pop. She definitely hadn" t looked cute then. She"d probably also seemed a couple of inches taller because of the hair.
"Maybe she"s dyed her hair," Bricker suggested quietly. "Or Nicholas could have used the card."
Mortimer cursed. "We" ll have to search the hotel. I"m going to watch the lobby and the elevators while I call in all the local enforcers. Decker and Anders, I want each of you at the stairwell exits. Bricker, you watch the door to the parking garage. Once we get some more people here we" ll start going floor by floor. Nicholas is not getting away this time and he"s definitely not taking Jo with him."
The words had grown more distant as Mortimer had spoken and then silence followed, suggesting that they"d left the store, but Jo waited where she was for a minute, not wanting to risk running into them. She had shifted the pizza to hold it with both hands and was standing there debating what she should do when the cashier said, "Miss? Is there something I can help you with?" Jo glanced forward, but all she saw was the row of potato chips stacked on the first shelf next to the pop. She then glanced up and around, spotting the man in a rounded security mirror in the corner of the store. It was a d.a.m.ned good thing Mortimer and the guys hadn" t checked out the mirror while in here, Jo thought as she met the cashier"s gaze. One glance told her that they were gone, however, and she started for the front of the store.
"Hey, there were some guys in here a minute ago and you fit the description of the gal they"re looking for," the cashier said as she stepped out from between the aisles.
"Yeah, thanks, I" ll go find them," Jo lied cheerfully and hurried out of the store, only to pause just outside the door, unsure which way to go. She couldn"t go back out into the lobby to catch the elevator, Mortimer was going to make his calls from there and would be watching them. She couldn"t take the stairs either because he"d sent Decker and Anders to watch them.
Jo was just debating finding a phone and calling the room to tell Nicholas to get out when someone grabbed her arm.
"Jo? Hey girl, how"s it going?"
"Beth?" she asked with surprise, glancing to the brunette who had approached her. "Hey."
She held the pizza box with one hand and hugged the girl with the other. "I knew you worked in one of the hotels downtown, but didn" t realize it was this one."
"Yeah." Beth grimaced. "And I pulled a late shift tonight. You aren" t delivering pizza now, are you? What happened to your job at the bar?"
"Oh..." Jo glanced down to the pizza box she held. "No. I still work at the bar. This is for me and a friend. We have a room upstairs."
"Oh?" Beth grinned and then nudged her. "A man in your life, huh? You never tell me anything."
Jo smiled nervously, and glanced warily toward the front of the hotel. Part of the lobby was visible, but she couldn"t see Mortimer.
"It"s nice to hear though," Beth added solemnly. "All you ever seem to do is work. A social life is a good thing."