“Sky ...” Dammit, why did she smell so good? All he could think about was burying his fangs in the tender skin beneath her ear. He should have left town. That would have been the smart thing to do. So, why the hell hadn’t he taken off? Stupid question. The answer was currently sobbing in his arms as if her heart would break.
She sniffed, the sound muffled against his shoulder.
Cursing softly, he guided her to the sofa, sat down, and cradled her against his chest. She deserved a good cry. She had been through a lot in the last few years. A nasty divorce. Her brother missing in action. The loss of her grandfather.
Thorne cursed softly. And then he had come along. He had spent every day and night with her, and then he had left her just like everyone else.
He brushed a kiss across the top of her head. “I’m sorry, Sky. I won’t leave you like that again, I promise.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” she said, sniffling.
“We’re friends, and friends shouldn’t treat each other that way.”
Friends, she thought dully. Was that all they were? It wasn’t enough, not for her. She wanted their relationship to be more. Much more. “Where were you?”
“I had to go out of town,” he said, and hoped she would leave it at that. He should have known better.
“Oh?”
There were a wealth of unspoken questions in that single word. He decided to go with a version of the truth. “Paddy’s potion wore off. I told you it wasn’t a matter of life and death, but I needed to find something to replace it.”
“Another tonic?”
“You could call it that.”
She looked up at him, her gaze searching his face. “Did you find one? Are you all right now?”
“I’m doing better all the time.”
Her smile was brilliant, like the sun breaking through the clouds. “I’m glad, Kaiden.”
He murmured his thanks, wondering how he would explain his sudden aversion to sunlight and why he could no longer visit with her during the day.
“Well,” Sky said reluctantly, “I guess I should go ...”
It was for the best, Thorne mused, so why in hell was he tempted to ask her to stay?
He clenched his hands to keep from holding on to her as she slid off his lap and gained her feet.
“Well,” she murmured, straightening her sweater, “good night.”
She sounded as lonely and unhappy as he felt, and in spite of all his good intentions, he heard himself saying, “Don’t go.”
She looked up at him, her bright blue eyes alight with hope.
He lifted one shoulder and let it fall. “Stay and have a glass of wine. It’s going to rain.”
“It is?” She glanced at the window. “How do you know?”
“I can smell it. Will you stay?”
“All right.”
She wiped the last of her tears away with her fingertips, then sat on the sofa while he opened a bottle of burgundy and filled two delicate crystal glasses.
“What shall we drink to?” she asked as he handed her one of the goblets.
Thorne swirled the wine in his glass, absently observing the play of the firelight on the wine. The way the dark red liquid lingered on the inner wall reminded him of blood.
His gaze moved to Sky’s throat, to the pulse steadily beating there. The scent of her blood was far more intoxicating than any wine could ever be.
Her heart began to beat faster under his intense regard. With an effort, he drew his gaze from her throat. “To better days,” he murmured.
Sky nodded. “To better days,” she repeated.
Lifting his glass, Thorne sipped his wine, only it wasn’t the burgundy he tasted on his tongue, it was the warm, coppery flavor of Skylynn’s blood. He should leave town, he thought, now, tonight, before it was too late. Because if he stayed, he knew without a doubt that he would have to taste her again.
Sky was online late the next afternoon, looking for available jobs in Vista Verde, when the doorbell rang. Hoping it might be Kaiden, she ran a hand over her hair as she hurried to answer it.
But it wasn’t Kaiden. “Harry!”
“Hello, Skylynn.”
She stared at him, stunned. She had never known Harry Poteet to go anywhere, including visiting his parents, without first making an appointment.
Sky glanced past Harry to the house across the street. Was Kaiden home? Maybe looking out the window?
Harry cleared his throat. “May I come in?”
Sky gave herself a mental shake, wondering why she felt guilty for seeing another man. “Of course.”
She stepped back, her thoughts chaotic as Harry entered the house. What was he doing here? He looked fit and trim in a pair of brown slacks, a white button-down shirt, power tie, and brown loafers. His light brown hair had been cut recently, his cheeks were clean-shaven.
She led the way into the living room and gestured toward the sofa. “Please, sit down.” She took a seat on the chair across from him and folded her hands in her lap. “What brings you here?”
“You, of course. I know you’re upset about your grandfather’s death, but is that any reason to quit your job?”
“How’d you hear about that?”
“I saw Don Laskey at the club day before yesterday. He told me you had tendered your resignation.”
How could she have forgotten that her boss and Harry occasionally played golf together?
“I can’t believe you’ve decided to stay here,” he said, glancing around.
Sky followed his gaze, seeing the room the way he would. The furniture was well-worn and outdated, the carpet near the front window had faded. But a home wasn’t made up of material things, it was built on memories. And all of her best memories were tied to this house. “I like it here.”
He made a dismissive gesture with his hand. “How can you give up Chicago for this nothing town?”
“This is my home, Harry. I’ll thank you to remember that.”
“Skylynn, I thought we had a future together. We’ve always gotten along. We like the same things, the same people. I want you to come home with me.”
She stared at him, at his perfectly creased trousers, his carefully styled hair, and wondered why she had ever thought herself in love with him. “I’m sorry, Harry, I can’t.”
He sat up a little straighter. “Is there someone else?”
“Would that make it easier?”
His eyes narrowed. “Who is it?”
“There’s no one else. Coming back here made me realize I’ve never been happy in Chicago, never really happy with my job.”