“Care to explain to me what a girl like you was doing fighting two vampires?”
“How about you explain it?”
His stunned look appeared genuine and surprised her. “You’re not suggesting I had anything to do with that?”
“Well, did you?”
Amaury slowly moved his head from side to side. “I’m not the kind of man who sends two guys after helpless women like you.”
“I’m not helpless.”
He raised a mocking eyebrow. “Whatever. I do my own dirty work. I don’t hire others to do it for me.”
“I see.”
“I don’t see how you could.” He paused. “I was looking for you. Seems somebody else found you first. Wanna explain to me what they wanted from you, besides the obvious?”
How much of the fight had he heard before he’d intervened? Was he aware that Johan had wanted to have his fun with her? “I wouldn’t know. I was as surprised by the two as you were.”
“Believe me, vampires don’t attack indiscriminately. There’s always a reason.”
He couldn’t be serious. Vampires attacked whenever they felt like it or found an easy target. As if they needed a reason to do harm. Did he think she was gullible enough to believe vampires had some sort of moral code they operated by?
“Since they were the ones attacking me, maybe you should ask them.”
“Dead vampires don’t talk.”
“One’s still alive. How about you go after him, rather than abduct me?”
“I’m taking care of you first, whether you like it or not.”
They entered a six-story apartment building, and effortlessly Amaury carried her up the stairs to the top floor.
“Can you grab my keys out of my right jacket pocket, please?”
It would be easier if he’d drop her onto her feet, but he seemed to have no intention of doing so. Nina bent toward his side and stretched her arm to reach into his pocket. The action brought her head closer to his. She felt him inhale sharply. Was he sniffing her hair?
She quickly took the keys out of his pocket and reached toward the door. Within seconds they were inside. Nina took in the large apartment. The ceilings were at least twelve feet high, and the style reminded her of the 1920s, which was probably when the building was erected. To her right were floor-to-ceiling windows with a view into downtown and the Bay Bridge.
There was a small office alcove and a sitting area. In another corner she saw a punching bag suspended from the ceiling, something she’d expect to see in a boxing gym, not the home of a vampire. Not that she’d ever been to a vampire’s lair.
Amaury sat her down on the couch. When his arms released her, she felt strangely cold and shivered instantly. It confirmed what she’d felt when straddling him earlier: his body was warm. And now that she thought of it, when he’d kissed her the night before, his lips and tongue had been downright hot. How could that be? She’d always assumed that a vampire’s body was cold—in fact, she knew that from the movies. But no way would she ask him why. For all she knew, over-confident as he was, he’d think she was interested in him, when she was anything but!
“You’ve lost some blood. Here.” He handed her the afghan which had carelessly lain over the backrest of the armchair.
“Thanks.” She took the blanket with shaking fingers and covered her lower body with it. Nervousness crept through her body at the knowledge of being alone with him in his place. This was his home turf – he had all the advantage he could ever want.
“See, you do have some manners.” He walked toward one of the doors and disappeared behind what she assumed was either the master bedroom or a bathroom.
“You oaf!” she grumbled under her breath. The man was infuriating. He treated her like a child, when she was no child at all.
Running away from her last foster home with her little brother in tow had ensured she’d grown up fast. Stealing, cheating, and fighting her way through adolescence had done the rest. And now she was a self-sufficient grown woman of twenty-seven. Definitely no child!
“What are you mumbling?”
He’d surprised her with how fast he’d returned, a bowl of water and a towel in hand.
“I’m not mumbling anything.”
“Move over,” he ordered. “I’m going to clean your cuts.”
“I can do it myself. You’re not getting anywhere near my blood.” Did she have naïve tattooed on her forehead? Like she didn’t know what he wanted.
“Ah, I see the issue. You’re worried I’ll bite? If that was my intention I would have done it where I found you. Trust me, take-out is fine by me. I feed on the go.”