Her eyelids fluttered down as she turned into his embrace. Her arms went around his waist, and she hugged him tight as she lost herself in the wonder and magic of being near him, of having his mouth on hers. He smelled of sandalwood cologne and musk. The combined scents made her stomach curl with pleasure. A delightful warmth spread through her, leaving her feeling weak and exhilarated at the same time. She moaned softly when his tongue stroked hers.
Pulling away, she fanned herself with one hand.
Zack looked at her, a smug, masculine grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Kaitlyn blew out a breath. “I think I need a drink.”
He nodded, reluctant to let her go when he wanted nothing more than to swing her into his arms and carry her to bed, to touch and taste her all night long. But maybe it was better to take it slow.
“As it happens,” he said, tamping down both his desire and his hunger, “I know a place that serves a great strawberry daiquiri.”
“As tempting as that sounds, I think I’d better go home.”
“Are you sure?”
Kaitlyn nodded. Going home was the last thing she wanted to do, but right now, it was the safest thing. For both of them.
She was vaguely disappointed when Zack didn’t argue. Instead, he took her hand and drew her to her feet.
She tried to think of something to say while they walked up the path, but words failed her. She couldn’t tell him the truth—couldn’t tell him she was fighting an almost desperate yearning, not only for the taste of his blood, but a hunger for his body, as well.
Better to let him think that she was a prude, or that things were moving too fast, rather than let him know the truth.
Chapter 5
After bidding Kaitlyn a reluctant good night, Zack willed himself to the city, which was roughly twenty miles from the casino. It might have been smarter to build his place closer to the general population, but he liked the club’s solitary location, liked having some distance between himself and the tourists after the casino closed for the night.
It wasn’t easy, being constantly surrounded by the lure of beating hearts and the coppery scent of blood. It was easier to ignore temptation when it was far away. But tonight, his hunger wouldn’t be denied.
He knew it was only his imagination, but it seemed that even here, miles away from her cabin, he could still hear the beating of Kaitlyn’s heart, smell the sweetness of her blood.
Hunger drew him to an all-night café. Pausing inside the door, he opened his preternatural senses and quickly scanned the room. The man at the far table was drunk. The couple in the booth was too old. The woman sitting near the window was an actress down on her luck, but she was young and smelled clean.
With an effort of will, he called to her, then stepped out onto the sidewalk to wait.
A moment later, she was there, her eyes void of expression as she waited to do his bidding. Taking her by the hand, he led her down the street and into an alley between two commercial buildings.
A search of her mind revealed her name. “Alice.”
She looked up at him, her expression blank.
“Relax, Alice,” he murmured, taking her into his arms. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
She gazed up at him, her lips slightly parted, her heart pounding with fear.
Zack brushed her hair over her shoulder, his fingertips trailing down the length of her neck while his mind invaded hers. She was a lovely girl who had left her home in Montana, certain that having a pretty face was all she needed to make it in Hollywood. Having failed that, she was ashamed to go back home and admit defeat.
It was an all-too-familiar story. Bending his head to her neck, he took what he needed, wishing, all the time, that it was Kaitlyn in his arms, her blood chasing away the coldness within him.
When he had taken his fill, he captured the girl’s gaze with his. “You will remember none of this,” he said quietly. “Do you understand?”
She nodded, her eyes still blank.
“Where are you staying tonight?”
“At the hotel down the street.”
“All right. I want you to go there now and go to bed.” Reaching into his pocket, Zack pulled out a handful of bills and pressed them into her hand. “Tomorrow, you’re going to buy a plane ticket and go home.” He stroked her cheek. “You will not remember me, or this conversation.”
She nodded again.
“Tell me again what you’re you going to do tomorrow.”
“I’m going home.”
And even though she was in a trance, he heard the happiness, the relief, in her voice.
Zack sent her on her way and then, unable to resist, he willed himself to Kaitlyn’s place. The house was dark, but that was no surprise. It was late.
Standing outside her bedroom window, he listened to the slow, steady beat of her heart, the quiet even sound of her breathing. Funny, he thought, how the sounds soothed him.
Assured that she was home and safely asleep in her bed, he headed down the mountain.
Chapter 6
Kaitlyn slept late, fixed a big breakfast, and then, at loose ends, wandered through the cabin trying to find something to do. The laundry was done. The dishes were done. She had vacuumed yesterday. Bored, she rearranged the dishes in the kitchen cupboards, rearranged the furniture in the living room, and then put it all back the way it had been before.
Standing in the middle of the room, she glanced around, thinking that, since she lived alone and was naturally tidy, the place would never really get dirty.
When she ran out of make-work things to do, she sat on the sofa and filed her nails and tried to decide what she should do, now that she was out of college. She didn’t need money, but she did need something to keep her busy during the day. A job, she thought. That was the answer. Of course, there wasn’t much call for an expert in comparative folklore these days. Still, she was reasonably intelligent—there must be something she could do.
With that thought in mind, she decided to walk down to the casino. She could buy a newspaper there and check out the want ads while she ate lunch at the restaurant.
And if she was lucky, she might run into Zack.
It took only minutes to make her way down the hill to the casino restaurant. After a short wait, she was seated at a small table near the back window. She ordered a turkey club sandwich and a strawberry lemonade, then opened the paper she had picked up in the lobby and perused the help-wanted section. She frowned as she looked at the available jobs. Waitress. Maid at one of the hotels. Babysitter. Clerk at the Pink Poodle Boutique. Dog walker. Checker at one of the local markets.