Truly, Madly...Deadly (a vampire romance) (Night Fall Book 2) Page 2

  This was a big joke to him. And in that moment, she knew he wasn’t the killer. Vamp or not, he wouldn’t harm her.

  With his mouth against her neck, he lifted his body off hers, and she followed him upright, sitting in the sand. He slid around her until she was between him and six raised weapons. When he settled, his long, bare legs stretched alongside hers and an arm held her back against his belly, his cock snug between them.

  “Our little secret,” he whispered.

  She was getting damned annoyed with the whispers that raised the hairs on the side of her neck. “Not so damn little. And definitely not a secret.”

  “Glad you noticed.”

  Darcy glared straight ahead.

  “You’re the Special Unit, aren’t you?” the vampire asked, his voice pitched for the group to hear.

  Darcy wished she could see the expressions of her teammates, but the lights trained on her kept them in shadow. How the hell did he know that?

  “I’ve been looking for an opportunity to approach you, regarding a delicate matter.”

  “You have our full attention now,” Joe said, his voice deadly calm.

  “There’s a serial killer in your midst.”

  Darcy heard a snort of disbelief and the shuffling of feet.

  “Yeah, and we’re looking at him,” Joe said.

  This male posturing wasn’t getting the vampire’s cock off her back. “Joe, shut up. This isn’t accomplishing anything.” Glancing over her shoulder, she said, “My name’s Darcy.”

  “A pleasure to meet you,” he murmured in her ear. “Call me Quentin.”

  Quentin. Now killing him would be harder. He had a human name to go with his human face and that sexy accent. “There’s more you want to tell us?”

  “I believe we have a mutual foe. I, too, am hunting.”

  “The way I see it,” Joe said, “the killing started about the same time you showed up.”

  Quentin’s hand tightened on her belly. “I followed the bastard here. From Seattle. My friends aren’t any more pleased with the attention his actions bring on our community than you are with cleaning up his messes.”

  Before Joe could issue another challenging remark, Darcy broke in, “What are you suggesting?”

  “That we partner.”

  Shock had her gasping. “Our unit partner with a vampire?” It was unheard of. Their unit killed vampires—all vampires.

  “There would be advantages to us both,” he said, his tone cheerful. “You know the area. I have a vampire’s perspective and special skills.”

  “We don’t need you to help us find a vampire,” Joe said. “We do just fine on our own. We found you, didn’t we?”

  “And when you catch him? He’s not going into escape mode, like most. He won’t panic. And you won’t find him by accident.”

  His words sent a chill through Darcy.

  “He’s a calculated killer.” The vamp’s words were becoming clipped.

  An impatient vampire wouldn’t be good for her health.

  “Think, guys,” Darcy said. “The killer has left remnants of his meals in plain sight, taunting us.”

  “Are you suggesting we should take on this vampire?” Joe asked, his light jerked as he spoke.

  “No.” I just want him off my back. “I’m saying this isn’t our decision.”

  “We’ll bring you to the captain.” Joe sounded disgusted.

  “If you help us,” Darcy said, “What’s in it for you?”

  “Besides your knowledge of the area? I need a place to stay.” His arm tightened. “I choose yours.”

  The air whooshed from her lungs. “No fucking way,” she ground out, even while images hurtled through her mind—of him and her…

  “Guys,” Max said, “let’s get this bastard some pants before Darcy hyperventilates.”

  Chapter Two

  ‡

  Her teammates were crowded around the bathroom door at the station house when Darcy returned with a cup of steaming coffee. “What gives?” she asked. “Doesn’t the uniform fit?”

  “Seems when a vampire gets it up, he has to do something with it.” Max shrugged. “You asked.”

  Darcy’s face burned. “Sorry I did.”

  A roar echoed from inside the bathroom, and Darcy turned on her heels. Head down, she carried her cup to the conference room table to wait for the rest of the crew to file in and take their seats. She hated to admit, even to herself, that she was eager to see the vamp again. Her fascination horrified her.

  Or so she wanted to believe.

  Finally, he strode into the room, looking irritated and wearing prison orange. Despite the unfortunate color, he was still devastatingly handsome. Darcy had seen him in luminescent green and in shadow, but bright fluorescent light revealed his eyes were a startling blue and his hair, finally dry and combed, fell in silver-blond waves to the tops of his broad shoulders.

  Darcy cleared her throat, hoping no one had noticed her staring. “What’s the matter?” she asked him. “Not your color?”

  He shivered in disgust. “It’s vile.” He took an empty seat beside her.

  Not used to being this close to a vampire without ramming a stake through its chest, Darcy’s senses were ringing all alarms.

  Joe slipped into the chair on the other side of her, his brown-eyed gaze glaring at them both.

  “Your boyfriend?” Quentin asked, his voice silky.

  “My partner,” she said, between stiff lips.

  Feeling awkward sandwiched between the two of them, Darcy was supremely aware of the silent testosterone war between the two men—one glowering, one smiling. Darcy straightened in her chair, blocking their staring war. Immediately, she recognized her mistake. Now, they were both focused on her.

  Another of the team, Phil Carstairs, entered carrying Darcy’s bow and quiver. “I retrieved this from the beach.” He held the crossbow in front of Quentin and sneered.

  Darcy murmured her thanks, accepted her gear, and laid the items on the table.

  The vampire reached past her and drew an arrow from the quiver. “Not silver?” He raised a single eyebrow while he fingered the tip.

  “I wanted to be sure it would pierce your chest,” she said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “The wooden shaft does the trick.”

  “You prefer an arrow to drive deep?” he purred, his expression innocent.

  Darcy’s cheeks heated.

  The door of the conference room swung open, and the captain entered, looking strangely pleased. He approached the vampire, hand extended. “I’m Captain Leon Springer.”

  Darcy’s jaw dropped.

  The vamp stood and accepted the handshake. “Quentin Albermarle, at your service.”

  “I’m pleased to meet you. And I apologize for the inconvenience.”

  Darcy sat stunned. The captain was apologizing to a vamp? She’d half-expected him to ream their asses for bringing him here in the first place. She looked around the table and saw, by their ferocious frowns, that the rest of the team was similarly shocked.

  “You must understand our concerns,” the captain continued. “Everyone’s a little on edge. The reports of random murders out of Seattle, and then murders following the same M.O. begin here, shortly after you arrive. My guys jumped to conclusions.”

  “Understandable, given the circumstances.”

  Quentin’s smug expression made Darcy want to plant her fist in the middle of it.

  “Can you believe this?” Joe muttered.

  Darcy shook her head. “Not now,” she whispered. But she agreed. What the fuck is going on?

  “I’ve verified your story with the Seattle PD,” the captain said. “You come highly recommended.”

  Quentin nodded and watched while the captain took his seat at the head of the table, his crew of black-uniformed officers taking the remaining chairs.

  All were prime specimens of human males—well-able to take him in a battle to the death. His gaze fell on the one exception—the woman sitt
ing beside him. Her slender backbone was as straight as one of her deadly arrows. But he knew better than to take her out-thrust jaw and angry expression as anything other than a mask. Her body had melted beneath his on the beach, her ripening arousal a pungent betrayal of her hard-fought battle for composure.

  Beneath her prickly exterior beat the heart of a wanton.

  How delightful breaking through her resistance would be. With barely a woman’s curve evident beneath her uniform, he wasn’t fooled. Her boyishly slender hips held a subtle feminine flair that had cradled his sex nicely. The gentle curve of her taut waist had quivered when he’d stretched his body over hers. And her small, soft breasts were tipped with sensitive nipples that had pebbled to hardened points when his chest met hers.

  She didn’t know it, but her eyes had grown wide as saucers when she’d realized his cock pressed into her thigh. Without a hint of makeup, her gaze framed by dark, thick lashes had betrayed her excitement. Her expressive brown eyes, glittering with heat, had also told him she was curious.

  Careful where his thoughts lingered, lest he find the need to seek out the WC again, Quentin widened his legs in the hard plastic chair and turned his attention back to the details of the captain’s briefing.

  “Folks, I’ll admit I was skeptical when I first heard Quentin’s proposal. We’ve been fighting vampires for over four years. We see the darker side of their interaction with humans—the violence and harm they can do. We’re the ones who are called out when they step over the line.

  “But the fact is, we haven’t been doing so well in this war. And I think it’s time we rethink our strategies. Time to consider a partnership. Vampires live among us. For the most part, we can’t tell them from us.”

  “At least not until they show us their teeth,” the one who’d introduced himself in the van during transport as Max Weir replied angrily, his hard-eyed glare letting everyone in the room know of his objection to the offer.

  The captain leveled a glare of his own at the large man. “I’ve considered Quentin’s offer, and I accept. I think he’ll be an invaluable asset to the team while we hunt our killer. He has personal knowledge of this vampire and understands his habits.” He held up a hand to quiet the team’s murmured protests. “It’ll be dawn soon. We need to get Quentin to a safe place to wait out the day, and the team needs to rest up, as well.”

  “I have a place.” Quentin smiled. “Hers.” He nodded to the woman beside him, whose face was reddening with anger.

  “Fuck no,” her partner growled.

  “That’s out of the question,” she said, leaning forward and staring at the captain.

  “Darcy, your housing him would solve several problems.” The captain’s ruddy complexion grew darker. “We wouldn’t have to draw attention to our ‘arrangement’ with expense reports we’d have to justify. But you needn’t worry—he checks out with Seattle. Seems Quentin, here, has helped on several major investigations. He’s considered a trustworthy asset.”

  “A trustworthy vampire?” The woman’s partner, Joe Garcia, snorted.

  “Having him assimilated with the team is an excellent idea, actually,” the captain said. “Darcy, I’m assigning you and Joe to be his shadows during this investigation. In the meantime, Joe, I think you’d better stay at Darcy’s place, too. She’s got the room.”

  Quentin grinned, not the least concerned there would be a third in their mix. It might prove amusing.

  “As soon as he wakes tonight,” the captain said, “we’ll start picking his brain. I’ll send around an artist to get a sketch of the vamp we’re looking for.”

  Darcy’s arms folded over her chest, her expression pure bulldog obstinacy. “I don’t trust him, Captain.”

  “Well, now you can keep an eye on me,” Quentin said. “And if I step out of line, you can use one of your toothpicks to turn my black heart to dust.”

  Finally, she looked at him.

  Something that warmed all his manly parts.

  Her angry gaze glittered. “I will be watching you. Have no doubt about that.”

  “All right, then,” the captain said. “It goes without saying this little arrangement is strictly need-to-know. This is an unprecedented step the department is taking. I want it to work. Now, get out of here.”

  *

  Darcy entered her house quietly and set down the bags she’d retrieved from Quentin’s hotel room. He could carry them the rest of the way to his bedroom when he woke. His bedroom. Already, the house felt alien. Invaded. As soon as she’d deposited Quentin and Joe on her front doorstep earlier, she’d hotfooted it out of the house. Retrieving his things had only been an excuse to put some distance between the vamp and her raging hormones. Why him? Why did her body come alive at just the sight of him?

  Sunshine poured into the large, open space of her Florida room, and she grinned. Joe was a devious man. He’d opened every blind and shutter to ensure the vamp remained trapped behind the guest bedroom door. Joe was bare-chested and asleep on the couch, a tangle of covers knotted around his waist. With his arms flung above his head, she had an excellent view of his washboard abs and the arrow of black hair that stretched from nipple to nipple and down below the edge of the sheet.

  Cursing herself for noticing, Darcy tiptoed past him. Her libido had such rotten timing. The vamp had awakened feelings she’d tamped down for three years.

  Thankful she had Joe around to save her from herself, Darcy headed to her bedroom. Inside, she stripped off her clothes and padded barefoot to her bathroom, intent on showering away the sand she was sure had worked itself into every crevice.

  Reaching behind the shower curtain, she turned on the water. She brushed her teeth and rummaged beneath the cabinet for the scented soap her mother had given her at Christmas. The raspberry-perfumed soap would be her secret indulgence. No matter she normally used only plain bar soap for a quick scrub. She wondered if the vampire’s keen sense of smell would detect her change of routine. She reached in to lift the stopper and stepped beneath the shower’s spray.

  “I thought you’d decided to find yourself another place to stay.”

  Darcy nearly screeched at Quentin’s husky whisper. She whirled, and then she remembered she hadn’t a stitch of clothing on. Her hands covered her breasts, but she quickly realized she had to look ridiculous. The rest of her was bare, and his hot gaze devoured every exposed inch.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” she whispered harshly, keeping her gaze glued on his face.

  “Availing myself of my hostess’s amenities?” he said, a smirk tilting one corner of his mouth.

  One glance down and she’d be toast, she knew it. She was already having problems breathing after noting the way the water ran in rivulets from the ends of his hair and down his broad, hairy chest. “Well, you can just waltz right out of here and go use the guest bathroom. I’m not sharing.”

  “Your boyfriend’s made that impossible for me to do.” He folded his arms over his chest. “You’re stuck with me until dark.”

  “Not my problem. And his name’s Joe. How the hell did you get past him?”

  Quentin’s smile stretched, and he shrugged.

  Darcy wished the rose-colored tile behind him would make him seem less…manly. Instead, the ridiculous backdrop only emphasized his appeal. “I’ll scream, and Joe will come running. He’ll kill you if he finds you here—and I won’t be happy to clean up the mud you leave behind.” She jerked when he reached over her shoulder for the shampoo.

  His long, muscled forearm grazed her shoulder, and Darcy held herself as stiff as a statue to keep a shudder from racking her body. His large, broad frame crowded her, sucking the air from the steam-filled stall. Watching him calmly squeeze a glob of shampoo into his palm and raise his hands to lather his hair made her breath hitch.

  She didn’t know why she didn’t make good on her threat to scream for help, except she’d be embarrassed as hell if she were found naked with the vampire. Her reticence couldn’t have a thing to do wi
th all that golden skin and the tufts of dark hair beneath his arms—and certainly not the cock lifting from its bed of wiry dark blond hair.

  Ah hell! She’d looked.

  Darcy spun and grabbed the washcloth. Scrubbing her arms and breasts, she abraded her skin to remind herself this was a dangerous man—whom she probably shouldn’t turn her back on.

  When his soapy hands slid around her waist and pulled her back snug against his chest and abdomen, the only thought that didn’t flee her mind was that his cock rested in the crease of her ass.

  “Easy. Breathe,” he said, his mouth next to her ear. “I’ll offer you a trade.”

  Darcy fought her body’s inclination to lean into his embrace. If she were going to be weak, she’d lay all the blame at his doorstep.

  “I need blood—about half a pint to stave off grumpiness…” He licked her ear then sucked her lobe between his teeth.

  A frisson of desire shuddered through her body, unwanted, but so strong her head fell to the side, exposing her neck.

  “… and I can give you an orgasm unlike anything you’ve ever known.”

  Mention of the “O” word tightened her belly to a hard knot.

  He’d stirred an ache when he’d first strode out of the waves. Nothing less than a wild fucking would do to get him out her system.

  Good Lord, was she already figuring out ways to justify surrender? No!

  His hands smoothed up her stomach to cup her breasts.

  Darcy tried to push them down. Not because she didn’t crave his touch, but because she knew her small breasts didn’t stack up well against the woman he’d been with earlier. Her traitorous nipples constricted instantly. Right against his palms.

  His soft laughter shivered through her.

  Dammit, who was she trying to fool? Letting out a deep breath, she eased apart her legs and let his cock slide between them.

  Quentin groaned and tongued her neck. All the while his hands caressed her, smoothing over her breasts, across her belly, and down to her pussy.

  Darcy swayed on her feet, as pliant as a rag doll in his arms now, biting her lips to keep back the moans that threatened to tear from her throat.