Sweet Decadent Fire Read online

  It wasn’t uncontrollable blood-lust of the kind most associated with vampires. No, that was what happened with murderous creatures of darkness with tainted blood, and he was one of the ancient, pureblooded vampires who’d mostly coexisted peacefully with humans since the beginning of time, harmlessly taking only enough blood to survive. Sure, lust was part of what he felt for Lee Anne, but to his horror he’d come to realize he actually cared about her, and not just because of the assignment.

  Lee Anne picked up her soupspoon and waved it in front of his face. “And, Jake, just in case you’re wondering, it hurt like hell. I’m serious. I actually cursed at the lady that did it. I felt terrible.”

  Deciding it would be best to remain calm and appear to be one hundred percent agreeable, he smiled and nodded. Still, he kept a close eye on the spoon clenched in her tiny fist—he wasn’t stupid—and opted for silence to avoid any chance of her twisting the meaning of his words.

  “I’m serious.” Leaning forward a little more, she moved the spoon a little too close to his face. He was fairly certain she was considering stabbing him with it. “It hurt like hell, Jake.”

  He didn’t doubt it. He also didn’t doubt that it was going to hurt like hell if she stabbed him in the eye with the spoon. Maybe remaining silent wasn’t the best thing to do.

  Lifting his eyebrow, he nodded. “I’m sure it did.” Giving her a little sympathy couldn’t hurt. It might even help calm her down a little. Not a lot. Because he knew that would take much more than empathy. He was fairly certain that as riled and as intoxicated as she was it would take a miracle. And, as a general rule, he wasn’t the type to receive miracles.

  She tilted her head to the side. “What did you just say to me?”

  “Oh, shit.” He leaned back in his chair to put a little distance between his face and her spoon. Sure, she was quite talented at it, but how the hell did she twist that?

  “Oh, shit?” She paused. The silence seemed endless. “Oh, shit? Why would you say that, Jake?” She shook her head. “Forget it. I don’t really want to know. But don’t you dare sit there like some high-and-mighty, righteous, holier-than-thou jerk and judge me.”

  “I wasn’t.” Heart pounding, he swallowed hard. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  “For your information, I felt bad—so bad that I apologized and left her a really nice tip.”

  He nodded. “That was a kind, generous gesture.”

  “Kind?” She narrowed her gaze on his. “Generous?” He was fairly certain she meant to laugh, but what came out of her mouth sounded more like a demonic cackle. He suddenly felt very afraid. “I never realized the words were in your vocabulary.”

  Sitting absolutely still, he just stared at her. She was obviously too irrational to be disarmed by what he was saying. Why had he tried to say anything? Wasn’t the original plan to remain silent? Well, he was quick learner. From this point on he wasn’t even going to nod or shake his head.

  “I apologized because I hadn’t walked into the spa blindly. Experience told me it was a painful procedure. The only reason I was mad was because I knew all along it would be for nothing. Would you like to know how I knew it was for nothing?”

  Nope. No way. He didn’t want to know anything. What he wanted was to run for the hills. Obviously waiting for him to respond, she glared at him. Did she think he was an idiot? He wasn’t going to take the bait. No matter what she said or did from this point on, he would sit there and remain absolutely silent. He’d also learned from experience. And experience told him this was the part of the conversation that always led to him being pegged the bad guy.

  Normally, he wouldn’t mind the title. Being bad was entertaining. It was great fun—he was a vampire after all. But since she’d leaned even further over the table and was again holding the spoon dangerously close to his face, he doubted that being bad would be such great fun at the moment.

  He really wished she’d put the damn spoon down. He watched and waited for her to do or say something. Anything would be good. Her cheeks were turning a brighter shade of red with each passing second. She was furious. He could literally hear her heart pounding. And? He focused on her lungs. Yep. She was holding her breath. The seconds dragged on so damn slowly.

  Then, without a single indication she was going to do it, she slammed the spoon down on the table hard enough to turn heads and to cause him to flinch. “I knew you would never actually get close enough to notice if my legs were stubbly.”

  Just then, Jake heard the sound of male laughter in his head. He looked for the source of it and saw a long-time friend, Joseph Payne, sitting at a table nearby with Mia Harte. I’ve never heard of a vampire having trouble taking care of a woman’s needs. Just this morning I saw a commercial for a little pill that humans can take when they suffer the same condition. Perhaps you should give it a try. And if it doesn’t work there’re always other ways to get the job done. Google it. I’m sure you’ll find lots of interesting, useful information.

  Fuck off, Joseph. If I want any sex advice I’ll get it from someone who’s getting it.

  Running his hand through his hair, Jake glanced down at the spoon. He was slightly relieved that it was no longer in his face, but he didn’t really feel any better. She was suffering because he was an idiot. He felt terrible for ever thinking she should suffer with him. In truth, he had been waiting for her to question the lack of physical intimacy between them. Their sexual tension and frustration had been growing every day. He’d thought he was prepared to deal with it, but now that it was happening, he wasn’t sure how the hell to handle it.

  He’d really fucked up. He’d always known there was no future for them. He didn’t like it, but he’d accepted it for her sake and the sake of his people. He’d never intended to do it, but he’d hurt her deeply. He shouldn’t have kissed her.

  Deciding it was too late to keep his mouth shut, he decided to try to calm her down by using a compulsion. “Shh.” Lowering his voice, he leaned forward. “You’ve only been out of the hospital for a few weeks. It’s not good to get so upset. Just relax,” he whispered, deepening his voice, merging his mind with hers. “We should get you something to eat. It’ll help you sober up and think more clearly.”

  Staring into his eyes, she sat in what appeared to be a trance-like state for a few seconds. He smiled; the compulsion was working. But then, shaking her head, she blinked. “Huh?”

  Once more, he tired to merge his mind with hers. No doubt the reason it hadn’t worked was related to the alcohol she’d consumed. “You need to calm down. There’s no sense in getting all worked up over nothing.”

  “No sense in it?” She rolled her eyes. “You think it’s nothing?”

  Oh, damn. The way she said the words, the low tone of her voice, caused his stomach to flip. He watched her jaw clench and unclench. An instant before he’d said the words he knew it would be a mistake. And it was. A terrible, he’d just thrown gasoline on an out of control fire, mistake. Why would he continue to try to use a compulsion to calm her while knowing it would fail? Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results wasn’t just stupid. It was entirely insane.

  “Nothing?” Her beautiful, emerald green eyes were on fire with what appeared to be homicidal rage. “Nothing?” She shook her head, her mouth half-open for several seconds, obviously searching for the best words to tell him to go to hell. “I can’t believe you’re making light of our situation.” She picked up the spoon again and waved it in his face. “No.” She dipped the spoon in her soup bowl and looked down at it as she stirred it. “You’re not really making light of our situation, are you?” She dropped the spoon and reached for her glass of wine.

  “You’re right. I’m not.” He reached out to take the glass from her. “Listen to me, Lee Anne, you’re not thinking clearly. I was only trying to help you. I certainly never meant to insult you by pointing it out. You shouldn’t drink anymore wine.”

  “Get your hand away from my glass.” And, startled,
he immediately did as she said. He actually tasted fear. She was so mad that she looked and sounded possessed by something very dark and dangerous. She lifted the glass to her mouth and downed the wine in less than five seconds.

  It was a bad situation bound to get worse when the waiter promptly filled her glass again despite Jake shaking his head at him. Clearly, the waiter was a moron.

  “It’s not the situation. Oh no, you aren’t really making light of the situation.” She giggled. There was no humor in it at all, however; in fact, the dark, sadistic sound of it was quite frightening. He actually got goose bumps. “You’re making fun of my feelings.” By the look on her face, it was obvious she wanted to say more.

  Honestly, he wished she would’ve spoken, rather than downed another glass of wine. And once again, the damn waiter was right there to fill her glass. The idiot was really starting to piss Jake off. When the waiter turned his head to smile at Jake, seemingly hoping for a tip for his promptness, the fool didn’t even seem to notice the predator fury in Jake’s eyes or hear the threatening growl rumbling deep in his chest.

  When the waiter walked away Jake softened his expression and shifted his gaze to Lee Anne. “I’m not making fun of your feelings, love. I’m trying to save you from embarrassing yourself. You know what alcohol does to you. Drinking isn’t going to make you feel better.” He shrugged. “In the end, it’s going to make you feel worse.”

  She opened her mouth. He waited. He knew she wanted to yell at him. It was fine with him. He deserved it. But when all she managed to utter was a strangled-sounding squeak, he chuckled. Why the hell had he done something so stupid? He had no idea. He tried to bite it back, but he failed miserably. Intending to immediately rectify the blunder, he reached over the table and grabbed her hand.

  For a second, she just sat there and stared down at her hand in his. His heart was thundering in his ears. She lifted her gaze to meet his. For a moment, she appeared calm. He knew better, but he couldn’t help it. He smiled at her. And then, obviously seeing the smile as him celebrating some sort of victory, she yanked her hand out of his.

  Holding his breath, he waited for her to unleash her mounting rage. She’d never be able to hold it in. Or so he thought. Her lips parted in a sweet, breathtaking smile. His heart stopped.

  “You’re just trying to save me from the unpleasant effects of too much wine, right?”

  He nodded.

  “So, why do you look so nervous, Mr. Knight in Shining Armor Can’t Kiss Worth a Damn?”

  Swallowing hard, he lifted his eyebrows. “Do I?” He had no doubt that he appeared nervous. But he’d never been accused of not being able to kiss worth a damn.

  Of course he looked nervous. She was going to explode. And she did. But not quite in the manner he’d expected. “You’re a cruel, wicked tease from hell, Jake Mann.” She picked up her fifth glass of wine, but to his relief, rather than chug it down she threw it in his face.

  At first, staring at him, she appeared to be in shock. Her entire body was trembling. Not with fear. He knew better. She had no fear of him. Her body was filled with pent-up rage and sexual frustration. She wanted to hurt him. But more than that, she wanted him to make love to her.

  A little shocked himself, he stared right back at her. He didn’t dare move—he was far too aroused by her passionate aggression. He didn’t even attempt to reach for a napkin to sop the wine up from his face and clothing.

  After a few very long seconds, there was no missing the satisfaction in her eyes or in her naughty, sexy smirk. Soaking him obviously felt damn good. He had the ability to move with supernatural speed. He could’ve dodged it, but he was happy he hadn’t. If seeing him soaked with wine made her feel better and ended the argument it was no big deal.

  He’d known what he needed to be done the night he saved her from the car wreckage. He should’ve done it immediately. In theory, it was a simple thing. It was the kindest thing to do. But it was the last thing he wanted to do.

  He needed to wipe out every memory of him from her mind. And it was exactly what he planned to do. It would be the hardest thing he’d ever done, because if he ever allowed her to see him or hear his voice again, her memories of him could be spontaneously restored. He would be forced to go back to guarding her in secret.

  She stood up and pushed in her chair in. Being a little light-headed and tipsy, she stumbled. Using supernatural speed, he jumped up and reached for her arm to steady her. They stared into each other’s eyes for several seconds. “Lee Anne.” Even he heard the painful longing in his voice. He knew she’d heard it too and was confused by it when she yanked her arm away from him. To resist the urge to take her into his arms and kiss her, he sat back down. He couldn’t have her. She belonged to Jeremy. It was her destiny.

  Arms crossed over her chest, she stared down at him for several seconds. The waiter had returned to the table with a towel for Jake to clean up, but Jake shook his head and waved the waiter off.

  “I know I owe you. You saved my life. If it wasn’t for you … I can’t see you anymore,” Lee Anne whispered through clenched teeth.

  Jake shook his head. “You don’t owe me anything.” He paused. “And I agree. We shouldn’t see each other anymore. I’ll take you home.”

  Cheeks flushed, she took a deep breath, held it, and then released it in a hiss. “Really?” She turned to the table behind her and reached for a pitcher of water. “Do you mind?”

  Joseph gave Jake a sympathetic nod, but Mia smiled knowingly and shook her head. “No. Not at all.” Mia looked at Jake and frowned.

  You shouldn’t have allowed her to get drunk. Joseph’s voice, sounding quite amused, slipped into Jake’s mind.

  Momentarily making eye contact with Joseph, Jake lifted his brow. I mean no disrespect, but I will never go to you for advice on how to deal with women. As of yet, I haven’t done anything that has provoked Lee Anne to make any attempt to murder me.

  It was the morphine. It causes her to suffer uncontrollable rage. And Mia knew the gun wasn’t loaded. Obviously realizing his mistake, Joseph groaned.

  That’s crazy. Don’t you think giving morphine to a werewolf is a bad idea? Wait. Joseph looked at Mia and smiled, and then looked back at Joseph. I was talking about Theresa. Mia also tried to kill you?

  I don’t give it to her. And I told you she didn’t know the gun was loaded.

  You know you can’t continue to allow her to take morphine. It’ll turn her into a killer. She needs to be stopped before she loses her mind.

  The floor started to vibrate, causing the dishes on the tables to rattle. Almost every human in the restaurant gasped and glanced around nervously. Slowly, Joseph turned fully in his seat and locked his gaze onto Jake’s. Are you threatening Mia? Most of the people in the restaurant were leaving their tables and heading for the exit. Jake knew that on some level they sensed and feared the danger Joseph presented. A demon’s rage was a hard thing to miss.

  No. Jake was well aware Joseph would kill anyone who even considered harming Mia. But he was also sure that Joseph knew Mia would have to be destroyed if she lost her mind. I’m telling you that you need to get her off the morphine before it’s too late and you have no choice. We both know you’re not going to allow her to suffer.

  Joseph instantly broke the merge with Jake as he turned to face Mia. Jake waited, ready to fight. The atmosphere was still boiling over with Joseph’s anger. He knew Joseph wasn’t really angry with him; he was angry with the situation. Then, obviously realizing it was too dangerous to remain in a building full of humans when his emotions were out of control, Joseph stood up and held his hand out for Mia. “Let’s go.”

  Mia shook her head. “Sit down. I’m not ready to leave yet.” She stared up at him. “What did he just say to you?”

  “I would feel terrible if I allowed a stain to set in.” Jake had just enough time to return his focus to Lee Anne before she upended the pitcher of ice water over his head. “That’s better.” She smiled. “Oh, no, please …
don’t thank me. It was my pleasure.” Then, after setting the pitcher back onto the other table and thanking Mia, she walked away and headed straight for the restroom.

  “Okay. We can go now.” Looking at Jake, Mia laughed out loud. Then she looked up at Joseph. “I like her.”

  Joseph nodded. “I’m sure you do.”

  Jake wasn’t expecting Lee Anne to walk away, but he didn’t stop her. It would be best for her to cool off and hopefully sober up a bit before he took her home. Besides, she wouldn’t get far. To leave the restaurant she would have to walk by him.

  ~ Three ~

  LEE ANNE STARED at her reflection in the mirror. What hell was she thinking? Didn’t she just swear to never, no matter how much he begged, see him again? She felt woozy. A small part of her regretted drinking so much wine. She knew she would have a pounding headache in the morning. But she wouldn’t have lost her temper if she’d been sober. And a larger part of her was happy she’d finally had the nerve to set Jake straight.

  She smiled. Dousing him with wine had felt fantastic, and the look on his face when she’d dumped the pitcher of ice water over his head had been priceless. Maybe it was a bit over the top, but it was better than gouging his eyes out with the spoon for humiliating her.

  She wasn’t the type of woman to lose control of her temper in public. In fact, she felt more comfortable remaining unnoticed in public places. He just made her feel so crazy mad, and she’d been struggling with what she should do about him for the past few weeks.

  What the hell was wrong with wanting to be treated like a real woman? “Nothing.” She nodded. “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with wanting it.” After coming so close to death, she’d realized that it was way past time for her to start living. It was time for her get what she wanted most. And she wanted to find a man who was willing to fall in love with her. It was more than want. She needed it. And she deserved it.

  She was done being the pathetic best friend. It had been fun for a while—only because she’d made the mistake of assuming his feelings toward her would evolve into something more passionate.