The Vampire Affair Page 8
But it was nothing compared to the ache of the memories that tormented him, the need for revenge that never eased its grip on his soul.
Or the pain he would feel if he couldn’t prevent the same thing from happening to her.
The fights Jessie had gotten into as a kid on the reservation hadn’t been anything like this. After a couple of hours of practicing with Michael Brandt, exhaustion gripped her and every muscle in her body throbbed with pain. She wanted to sit down on one of the benches against the wall and sob.
Stubbornly, she kept any sign of that misery off her face and forced herself to concentrate on his instructions and the moves he demonstrated. He was giving her a crash course in the art of fighting vampires—in every sense of the word.
Max had gotten bored and had gone off to call Clifford on his cell phone, so Jessie and Michael were alone in the gym now. They circled each other slowly, hands poised in front of them. Michael feinted, but Jessie recognized it now and didn’t move to block the blow that would never fall. Instead she pivoted to bring herself into readiness for the spinning kick that Michael launched. Her right arm flashed up, hit his leg and diverted it. Her counter would have sent a lesser individual slamming to the mat, but Michael was able to flip backward in midair and land on his feet.
His left foot slipped back just a few inches as his balance threatened to desert him, but that was enough for Jessie, who had been watching for just such an opening. Her left hand shot past his guard. The heel of it smashed into his sternum and knocked him back even farther. Jessie whirled and sent her right elbow at his face, so caught up in the heat of combat she didn’t stop to think that the blow might break his jaw if it landed cleanly.
It didn’t. Michael blocked it at the last instant and used his other hand to grab Jessie and turn her own momentum against her. He went over backward, taking her with him, rolling to absorb the force of the fall as she soared over him and crashed down just beyond him. Another roll brought him on top of her. His forearm was across her throat, not pressing down hard enough to hurt her, just to keep her pinned where she was.
As her stunned senses began to recover, she became aware of his weight on her. His chest flattened her breasts. His left leg was between her thighs. They were belly to belly. Sure, their workout clothes were between them, but it was still a rather intimate position. His face hovered only a couple of inches from hers, too. She felt the warmth of his breath against her skin and knew that he must feel hers, too, as air hissed between her lips. He moved his forearm away from her throat and planted a hand on the mat on each side of her head instead. Her heart began to pound harder as he shifted a little against her and she felt something stir.
My God…was he getting hard?
She found herself hoping that he was. She liked the idea that lying on top of her like that made hot blood start to flow within him. Sure, he was rich and handsome, was a little stronger and had faster reflexes than a normal man, and when he wasn’t racing cars or handling million-dollar business deals or dating beautiful women he spent his time fighting vampires. But he still got an erection from rolling around on the floor with her. There was something normal about him after all.
Although from the feel of the hard length pressing into her belly, maybe a little more than normal.
He kissed her.
His mouth came down on hers with a swift urgency, as if he wasn’t sure that he should be doing this but wanted to act before the impulse deserted him. Their lips met with a galvanizing spark of desire that surged through both of them like an electrical current. Jessie could tell he felt it, too, from the way his muscles stiffened all over. Instinct made the gap between her thighs widen, and instinct sent his thigh wedging deeper into it.
His lips were warm and pliant, not really soft but not hard, either. They caressed her lips, moving just enough so that when they opened, hers parted in response and allowed his tongue to stroke hotly into her mouth. She moaned softly, deep in her throat, as she met his tongue with hers and they swept around each other in a wet, sensuous dance.
Earlier Jessie had thought that every muscle in her body ached, but now she knew that hadn’t been true. A new ache sprang up inside her, this one concentrated in the lower half of her body and spreading with a delicious heat. Her arms went around his neck to pull him even closer as their kiss continued, tongues stroking each other. Michael’s hips surged against her.
Definitely a little more than normal, Jessie thought crazily as she felt the outline of his hardness trapped between them.
She wanted to groan in loss and despair as he broke the kiss and lifted his head, but she settled for saying, “A millionaire playboy like you ought to know, Brandt. When you set out to seduce a girl, don’t do it when she’s sweaty and sore all over from being tossed around a gym for two hours.”
Yeah, keep it light, she told herself. Let him think you’re a smart-ass. But don’t let him see how much you want him to kiss you again. Don’t press your body against his so he can tell how badly you want to feel that iron-hard shaft of his inside you. Don’t let him know how desperately you need him at this moment.
Because he’s going to double-cross you in the future. Never forget that. He’s going to lock you away somewhere and keep you from getting the story of a lifetime, the story that could change everything for you….
Those thoughts flashed through her mind as he reacted to her deliberately flippant words by frowning and pushing himself up so that less of his weight was on her. “I didn’t set out to seduce you,” he said.
“You could’ve fooled me, the way you were grinding against me like that. But hey, considering some of the beautiful women you’ve been with, I suppose I should be flattered. I mean, I’m no Angelica Boudreau.”
That did it. He rolled off her, and even though a part of her cried out in dismay as the hard, tantalizing weight of him went away, she told herself it was for the best.
“You’ve really got that Boudreau woman on the brain, don’t you? It’s not like you’re competing against her, you know.”
“Even if I was, it wouldn’t be much of a competition, would it?”
“Don’t sell yourself short.” He pushed himself to his feet, rising from the mat with a sleek gracefulness like that of a big cat. He started to walk away without looking back at her.
Moving a little awkwardly because of her sore muscles and the way her heart still pounded so hard in her chest, Jessie stood up, too, and called after him, “What do you mean by that?”
He didn’t answer the question. Instead, still without pausing or turning to look at her, he said, “I think we’ve done enough for today. There’s a locker room right over there. Why don’t you take a shower.”
Why don’t you come take one with me? she wanted to ask. She figured the hot water would ease her aches and pains even better with his hands massaging them away at the same time.
His ramrod-stiff back clearly indicated that he didn’t want anything else to do with her right now, though, so she left the invitation unspoken. And that was for the best, she told herself, because she knew from what she had overheard the night before that she couldn’t trust him. No matter how badly her body cried out for more of his touch, she had to keep her distance…at least until he fully accepted her and the lie he had told her became truth.
And that might never happen.
She turned away to head for the locker room and shower.
Michael didn’t even start to relax until he heard the locker room door close behind Jessie, and even then tension still filled him.
It wasn’t just tension, he told himself. He might as well admit it.
He wanted her.
He’d been devastated by losing Charlotte, but his responsibilities demanded that he put it behind him and move on. That meant he had to live up to the reputation he’d established, and that required bedding at least some of the beautiful women he dated, once a suitable mourning period had passed. Since they were all lovely and fervent, he enjoyed himself on a pu
rely physical level. Despite the abilities his vampiric heritage gave him, he was still fully human and matched those beauties in their enthusiasm between the sheets.
But it wasn’t the same thing. Fine recreation, sure, and it helped him maintain the reputation he had cultivated…but he had never been tempted to open his heart to any of them. Not once.
Until now.
An old-fashioned speed bag and heavy bag hung in one corner of the gym. Michael pulled on lightweight gloves and started working the speed bag, establishing a steady rhythm as he alternated punches from both hands.
He wasn’t sure what he’d been thinking when he kissed Jessie. When he’d first begun working with her, the memories of how he had trained Charlotte made it awkward and painful for him. He had to thrust them out of his head and concentrate on what he was doing. Live in the present, not the past, he had told himself. And as he slowly became able to do that, he had to admit that he enjoyed the workout. Jessie was a good student, not only strong and fast but also able to follow instructions and learn from what he told her. She was smart enough to pick up quickly on the techniques he demonstrated. With some practice, she would be able to hold her own against almost any opponent.
Any human opponent, that is. Vampires were a different story. She would need a lot of luck to survive an encounter with a vampire. If she ran into several of them, she would have no chance at all.
Which made it even more important that he not allow her to be put in harm’s way.
And he certainly shouldn’t have allowed himself to be distracted by the fact that he found her attractive. More than attractive. He hungered for her like a starving man with a feast suddenly set before him. He didn’t just want to make love to her, either, although Lord knows he ached to bury himself inside her liquid, heated core and luxuriate in it forever. At the same time he wanted to talk to her and hear all about her life and her hopes and dreams and share his own with her, and more than anything else he wanted to draw her into the protective circle of his arms and keep her there forever.
He realized that the speed and strength of his punches had increased to the point that the leather-covered bag blurred as it swung back and forth. Michael hit it again, the corded muscles in his arms and shoulders bunching and rippling as he put all his power into the blow. The bag tore from its mooring to fly through the air and smack against the wall before it bounced off and fell to the floor.
A low whistle of surprise sounded behind him. Breathing heavily, Michael spun around and poised his fists, ready to strike again. Max stepped back quickly and raised both hands, palms out.
“Whoa! Take it easy, Michael,” the big man said. “It’s just me.”
Slowly, Michael lowered his fists and forced them to unclench. “Sorry. I didn’t know you’d come back. I thought you were still in the office.”
“That’s okay. I shouldn’t have snuck up on you.”
“Clifford have any news?”
Max grinned. “Yeah. Spaulding bit on the offer. Or rather, his underlings did. I’m sure Spaulding doesn’t know anything about it yet. There are at least three layers of dummy corporations and holding companies between him and the resort. Clifford’s going to deliver a certified check to Barton personally, and he should have all the intel we’re looking for when he gets back.”
“Sounds good,” Michael said with a nod. “What about Rendell and the other overlords?”
“Rendell stopped in New York, like you thought he might, and Takahashi is still in Tokyo. No telling where Escobar is. He stays underground most of the time anyway.”
Michael nodded. He knew Max didn’t mean that literally, although some vampires did prefer using buried vaults or crypts as their lairs. With Escobar, who as a drug kingpin would have had scores of dangerous enemies even if he hadn’t been a vampire, it meant staying out of sight.
“So it appears that we still have some time.”
“Looks like it,” Max said with a nod. “Not enough time to train Ms. Morgan well enough to join us, though, if that’s what you’re thinking. From what I saw, she’s good, all right, or at least she has the potential to be. But if you take her along you’ll be running the risk of getting her killed, as well as the rest of us.”
“You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know,” Michael snapped.
“Maybe I figured you needed reminding.”
The two men traded cool stares for a long moment, then Michael shrugged and turned away. Let Max think whatever he wanted. Michael wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice. He wasn’t going to put Jessie Morgan on the front lines of the war where she could be killed—or worse. He would feel that way even if he wasn’t so strongly attracted to her.
“Where is she, by the way?” Max asked.
“Taking a shower. We’re through for the day.”
“I’ll bet she’s going to be pretty sore tomorrow,” Max said with a chuckle. “And she didn’t kick your ass, either.”
“Not today,” Michael said. “I’m not so sure about tomorrow. And if she went up against you…well, I wouldn’t want to bet money on the outcome, and I’m a millionaire.”
Max looked offended, and Michael had to laugh. Giving his cousin a little grief was a welcome distraction and kept him from thinking about Jessie standing under the shower with hot water sluicing over her sleek, golden-tan body.
Well, it kept him from thinking about it quite as much, anyway.
Chapter 8
J essie expected to be sore the next morning, but what she felt as she crawled out of the soft bed went beyond her expectations. Pain racked her from head to toe.
No pain, no gain, according to the old saying. As much as she hurt, she ought to have gained something, she thought, but for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out what it was. She still occupied the same position she had the day before: a nuisance, somebody to be placated and strung along with lies until the time came for her to be shunted aside as a useless encumbrance.
Well, they’d just see about that.
The wooden medicine chest in the bathroom held just about everything a person might need, including pain relievers. Jessie gulped down a couple of them and then got dressed, putting on another unitard and a different pair of sweatpants. Wincing at the muscle soreness as she lifted her arms, she pulled her hair back in a ponytail. She didn’t want Michael to think she wasn’t ready, even eager, for another training session.
Another kiss, that’s what she was really eager for. She might be mad at him and distrustful of him, but damn, the man got her all hot and bothered! She understood now what people meant when they talked about wanting something against their better judgment. Michael Brandt should have been nothing more than a good story to her. Possibly a very lucrative story, if she could sell it to the right market.
She looked at herself in the mirror and wondered if she could really keep her promise to him, the one about telling his story without actually identifying him. That would be next to impossible, she knew. Starting out she hadn’t even meant to try.
But that was before she got to know him. Before he had promised to help Nana Rose. Before she had heard the concern in his voice over what had happened to Ted. She didn’t want to do anything that might hurt him or put him in more danger.
On the other hand, how much more danger could she cause? The vampires already knew who he was. The two recent attacks on him proved that. She wouldn’t be spilling some deep, dark secret.
All she’d really be doing was disappointing him.
And God help her, for whatever reason, she didn’t want to do that.
With a sigh, she left her room and went down the hall to the kitchen and dining area. A pang of disappointment went through her as she saw no sign of Michael and Clifford, only Max. The big man stood at the counter, draining the last few drops from a cup of coffee.
“Morning,” he said in a gruff voice as he placed the empty cup on the counter.
Jessie hadn’t been sure that he would even acknowledge her pres
ence. “Good morning,” she said. “Where’s Michael?”
“In the office with Clifford. They’re going over the data they’ve been able to download about the resort.”
Jessie poured herself a cup of coffee. She didn’t want Max waiting on her, not that he would have, anyway. As she dumped some artificial sweetener and creamer into the steaming black brew, she said, “Michael really spent millions of dollars to buy the place, just so he could get hold of the blueprints?”
Max’s broad shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. “Money doesn’t matter much to him, except as a means to an end.”
“Money matters to everybody,” Jessie snapped. “Anybody who says it doesn’t has got plenty.”
“Well, yeah, Michael’s got plenty, and even if he didn’t, the rest of the family does.” Max turned to face her more directly. “The Brandts don’t just fund the clinics like the one where we took your friend. They’ve set up free clinics in disadvantaged areas all over the world, not to mention schools. They’ve put hundreds of kids through college after the vampires got their folks. Not to mention the medical research they’ve funded. That’s what I meant about a means to an end. You resent the fact that Michael has money without even stopping to think about what he does with it.”
“Spare me,” Jessie said, although in truth, she was impressed. She didn’t want Max to see that, though. “If he’s such a do-gooder, he puts on a pretty good act. The world thinks he’s an irresponsible playboy.”
“And you thought so, too,” Max countered. “To him, though, being rich is like the car racing and everything else. All part of the game.”
“Like the beautiful women he dates.” Jessie took a sip of the coffee.
“Some parts of the game are more enjoyable than others, I guess,” Max replied with a grin. “I sure as hell haven’t heard Michael complaining about that part.”