Read Online A Vampire's Promise by Carla Susan Smith - Free Book Online

from behind as I realized, with a start, that I was leaning toward her. Leaning so far forward I was about to fall over. It was Gabriel who had called her name, but the hands that saved me from kissing the ground weren’t his. They belonged to the guy wearing the bomber pilot’s jacket. I’d been so focused on Katja, I’d all but forgotten he was there.
    â€œIt’s okay, ma’am, you’re safe with me.”
    I almost laughed aloud with relief at the comforting midwestern twang, an accent I easily recognized. I shook my head before looking back at Katja. Her hand had been almost wrapped about my waist, and she now slid it off and raised it to my face. Softly she stroked my cheek, a perfect imitation of what I had wanted to do to her. It was shockingly intimate, making me jerk my head back and bounce it against the hard chest of Kansas Boy.
    â€œNever mind, Little One, perhaps next time,” she cooed huskily.
    There was something horribly condescending in her tone, and it pissed me off. “I don’t think so,” I said, turning my head away.
    Her hand gripped my chin, twisting my head so I was forced to look at her. She appeared to be of barely legal age, yet I knew I shouldn’t be fooled by her youth. She was older than I thought. Pouting her lips, she gave me an air kiss before releasing my chin and walking away. I shuddered with relief as I watched her go.
    â€œThank you.” I murmured, tilting my head up and looking over my shoulder at the Ralph Lauren model, grateful his quick action had saved me from complete humiliation.
    â€œYou’re welcome.” I could almost hear the summer breeze rippling through fields of wheat as he loosened his grip and stroked my upper arms lightly with his hands. “If there’s ever anything I can do—” He broke off suddenly, his face flushing unexpectedly before he turned on his heel and went to stand next to Katja.
    Gabriel and Aleksei reached me, and I let Gabriel enclose my hand once more in his, although I was puzzled by Kansas Boy’s reaction. To my mind it was completely uncalled for. It was as if he had crossed an unseen line by speaking to me. I glanced over at Aleksei, who was staring at Katja. His eyebrows were knitted together, making him look quite fierce. He reminded me of a bear. A big Russian grizzly bear.
    Smoothing out his expression, he turned to me. “Don’t mind Katja,” he said quietly, “she’s all bite and no bark.”
    â€œYou mean all bark and no bite,” I corrected.
    â€œIf you say so.” He chuckled before nodding once at Gabriel and then addressing his companions. “Come, my business is done.”
    They headed across the parking lot, rounded the movie theater, and disappeared out of sight. For a few moments there was nothing but silence, and I savored just sharing the space Gabriel occupied. Raising the hand he held, he brushed his lips across my knuckles.
    â€œDo you still want to go for coffee?” he asked me.
    In the space of five minutes my hand had seen more action than the rest of my body had in quite a while. I nodded. After that little episode with Katja—and I wasn’t sure what had happened exactly—I desperately needed a big jolt of caffeine.

CHAPTER 8
    W e went to an all-night diner that I didn’t know was still in business. It was situated in what had once been Greenley Heights’s only shopping district, and I remembered my dad would always make sure we stopped there for lunch whenever we had to come to town. It was the only place you could get a milkshake made by hand. But then great tracts of land had been sold to become shopping centers; malls had been built, and folks stopped going downtown. I couldn’t say which surprised me more: that the diner was still in business, that Gabriel knew it was, or that he had chosen to take me there.
    Glancing through the large plate-glass window, I could see it was empty of