of his fingertips on the hard shaft and desire bolted through him. His stomach hollowed out. His fangs tingled.
Maybe he wasn’t feeling her so much as wanting her. He’d shared his blood with her last night, which made him at least a pint shy. He was weak again. Hungry.
The hunger.
That’s what had him tossing and turning and thinking that going back for seconds might not be such a bad thing. He needed all of his strength when he confronted Garret Sawyer and made him pay for his sins.
It sure as hell wasn’t because Miranda had felt different from any other woman he’d ever been with—hotter, wetter, wilder. Or because she’d stared up at him for those few seconds when he’d saved her from that young greedy vampire as if he were some kind of white knight instead of the devil himself.
No woman had ever seen the good in him. Except his mother, of course. No matter what bad thing he’d done, she’d dismissed it with a wink and a “You know how boys are,” or “He’s the baby of the bunch.”
He could still remember the way she’d stared up at him that tragic night, her eyes bright with love and hope.
As if he’d ridden up in time to save the day.
But he hadn’t been anyone’s hero that night. And he sure as hell wasn’t one now. He was something much darker and a hell of a lot more dangerous.
Miranda knew that and she still wanted him.
The truth haunted him for the rest of the day as he tried to rest and rejuvenate and forget about the fact that she was thinking about him.
And the sex.
And how he’d helped her cross one location off her Hot Spots List.
And how he’d protected her after the fact and covered her up with that damned shirt.
He never should have left it.
It had been a moment of impulse. A crazy burst of ego that had kicked his common sense to the curb. It was better for her to reason it all away and convince herself nothing out of the ordinary had happened. He’dknown that, but deep down inside, he hadn’t wanted her to reason him away.
He wanted to live on in her thoughts long after she made the biggest mistake of her life and married the wrong man.
He knew that just as he knew that she wasn’t half as sure about Mr. Right as she should have been, otherwise she never would have been in that club in the first place.
Not that doubt was going to stop her. She was determined. Marriage. House with the white picket fence and the minivan and a couple of kids to distract her from the demons that pushed and pulled inside of her. The ones she’d unleashed last night for a precious few moments when she’d been with him.
She’d bottled it all back up inside now. She was now working in her garden and going through the motions and pretending that last night had never happened.
Exactly what he intended to do. They were over and done with. Finished.
Even if he was desperately hungry and she’d given him a burst of strength unlike any he’d ever felt before.
He’d get the same rush from anyone else.
That’s what he told himself when he finally hauled his ass out of bed at sunset.
Even more, he intended to prove it.
He grabbed his hat and headed for the bar and grill he’d passed on his way into town.
A quick lay, some sweet, energizing sex, and then he could get on with the business of killing Garret Sawyer.
Chapter Nine
C ODY MEANT TO HEAD STRAIGHT for the bar and grill, but instead found himself standing in front of Skull Creek’s one and only custom motorcycle shop.
Sweet, sweet revenge.
That was the reason he’d come here first. He’d waited a long time to confront his family’s killer and he wasn’t about to waste another second, even if he was weaker than he would have liked. He needed to lay the past to rest. He couldn’t change what happened that night, but he could make sure that Garret Sawyer never murdered again.
He could do something now when he’d been too late to do something then.
Shadows gathered around him as he stared up at the front of the
Maybe he wasn’t feeling her so much as wanting her. He’d shared his blood with her last night, which made him at least a pint shy. He was weak again. Hungry.
The hunger.
That’s what had him tossing and turning and thinking that going back for seconds might not be such a bad thing. He needed all of his strength when he confronted Garret Sawyer and made him pay for his sins.
It sure as hell wasn’t because Miranda had felt different from any other woman he’d ever been with—hotter, wetter, wilder. Or because she’d stared up at him for those few seconds when he’d saved her from that young greedy vampire as if he were some kind of white knight instead of the devil himself.
No woman had ever seen the good in him. Except his mother, of course. No matter what bad thing he’d done, she’d dismissed it with a wink and a “You know how boys are,” or “He’s the baby of the bunch.”
He could still remember the way she’d stared up at him that tragic night, her eyes bright with love and hope.
As if he’d ridden up in time to save the day.
But he hadn’t been anyone’s hero that night. And he sure as hell wasn’t one now. He was something much darker and a hell of a lot more dangerous.
Miranda knew that and she still wanted him.
The truth haunted him for the rest of the day as he tried to rest and rejuvenate and forget about the fact that she was thinking about him.
And the sex.
And how he’d helped her cross one location off her Hot Spots List.
And how he’d protected her after the fact and covered her up with that damned shirt.
He never should have left it.
It had been a moment of impulse. A crazy burst of ego that had kicked his common sense to the curb. It was better for her to reason it all away and convince herself nothing out of the ordinary had happened. He’dknown that, but deep down inside, he hadn’t wanted her to reason him away.
He wanted to live on in her thoughts long after she made the biggest mistake of her life and married the wrong man.
He knew that just as he knew that she wasn’t half as sure about Mr. Right as she should have been, otherwise she never would have been in that club in the first place.
Not that doubt was going to stop her. She was determined. Marriage. House with the white picket fence and the minivan and a couple of kids to distract her from the demons that pushed and pulled inside of her. The ones she’d unleashed last night for a precious few moments when she’d been with him.
She’d bottled it all back up inside now. She was now working in her garden and going through the motions and pretending that last night had never happened.
Exactly what he intended to do. They were over and done with. Finished.
Even if he was desperately hungry and she’d given him a burst of strength unlike any he’d ever felt before.
He’d get the same rush from anyone else.
That’s what he told himself when he finally hauled his ass out of bed at sunset.
Even more, he intended to prove it.
He grabbed his hat and headed for the bar and grill he’d passed on his way into town.
A quick lay, some sweet, energizing sex, and then he could get on with the business of killing Garret Sawyer.
Chapter Nine
C ODY MEANT TO HEAD STRAIGHT for the bar and grill, but instead found himself standing in front of Skull Creek’s one and only custom motorcycle shop.
Sweet, sweet revenge.
That was the reason he’d come here first. He’d waited a long time to confront his family’s killer and he wasn’t about to waste another second, even if he was weaker than he would have liked. He needed to lay the past to rest. He couldn’t change what happened that night, but he could make sure that Garret Sawyer never murdered again.
He could do something now when he’d been too late to do something then.
Shadows gathered around him as he stared up at the front of the
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