Page 57 of Twilight Destiny

“I don’t,” Rosa admitted, and then grinned inwardly. She still wasn’t 100 percent sure if she wanted to be a vampire or not. If Jake turned her, the decision would be out of her hands.

“I’m not sure if you’re just a little crazy or totally insane,” he muttered.

“Maybe both.”

“Come on,” he said. “Let’s go someplace where there’s a lot of people.”

“Afraid to be alone with me?” she teased.

Pulling her into his arms, he kissed her, long and hard, then growled, “What do you think?”

Breathless from his kiss, she gasped, “A lot of people sounds like a good idea.”

They went dancing at a local nightclub. The music was soft and low, the man who held her in his arms was dangerous and irresistible. And she knew she was a heartbeat away from falling head over heels in love with him. His kisses were intoxicating, his scent irresistible, his smile … oh, what that smile did to her insides. And he needed her.

Jake grinned at her as he read her thoughts. “Still think you can tell me no?”

She stared into his dark, fathomless eyes and wondered if she still wanted to.

Leaning forward, he whispered, “Don’t worry, love, I won’t take advantage of you.” He kissed her lightly. “Unless you ask me to.”

It was late when he took her home. Standing inside the doorway, he drew her into his arms and kissed her, long and slow and deep, until she leaned into him, wondering how much longer she could resist the urgings of her own heart. She sighed when he lifted his head.

“Good night, my sweet girl. Dream of me.”

“I’ll try.”

He kissed her again, hot and quick, and then he was gone.

Rosa grinned as she shut and locked the door, thinking it was a good thing Jake had left when he did. One more kiss and she might have dragged him off to her bed and begged him to have his wicked way with her.

Rosa slept late in the morning. For a time, she simply lay there, reliving Jake’s kisses from the night before, replaying the erotic dreams she’d had and wondering if reality could measure up to her fantasies.

Rising, she brushed out her hair, pulled on her bathrobe, and scuffed into the kitchen in search of caffeine. She couldn’t stop smiling when she thought about last night. Dancing with Jake, being in his arms, savoring his kisses … Yes, he was dangerous. Yes, he had killed a man. Probably more than one in his long existence. Was she afraid of him? She had every right to be, but she couldn’t believe he would hurt her, at least not intentionally. Of course, if he drained her dry, she would be just as dead whether it was an accident or not. It was a sobering thought.

But it was a risk she was willing to take.

She fixed scrambled eggs for breakfast, changed the sheets on her bed, pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. After sorting through her dirty laundry into piles, she dumped her sheets in the washing machine.

Later, she picked up her dry cleaning, then went to the local bookstore where she spent the better part of an hour browsing the latest bestsellers but didn’t find anything that sounded promising. She stopped in at her favorite dress shop, but didn’t like anything she tried on, except for one slinky little black dress that she couldn’t afford.

Muttering, “I guess it’s just not my day,” she drove to the nearest coffee shop for a cheeseburger, onion rings, and a chocolate shake. Her last stop was the grocery store.

It was after five when she returned home. Humming softly, she put her groceries away, then went into the bathroom to shower and get ready for her dinner date with Micah. She wasn’t exactly looking forward to it, still worried that she might let it slip that she was seeing someone. And that that someone was a vampire. Once that particular cat was out of the bag, there would be no putting it back.

She took a deep breath when she heard his knock at the door. Maybe if she asked enough questions about Holly and the family and the trip to Italy, she could keep Micah from asking questions she didn’t want to answer.

“Hi,” he said. “I’m a little early, but … ” He stepped inside, took a deep breath, and swore a pithy oath.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, although she was pretty sure she knew the answer.

“Who have you been with?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Don’t play games with me, little sister. You’ve been with Saintcrow!” Micah’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “And a vampire that I don’t know has been here.”

Rosa stared at him while her mind scrambled for a reply.

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