Page 6 of Hot Blooded
Reign Tryst is a beast of a man, well over six feet tall with broad shoulders and muscles, welleverywhereas I learn when I first arrive and see him shirtless and looking quite confounded in the upstairs hallway. His broad chest halts with a shallow breath, and he looks like he’s just seen a ghost. He and his estate manager exchange a handful of tense words I can’t discern from behind the closed door. It is awkward to say the least, especially sinceIam the topic of conversation.
And when he’d gotten closer, I almost forgot how to breathe, caught there in his gaze.Crystal-clear blue eyes and pale skin. Dark, disheveled hair. A dusting of stubble along his masculinejaw.He was radiant, and I was captured by him. Like a butterfly caught in a web.
In those few, confusing seconds, my heart thudded almost painfully in my chest, and I felt an inexplicable pull toward him. Then Reign had crossed the room and placed his hand in mine, and all my thoughts scrambled. His touch burned a hot path through me, and I pulled my hand away. His skin was soft, but completely temperature-less—not exactly cold, but certainly not warm either. The first curls of awareness licked inside me, even if I didn’t want to name the thoughts crowding my brain.
I shake my head. A mansion complete with a vampire. That should have been in the job description—because I would have strongly considered if this is the right move for me.
I didn’t realize my presence here would be a surprise for him. But it’s as if my arrival in his home caught him completely off guard.That’s a bit unsettling.
As I make my way further into the bedroom, I see that my luggage has already been brought up. It’s neatly stacked beside the window seat that looks out over a courtyard. The window seat has been outfitted with a custom cushion that fits just so. No detail of this guest suite has been overlooked. There’s a four-poster bed dressed in the softest bedding I’ve ever felt, a huge closet with built-in drawers and cabinets, and a humungous free-standing tub in the adjoining bathroom. This place is a dream.
It’s almost enough of a distraction to make me forget the fact that I was recently fired from my job as a children’s librarian. Almost.
But it’s certainly not enough to make me forget theactual vampirewaiting for me downstairs. Do vampires even eat dinner? He asked me if I have questions, and at the time, I froze, but I do have questions. Many, in fact.
Namely,what the actual hell?
Needing a distraction, I busy myself with lumbering my suitcase into the huge closet, unzipping each one and placing my unmentionables inside the lacquered drawers, my t-shirts and jeans into the cabinets. Next I hang the sweaters, and skirts I’d thought to bring. Any man who is wealthy enough to have his own personal library may want an employee who sticks to a business professional dress code during the week, so I’ve brought along plenty of modest knee-length skirts and dresses.
“Bite you? Not unless you ask. Very, very nicely.”
His words from earlier replay through my brain. The way his deep, cultured voice curled around each syllable had seemed luxurious. Sensuous. Forbidden. It sent a chill zipping down my spine.
Well, I’ll never ask for such a thing. Not in a million,billionyears.
I press my fingertips to my temples where a rogue headache is forming.
This will be a fresh start for me. A badly needed do-over. I’d been fired for sneaking romance novels to the information desk and reading them there while I was supposed to be working.Whoops. But who could blame me?
I won’t make the same mistake here. I doubt Reign even has any romance novels in that impressive library of his. Which is just as well. Love is a pain that I don’t need in my life.
After plugging in my cellphone, I see that I have a missed call from my sister, and two hours to kill until dinner.
I dial Libby back and she answers on the first ring. “Hey, sis, how’s the new job?”
Stifling a laugh, just barely, I prepare myself for her reaction. “Well. There’s something surprising about my new boss.”
“Which is?” she prods.
I clear my throat, then lower my voice. “He’s a vampire.”
“You’re shitting me!” she screams into the phone, and I have to hold it away from my ear while the ringing stops.
“Indeed, I am not shitting you. But it’s fine. He has a bunch of human staff that live and work here too,” I reassure her, and maybe myself.
Libby makes a clucking sound of disapproval. “I know we’re not supposed to discriminate… but I’ve heard some horror stories from the girls in my dorm.”
“Those are probably just spooky stories girls tell at slumber parties…” I trail off though, my words sounding hollow in my own ears. The truth is, I don’t really know much about vampires. It’s never been something I’ve specifically researched. And before now, I’ve never met one, not that I know of anyway.
“Just keep your door locked at night. I hear they like to feed at night. Maybe you should put a little garlic powder in your lotion, too,” she advises me.
A giggle bubbles from my throat. “Now those sound like stereotypes. How about this, I’ll do lots of research about vampires, so you don’t have to worry about me. I’ll be super careful.”
“You better be. You’re all I’ve got.”
“So are you, sis.”
After she catches me up on how everything is going at college, and we compare notes—no, neither of us has heard from Mom in months—we end the call.
