—”
“An identikit picture?”
“Yes. Of the suspect, and I recognized him. It was the man—Jack.”
“Really?”
She nodded. There was a risk here, that they might check up and find she was lying. But she considered the risk worth it.
Piers drummed his fingers on the table then picked up the phone and punched in a number. “Graham—did I wake you again?” His lips twitched as he listened to the answer. “I have a job for you. Check out a missing person.” He glanced across at Roz. “Do you have a name?”
“Jessica Thomas.”
“Jessica Thomas. Just get the details, and I’ll talk to you later.”
He placed the phone down and leaned back, his hands resting on the desk behind him as he looked her over.
“So that’s business taken care of. What shall we do now, Sister?”
Oh Lord, had she ever heard a speech filled with so much innuendo? She fought down the little voice inside her that was screaming,
Instead, she smiled demurely. “I must be getting back to the mother house. Sister Maria is very anxious, and she likes me close.”
“I bet she does.”
He pushed himself to his feet, making her jump, and strolled slowly toward her, coming to a halt only inches away. She breathed in sharply, and her nostrils filled with a wild, musky scent that caused the muscles in her stomach to clench. Reaching out, he placed one long finger under her chin. His touch felt cool, and a shiver ran through her, but she didn’t object as he gently raised her head so she had no choice but to stare into his eyes. She had one quick peek and glanced quickly to the floor. The urge to close the space between them was almost overwhelming, and she bit down hard on her lower lip to concentrate her thoughts. The sweet metallic taste of blood filled her mouth, but the pain brought her back to herself.
His sharp indrawn breath sounded loud in her ears, and she glanced up quickly. His gaze was intent on her mouth, and she looked away from the hunger in his face.
Suddenly she knew what he was about to do—the mesmerizing thingy.
“Look into my eyes, Sister.”
It was a good thing she wasn’t looking into his eyes right then or he would have seen hers roll. How corny could you get?
She had to do this. She didn’t have a choice—she never had a choice, and she was starting to get pissed off at that. Carefully, she blanked her expression, raised her lashes, and gazed into his eyes. They were beautiful, so deep a blue they were almost black, and fringed with thick lashes.
For a moment, some dark force caught her, as though the very will was being sucked out of her. Her mind clouded, tendrils of mist wrapping themselves around her consciousness. Instinctively, she fought it, and the fog cleared slightly, enough so she was back in control of her own head.
She forced her mind back to Asmodai’s instructions and blinked a couple of times. Piers’ large hand hooked around the back of her neck and drew her closer. She didn’t fight. Hell, she might not be mesmerized, but she wanted this. Just one little taste, then she’d plant her bug and be out of there.
He was much taller than she was, and he lowered his head to lick the blood from her lower lip. At the touch of his tongue, heat shot along her nerve endings to pool at the base of her belly.
He straightened, and she caught sight of his eyes, glowing with hunger. “You taste so sweet.”
Fear slithered down her spine. She managed to keep it from her face; she’d had a lot of practice at hiding her emotions. What the fuck was he? But even as the question sounded in her mind, the answer flashed up in big neon letters.
She remembered her dream of last night—Jack drinking the blood of the missing girl. And she recognized what tied the two men together. They were both the same.
Holy crap, he was a vampire. Why the fuck hadn’t Asmodai warned her? He wouldn’t have sent her back here just to be killed, would he? Did he think her usefulness was over and this was his way of getting rid of her once and for all? But strangely, she didn’t believe that. She thought the demon, for all his wicked ways, had gained some slight affection for her over the centuries. Besides, from her dream she guessed the vampire, Jack, had drunk from the missing girl numerous times, and she still lived, or at least had as of last night.
She had to let him do this; otherwise, it would be obvious she wasn’t under his power.
Would it hurt?
Would she be able to maintain the pretense if he hurt her? She had to.
“Come here.” He dragged her closer. His hands gripped her shoulders then he lowered his head again and kissed her. His mouth slanted over hers, his tongue pushing inside, filling her, and the heat in her belly burst into roaring flames.
Holy crap, but this guy could kiss. After the first thrust, she gave herself up to the sensual delight, the glide of his tongue against hers.
Her hips were pushing toward him and his mouth left hers.
“You like that?” he murmured. “You want more?” He laughed softly as his hands slid down the curve of her back to rest on her hips. He pulled her against him so she could feel the length of his erection pressing into her stomach, and moist heat flooded between her thighs. He breathed in. “Hmm, the scent of sex-starved nun—one of my personal favorites. But unfortunately, I’m afraid my brand of ethics won’t allow me to take you while you’re under my influence.”
Roz very nearly screamed. What did he mean? And what sort of vampire had ethics? Weren’t they evil creatures of the night, preying on the innocent? Well, she might not be innocent, but he didn’t know that.
“Sister, raise your head.”
She did as she was told. His eyes still blazed with hunger. She’d thought he was finished with her, but obviously, while his ethics wouldn’t let him shag her, they weren’t about to stop him from eating her.
One long lean finger ran down her throat, leaving a trail of fire. Fear churned inside her, and she forced her mind to blank as though she really was in his thrall. His fingertip rested against her racing pulse, and then he lowered his head and kissed her there.
A small moan escaped her lips as heat streaked along her nerve endings.
He stroked her with his tongue, tasting her, then with no other warning, he sank his fangs into the flesh of her throat.
She went instantly still, waiting for the pain. But there was nothing until the first tug as he drew her blood from her vein. She felt it like an arrow of pleasure straight to her groin.
His hands were stoking her back, shifting lower to the curve of her ass, fingers digging in, kneading her flesh in time with the tugging pull at her throat. A pulse was beating between her thighs. It was as though he was inside her, deep inside, and her muscles were clenching, tightening, pleasure spiraling.
Oh Christ, she was coming. Just from the tug of his mouth at her throat, his hands on her ass. Her body went rigid as he pulled her closer and rubbed his shaft against her, and she came in an explosion of pleasure so intense she almost blacked out.
When she came back to her senses, she was lying on the sofa across from the desk. She half-opened her eyes and peered up at Piers from under her lashes. He was staring down at her, a strange calculating expression in his dark eyes.
“Just what are you, Sister?” he murmured.
The words hovered on her lips but she bit them back. Her throat ached, and she felt a little light-headed, but otherwise she was fine. In fact, she felt fantastic, her body still buzzing from what had to be just about the most powerful orgasm she had had in five hundred years. Wow. She closed her eyes as residual tremors of pleasure ran through her body.
She could sense him studying her; she had to pull herself together because she still had the bug to plant. She’d decided where—underneath the desk where the leg met the top—but she just needed a chance to slip it
