‘Even now, you lie to yourself.’ He turned my wrists, holding my palms upwards. ‘You tell yourself that you do not want what I can give, but your body betrays you.’
My fingers relaxed and opened with no conscious thought from me.
‘See, Genevieve, this is what happens when you deny the truth. You make yourself weak. How else would I find it so easy to bypass your defences, to bend your body to my wishes, if not by using your own desires against you?’ He pulled me towards him, eyes flaring with rage. ‘Much as you did with Rio.’
I blinked. Why was he angry? Then I realised what his words meant and my own anger made me lean into him. ‘You were watching, weren’t you,’ I made it a statement, ‘in the Théâtre—but that’s what you do, isn’t it?’ I curled my lip. ‘You spy on others.’
‘It was not wise to tease Rio like that.’
‘What, you think yanking her chain was wrong? You heard her, she’s ambitious, she already had plans for me, and I’m betting they had nothing to do with my wellbeing. The fact that she’s changed them isn’t going to make any difference in that respect.’
His hands squeezed my wrists until I thought he would snap the bones. I pressed my lips together to stop myself whimpering. Then the glow in his eyes flickered and snuffed out.
‘No, it will not make a difference.’ Slowly he loosened his fingers and placed his lips to the throbbing pulse in my left wrist and my stomach plunged into free-fall.
He released me and I scooted back to my side of the cab, trying to ignore the feelings inside me ... and the pieces fell together in my mind.
I laughed, short and derisive. ‘You knew, didn’t you? All that sneaking around, that hiding-in-the-shadows trick you do: you already knew what Rio was planning—only now I’ve gone and kicked you out of the loop. That’s why you’re so angry.’
He smiled and my stomach fluttered, not with fear but with warmth. ‘The way your mind works is almost as interesting to me as your body, Genevieve.’
Yeah, right, like distracting me is ever going to work. I smirked at him. ‘Oh, and thanks for the compliment.’
He arched a brow. ‘I didn’t know I had given you one.’
‘If I know so much, then why would I invite you along to help me?’
Ha! That one was easy. ‘There’s some sort of spell,’ I said, ‘you all want it, and you all think I can find it.’
He laughed, a deep rich laugh that sent lust fizzing in my veins and heated my blood right down to my toes.
I clutched at the door handle, glaring at him. ‘It’s not going to work, you know: getting me all hot and bothered isn’t going to make me forget.’
Almost in slow motion he reached for my hand, lifted it to his mouth and blew heat on my fingertips, his dark eyes never leaving mine. ‘Why would I need you to forget anything, Genevieve? What I want is for you to remember.’
As his words sank in, I frowned. ‘Remember what?’
‘Why, what I told you before.’ He placed a kiss against my fingers, but I felt the touch on my lips. ‘I wish to conclude this little episode to my own satisfaction. I do not require knowledge of
I wet my lips and the taste of Turkish delight sweetened my tongue. Damn
The taxi slowed to a stop. ‘That’ll be nineteen pounds twenty, please, mate.’
Malik produced a fifty, handed it to the driver. ‘Please. Wait here for us.’
The locks clicked open. ‘Cheers, mate. No worries.’
‘No way,’ I said, ‘you’re not coming with me.’
‘Genevieve, we agreed—’
‘Go home, Malik.’ I repeated his own words to me, and jumped out of the cab.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
I stormed off along the pavement and tried to roll the tension from my shoulders. Damn. Now what? A hot breeze rushed over the River Thames and threw my hair in my face and I shoved it back. I took a deep breath, then wished I hadn’t as all I got was a lungful of the ever-present traffic fumes mixed with the fainter scent of water.
Sighing, I rotated one ankle then the next. My feet weren’t impressed at having to walk in my high-heels again. I looked around, hoping for some inspiration to help me get rid of the pretty vampire. Along the well-lit Victoria Embankment I could see the RAF monument, its golden eagle perched on top. On the other side of the river the bright pods of the London Eye hung suspended. It might be midnight, but this was London and there were still plenty of people around: walking across the Hungerford Bridge, partygoers out for a smoke on the deck of the Hispaniola boat, a couple smooching under the railway bridge, a man in shorts walking a yappy Pekinese.
Only inspiration and ideas seemed to be in short supply. I sighed and turned around. Malik was standing, feet apart, thumbs hooked into his belt, arrogance surrounding him like a shadowed aura. Even if he wasn’t recognised for what he was, he looked dangerous enough that most people would give him a wide berth—like the dog walker who’d obviously turned back to avoid him.
Malik wasn’t going to go away as easily as that—but what if I tried the direct approach?
‘Look,’ I said, walking over to him, ‘I don’t want you to tag along, okay? Alan Hinkley is my client and it doesn’t look very professional if I bring you with me.’
He lifted his chin and scented the air. ‘Why are we not at the police station?’
‘Old Scotland Yard is just round the corner. Alan Hinkley wanted to meet here first, in private.’ I checked my watch. ‘If he’s not already waiting he’ll be here any moment.’
‘A street corner is not a suitable place for a private talk.’
‘We’re meeting in the garden.’ I indicated the gate. Through it I could see the gravel path stretching maybe eighty feet to the exit at the other end. Ringed by black iron railings, the garden was mostly grass, with a few large trees, and three statues that faced out towards the river. The buildings behind overlooked it and only a few of the windows were dark, with just the bushes near the railings giving the semblance of privacy. The place was well lit and it was easy to see it was empty.
A line creased between Malik’s eyes. ‘Why would he choose to meet you here?’ he asked, then looked over towards the underground. ‘Why not at the station or the café?’
‘Okay, enough with the twenty questions.’ I let out a frustrated sigh. ‘I don’t think that Alan Hinkley’s too taken with vamps just now, and neither am I. And I don’t want you frightening him—so what’s it going to take to get you to leave?’
He stood looking at me, expression enigmatic. ‘It is not the best place for an ambush, but it could still work. This time of night, not many humans enter the park, and should anyone see or hear something untoward from a window above, they might conclude it to be a lover’s assignation and not interfere.’
Apprehension tensed my shoulders. ‘You’re a scary bastard, aren’t you?’
‘You should learn to think like your enemy, Genevieve.’
‘But to think like my enemy, I’d have to know who he is, wouldn’t I?’ I jumped, startled, as a jogger ran past, feet slapping hard against the pavement. He veered away from the entrance to the gardens and pounded across the road to sprint along next to the river.
‘Why are you nervous?’ Malik asked.
‘Why the hell do you think?’ I snapped. ‘Too many vampires taking an interest in me makes me feel like a mouse surround by hungry cats.’
