I glared at him. “You’ve been forced to havesex with someone you hated? Or you forced someone else to havesex?”
His silver-blue eyes narrowed. “I will letyou draw your own conclusions about that. But sufficient to say,what your friend is enduring is nothing new. And since I don’t knowher or care about her, the tale of her sad plight doesn’t move mein the slightest.”
I threw up my hands. “Then I guess I’mwasting my time.”
“Not at all.” He sat back again, lounginglike a lazy cat behind the expensive desk. “I may still bepersuaded to help you. Remember, Addison, I said this is all aboutyou. So what can you offer me to make removing yourfriend from her maker worth my while? Bearing in mind, of course,that I will have to go to considerable trouble to do so.”
I thought fast. “That citation I wrote youlast night? I haven’t filed it yet. We can just pretend it didn’thappen.”
“Please—is that really all your friend isworth to you? A slap on the wrist and the sum of a paltry fine?” Hetsked. “Really, my darling, I had thought better of you.”
I took a deep breath. “What do you want meto say?”
“What do you think I want you tosay?” He smiled, showing considerable fang this time.
Crap, I’m in so much trouble here! Iswallowed hard. Could I do this? Even for Taylor it was a closecall. But then I reminded myself of the horrible conditions she wasenduring. She was being forced to have sex with a man she hatedover and over again. Surely I could make myself to do this onething, this one time to save her. Giving Corbin a level stare, Ispoke in a shaky voice.
“Fine. I’ll have sex with you. But no bitingat the same time. And I damn well hope you can control yourself—Idon’t want to end up looking like I just went through an industrialsized blender, even to save my friend.”
Corbin stood and suddenly he was around thedesk and right in front of me though I had barely seen him move.Damn, he was fast. And probably incredibly strong as well. Isteeled myself not to flinch as he reached for me, but instead ofpulling me to him he only stroked my cheek with one finger. Histouch was light but I felt a rush of tingles go through meanyway.
“So you offer me your body but not yourheart.”
“Sorry.” I swallowed, forcing myself to staywhere I was. “My heart isn’t up for grabs.”
“Is that because it belongs to your friend?”He searched my eyes. “Is she your lover as well?”
“What?” I almost laughed at the idea. “No,of course not! Why would you say that?”
He frowned and nodded at my wrist where thescars were hidden by my suit jacket. “She is the one you have beenfeeding, correct?”
“Well, yes,” I admitted. “She, uh, she can’tglamour humans into giving her blood. And she won’t take it byforce either. So I’m pretty much her only recourse.”
Corbin shook his head. “Such a one as youdescribe is too weak to survive. She should never have been broughtover in the first place.”
“You can take that up with Celeste—she’s theone who decided my friend had ‘potential’.”
He looked thoughtful. “Hmm. She is notusually so mistaken. Her retinue is one of the strongest in thestate because of her instinct for finding those who should be bornto darkness.”
“Well, she was wrong in my friend’s case,” Isaid. “And I still don’t see why the fact that I give Taylor myblood would make you think we’re more than friends.”
“You really don’t know?” He shook his head.“You spend so much time pursuing my kind and yet you have noconception of how we think or what we really are.”
I was beginning to get impatient. “Just tellme already.”
“Sharing blood is a very erotic action forus,” Corbin murmured, stroking my cheek again. “Which is why wegenerally prefer to feed only from those we find attractive and whoare attracted to us.”
I stepped away from his touch, feelingnervous. “Seriously?”
He nodded. “Yes. So giving blood to someoneyou are not sexually attracted to would be a very uncomfortableexperience.”
I thought of the squirmy feeling I got in mystomach and the way it felt like insects were walking all over myskin when Taylor bit me. “So that’s why it feels so weird,”I murmured. Well, at least now I knew I didn’t have any hiddenlesbian tendencies—I wasn’t attracted to Taylor so giving her bloodfelt wrong to me. Not that giving blood to any vamp would feelright—especially the one currently standing in front of me, soclose I could smell a hint of his expensive cologne.
“I am glad to see your heart is not given toanother. Even if it is not, as you say, up for grabs,” Corbin saidsoftly.
“Don’t get too excited. My best friend mightbe a vampire but that doesn’t mean I want anything to do with therest of you.”
“You will have to have something todo with me if you expect me to rescue your friend from her sadplight,” he pointed out. “So I ask you again, Addison, what do youoffer me?”
Here we were, back at the crux of the issue.My heart started to beat triple time. “I already told you I’d sleepwith you. What else do you want?”
“What I do not want is an unwillingbed partner.” Corbin frowned. “Rape holds no appeal for me.”
“Who said anything about rape?” My throatfelt suddenly dry. “I…I’m offering myself to you. This would becompletely consensual.” As well as completely illegal but I didn’twant to think about that.
“No.” Corbin shook his head and leaned backuntil he was half sitting on the edge of his desk.
“No?” I frowned. “That’s it? You just refusemy offer?”
“I do not want your body unless your heartis also involved.”
“Well, I’m sorry,” I said, feeling at aloss. “But I can’t make myself love you.”
“Indeed, you cannot. So it seems I must makea counter offer.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “You spoke ofCeleste having a VIP in town. In all probability, he is the areaInquisitor.”
“Area Inquisitor?”
“We have a government too, as you know,”Corbin said mildly. “And it is only slightly more corrupt
