Kenmore Drive Northwest and Charleston Terrace Northwest. Know it?” She slid her feet back along the car mat, raising her knees. The satin fabric of her peach dress slipped further up. No panty lines were visible. Was she bare beneath?
Excitement rushed to his cock.
The hard peaks of her nipples pressed to the material of her gown. Not since Elizabeth had he allowed a woman to rouse his lust before he figured out her level of receptiveness toward him–his kind. Was his interest heightened because she was off-limits? Common sense would dictate he refrain from sleeping with a woman he was using to get to someone else–especially when the target was her brother.
“Near the reservoir?” He met her gaze.
“That’s the place.” Her pretty glossy lips curved to one side. “And you, where do you call home?”
“A cemetery.”
Her eyes widened to saucers. “You tease.” A subtle breath escaped, relaxing her shoulders.
“Not entirely.” He merged onto Canal Road Northwest. “My place is across from the Oak Hill cemetery near Twenty-ninth Street. One of the benefits is that the people across the way are quiet.”
Trees lined the roadway and the moon shimmered off the water.
“My husband is not buried here. His family is Catholic. They had his body laid to rest in the family cemetery back in France. I had a headstone put at the Holy Rood Cemetery to have somewhere to pay my respects.” She fidgeted with her hands in her lap.
“Does it help?”
Leera shook her head as she turned to the window. “This winter will have been a year since the accident. I should be getting on with living.” Streaks of lights from the streetlamps flashed in her vacant eyes.
“There isn’t anything wrong with standing still while everything around you is moving.” Human life was but a blink. Why spend time running after smoke?
“I’m the red brick on the left side of the cul-de-sac.” She pointed to the post-War bungalow-style home.
Vaihan pulled into the driveway behind a shiny blue Honda Fit. “I’ll be doing the driving on our outings as I don’t fit in the Fit.”
“It’s bigger than it looks.” She grinned.
“I, on the other hand, I am as big as I seem.”
Her stare stopped at the bulge in his pants then met his gaze. “Point taken. Your car it is.” Her cheeks grew pink.
Whether she was ready or not, her body was propositioning him to relieve her, bringing his cock to full attention. He too missed the connection of having someone to share his body with.
He got out and opened her door. “Here you go, beaute.” Lifting his arm, he waited for her to accept his offer of assistance.
Leera placed her hand on his. He tugged her to her feet then shut the door. The cool night air passed between them. As they walked in tandem, he narrowed the distance.
A soft glow flooded the porch. He stopped on the step just below.
“I’m not usually like this.” She shielded her eyes with her hand.
“Listen.” He lowered her hand from her face. “Don’t apologize to me for having a heart. My only hope is that you are open to sharing the joys this strange world has to offer once more.”
She blinked, sending tears down her cheeks. “You are a very strange man, Vaihan Louchian.”
“I’m no man. I’m undead, but very much alive in soul. When I’m with you, my corpse comes to life.” He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed the velvety surface. A tornado of hunger ripped through him and saliva pooled in his mouth. His body prepared to paralyze his meal. The frenzy in his every cell wreaked havoc and reminded him that though he wasn’t living, he still existed. He peeled his lips from her flesh, careful not to leave any toxin behind.
She let out a gasp and stepped into the house.
“I’ll pick you up Thursday at seven PM.” This assignment was a disaster. The woman’s grief ran so deep, and yet, he felt drawn to her.
“On the nose.” With a smile, she closed the door. The lock clicked and her footsteps moved away from the entrance. What if the mechanism had failed? She’d have no way of knowing that someone could break in through the front. Better he check. Hand on the doorknob, he turned and pushed in. Resistance from the lock kept the door closed.
With that he headed to the car. What if the force he’d used to verify she was safe had broken the lock? If he didn’t confirm her security and something happened, he’d regret it. On the other hand, going back would only feed into his OCD. He slipped into the car. The light from the large front window went out. She hadn’t turned the alarm system on. Nothing would alert her to an intruder. And he hadn’t the decency to check the woman’s lock a second time, out of fear of his condition. He stood and marched to the porch.
Not to alarm her, he cradled the handle with his fingers and slowly turned. The springs inside the lock mechanism squealed. Well, that was a smooth move, Casanova. He hoped she hadn’t heard.
The knob slipped from his hand and the door swung open. “What are you doing?” Leera stood in a satin beige housecoat. Her nipples were hard buds, pressing to the thin material and her freshly washed face beamed.
Lying wouldn’t help his cause, at this point. “Checking that your door was locked.” He backed away. “You didn’t latch the chain.”
“I usually do that when I’m off to bed, and I hadn’t yet finished getting ready.” The sharp edge of her eyes softened, as did the rigid line of her shoulders. “I appreciate you checking up on me.”
Warmth fluttered inside him. She wasn’t angry with him. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you.” Her lips spread into a wide smile over her teeth. “I promise to put the chain on then turn the alarm on.”
“Good night, Ms. Waltz.”
“You too, Vaihan.” The door slid into the frame. Mechanisms clanked and chains rattled then hooked. No way could he check all over again. She’d think he was crazy.
Every step toward his vehicle, his legs felt heavier. He should at least verify once more that she was safe, shouldn’t he? No. No way.
* * * *
Vaihan pushed the door closed to his brownstone.
Flint rushed out from the kitchen, wiping the blood on his hand onto a dishtowel. “Quinn and Sam are grounded again,” he said, and tapped his foot on the hardwood floor.
As the elder of the three, Flint’s patience level with the two newer undead guys waned.
“What might they have done this time?” Vaihan fixed his gaze on Flint, trying to suppress his amusement.
“They offered to buy a woman’s baby.” With his hands to the heavens, he shook his head.
Vaihan
