Caught in Darkness Page 14

  It was also unavoidable.

  “Seth?” Veronica asked, a frown marring her face as she studied him. Clearly his expression had begun to reflect his thoughts.

  With a light shake of his head, Seth replied, “Sorry; don’t worry about it. You’re right, anyway.”

  Veronica stared at him, seemingly thrown by his words. “I sort of thought you’d be harder to convince.”

  Lips twitching, Seth leaned down slightly and murmured, “Sorry to disappoint, then. You’re just a difficult woman to argue with.”

  She was smiling again and she tilted her head enough for their lips to brush teasingly before she added, “One quick question. Do I need to be on a pill?”

  “No,” Seth replied gruffly, turning his head and trailing his lips across her jaw, toward the seductive curve of her throat. “Vampires can’t reproduce, even with each other.”

  Veronica released a soft groan when he reached her throat, her fingers tightening in his hair as her head tilted back for him. “Good,” she breathed.

  For sanity’s sake he skimmed over her thrumming pulse-point and opted, instead, to latch his lips onto the hollow at the base of her throat. She made a sound of appreciation that went right through him when he sucked on the delicate flesh and he growled against her skin. Without thought one of his hands slid lower until he was cupping her backside through the soft fabric of her dress.

  Calm, deliberate knocking on the door startled them back to reality and they froze.

  Seth took a couple of long, slow breaths and lifted his head as his hand rose to the small of her back. It took effort to extend his senses past the woman in his lap, but when he managed it he realized that he could, in fact, hear another heartbeat on the other side of the door. It was stable and strong—a human’s heartbeat.

  “I suspect it’s for you,” he murmured as he returned his gaze to the blonde in front of him.

  Veronica was dangerously close to pouting as she hooked her fingers in his collar and mumbled, “Maybe they’ll go away.” She was leaning in and simultaneously tugging him closer, their lips a hair’s breadth apart, when the knocking sounded again. Now she sighed, releasing his collar, and slumped toward him, grumbling, “Or maybe not.” Then she shifted, turning, and squirmed until she found her feet once more.

  Seth managed, through herculean efforts, to bite back the groan that very nearly tore from his throat at her wiggling. He swallowed, willing his body temperature to cool, as he watched her move reluctantly toward the door. Was it his imagination, or were her hips swaying just a bit more than usual? Those thoughts are counterproductive, he told himself, looking away. A quick glance at his watch reminded him that he probably should be hitting the streets again in his seemingly-endless search. Though that responsibility was highly unappealing at the moment.

  “Oh, hey, Ali,” Veronica’s slightly-surprised voice said from the doorway, dragging his attention back to the situation at hand. From his angle he couldn’t see the woman who was, apparently, at the door.

  “Hey, V.” That was definitely the voice he remembered, though. And that was also his cue to make a tactful exit, so he pushed to his feet even as Allison continued, “I know I should’ve called first, but I wasn’t really planning on stopping by…can I come in?”

  Veronica’s hesitant, guilt-ridden confusion was almost palpable as Seth pushed to his feet. “Of course,” she finally said, stepping back from the doorway and holding the door open.

  Allison was halfway in the door when she finally seemed to register his presence, her eyes snapping up to his with genuine surprise. He opted not to worry about how she’d missed his Corvette, which was parked in the driveway behind Veronica’s car. “Oh,” Allison began before she gathered herself and added calmly, “you’re here.”

  There wasn’t half the venom in those words that he would have expected, given their only other moment of interaction, but Seth decided to simply accept that and incline his head before replying, “I should be going, actually.” He switched his focus to Veronica, who was watching him with concealed disappointment and obvious understanding, and said, “It’s time to get to work. I’ll see you later.”

  Veronica had barely begun to nod her head when Allison said, “Could you wait a moment, actually?”

  Seth knew his weren’t the only eyes that snapped over to her with blatant surprise, but he quickly schooled his expression back to calm and asked, “Is there something you needed?”

  Allison shifted her weight, fully inside the house now, and released a breath before offering, “I wanted to apologize about before. I was terrified and grieving and I know those are just excuses, but…I hope you’ll accept my apology anyway. Veronica’s my best friend, and she clearly trusts you, which means I need to give you a chance. And, from what I’ve seen…you didn’t deserve my lashing out before.”

  Allowing a portion of a smile to show, Seth inclined his head again and replied, “I never held it against you. I know a thing or two about grief, and your distrust of me was understandable. So, though it was unnecessary, consider your apology accepted.”

  Allison’s smile was genuine and she nodded shortly, saying, “Fair enough. Thank you.” Sliding a glance toward Veronica then, she added, “I sort of need to use the restroom, actually…excuse me.”

  Seth didn’t say a word as Allison slipped past him and down the short hall, toward Veronica’s bathroom. He waited until the door had clicked and Veronica had returned her attention to him before moving toward her with a private smile.

  “I know you really do have to go,” Veronica said quietly, her hands curling in his shirt as his landed on her waist. “But I kind of wish you didn’t.”

  “It wouldn’t have worked, anyway,” he offered. “Your friend would still have shown up.” He bowed his head, ghosting his lips over hers before whispering, “Besides, I won’t be gone long.”

  Veronica leaned into the kiss, solidifying it for a moment before pulling back to say, “Be as long as you need to be; I’ll be fine.” She paused, her eyes dimming, and added, “And don’t be surprised to not see me in the morning; tomorrow’s Mandy’s funeral. I won’t be going in.”

  Seth nodded. He hadn’t forgotten, but he appreciated the sentiment behind her making sure to tell him. Shifting slightly, he pressed his lips to her forehead and said, “You know how to reach me if you need me.”

  Veronica nodded, and she was smiling softly again when she looked back into his eyes. There was even a shine of mischief in them as she whispered, “Stay safe out there.”

  Recognizing the translation of his earlier words Seth grinned, kissed her again, and stepped back. “I can’t make too many promises,” he teased. Their gazes held another second before he turned and let himself out the door. He hated walking away from her, but he had a job to do and she had company anyway, so he was just going to have to deal with it.

  ****

  Allison ended up staying over that night (and, therefore, rushing home early in the morning to get ready for the funeral) after she heard everything that Veronica had to share. And, Veronica decided, it was nice to have someone she trusted that she could talk to about all of the insanity that had cropped up in her life recently. However, with everything she had learned the day before, Veronica had a hard time concentrating during the funeral.

  This was as good as it was bad. She felt horrendously guilty for getting lost in thought during the official ceremony, but she was glad all the same to have at least had something to distract her for a few minutes. Mandy’s mother’s speech was hard enough to listen to all on its own. And when Mandy’s long-time boyfriend stepped up to say a few words Veronica actually found herself wondering if the worst happened and she ended up dead before everything was settled—would Seth come to her funeral? She certainly didn’t have anyone else in her life that might miss the taste of her kiss.

  Snapping herself out of her haywire thoughts, Veronica did her best to stay focused through the rest of the funeral. She was glad to have Allison b
eside her, and both made sure to spend a couple of minutes with Mandy’s family and other friends before they finally made their escape.

  “I hate funerals,” Veronica grumbled as they navigated the parking lot.

  “I’d say that’s fairly healthy,” Allison replied. She took a deep breath and turned a faintly-sad and somehow hopeful smile toward her as she added, “But you know what? I think something as heart-wrenchingly sad as a funeral should be followed by something beautifully happy.”

  “Beautifully happy?” Veronica repeated, coming to a stop at her bumper and turning a raised brow to her friend.

  Allison shrugged, car keys already in her hand, and said, “You know, something…fun and full of life. Something that makes you smile or feel good or even just brings you peace. Whatever you can think of that feels like the perfect antithesis of a funeral.”

  For a beat Veronica continued to stare at her, both surprised and strangely not surprised by her friend’s words. And then she gave them a second’s thought and quickly realized that Allison was right. Funerals were entirely too depressing. What she needed was something good to distract herself with before she found herself spending another week cooped up in her house.

  “I can see you’ve seen the truth in my wisdom,” Allison declared, dragging Veronica’s attention forward again. “That’s good. Go find your antithesis and I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

  “Wait,” Veronica said. She’d honestly thought Allison had been leading up to something. “You’re not coming with me?”

  “No,” Allison called as she moved toward her own car, parked a couple of slots over. “You have to find your own, just like I have to find mine. Have a beautifully happy day!”

  Veronica watched, once more lost in thought, as Allison ducked into her car. Okay, I guess I really do have to find my own. But, she realized, that didn’t actually mean she had to do it alone. It was only a little past noon; there was an entire day left to improve upon, and she officially knew where to start.

  Chapter Eleven

  The look of surprise on Seth’s face when he opened the door was almost funny and Veronica couldn’t help but smile. “Hey, stranger,” she greeted teasingly. There was definitely an audible layer of mischief in her voice, but she didn’t care.

  “Hey yourself,” Seth replied as he stepped aside to grant her entrance. “I’m sort of surprised you remembered the way.”

  Rolling her eyes, Veronica chided, “I have a pretty decent memory, actually.”

  “Apparently.” He paused for a beat before saying, “I thought your friend’s funeral was today?”

  Veronica paused now, standing only a few feet from the large, comfortable sofa that she remembered from her one and only other visit to his rented condo. She had changed before coming over, of course, so it wasn’t obvious that she’d essentially come straight from a funeral—for which she was grateful. She was far more comfortable in the white jean shorts and pastel green tank top than the black, knee-length formal dress she’d been wearing earlier. Releasing a breath she turned and smiled at him, replying, “It was this morning. I was sort of hoping you had the free time to keep me company?”

  Seth nodded, his understanding obvious in his eyes. “Of course.”

  Her smile lightened and she held her hand out to him, beckoning him closer as she said, “I even had some thoughts about what we could do for entertainment.”

  His already-dark eyes darkened with her less-than-subtle offer and he stepped up to her, his large, strong hand covering hers without hesitation. “Did you?” he asked, his voice deeper and thicker than usual.

  She hummed her confirmation as she leaned up, onto her tippy toes, and pressed her lips to his. Despite the difficulty, she managed to keep the kiss short and sweet before pulling back to say, “There is something I wanted to ask first, though.”

  “Ask away,” Seth rumbled, his lips dancing over the shell of her ear and sending shivers down her spine.

  She had to swallow to find her voice again. “If you were to bite me…would it hurt?”

  Hands locked over her hips, Seth lifted his head and narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. “Why would you want to know?”

  Veronica shook her head, the fingers of one hand absently tracing patterns over his chest, and countered, “You first.”

  She held his gaze confidently as he studied her, clearly trying to ascertain the answer to his question before offering up the answer to hers. It was a long minute before he finally relented. “Only for an instant,” he replied.

  Sliding her arms up, around his shoulders, Veronica pressed her body into his deliberately and said, “Good, because I want you to make love to me, and I don’t want you to hold back.”

  His arms tightened around her waist even as he growled, “Veronica.” There was a note of warning in his voice, but he didn’t say anymore before their lips met in a heated kiss. Their tongues met in a swirling dance of desire, rolling together just slowly enough to set their blood on fire.

  One of her hands slid up, into his hair, as she arched her body a little more against his. He growled against her lips in response even as one hand slid down until he was cupping her backside through the fabric of her shorts. He gave a squeeze, pressing her firmly against his straining arousal, and suddenly her feet were off of the floor, so she did the only thing she could—she wrapped her legs around his waist. There was a rush of air—just enough to make the ends of her ponytail dance over her shoulder—and then her back was against the couch. The momentum of the movement had their hips grinding together and their lips tore apart, Veronica gasping for breath while Seth hissed in pleasure beside her ear.

  Veronica curled her fist in his hair, still catching her breath, as he bowed his head and let his lips connect with her skin, just below her ear. She moaned as he began trailing his kisses down, the hand he’d had over her backside sliding around in order to dip beneath her shirt and massage her abdomen. His touch burned like wildfire down to her soul, every primal instinct she had screaming for more, and it was all she could do to keep from begging as his thumb stroked almost leisurely over her stomach.

  Then his lips landed over her pulse-point and he gave a gentle, deliberate suck. She gasped again, arching into him and letting her hips buck up, rolling into his searchingly. The hand not tangled in his hair was clinging to his shoulder now, fingers curled beneath the collar of his shirt so that her nails could scrape his heated flesh. She felt his almost silent growl as it rumbled up his chest and past his slightly-parted lips, massaging the skin of her throat. His tongue darted out, sliding along the same spot sensually and dragging another moan out of her. She was almost frightened by how desperately she wanted him to bite her in that moment.

  She wanted to feel him—to know him—as intimately as possible and, since he was a vampire, she knew a part of that would involve letting him drink from her. But it was more than that. She suspected that giving him a little nibble would be incredibly erotic—just like the rest of him—and she knew there was only one way to find out.

  His lips were still playing over her throat and the hand he’d braced behind her neck shifted, lifting to slide into her hair, and her body throbbed with anticipation. As if sensing her state of desire his hips surged forward, his covered erection pressing promisingly against her clothed center and earning a long, breathless moan. Her own hips lifted into his in response and again she felt him growl against her skin, his tongue slipping out and wetting her pulse-point one more time.

  And then he finally sank his fangs into her neck.

  Veronica gasped loudly as her mind tried to catch up to the sensations suddenly coursing through her. There had been a prick of pain, almost like the initial slice of a paper cut, but then the pain was gone, replaced with fire and a primal need that defied explanation and made a mockery of what she’d been feeling just moments before. She felt like she would die—quite literally fall apart—if he didn’t finish what he’d started. The slight trickle of liquid warmth that was s
lowly sliding down her throat wasn’t nearly enough of a distraction to keep her from noticing the disturbingly-sensual feeling of his lips on her skin.

  Seth released her neck after a long minute, licking his lips before bowing his head enough to catch the slim runaway stream of crimson blood. At the feeling of his tongue sliding along her neck, Veronica untangled her hand from his hair and grabbed onto the collar of his shirt. She gave his shirt a tug, more than over the boundaries that were still separating them, and prayed he took the hint. He lifted his lips, dancing them lightly along her neck until he had reclaimed hers for a deep, sensual kiss. Her tugging stalled as she melted into his lips, running her tongue along his before slipping it into his mouth. There was still the faintest trace of something sweet and coppery on his tongue, but knowing that it had come from her somehow only aroused her more.

  He broke the kiss without warning and sat back, taking her with him until they were sitting awkwardly sideways on the couch. With one swift tug he snapped her hair-tie, letting her now-loose hair cascade down her shoulders, but he didn’t stop there. The hand beneath her shirt lifted, his knuckles brushing the underside of her covered breasts, until she moaned and lifted her arms above her head. He removed her shirt swiftly, and before she knew it her bra had joined the shirt somewhere on the floor.

  She watched as his eyes dropped from hers, taking in the sight of her newly-exposed torso, and the first twinge of embarrassment passed through her. She was rarely self-conscious, but in front of someone who was inhumanly perfect she supposed it was reasonable. And that self-doubt vanished when he leaned forward, lifting her chin with one index finger and reclaiming her lips in a soft, tender kiss. Her stomach fluttered as he eased her back onto the couch, this time reaching back and unwinding her legs from around his waist simultaneously. And then his hands were skimming down her chest, lingering for a moment to palm her breasts before continuing on until they reached the hem of her shorts.