Draven's Crossing: Tempestuous Crossings (19 page)

Torger’s eyes widened. “When? Do you have details? A VIP like him could be a huge draw for the serial killer or the Council.”

“I have someone getting the details. I’ve had to call in the Vampire Trackers for him. God, I wish I could take a vacation.” Draven rested his head on the back of the chair and closed his eyes.

“I don’t blame you man, not one bit. I’ll call in a few favors of my own to help you out.”

Draven nodded to Torger in silent thanks. “Okay, let’s finish this pizza and beer and get back to work. I wish I could get drunk.”

Torger’s barking laughter filled the air. “So do I man, so do I. Only thing I envy about the humans.”

Draven grinned. They began to talk about sports and which model motorcycle was better. The hour grew late. By the time Draven got home, he was exhausted and aching to hold Rose.

Chapter Eleven

Rose sat crossed legged on the floor while Sabrina made her way through a large bucket of popcorn chicken.

“Um, they did feed you back at the office. You do remember that, right?” She lifted an eyebrow and watched her friend pop another morsel into her mouth.

“So good, almost as good as KFC. You do remember that I have a high metabolism? Besides that, I need all the food I can get since we’re going to be walking a lot. I looked over a map of the area that we’re going to visit tomorrow. There’s so much to see. I know I’m moving here, but I still want to get in as much sightseeing as I can. I have a feeling Katey will make me her work bitch.” Sabrina laughed.

“Katey offered you a job? You didn’t tell me that.” Rose sat up, wondering what else she missed while working on the aspects of the ball.

“Yup, for the events. I’ll be one of the official photographers. After that, she’s going to hook me up with a few friends of hers who need to replace a photographer on their team. It’s all good.” Sabrina sipped her soda and looked up at her. “What?”

Rose’s shoulders slumped. “Wow. You guys moved fast. I feel a bit left behind.”

Sabrina threw a pillow at her. “Shut up. You were busy, and it’s fine. Anyway, let’s talk about Draven. We haven’t discussed your relationship beyond what you told me on the phone. I want to know more.”

Rose wasn’t sure where to start. “Like what?”

“Oh, like everything. I know you weren’t too crazy about the time it took between meeting and dating. How do you feel now with some distance?” Sabrina settled back against the couch.

“Um, well, I miss him. A lot.” She looked down at her plate of untouched pizza.

“So why not go to him? I’m fine by myself.” Sabrina gave her a pointed look.

“I can’t do that. It would be rude of me to just up and leave; besides, I can’t leave you alone. You’d eat all my ice cream,” she teased.

“But you want to leave, don’t you?”

She twisted her hands in her lap. “Yes and no. I want to see him, make sure he’s okay, and yet I don’t want to go back on what was agreed upon. I want to wait out the week.”

“Um, hello, we’re going to dinner with him and his friend tomorrow night.”

“Yeah, but I’m talking about being alone with him.” Rose picked up her pizza and took a bite. Her stomach growled for more food. Hunger hit her hard.

“Sex.” It was a statement not a question.

Rose looked up. “No. Not sex.”

Sabrina grinned and threw another pillow at her. “Sex and you know it.”

She chucked the pillow back at her. “You’re obsessed with sex, you know that?”

“You’re not answering the question.” Sabrina popped a handful of popcorn chicken into her mouth.

“There is no question. You made a statement. I miss him; the sex is secondary.” Taking another bite of pizza, she watched Sabrina make a face.

“Liar. So tomorrow night, do we have to dress up? I didn’t bring anything fancy to wear.” She drank her soda and sighed.

“I’ll ask. I don’t feel like dressing up. Um, you gonna help with this pizza?” She pushed the box toward Sabrina, who shook her head.

“So full. We’ll have it for lunch tomorrow. Now we’ve established you miss him, and this relationship goes beyond sex for you. Good, now the question is does he feel the same way? We’ll find out tomorrow night.” An evil smile curled on her lips.

Rose opened her mouth to protest.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle,” she assured.

Somehow Rose doubted that. They spent the rest of the evening eating, watching movies, and catching up. For the first time since arriving in Draven’s Crossing, she felt settled. She had a man she cared about, and her best friend was moving closer. Now all she wanted was for the event to go off without a hitch, and she’d be the happiest person on the planet. She was exhausted by the time she snuggled into bed. Reaching out blindly, she grabbed her cell phone and hit speed dial.

Draven answered immediately. “‘Hello?”

His sleep roughened voice sent liquid heat sliding down the center of her body to pool in her core. “Hey. Just wanted to say good night.”

“Hi,” he murmured. “Miss you.”

There was a soft creaking and the rustling of sheets. Her pussy contracted as tingles threaded through the sensitive flesh of her inner thighs, nether lips, and the base of her back. She pictured him naked, with the silk sheets covering his erection. A small groan built in her chest, sliding up her throat. Pressing her lips together, she refused to make that sound, refused to let him know that the desire had begun. Squeezing her thighs tightly together, she tried to ignore the throb of pleasure in her clit. The steady beat reminded her that he wasn’t there to ease the need. Heat flowed through her body and extended soft wisps of fire that threaded through her veins.

Tilting her head back, she closed her eyes and focused on control.

“How was your day? Did you get everything done?” More fabric shifted. She sighed, missing his heat and the firm wall of his body against her back. If he were with her, Draven would have stroked her stomach, teased her nipples and slipped his hand between her legs to ease the ache. Blowing out a breath, she tried to remember what her day had been like, but got shadows of frenzied movements.

“I got some work done. The plans for the Ball are coming along, and we’ve decided to shift the bachelor auction to after the Ball, then ending the event with a day of relaxing afterward in the park.” Rose grinned at his grunt of dissatisfaction.

“Can’t you guys cancel that? I’m not looking forward to strutting down the runway, even if it is for charity.”

She pictured his face; the handsome facade turned into a mask of pain and irritation. “Just focus on the charity part and you’ll do fine. I promise to outbid everyone.”

“And then we can have a filthy, dirty date.” His tone deepened, becoming more intimate.

Her stomach muscles tightened as notions of just what that date could be like swirled around her
brain. Shaking her head, she shoved away any idea of doing a date entirely in bed and focused on something fun, clean and camera ready. “No, we can’t do that. It has to be in public and child friendly.”

“We’ve done public sex before,” he pointed out. “As for child friendly, I don’t think kids should witness what I need to do to you.”

Rose squirmed, her panties becoming damp as his husky cadence wove through her body, setting her nerve endings alight and reminding her of what he could do to her. The ghost of his hands slid over her skin, teasing her nipples, stomach and hips. Swallowing, she tried to ignore her desire. “Can’t. Need to behave.”

“Have you been naughty? Do you need a spanking?” His voice got deeper, darker. A thrill raced through her. Her core clenched as more liquid drenched her panties. She’d never thought of a spanking, but the way he put it, she was sure it would be wicked and sexy as hell. An image of her bent over his desk flashed before her. Her breath hitched in her throat, and this time she did groan aloud. He chuckled, the sound heavy and weighted with things unspoken.

“Mmm, sounds like someone is having naughty thoughts.” He laughed again, this time lighter; mirth threaded through the wicked tenor.

She pulled the phone away from her ear and glared at it. “Behave. I’m not having phone sex with you.”

Pressing the receiver back to her ear, she listened as his laughter continued. “Says you,” he managed to throw out between guffaws.

“I’ll hang up,” she threatened.

He continued to chuckle. “And I’ll just call back, honey.”

“Phone sex over.” She waited for him to respond.

That got his attention; he stopped laughing immediately. “I didn’t even know we were having phone sex. Tell me what you’re wearing.”

“No. We’re going to behave.”

He snorted. “Do you even know what that word means, honey?”

She growled at him. “Yes, do you?”

Silence. She smiled in satisfaction. “See, there you go. Now, focus. Your day, what was it like? Did they catch the serial killer yet?” Rose bit her lip, hating that she asked. “You don’t have to tell me,” she added quickly, praying that the question hadn’t killed the mood.

He sighed. The sound dragged out. She winced as an ache began in her chest. “I’m sorry. Really, you don’t have to tell me.”

“I want to, baby. We’re still figuring things out. We’ve got nothing to go on, and everyone is scared the Council will step in.” There was pain in his voice that she wanted to wipe away.

“I wish I could be there for you. Hold you.” She clutched the bedspread, stifling the urge to suggest she go to him.

“You have company. Besides that, it’s late and as much as I want to hold you right now, I can’t. Not with this weighing on me.” He blew out a breath. “I don’t want this to taint what we have. Thank you for giving me an out. I can tell you that hearing your voice and talking to you helps immensely, and I’m grateful to have you in my life right now.”

She grinned, the pain in her chest evaporating. She settled back against the pillows and closed her eyes. “I’m glad.”

“Do you still want to do dinner tomorrow night?” Hesitation colored the question.

“Yes, I want Sabs to meet you, and I want to see you.” She hoped that they would get along.

“Good. Shit, it’s my other phone. I’ll have to hang up, honey. I’ll see you tomorrow. Can I call you during the day?” His voice had become lower, a hint of heat in the innocent words.

“You can call me anytime; just behave if I’m at work.” She tried to sound serious, but ended up giggling.

“I’ll take that as a yes. We can have phone sex while I’m at work.” He groaned aloud. “Fuck, Stop ringing. I have to go, baby. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Sweet dreams.”

Before she could wish him the same, he hung up. A smile pasted on her face and warmth pulsed through her body. The arousal simmered in the pit of her stomach, but she ignored it. After putting the receiver back in the charger, she snuggled down under the covers and hoped whoever was calling him didn’t bring bad news.

* * * *

While sitting in his office the next day, Draven ran a hand over his face and scrubbed the sleep from his eyes.

“My mother wouldn’t get off the phone. I swear to god, she could talk the dead back to life.” He accepted the proffered coffee cup from Torger. “Thanks.”

“Be thankful you don’t have a werewolf mother. They won’t hesitate to pull up your pants if they’re sagging, do the spit to palm thing to wipe away dirt or smooth out your hair in front of people. They’ll even tell random strangers about your most humiliating childhood moments.” Torger settled into the chair across from him.