Kiss of Temptation: The Kavanaugh Foundation, Book 3 (3 page)

Luc climbed the stairs like he had lead in his shoes. Perhaps he would be better off returning to Paris without Daniela. He’d hidden the staff over seventy years ago to keep people from using it to conquer the known world. The emperors of Rome had abused its power, just like the Egyptian pharaohs before them. The magic was both ancient and deadly.

Morwen knew that, which was why he questioned her intent to find it. On the one hand, he could understand her desire to keep Colette and Marcellus from using it. But what would she do with it once she had it? A witch of her power could cause cataclysmic damage if she wanted to.

He tried to erase those images from his mind and opened the door to the room Sophia had set up for him. Blackout drapes covered the windows, preventing the sun from turning him into a pile of ashes when it rose. His clothes hung in the small wardrobe, and she’d placed a sandwich for him on the bedside table.

His lips curled into a smile. Despite his protests that she didn’t need to feed him, some things never changed. He wrapped the sandwich in a piece of paper. He would find someone to enjoy it tomorrow.

The humid night air stirred the drapes, and he poked his head out the open window. A small balcony stood outside Daniela’s room, so close he could easily climb over to it and join her in her bed. He’d enjoyed the company of women over the years since he’d been changed, but none of them had aroused him like she did. His pants grew tight while he remembered the way her body pressed against his earlier tonight. Yes, he wanted fuck her. He wanted to do more than that.

He shook his head to clear it. If he got that close to her again, he’d risk drinking from her. The craving clouded his mind. He felt like a drug addict looking to get his next fix. The problem was, once he got it, would he be able to stop? Better to avoid temptation in the first place, and that meant keeping her at a safe distance.

A soft moan came from her room and another thump rocked his chest. A second moan followed, this one at a slightly higher pitch than before. Sweat prickled along his hairline. Could one of the vampires have snuck in while he was chatting with Sophia downstairs?

Luc jumped the narrow distance to the balcony and landed with catlike silence. He lingered outside her door and listened. A whimper came from inside. When he peered in, he froze.

Even though the room was pitch dark, his heightened senses could easily make out her naked form on top of the bed. One hand cupped her breast while the other disappeared between her thighs. Her body writhed as another whimper rose from her throat.

I shouldn’t be watching her touch herself like that.

But his eyes remained fixed on the sensual roll of her hips and the graceful arch of her neck as she brought herself closer to her climax. His cock strained against his trousers. He longed to be the one making her moan like that. The blissful pleasure they could enjoy together…

He squeezed his eyes shut. He had reassured himself she was safe. There was no reason for him to stay here and tempt fate.

“Mmm, Luc.”

His eyes shot open when he heard Daniela say his name in that sexy, breathless voice. Did she know he was standing there?

She called out his name again, this time slightly louder. A bead of sweat dripped down the back of his neck. How much longer could he stand there and watch her when every inch of his body screamed for him to barge into her room and give her the release she so desperately seemed to crave, to give himself the release his aching cock demanded?

But his muscles refused to budge. He remained motionless, completely enraptured by the erotic scene playing out before him. Better to imagine the softness of her skin, the slick heat of her pussy, the taste of her kisses. His imagination had limits, but it prevented him from doing the unthinkable.

The tips of his fangs pierced his lip. He hadn’t felt bloodlust this strong since he stood on the outskirts of a battlefield. Then, he could explain his feelings. The scent of blood hung so heavy in the air, no vampire would be immune to it. But she didn’t even have a cut to entice him. No injuries. Just an overpowering urge to sip the sweet nectar flowing through her veins, pounding louder and louder with each beat of her heart until her body jerked to a standstill and collapsed in a shudder.

It took him a moment to realize she’d come, leaving him the only one unfulfilled. He took a step closer and was greeted by the sizzle of a magical ward. The impact tossed him all the way to the railing. He grabbed it to keep from falling to the street below and saw the tendrils of smoke rising from his hands.

“Who’s there?” The lamp flickered on and Daniela sat up in bed. She clutched a sheet over her chest, concealing those deliciously full breasts from his view, but not hiding the wooden stake in her hand. “You should know better than to sneak up on me.”

The lust that had held him prisoner ebbed as bitter laughter silently shook his body. Maybe she wasn’t as helpless as he thought. She’d rigged her own vampire alarm, and unfortunately, he’d walked right into it.

“I haven’t killed a bloodsucker lately,” she called out while she wrapped the sheet around her body and stood. She held the stake with the ease of a seasoned hunter.

Luc’s throat tightened. If he wanted to know more about what Morwen was planning on doing with the Staff of Octavius, he needed Daniela to trust him, and that meant she couldn’t find out what he was. He slipped over the edge of the balcony without making a sound and was safely concealed in the shadows by the time she reached the doors.

Her eyes flashed in the light as she scanned the street. “I know you’re still there.”

A cold tingle raced up his arm and coiled around his chest, all bearing her magical signature. It made him feel like a fly caught in a spider’s web. The more he tried to resist it, the more it seemed to suck his strength. He retreated farther down the street before she found him.

“You’d better hide soon. The sun is coming up.” Daniela turned around and closed the balcony doors behind her.

After a few seconds, the last threads of her magic disappeared, leaving him completely drained. The sky began to lighten in the east. He had maybe four or five minutes before the first rays of the sun peeked over the horizon. Yet he crouched in a side alley, wondering what the hell had just happened. He’d just risked getting caught, getting killed, all because he couldn’t keep his mind off this damn witch.

He ran his fingers through his hair and fished his key to the
pensione
from his pocket. Hopefully, Sophia hadn’t touched the bottle of blood he’d hidden in her cellar. He’d need the whole thing to clear the fog from his head and strengthen his resistance if he wanted to work with Daniela.

Chapter Three

The sunset bathed the domed roof of St. Peter’s in pure gold, but Daniela barely took in its beauty. She stared at her cell phone and contemplated throwing it into the street. Her conversation with Morwen had left her with more questions than answers. Morwen had remained tight-lipped about Luc and reminded her that the mission came first. The mission always came first, as far as the Foundation was concerned. All the Head Witch had told her was that she could trust Luc.

Trust was something to be earned, not given. And so far, Luc hadn’t gained it.

She headed back to the
pensione
, wondering if the elusive ex-priest would come for her tonight. Should she tell him about the vampire that had tripped off her ward just before dawn? Her cheeks flamed at the memory. She was just coming down from her climax when she saw the spark. She wondered how long the vampire had been standing on her balcony and how much he or she had seen before hitting the ward.

It embarrassed her that she almost got caught masturbating, but what bothered her more was the fact that she couldn’t unwind until she’d made herself come, all the while thinking of Luc. Men usually didn’t have this effect on her. She’d appreciate them when they were near but forget about them once they were gone. And they always left, especially once they found out about her abilities. Not that she broadcasted them or anything. Just a few slips of a spell here and there, and BAM! Boyfriend running out the door so fast, he’d leave his treasured belongings behind.

Daniela sighed as she opened the door to the
pensione
. Maybe one day she’d meet a man who wouldn’t mind being involved with a witch, like Darren from
Bewitched
.

She glanced down the hallway, hoping to question Sophia before Luc returned, but the owner was conspicuously absent.

When she reached the top of the stairs, Luc was leaning against the wall next to her door. “I thought I told you to stay here.”

“What made you think I’d obey?” She brushed past him and every inch of her skin began to tingle.
Merda!
She shouldn’t want him this much.

“I’d hoped you’d have enough sense not to become a target for the vampires again.”

“It’s still daylight,” she replied, pointing to the fading light outside her window. “They’d fry if they came after me now. Besides, I have my own little vampire alarm installed.”

He waited in the hallway. “Here, yes, but out there?”

“I appreciate your concern, but I can take care of myself.” She showed him the stake she’d kept under her pillow to prove her point. Granted, she wasn’t a trained hunter, but she’d killed a few vampires over the years. She wouldn’t hesitate to do it again, if needed.

He crossed his arms and raised one brow. Damn, he looked too sexy for his own good when he did that. How many women in his parish had impure thoughts when they stared at him? Maybe that’s why he’d left the priesthood. Maybe a woman tempted him enough to give up his vow of celibacy. If so, wonderful. It meant she could enjoy him without a guilty conscience.

Her panties grew damp as she thought about the body hidden under his modest clothes. She already knew from last night there wasn’t an inch of fat on his lean frame. And from what she remembered of the erection that had pressed against her, he was very well-endowed.

“Grab your bag.”

His order jerked her from her fantasies. “Excuse me?”

“I said, grab your bag. We need to leave.”

“And where exactly are we going?”

He hovered inches from the doorframe. “Do you want to find the Staff of Octavius or not?”

“Yes.”

“Then perhaps you should follow me and stop asking so many questions.” He turned on his heel and pounded down the stairs.

Luc paced the small entryway and watched the last rays of the sun fade into night. What kind of trouble was he getting into now? Last night, he’d almost made up his mind to leave her behind and keep the location of the staff a secret. Then he made the mistake of downing a whole bottle of human blood. Half-drunk from it, he changed his mind and asked Sophia to reserve a private berth for him and Daniela on the overnight train to Paris. They’d arrive after dawn, but he could easily stick to the shadows until they reached the Metro. Then he could decide where to go from there.

The last thing he expected was resistance from Daniela. He knew Morwen well enough to know that nothing would stop her from finding what she sought, and that carried over to her employees. If the Head Witch wanted something, Daniela would be forced to find it.

The sound of footsteps warned him of her approach, but his gut still clenched at the new wave of her scent. A human shouldn’t smell that good to him, not after years of careful training to ignore the bloodlust. Yet, when he turned to his head to the side, the first thing he focused on was the faint pulsation in her neck. He clamped his lips together and hoped she wouldn’t catch a glimpse of his growing canines.

“Fine. I’ll play along with you for now, but you’d better be taking me to the staff.”

The corners of his mouth twitched—a dangerous act considering his fangs were on high profile, but he couldn’t help himself. She was trying to make it sound like she was compromising with him when in truth, he held all the cards. “Glad you decided to come along. Our train will be leaving within an hour.”

“Train?”

Talking business seemed to help him control the bloodlust. By the time she stood in front of him, his fangs had retreated. “Do you have an objection to trains?”

She shook her head, making her golden brown hair dance in the light. “It seems to be a rather slow way to travel, though.”

“True, but the vampires will be watching the airport for your departure. After all, how do you think they tracked you down in the catacombs?” He opened the door and stepped out into the street.

“How did you know they were after me?” She slung her backpack over her shoulder and followed him.

“One tends to overhear things in certain circles.”

“You’re annoyingly vague, Padre Luc.”

He stiffened when she called him that. “It’s just Luc.”

“Sophia mentioned you were once a priest.”

“Sophia talks too much.” He forced himself to take slow, long strides down the street so he’d appear human, but Daniela still had to jog to keep up with him.

“And Morwen doesn’t talk enough,” she muttered under her breath. She waited a block before she said, “I don’t completely trust you, Luc.”

He almost breathed a sigh of relief. Her mistrust would keep a wide gulf between them and prevent him from getting close enough to her to act on his desires. If he didn’t touch her, didn’t kiss her, didn’t inhale her intoxicating scent, he wouldn’t give in to the darkness that threatened to consume him. “Wise girl.”

They walked in silence to the Metro. Luc thought he had things under control until they were smashed together on the train. Her lips parted in surprise at their close contact, and he immediately remembered hearing her call his name last night. His cock twitched in response. His fingers ached to caress her breasts and tease her nipples. Her breathing quickened as if she was having similar thoughts, and her pupils dilated. Another thump lurched in his chest.

He closed his eyes and looked away before he lost control of himself again. Would every second around her be this agonizing?

He turned his attention to the flow of people coming and going from the car as they pulled into each station. Dozens of hearts pounded in his ears, but one rose above them all. Hers. It sounded so calm and steady, so oblivious to the monster that was standing next to her. Surely she would have guessed what he was by now. Or had his attempts to be as human as possible fooled even one of the Foundation’s members?