Love at Stake (11 page)

“He loved her,” Abbey said.

“No.”

The budding hope she didn’t dare acknowledge deflated in Abbey’s chest.

“At the time, through a child’s eyes, I thought it was love, but I’m not sure my sire has ever been capable of such emotion.”

Abbey kept her gaze on the water and tried not to show how the words affected her.

“Perhaps you will change that,” Melissa said with a shrug. “Where was I?”

“Your mother.”

“Ah, yes. She was vivacious, my mother. Bright, full of life. Her humanity drew him to her and for years, he stayed.”

“She never asked him to turn her?”

Melissa shook her head with a sad smile. “My mother liked being human. And she knew, I think, that Lucian would never love her the way she needed.”

“Sounds like a sad life.”

“You’ve known my sire for a handful of days. Would you walk away from a lifetime of joy with him merely because he couldn’t satisfy all your expectations?”

Abbey thought about the question, wondering if she could settle for less than she dreamed of.

Melissa’s gaze turned thoughtful as she watched her. “Perhaps you would,” she said. “In any case, my mother did not. For years, we were as close to a perfect family as any of us ever experienced.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

Melissa gazed up at a statue for a long, quiet moment. “Because he honored you. My father is lonely and for the first time in my memory, he is smiling.” Her blue eyes turned to Abbey, eyes so like her father’s despite their lack of biological relation. “He will never tell you this and you will never understand him without it.”

“You barely know me.”

“I’m a good judge of character. Don’t prove me wrong.”

She swallowed. “We aren’t a couple, Melissa. Not really.”

The other woman didn’t deny her words. “He lost a part of himself when she died.”

“How did it happen?”

“A carriage accident. We were traveling to meet him. The sun was setting and we were so close to our destination.” Her smile was bittersweet. “A few minutes later and he would have been at our side. The accident would never have happened.” She tilted her head back. “And I would probably never have been a vampire.”

“I’m sorry,” Abbey whispered, feeling inadequate.

“The horse spooked and darted forward, and one of the carriage’s axles broke. We were on the side of a hill and the carriage was so top-heavy. I was thrown before we rolled too far but hit my head on a rock. Lucian told me what happened when I came to.”

“What happened?” she asked, pulled into the tale despite her regret for the pain it caused Melissa.

“My mother was pinned under the carriage when he found her. What difference a few minutes have made to all our lives,” she whispered, almost to herself. “Our blood is special. It’s designed to keep our bodies regenerating and so it can be used to heal almost any wound. But my mother’s injuries were massive, more than the transformation would likely heal. Still, Lucian would have tried to save her.”

“What stopped him?”

“She did.” There was no hiding from the pain of Melissa’s smile. “For years she’d refused the change, saying she wanted to die a human death. In the end, she held to her belief. With her last breath, she made him promise to take care of me. He would have anyway, but it helps knowing she thought of me, even at the very end.”

“I’m sure,” Abbey murmured.

Melissa walked around the fountain, as if she couldn’t bear to keep still. Abbey kept pace and did her best not to pester the other woman for answers.

“When Lucian found me, I was unresponsive. Nowadays we’d say I had internal bleeding and a brain hemorrhage. In those days, there was no surviving such an injury.”

“So he turned you.”

She nodded. “I woke to the knowledge my human life was over and my mother dead. I would be twenty-four forever.”

“I’m sorry.”

“So many years later, I’m happy with my life, but vampirism is a lonely existence. You only have to look at this crowd to see how superficial and vicious my world is. That’s why I want to use Fated Match.”

“I’ll work on Lucian. You should be allowed to join.”

“He worries for me. A hundred years later and I’m still the young girl he saved.”

“Parents never stop worrying,” Abbey said. “I lost my father when I was still too young to remember him, but you should see my mother.”

Melissa smiled. “I just…” She stopped and gripped Abbey’s arm. “If you want him, you’ll have to fight for him because, I’m sorry to say, he won’t fight for you. My mother’s death killed something in him and he won’t take such a chance again. Not on a human.”

The knowledge both heartened and dismayed her. He’d cared for a mortal once, and perhaps he could do so again. But getting past the barriers he’d erected to keep himself safe would be no easy task. Not to mention such a proposition went far beyond a few nights of fabulous sex.

Abbey fixed her gaze on the armless statue before her. Who was she kidding? If she had even the slightest chance of engaging his emotions, she’d jump at it. Lucian was addicting and she wasn’t ready to let him go. Not when being part of his life was the most alive she’d felt in years.

If they could have a chance, a real chance, would she walk away?

“I can’t put into words how much I appreciate your sharing your past with me,” Abbey said. “Or how sorry I am for the loss you have suffered. But I’m not the woman for Lucian. I don’t know what you expect me to do.”

“I saw the way you looked at him when he left us. It’s not just sex for you.”

Abbey looked away. “My job is to find his perfect match. It’s not me.”

“Maybe,” Melissa said. “But then again, maybe not.”

“There you are,” a deep voice interrupted.

Lucian strode through the hall toward them. “I’ve been searching the first floor for you.”

“Did your talk with the governor go well?” Melissa asked.

“Very.” His gaze turned to Abbey and she found herself stepping into his arms without hesitation.

“Were you all right?” he whispered into her hair.

“Melissa took good care of me,” she said, pressing her cheek against his chest.

“Good.”

She closed her eyes and took a moment to enjoy the comfort he offered. She could imagine embracing him this way for the rest of her life.

A dangerous thought. Melissa was messing with her head.

She took a step back and avoided looking at the socialite. “Shall we go back in?”

“Are you ready for round two?” Lucian asked, amusement in his voice.

“Absolutely.” Taking his arm, she let him lead her back toward the lion’s den. With Melissa’s revelations filling her head, she swore to focus only on helping him through his night.

And not on the treacherous longings in her heart.

Chapter Nine

All manner of fantasies played through her mind. Abbey had relived the previous night more times than she could count. She thought of the way she’d finished the evening, building rapport with his allies. The night had been tedious, but she didn’t think she’d done a terrible job considering her mortal handicap.

She schmoozed with the best of them. Been effortless and charming in the name of Lucian’s reputation. And he’d rewarded her well for her diligence.

Abbey closed her eyes and remembered the care with which he’d touched her once they were alone. As if she were special to him.

A girl could get used to such affection.

He was due to arrive any minute and she busied herself going over the final details of tonight’s date. After all, he was meeting a cover model. She told herself to be prepared when he blew her off after the thirty-minute mark. What man would turn down a
Sports Illustrated
centerfold?

Even knowing her bleak reality, when he walked in her door, she couldn’t help how her heart leaped.

“Hi,” she said, rising from her chair.

“Hello,” Lucian replied, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her in for a kiss. “I’ve missed you.”

“It’s only been a day.”

“Too long.”

Shaking her head, she handed him the night’s file. “You have a spectacular date lined up.”

“Thirty minutes,” was all he said as he glanced through the file.

She smiled as she reached behind her desk for the pink bag waiting there.

“Thank you for last night,” she said, holding it out to him.

Lucian arched a brow. “I thought humans didn’t use gifts?”

Abbey shrugged. “I break half of the mortal-supernatural rules anyway.” Especially if she was willing to face Vivian’s wrath and explore whatever the hell was going on between them.

Opening the bag, Lucian pulled out a bright-red decorative pillow. He looked at her, confusion clear in his gaze.

“I thought your apartment could use a little color,” she said. Abbey didn’t mention it was the same shade as the Armani dress and she’d wanted to leave her mark on his home. That small pillow might last longer in his life than she did.

A smile curved Lucian’s lips before he kissed her. “Thank you.”

Abbey returned his grin, glad she’d given in to the sentimental urge. Every time she saw that pillow in his monochromatic apartment, it would make her smile.

“We should go.”

“Go so we can leave,” he said, carrying the bag in one hand and holding out his other arm to her.

Abbey smiled all the way to the restaurant.

She made the introductions with smooth confidence and slipped away.

The look her lover gave her as she left would have scorched the earth. Physically she might not measure up to the cover model but right now, she felt like she came out on top.

The thought was a heady thing.

“Water,” she told the bartender as she hopped onto the stool. Taking her cell phone out, she switched on the timer.

Ten minutes later, Lucian was by her side.

“Was it long enough?” he asked between kisses.

“As your matchmaker, it was unforgivably rude,” she said. “And as your lover, it was too damn long.”

“Forgive me,” he said, pulling her toward his waiting car.

They were in his apartment in under an hour and naked in less time than that.

“I think I could get addicted to this,” she said, lying naked underneath him.

He dropped his head to her breast. “You are the only peace I’ve known in decades.”

Abbey laughed. “I’m sure you say that to all the girls.”

“No.” He rose over her to meet her gaze directly. “Only you.”

Her heart melted a little more. She knew she was in dangerous territory. Vampires didn’t take human as their mates. All she could have with Lucian was a brilliant affair.

Even so, his words warmed her in a way no man’s ever had.

She glanced at the window seat and saw her red pillow resting against the glass. No matter when they parted, she hoped he’d look back on their relationship with fond memories.

“You’re thinking too hard,” he said, drawing a fingertip along her spine. “I must not be doing my job right.”

She felt his lips against her back and shivered. “Not too hard,” she said.

“What has distracted you?” The kisses moved lower.

“The past.” She sighed, closing her eyes. “The future.”

His mouth stilled against her. “You still see no hope for us.”

She rolled over in his arms. “Am I wrong?”

“We cannot control the future.” Abbey thought of what Melissa had told her. She had so many questions about Claudette, but bringing an old lover into their bed was the last thing she wanted to do.

“What if I asked you about your transformation? Would you trust me that much?”

Lucian was silent and, in all honesty, she didn’t expect him to answer. Just because Melissa had told her of the past didn’t mean Lucian felt the need to make such a connection.

“Sorry,” she whispered, kissing his chest over his heart. “Forget I asked.”

“Why do you want to know?”

“Sometimes you’re so sage and worldly. Then you say something like that and it makes me think maybe you don’t have all the answers after all.”

“Abbey?”

She looked up into his eyes. “I want to know you,” she whispered. “Nothing more sinister than that.”

Silence stretched. Would he actually trust her with his tale? The thought sent her heart racing. What did it mean if he would?

“It’s not a glamorous story,” he said after a long pause. “I was born a peasant. Lowest of the low.”

Her hands drifted down his arms. “How did you become a vampire?”

“A woman,” he replied. “One who was beautiful and callous.”

“She saw how handsome you were.”

“Yes. And she wanted me.” He kissed her palm. “When we first turn, there is little we won’t do for our sires. I was her perfect toy.”

“Did you want to be a vampire?”

He shrugged. “I had nothing else. My life as a human would have ended early, as many in those times did. My sire saved me from that, at least.”

“Do you see her anymore?”

He flipped her onto her back. “She was in France during the Revolution. Lost her head, along with many of our comrades.” His mouth glided across her stomach as he moved over her.

“You must mourn her,” Abbey said.

“She was my sire. Whatever our differences, I owed her much. I would have helped her had I been able.”

“So you were alone.”

“For years,” he agreed, his thumbs rubbing against her inner thighs.

“Until you found Melissa.”

His body froze, intimately tangled with hers. “Yes,” he said. “Until Melissa.”

Lucian said nothing more and she understood the conversation was over. He’d tell her about his sire but not his daughter. Not Claudette.

Because they mattered to him, she realized. And his sire, for all his talk of owing her, did not. Speaking of his turning was safe enough because he had little to lose.

Bringing up Claudette would be like showing her a piece of his heart. And that was not something that came into their affair.

“Thank you,” she said. “For telling me.”

He grinned his Cheshire cat grin. “Thank me this way,” he purred as his mouth moved between her legs.

She gasped his name as his lips touched her, blasting Claudette from her mind. In that moment, the dead woman didn’t matter. All that mattered was here and now. And right now, she was the woman in his bed.

Abbey closed her eyes and gave herself up to Lucian’s expert touch. She’d live in his fantasy for however much longer he allowed her to.

…

“Your mortal did well at the benefit.”

Lucian looked up when Melissa entered his study. He’d moved his operations to the New York apartment for the duration of his tenure at Fated Match, and the small study was filled with files and ledgers. Blackout drapes were drawn over the large windows and the soft glow of well-placed lamps illuminated the room. He’d always avoided harsh fluorescent lights when he could.

His daughter walked straight to his desk, dropping into the brown armchair on the other side and casting him an expectant look.

“Yes,” he said, looking down at the papers before him. “She did better than expected.”

Abbey kept surprising him at all turns. She’d moved elegantly through his world and then had gone back to being the messy, chaotic woman he was coming to know. She could be cool and reserved for her work, then hot and wild in his arms. He knew very well she’d intended to end their relationship after the first night, but he kept convincing her to stay with him. It was lowering, to know he was groveling after a human. But for a woman like Abbey, a man would do much to ensure that she stayed in his bed.

“She was smooth, charming,” Melissa said. “I suppose it comes with the job, that ability to put people around her at ease. With some practice, she’ll fit right into your circles.”

“The benefit was a one-time event. Sasha cornered me.”

“I would have gone with you,” Melissa said. “Not to mention any number of your past lovers who would be more than happy to be on your arm for the night.”

“What’s your point, pet?” He scrawled his signature over an agreement he’d been debating.

“My point was you took her because you didn’t want anyone else.”

Lucian sighed, putting down his pen. “I sense there is a reason for this impromptu visit.”

“I like her,” Melissa said. “And you do too.”

“Of course I do.”

“More than the women you’ve been dating.”

Yes, more than them. More than anyone since Claudette. Abbey made him feel…alive. And after centuries of death, that was something special.

But those were words he would not say to Melissa. She’d be playing matchmaker if he gave her the slightest encouragement.

“You are a romantic, my dear. You always have been.” He reached for a ledger and opened it.

“And you’re a cynic.”

“A realist,” he corrected. “I enjoy Abbey. She’s bright and energetic. But she’s not my mate.” The words stuck in his throat despite the fact that he knew them to be true. Never again would he tie his life to a mortal. He’d learned far too well the pain of losing one he’d cared for. No, that risk was only worthwhile for his mate, and until he found her, he’d content himself with lesser relationships.

Does Abbey count as lesser?
his traitorous mind whispered.

“How do you know she’s not your mate?” Melissa asked.

“She’s human.” His fingers ran down a long list of numbers as he reviewed them.

“So were we, once.” She shifted on her chair. “I know you brought her home last night. Did you want to let her leave your bed this morning?”

No, dammit, he hadn’t, but Abbey had insisted on leaving. She valued her job too much to let her coworkers down and he liked her loyalty. But it was one more reason they wouldn’t work out. He needed a woman committed only to him.

“Have you thought of her, sitting here alone with your dusty tomes and countless ledgers?”

“I’ve been working.” But she was right. Abbey was never far from his mind no matter what he was doing.

“It’s all right to let someone new in.”

“I’m actively searching for my mate,” he reminded her.

“And I’m saying you’ve found her.”

The words were like touching a live wire. He looked down at the numbers without seeing them. Abbey as his mate. Abbey in his arms forever.

Abbey dying a human death.

He hissed, slamming the ledger shut. “When I find my mate, I’ll know it. I’m far older than you, pet, and I’ve been searching far longer. I wouldn’t walk away from the chance to claim the one woman meant for me.”

Melissa looked unimpressed. “I think you’re the last person who would know when you found your mate. You’d fight against it with everything in you.”

“You’re barely past your first century. What would you know about this?”

She glanced at him and her eyes looked far older than her youthful face suggested. “I know love is complicated and messy. You order your world so very well, but finding your mate would be a whirlwind that wouldn’t fit into your carefully controlled life. She’d be something new, something different.”

“This conversation is over.”

He half expected her to argue but instead she inclined her head. “I’ve said what I came to say. But one last thing, Lucian. Abbey likes you. She’s growing attached. If you truly don’t want her in any permanent way, you need to think about what you’re doing.”

Lucian bit back the desire to bare his fangs as Melissa left his office. Her words were not welcome ones. Worse, they weren’t ones he hadn’t thought of a dozen times himself.

He’d seen Abbey’s face light up when she looked at him. His little human cared for him, and while the knowledge filled him with a curious satisfaction, he knew it was trouble.

She wasn’t a woman from his world. Hell, she was only supposed to have been a distraction in the first place. On that requirement, she’d succeeded admirably. So admirably that he couldn’t stop thinking about her.

But Melissa was right. He wasn’t being fair, and he prided himself on doing what was right. Always.

His low growl filled the room.

If he continued things as they were, she’d grow more attached. Perhaps love him. Want his love in return.

And that wasn’t something he had in him to give.

The thought of hurting her that way stabbed through him. He could not be the one responsible for breaking her generous heart. Which meant he needed to take himself out of the equation before he did more damage than good.

Lucian drew his hands down his face. Could he really let her go? Even now his body hungered for nothing but her.

He pictured her smiling face, her happy green eyes. His beautiful, breakable mortal.

He had to leave her before it was too late.

The only problem was, when he closed his eyes all he could think of was the night of the benefit when he’d found her with Melissa. All he’d had to do was open his arms and she’d walked into them without hesitation. And when his arms had closed around her, he’d known no one had ever felt so perfect.