Midnight (10 page)

Now he just had to convince Royce of that. Her problem wasn’t
as complex as Royce was making it seem. It couldn’t be. As soon as Amara was
returned home, she’d be back to her old self.

He wanted to keep her, but he would never do that to her.
She might not care now, but she had a life to go back to, one he’d kept her
from long enough. He would take her home first thing in the morning. She needed
her life back more than he needed her.

And he
did
need her. There was just no way to keep
her without turning her. If what Royce suspected was true, that wouldn’t be an
issue.

Royce was wrong. He had to be. Amara was just Amara. She
would be fine once she got home. He’d made a stupid mistake in kidnapping her,
but he really hadn’t done anything else to endanger her.

“Marco?”

He hadn’t realized she was there until she sat down on the
edge of the mattress.

A jolt of guilt ran through him. He’d never once dreamed of
ruining a life so completely. He’d made his share of mistakes, but this could
quite possibly be his worst one yet. If he didn’t let her go soon, bad things
would happen.

“Go back to bed, Amara.” He’d left her in his bedroom by
herself and come to the guest room to get some sleep. Royce had left just
before daybreak, but he’d promised to be in touch to see how Amara was doing.
Between the two of them, they would have to keep an eye on her for the first
couple of days she was back in her old life. He wouldn’t let her get into
trouble, even if he couldn’t let her know he was there.

“I’ll go, if you come with me.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Then I’m staying right here.”

He reached for her then. It was wrong for him to accept
anything from her, on so many levels. He still hadn’t explained to her what
could be wrong with her. He wasn’t ready yet to explain to her what Royce
suspected. No need to worry her over something that might not even be true.

He couldn’t accept it, not yet, but he couldn’t totally deny
the possibility, either. He just hoped everything would be okay. If he left her
alone and stopped feeding from her, she might have a chance to recover.

If he hadn’t taken so damned much of her blood to begin
with, this might not even be an issue.

He held her for a long time, content to just lay with her on
the narrow mattress. But she wasn’t. She wriggled against him, her fingers
stroking his chest. He hated himself at that moment. He could have ruined her
life. He shouldn’t have been so impulsive. If he’d just planned his actions,
then he wouldn’t have—

Amara kissed the side of his neck, sending a shiver through
him. “Don’t you want me anymore, Marco?”

He’d want her until the day he took his last breath.
Considering his life span, that was saying a lot. “I don’t want you to get
hurt.”

She sighed and settled back next to him. “You never did tell
me how you turned vampire.”

He froze, his senses on alert. Her growing curiosity
bothered him, especially in light of what might be happening to her. “Why do
you want to know?”

“How can I know how a real vampire lives if I don’t know how
one is created.”

He said nothing, not willing to give her this, but not sure
why.

She wouldn’t let it go. “Does it really involve the exchange
of blood?”

He sighed. “Yeah, I guess it does. But it’s complicated,
sweetheart. It’s nothing you need to worry about.”

It actually wasn’t all that complicated at all. It would
only take a little of his for the mutation to occur, especially if her blood
was depleted from his repeated feedings, as it was now. He was in agony over
how easy it would be to turn her. Then she would be his forever. He’d never
have to let her go.

“Do it, Marco.” Her voice was a whisper against his chest. “Make
me yours.”

He sat up on the edge of the bed, needing to distance
himself from her before he did what she asked. It took a little while for him to
realize that he hadn’t spoken his desires out loud.

“How did you know what I was thinking?”

“I…I don’t know. I just felt it.”

“Is that really what you want?”

She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him. She
trailed her tongue along his neck, unerringly finding that place where she
could break the skin and—

He had to remember she was not a vampire lover. The woman
was human. If he allowed her to do this, her life would be altered forever. She
might never forgive him, once she came to her senses.

But at the same time, he had to have her. Just one last
time, and then it would be time to let her go. He needed this time with her,
one more time to make love to a woman he’d come to realize he didn’t hate at
all.

Her teeth nipped at his neck like she’d been doing it all
her life. He had to stop her. Flipping her onto her back, he pinned her body to
the mattress. “What do you want, Amara?”

She smiled, a purely wicked smile that did more to arouse
him than the touch of most of his lovers had been able to do. “Fuck me, Marco.
Hard and fast. Just one more time before you make me leave.”

He was more than happy to oblige. He tore at her clothes
until she lay naked before him, sprawled on the bed like an offering. The
thought that she would leave soon pushed him over the edge. He couldn’t promise
he’d be gentle tonight. He just hoped she didn’t get hurt.

He tore at his own clothes and threw them in a pile on the
floor. His cock ached at the sight of her pink lips, bared so completely to
him. Would he be able to stay away from her for long? He didn’t think so, but
for her sake he’d have to try.

He stroked her labial lips softly with the tips of his
fingers. She squirmed and moaned in protest, but he wasn’t going to give her
what she wanted just yet. He had his own memories to make. He thumbed her clit
with long, slow strokes designed to drive her wild. He accomplished that
easily—in a matter of seconds she was bucking against his hand.

“Come on, Marco. Please.” She drove her hips against his
hand, but he didn’t give in to her demands.

“Relax. We have all day.”

“I don’t want to relax. I want to come!” She grabbed his
wrist and tried to take control of his fingers, but he brushed her away.

She was acting the way he felt—like an animal, barely
contained. It was killing him to keep control over himself, but he wanted today
to last. If he let go and gave her what she wanted, he wouldn’t last five
seconds. At least this way, she’d get some attention, too. She deserved as
much, since it seemed she’d finally accepted that their time together was
coming to an end. Or was this just a ploy to make him let her stay? She’d been
different in the past couple days, quieter, more accepting of everything. He
had to wonder—what was she planning?

“Spread your legs for me, sweetheart.” She narrowed her
eyes, but obliged, moving her legs as far apart as she could. He skimmed his
hands up the insides of her thighs before he bent down to give her an intimate
kiss.

She cried out and rocked against him when his tongue touched
her clit. He laved her thoroughly, bringing her to the brink of climax again
and again before backing away. She whimpered and tore at the sheets every time
he left her on the brink without giving her the release she begged for.

He finally delved his tongue deep inside her cunt, tasting
her arousal and increasing his own. Stroking in and out of her was sheer
madness. He was right on the edge himself, so much so that a gust of wind would
topple him into orgasm. His cock ached, his balls burned, and he couldn’t stand
another second of waiting. One more flick of his tongue across her clit and she
came, her juices pouring over his face.

“Sweetheart, you taste so good.” He thrust his tongue into
her again.

She moaned. “I want your cock, Marco, not your tongue.”

He kissed his way up her body slowly, stopping to lave her
distended nipples. Cupping her breasts in his hands, he suckled one nipple
until she cried out again before pulling his mouth off and moving to the other.
He’d never get enough of her taste. It drove him wild in a way he’d never
experienced before.

She buried her hands in his hair and yanked his head up to
meet hers. “Stop teasing me,” she said through clenched teeth.

He laughed before he crushed her mouth with his in a kiss
that left no doubt of his intentions. Teasing time was definitely over. Lifting
her hips, he drove his cock into her cunt in one stroke. Amara moaned low in
her throat, her body convulsing as he thrust hard and fast, making no
apologies.

He’d never felt so out of control in his life. His fangs
completely elongated against his will, something that hadn’t happened in years.
He tried to force them back in, but it was no use. Beyond the thinking stage,
he sank them into her neck. Her blood flowed easily over his tongue and her
nails dug into his back again. That was enough to send him into a furious
climax that nearly blinded him. He buried his cock in her to the hilt and rode
out the sensations, wondering if he was going to black out. He didn’t, but he
didn’t have much strength left by the time he was done, either. A lot of that
was probably due to the fact that he hadn’t fed as often as usual since she’d
been here. He hadn’t wanted to leave the house to find a donor, but he couldn’t
feed off of her every time the need arouse. Her fragile human body wouldn’t be
able to take it.

He didn’t allow himself to feed for long. He pulled his
mouth away, even though his thirst was nowhere near sated. Tomorrow he’d be
able to get back to his regular schedule, feeding every night instead of every
few, and feeding off of complete strangers. Without the emotional connection he
felt with Amara, his senses wouldn’t be so frazzled.

Amara pulled his head down for a kiss. Even after she’d just
come, she was nearly crawling all over him. Her hands were everywhere. He knew
she had to taste her blood on his tongue, but she didn’t complain. In fact, she
seemed to like it. She thrust her tongue into his mouth and moaned, her hand
curling harder against his neck. He should have taken that as a sign to pull
back, but he was too sated to read her actions.

He felt a quick stab of pain when she bit his lip.
Damn
it
. She’d broken the skin again, and this was much more than a little nip.
She’d gotten him good. He felt a line of blood trickle down the side of his
chin. Before he knew what she was going, Amara licked his skin clean with one
swipe of her tongue.

Floored, he pulled away. “What are you doing?”

She blinked, looking like Amara but acting like some kind of
vampire vixen. “I thought you liked it rough.”

He did, but he couldn’t get rough with a human woman. “You
bit me.”

“You didn’t seem to mind when I did it before.”

“Yeah, well it’s different now.” That was an understatement.
“What the hell is going on with you?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re scaring me. I’m supposed to be the unstable one.”

She laughed at that. “You’re not unstable. We all have our
moments where we lose ourselves.”

“Like you’re having now?”

She shook her head. “No. I know exactly what I’m doing. I
just can’t stop myself. Maybe I don’t want to.”

She licked her lips, but there was nothing nervous about it
this time. Another trickle of warm wetness trailed down his chin and he licked
his own lip. He tasted the blood she’d drawn,
his blood
. And there was a
lot more of it than last time, even more than he’d first thought. He shook his
head. Good thing he’d pulled away, or else she might have—

There was no use even thinking about that. She hadn’t gotten
enough to do any permanent damage. Once he’d returned her home, she’d be fine.
In a few weeks she’d be back to normal, sleeping at night and eating normal
meals and
not
trying to drain him of his blood.

He hoped.

This just sucked.

Two days ago Marco had brought her back to her townhouse,
and he hadn’t even bothered to call.
Not even once.
He’d promised her he’d
be in touch, but that was a crock. She had hoped to hear from him, but she wasn’t
going to hold her breath. He’d gotten what he wanted from her, and now he was
gone from her life.

How typical was that? Every man was the same when it came
down to it. They took and took and took, and then they
left
. She didn’t
need him, anyway. She didn’t need any man to make her life complete.

Never mind the fact that he’d had to drag her back home,
literally kicking and screaming. Her neighbors probably thought she was out of
her mind. First she was gone for days, then when she returned she acted like a
total nutcase.

The thought of being separated from him had scared her to
death. That was an odd reaction, considering how they’d met. But something
inside her protested his choice to get rid of her. She didn’t want that—she
would have been perfectly happy to stay with him for the rest of her life. She’d
assumed that once she’d been away from him for a little while she’d feel more
like herself again.

She’d been wrong. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking
about him, trying to understand how he could wreak such emotional havoc on her
in just a few weeks. She’d never be the same, and being without him felt wrong.

Someone, probably the woman who’d brought her clothes when
she was with Marco, had stocked her fridge and cleaned her house. Her car was
right where she’d left it. Her mail was piled on the counter. It was as if
nothing had changed, like she hadn’t been gone at all.

Or it would have been, if her voicemail hadn’t been littered
with calls from Robby trying to get her to renegotiate her deal.

Ha! Like
that
would ever happen. But that didn’t mean
she couldn’t have a little fun with him. She’d come to an important realization
when she’d been with Marco. She didn’t need that job. She didn’t need Robby, or
Derek, or Midnight. She was her own person, one who couldn’t be threatened and
pushed around, and it was about time Robby understood that.

She walked out into the bright sunshine of the afternoon and
was practically blinded. Apparently all those days, and nights, in the woods
were still affecting her.
Damn
. The sun had never bothered her before.
She pulled her sunglasses out of her purse and put them on.
Much better
.
Now she could at least walk down the sidewalk without falling over her feet.

When she got to the restaurant where she’d agreed to meet
Robby, he was already sitting at one of the outdoor tables. He stood up when
she approached, taking her hand in his and kissing it. She blinked. What the
hell was that all about?

His smile was sickeningly sweet when he spoke. “Hey, baby.
How are you doing?”

There was a nervousness about him she’d never noticed
before. It made her laugh. To think that a few months ago, she’d considered
getting down on her knees and begging this man for a job. She’d never actually
seen him for what he was—a lemming so desperate to keep his job he’d jump
through flaming hoops if the great powers-that -be told him to.

“Fine, Robby. How are you?”

He stared at her for a few seconds, his brow furrowed. “You
look a little pale. A little too thin, too. What’s going on with you?”

She shrugged and sat down. “Not much. I just took a much
needed vacation.”

“Usually you return my calls right away. I’ve been calling
you for almost a week. That isn’t like you, kiddo.”

She hadn’t done much of anything
like
her
since she’d been back. There hadn’t been time. Most of her days were still
spent sleeping, although she was trying to break herself of the habit. Her
nights were divided between late night movies and thoughts of Marco and why the
hell hadn’t he called…it had already been two days and he’d promised he’d be in
touch—

The next time she saw him, he was in for a truck load of
pain.

Robby was talking about something, but she couldn’t focus on
the conversation. The longer she sat outside, the more the noise bothered her.
Too many people talking, too many car horns blaring. She couldn’t stand it. How
she’d ever lived in this city for so long was a mystery to her now.

“So what do you think?”

“What?” She looked over Robby’s little, greasy-haired body
and wished she was someplace else. Anywhere but here. Preferably anywhere she
could be with a dark, sexy vampire. Naked.

“I was just telling you about the…”

She tuned Robby out again, concentrating instead on the dull
throbbing that was starting in the back of her head. She needed a cup of coffee
in a bad way, before it turned into a full-blown headache.

Robby’s chattering wasn’t helping. He went on and on, but
she paid no attention to his words. She focused on the pounding in her head.
Suddenly she had the oddest sensation of being able to
feel
the pulse
beating in Robby’s neck beating in time with the pounding in her head. She
blinked and swallowed. Her throat had gone dry and her breathing had become
ragged.

What the fuck was wrong with her? This was
Robby!

“Amara, are you okay?”

She nodded and licked her lips, but it was a lie. She wasn’t
okay at all. She felt like she was going to pass out.

“Do you need me to call a doctor?”

“No.” She needed that pulse…

“Are you on drugs or something?”

“What?” She had to struggle to understand what he said. “No,
no drugs.”

God, what she wouldn’t give to just taste that vein—

Stop!
Okay, she’d obviously spent
way
too much
time living with a vampire. She shook her head hard and gestured for a
waitress. She needed a cup of coffee.

Or maybe she needed vodka.

She needed something, and it sure as hell wasn’t Robby’s
blood. She’d definitely been with Marco for a little too long. Now she was the
one who was delusional.

Robby scooted his chair back a little while he spoke. “Um,
the producers are willing to keep the movie soft core.”

She laughed. “It’s not going to happen, Robby. I don’t need
this job, and I don’t need you.”

She sipped the coffee the waitress set in front of her, but
she gagged on the bitter taste. She added half a cup of milk, which helped a
little. Even though it was cold, she could at least choke it down.

Shoving the cup away, she opted instead for the water the
waitress brought with the coffee. At least that didn’t have any flavor to begin
with.

Robby blinked at her food choices. “Do you want something to
eat, honey? You look like you could use it.”

She shook her head and waved her hand in the air. “Not
hungry. And just for the record, my name is Amara. If you call me honey, or
baby, or anything demeaning like that again, I’m going to rip your throat out
and stuff it up your ass. Okay?”

Robby’s eyes widened and he scooted his chair back another
couple of inches. When he spoke, his voice came out as a squeak, his head
bobbing vigorously. “Yeah. Okay. Sorry. You really should eat something,
though. You’re wasting away.”

She sighed. “You know, I really don’t need you to run my
life. This meeting was a bad idea. I’m going to leave before you make a fool of
yourself by getting down on your knees and begging me in public.”

“Is that what you want? You want me to beg?”

She had to admit, the idea held more than a little appeal.

“Why the sudden change?”

Robby looked at the ground. “Derek won’t do the movies
unless you do, too.”

Of all the dirty tricks. “Derek can go fuck himself. I’m
through with him.”

“Come on, Amara. We need Derek. You’ve got to help me here.”

“You need Derek? Why is it that everything is always about
Derek? Are you screwing him, too?” She slammed her hand down on the table,
making Robby jump.

He didn’t answer, and he kept his gaze trained on the table
top.

“I can’t believe this. Why did it take me so long to see
Derek for the asshole he is? Steve was bad enough, but
you
? What does
your wife think about it?”

He sucked in a breath. “You can’t say anything to Carol. Don’t
you dare.”

“Please. It’s not worth my time.
You’re
not worth my
time. If you need anything else from me, call my agent.” She shoved her seat
back and stood up. “On second thought, don’t bother. He’s fired. Goodbye,
Robby.”

She left him at the table, gaping and sputtering. Why had it
taken so long to see what an idiot he was? She nearly laughed at the whole
idea. Apparently Derek, the man who had claimed he would love her until her
dying day, screwed anything that breathed within a ten mile radius. The drug
problems should have been a sign that there was something seriously wrong with
him. If not the drugs, certainly his predilection for playing with dildos after
they’d had sex should have tipped her off.

She’d let him walk all over her. She’d let everyone walk all
over her, mainly because she was used to it. Her mother had done it, with her
string of boyfriends and husbands, and when she’d struck out on her own she’d
actually gone looking for it.

Her agent had bossed her around, and she hadn’t thought
twice. The directors she’d worked with had been the same. It was time she
stopped that from happening. Now she just had to decide what she was going to
do with the rest of her life.

She tugged at the collar of her shirt and wiped a couple beads
of sweat off her forehead. Maybe she was coming down with something. It wasn’t
that hot outside, yet she felt like her blood was close to boiling.

Robby was right about one thing—she needed to eat. Food
would make her feel better. Once she started eating like she used to—before she
had to watch her weight and squeeze her body into clothing sized for a twelve
year old boy—she’d feel better.

* * * * *

She didn’t have a chance to fix something to eat. A few
minutes after she got home someone knocked on her door. A little wary, since
the last time she’d had a visitor he’d kidnapped her, she opened the door a
crack.

No angry blood suckers this time. It was a woman. “What can
I do for you?”

“Amara? I thought we could talk for a while. I’m a friend of
Marco’s.” The woman smiled. “My name is Ellie.”

Sighing, Amara opened the door and let her in. She found it
hard to believe that Ellie was only Marco’s friend. She was a good two inches
taller than Amara, and super-model thin. Her skin was so fair it appeared nearly
translucent, and her shiny, black hair hung past her waist. Her eyes were a
shocking shade of bright blue that stood out against her pale skin. The woman
could make a fortune in Hollywood—the rail thin, pale look was hot right now.

A thought struck her. Even though Marco said she wasn’t,
Ellie looked like a vampire.

Ellie frowned. “Is something wrong?”

“You’re not a vampire, are you?”

“No, I’m not.” Ellie laughed. “I guess I’m just genetically
cursed.”

Amara snorted. Blessed was more like it. “So what is it you
want to talk about?”

Ellie’s expression grew serious. “Marco.”

“Let me guess. You want me to stay away from him. I’m moving
in on your territory, and you want me to back off.”

Ellie’s eyes widened in shock just before she burst out
laughing. “Trust me. It’s not like that at all. Marco is hardly my type. He’s
more of a brother to me than anything.”

Relief washed over Amara. “That’s good to know.”

“Would it be possible to get a cup of tea?”

“Um, sure. I’ll make a pot and we can sit in the kitchen to
talk.”

A few minutes later Amara swirled her spoon in her mug,
knowing she wasn’t going to be able to drink the tea. Just the smell alone
killed her.

Ellie smiled sympathetically. “This is a tough time for you,
huh?”

“You mean because that scumbag of a friend of yours dropped
me off without so much as a goodbye and hasn’t even bothered to call?”

“Actually, I meant…” She paused, her brow furrowed. “You
know what…never mind. It’s not important. So how does it feel to be back home?”

Was there some kind of a requirement that Marco’s friends
had to be so cryptic all the time? “It’s fine, I guess. I just wish he’d call.”

Ellie took a sip of her tea. “Would it make you feel any
better if I told you he wants to?”

“No, it would make me feel better if he actually did.” She
shook her head. “Wanting to and following through are two very different
things.”

“He cares about you.”

Amara shook her head. “He cared about getting what he
wanted. He got it, and now he’s moving on.”

“That’s not true. He cares a great deal more than he’s
willing to admit.” Ellie sighed audibly. “He’s a very stubborn man, and he can
be a real ass sometimes.”

Amara blinked at how easily that word slipped from Ellie’s
mouth. She looked so cultured, so collected. The cuss didn’t fit her.

Ellie smiled, and Amara couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, I
have to agree with you on that.”

Ellie was silent for a moment. She finished off her tea and
set the cup down, leaning her elbows on the table. “You do care about him, don’t
you?”

Amara didn’t even hesitate. “Of course I do.” Probably a lot
more than she should.

“He needs someone like you in his life, whether he realizes
it yet or not. He’s made some mistakes, and he’s been hurt before, but I think
you’re good for him. Somehow I don’t see you putting up with any of his crap.”
She patted Amara’s hand. “Don’t worry. He’ll come around.”

She shrugged. “We’ll just have to wait and see. How did you
two meet, anyway?”

“It was a long time ago. I feel like I’ve known him forever.
I was, ah, having some problems with some neighbors and he stepped in.”