Page 4 of Night of the Vampire
Oh, my God. What was that?
The best cologne I'd ever smelled invaded my sinuses, overriding even the spiciness of the incense, and for a brief moment I closed my eyes as desire wound its way through my body, the sudden ache in my womb sharp and heavy.
A discreet cough brought me crashing back to where I was. Heat crept up my chest to fan out across my neck and face as I remembered myself, and I was self-consciously aware I must look as red as the curtain behind me.
The man smiled a secret smile, as though he knew exactly what was going on inside my body. Could see the carnal images running through my head.
Setting the bag on the counter, I pulled myself together and forced a professional tone to my voice. I think I may have even succeeded once I was finally able to get past the first few words. "I'm sorry, but the shop is closed for the night. However, we open tomorrow at ten." I smiled as nonchalantly as I could manage. "I hope you'll be able make it back then."
Really, I secretly hoped he was just one of the many tourists and would be heading back out of town tomorrow. There was something about this guy that was making me distinctly uncomfortable. Potential customer or not.
Then he spoke for the first time, the musical cadence of his voice sliding over me like the soft notes of some cool Jazz. "Are you the owner of this..." He glanced around. "Shop? Did you call it?"
There was a slight lilt to his speech. Irish, maybe? His "are" sounded more like "a-our". "Did you" more like "didja." Yet he spoke so low, his deep voice so soothing, almost like a purr—or maybe a growl—that it was hard to catch if you weren't paying attention.
"Yes. Is there something I can help you with?" Maybe he wasn't a normal customer. Maybe he was here to try to sell me something, and that's why I was getting such a weird vibe. That, and the fact that he'd somehow gotten in through a locked door.
Reading my mind again, he smiled and gestured toward the door. "Forgive me for coming in after hours. The door was unlocked."
I flicked my eyes over to the door and then back to him. Like hell it was.
He cocked his head to the side. "Are you a new here? I haven't seen you around before."
"New Orleans is a crowded city."
"That it is, but mostly full of tourists. Us locals usually stick together."
Did they? "I'm the new owner. My name is Lizzy Smith. How can I help you?" I repeated.
"Smith?" He appeared put off by my name.
I dropped all pretenses of being pleasant and frowned instead. "Yes. Smith. It was the best I could do on short notice." I didn't know what made that bit of truth come out. "Is there something I can help you with?" I repeated.
The lines of concern on his forehead disappeared as he strolled a few steps further inside the store, and closer to me. "Actually, I was looking for someone, but that's not the correct name. Is there a better one you can think of, by chance?"
He was smirking at me. The bastard.
As casually as I could, I stepped back until I was standing at the end of the counter, nearer the pepper spray I always kept within easy reach, because I couldn't afford the gun I wanted yet. "And you are?"
Gone.
I'd blinked, and he was suddenly standing directly in front of me, one hand wrapped around my upper arm. He'd moved so fast, it had taken my brain a few seconds to catch up with what my eyes had just seen. Or not seen, as it were. My heart thumped hard, once, and then it began to race, making me lightheaded. He stood so close, his make-me-want-to-rip-off-my-panties scent teasing my nose, it took another moment for me to be able to form a coherent thought. Unlike a normal cologne, whatever he was wearing didn't get stronger with his near proximity, but mellowed to a mere tease of the scent. It drew me in to him without my realizing it, and I had the sudden urge to bury my face in his chest.
Gradually, I realized my hands were pressed flat against said chest. But whether to push him away or draw him closer, I couldn't have said.
"Lizzy."
Drawn by the soothing allure of his voice, I lifted my chin until my eyes met his. Like his scent, his average good looks became devastating up close and personal. Beneath my hands, his chest was warm. So very, very warm. My head swam and my heart continued its erratic beat as I drowned in the dark pools of his eyes.
My entire body ached to be closer to him.
The material of my jeans was all at once rough and irritating against my thighs as my blood raced to the surface, sensitizing my skin. My soft shirt prickly as hell. I had the sudden urge to offer myself to him. Anything he needed. Anything he wanted. If he would just get me out of these irritating clothes.
Black eyes bored into mine, and I’d swear they could see every dirty stain on my soul.
"I need your help."
I struggled against the urge to obey his every wish. "But you just said I had the wrong name." Though I felt my lips and tongue form the words, they came to my own ears as though through a vast void.
