Page 38 of Bad Luck Vampire

Sophie had tried to make herself work. She’d lectured herself that she wasn’t paid to sit there daydreaming about some guy she barely knew. But daydream she had. About his arriving, her leading him to the break room where he’d set the pizza down and they’d gather plates and drinks together, and then eat. But at some point, they’d both reach for the same slice of pizza and their hands would touch. They’d both freeze, then look at each other and, somehow, they were suddenly kissing over the pizza. In her imagination, it was a pretty steamy kiss that led to touching, and then—

Sophie pushed the memory of her imaginings away as she hurried to the reception area. Those imaginings had left her hot and bothered all afternoon. Now the main focus of her fantasies was here. In the flesh. She wanted to jump him like a cheetah, but that just wasn’t going to happen.

She had to be calm, cool, and collected, and not the horndog she was inside, Sophie lectured herself and shook her head at the very fact that she even had to. Honestly, she’d never had this kind of reaction to a man before. Sure, she’d been all excited and squealy at the thought of seeing Andrew again when they’d first started dating, and even with John and Derek, her two fiancés. But she hadn’t sat around fantasizing about ripping their clothes off and climbing their bodies like flagpoles as she had done in her mind with Alasdair all afternoon since lunch.

Giving her head a shake to push those thoughts away as she reached the front door, Sophie glanced out and then frowned slightly when she didn’t find Alasdair there. Leaning closer to the door, she looked up the sidewalk toward the parking lot and saw that he had parked, and was out of the vehicle, leaning in the front passenger door.

“Getting the pizza,” Sophie muttered to herself. In the next moment a frown claimed her lips again and she thought, Maybe I should go out and help him.

That seemed silly, though. A big man like him could carry a pizza by himself.

But what was taking him so long? she wondered, eyeing him again.

“Dear God!” she gasped with disbelief when he straightened from the vehicle and she saw the mountain of boxes and cartons in his arms. “What on earth...?”

Quickly unlocking the door, Sophie stepped outside. Alasdair was standing, staring back into the vehicle as she crossed the almost empty parking lot, but turned to see her coming and smiled with relief.

“Oh good. Do you think you could grab the pop? It rolled off when I straightened.”

“Yes, of course,” Sophie said at once, and moved around him to lean into the car. Only to pause in surprise. She’d expected a couple of small bottles of pop. What she found were four large two-liter bottles of pop. Apparently, Alasdair was thirsty.

Shaking her head, she leaned in to gather up the four bottles. They were heavy, but she managed it by catching three to her chest with one arm, and grabbing the other by the top. She then straightened out of the vehicle and hip checked the door to close it.

Facing Alasdair, she briefly surveyed what he was holding, then headed back across the parking lot. She’d left the door unlocked and didn’t want to leave it that way any longer than necessary, so saved her questions for now and led him to the front entrance. Sophie managed to get it open with some juggling and effort and held it for him to enter.

But as she locked the door once inside, she asked, “Did you think you had to feed my coworkers?”

“No,” he said, and then sounding alarmed asked, “Do I?”

“No, of course not,” Sophie said on a laugh as she nodded for him to lead the way out of reception. “They all left at five thirty.”

“Oh. Right,” he muttered before disappearing around the corner into the hall and out of sight.

“If you didn’t think you were feeding a large crew, what’s with the—?” Sophie’s question died when she turned the corner herself and found the hall already empty. She moved to the break room door and peered in, but he wasn’t there.

“What’s with the what?”

That question came from farther up the hall. Alasdair was coming out of her office door. His hands were empty now and he rushed forward to relieve her of the four bottles of pop.

“Sorry about that,” he murmured as he took them from her. “I wasn’t sure what kind of beverage you liked, so I got a selection.”

“Oh,” she said with a faint smile. “That was sweet.”

“I’m glad you think so. I felt stupid myself,” Alasdair admitted on an irritated growl. “I should have asked you what you like to drink. And what kind of pizza you like. Not to mention salads and appetizers,” he added as they entered her office.

Understanding sliding over her now, Sophie eyed the six pizza boxes he’d set on the corner of her desk and the half a dozen Styrofoam cartons on top of them and guessed, “So you got a selection? Of everything?”

“Yes,” he breathed, setting down the bottles of pop now. “Hopefully you’ll enjoy something out of— You’re laughing at me,” Alasdair interrupted himself to say as he turned to see her face buried in her hands and her shoulders shaking.

“No,” Sophie said at once, her silent chuckles dying an abrupt death as she raised her head from her hands. Voice firm, she said, “I’m not laughing at you. I just— You— It’s— This is so sweet of you,” she settled on finally.

“It is?” he asked warily.

“It is,” she assured him solemnly, and then crossed the few steps between them and leaned up on her tiptoes to cup his face between both hands and whispered, “Thank you,” before pressing a gentle kiss to his lips.

At least that was what Sophie had intended. A nice, gentle peck of appreciation and gratitude for the trouble and expense he’d gone to in an effort to ensure she would enjoy this meal.

However, when their lips touched, this crazy, electric zing hit at the point of contact and zipped through her body. Sophie’s mouth opened on a soft, surprised gasp. Alasdair’s tongue immediately slid in. One hand moved around her waist drawing her close, even as the other delved into her hair to cup her head and shift it to the angle he wanted, and all hell broke loose in her body. The next thing Sophie knew she was plastered to his chest and moaning as her body writhed against his and her mouth tried to make a meal of him.

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