Bite Me (The Transfigured Ones Book 2) (3 page)

“I am. I need to get going. Don't take any crap from him, Caroline. I mean it,” Lilly called over her shoulder as she walked away.

“I've got it under control, Lilly,” Caroline promised, giving her a wave.

As she opened the door, she could already hear Magnus yelling about seared mushrooms. He was a tyrant in the kitchen. A very sexy tyrant. When the door flung open, she made a beeline for the bar.

She hadn't seen more than a quick glimpse of him yesterday. It would be interesting to see how things played out tonight. Part of her wondered if, now that he'd had a moment to consider things, he'd back off. There was only one way to find out, she supposed.

Chapter Three

Magnus breathed a sigh of relief when dinner service was finally over. As the kitchen staff put things back together, he finished up on the last of the tasting dishes. Though it had been a long night, he was still looking forward to seeing Caroline. Other than her brief email asking what drinks he was planning on cooking for tonight, they hadn't spoken.

He had made three entrees and three appetizers. If they were splitting them between the two of them, he imagined that they'd finish most of it. Maybe he would wrap the rest of it up for her. Better to eat leftovers than microwave meals.

Caroline popped her head in the kitchen and said, “So where did you want to meet? Should I just get the drinks and bring them back here?”

“No, no. I'll take these out to a table, if you want to get the drinks and bring them in?”

A few minutes later Caroline arrived carrying the drinks. She took in the spread on the table and said, “Wow. That looks amazing.”

“It is,” he assured her with a grin.

“So humble,” she praised as she set the drinks down on the table.

He grinned and asked, “Where shall we start?”

“I dunno. It's your show, Magnus. I'm just here for the free food,” she admitted.

“Is that it then?” he asked, arching an eyebrow. “Using me for my culinary talent?”

“If the ravioli was any indication, then absolutely.”

A teasing grin on his face, he asked, “One plate got me a kiss on the cheek. Technically this is a six course tasting. What does that get me, do you think?”

She studied him, her face deadpan, for so long that he was beginning to think that he'd offended her when she finally smirked at him and said, “I guess that all depends. If those are white truffle shavings I don't think I'm gonna be able to control myself, Magnus.”

“It was all a part of my plan,” he replied, lips twitching. “Here. Try this. It's for the gin, lychee, and cranberry.” He scooted the foie gras and fig appetizer toward her with a grin.

Caroline used the edge of her fork to cut a small piece off, then slid the fork between her lips. Her eyes closed as she savored the taste, then she made this noise that was halfway between a moan and a sigh. Watching her eat was the nearest to a fully clothed erotic experience as he'd ever been.

After she finished chewing, she took a small sip of the drink and then reflected. A moment later she said, “That's spot on. What do you think?”

He tried to refocus his attention on the food. Taking the glass from her, Magnus sipped. Then he cut off a small piece of the foie and figs and popped them into his mouth. As the flavors blended on his tongue he nodded his approval. “I do damn fine work.”

“There's that humbleness I mentioned again,” she commented, her lips twitching at him.

In response he merely grinned and moved the stuffed olive dish toward her. “This one is for the lemongrass and pink peppercorn martini,” he explained. “I'll probably increase the portion size a bit, but I figured it was going to be just us. Plus I need to do up another batch of the cured olives.”

“Oh wow,” Caroline exclaimed. “You did these yourself?”

“I did. I also made the fresh farmer's cheese for the next drink.”

She tilted her head thoughtfully and then said, “Please don't get a big head about this, but you're kind of impressive.”

“Finally you're displaying an appropriate level of appreciation for my talents,” he remarked smugly.

“You know what's particularly impressive?” she asked, spearing another olive from the dish. “The fact you can fit your ego through the doorway. Do you have to leave through the front or can you squeeze it through the service entrance?”

“There's that adorably smart mouth of yours again,” he sighed. “At least I've got your biting sarcasm to keep me humble, love.”

She took a sip of the drink and admitted, “Spot on again.”

They continued through the rest of the dishes, the banter continuing back and forth between them. Magnus couldn't remember the last time he had enjoyed himself so thoroughly. Caroline was becoming more appealing every moment he spent with her.

By the time they had loaded the dishes into the dishwasher, it was a little bit after three in the morning. He asked her, “Do you have an early morning?”

“Not especially,” she said. “Why do you ask?”

“I want to show you something. Would you like to see my favorite part of the casino?”

“Is this just a clever ploy to get me up to your place? Are you going to show me your etchings?”

Even through her humor, he could tell that she was a little bit concerned. He leaned toward her, propping his elbow on the counter. Giving her an over the top grin to signal that he was still kidding, he asked, “Why? Would you like to see them, love?”

“Probably at some point, if I'm being altogether honest. Not tonight, though,” she admitted.

He tilted her chin up so their eyes met and explained, “It wasn't a ploy to get you into bed. It's my hope that you'll come willingly when the time is right.”

After studying him for a moment, she gave a small nod and then asked, “So, where are we headed?”

“Be patient. You'll see,” he admonished.

Ten minutes later they stepped off of the elevator and walked out to the rooftop patio. He noticed that her entire demeanor was more relaxed now.

As soon as they stepped away from the relatively blocked off exit, a brisk wind immediately blew across them. “Jesus. Are you trying to give me pneumonia?”

“In about thirty seconds you'll be perfectly warm. Just trust me,” he said, both shielding her from the wind and leading her to the small partially enclosed area off to the side.

As soon as they stepped down into the pit area, the wind dissipated and she remarked, “Wow. This is nice.”

He moved to the switches and turned on the gas fireplace. When he turned around, she was already sprawled on one of the large papasan chairs. When he chuckled and said, “Gee. Get comfortable,” she scooted to the side and offered him the space next to her.

He kicked off his work shoes and then sat down. He smiled when she snuggled up to his side and said, “This is really nice. I can see why you like it up here. It's the opposite of every other part of the casino.”

He wrapped an arm around her and agreed, “Yeah. I like to come up here after long shifts. It's closed off to the regular casino guests. This is for the corporate housing and short term lease people so it's mostly deserted.”

“I really need to negotiate this into my next contract. Even if I can't score a place to live, use of the upstairs oasis would be nice.”

“Go for the spa, too,” he advised. “Free deep tissue massages.”

“You bragging bastard,” she grumbled, as she nuzzled into his side. “I hate you.”

He grinned and pulled her closer still. “I can tell.”

              “Good,” she said, brushing her lips along his
jaw line
. “You're the absolute worst.”

              Magnus turned his face, so that his lips brushed against hers then whispered, “I know, love,” against her lips.

When Caroline melted against him, he reached up to nip the clip from her hair. As the hair cascaded down her back, he pressed soft, gentle kisses to the side of her neck  and combed his fingers through it.

“You smell like orange blossoms,” he murmured just before he moved his mouth back to hers. He'd made it a point to be gentle thus far, but her scent and the soft little sounds of pleasure that she continually made were driving him wild.

No longer able to resist, he slanted his mouth down over hers and just... took. At her surprised moan, his tongue swept into her mouth. He pressed her back against the chair and then groaned when her hands reached up to pull him even closer.

He plucked her hands from where they gripped handfuls of his cotton tee, and pinned them above her head. When she responded with a low whimper and then arched her body so she was pressed against his chest, he nipped at her lower lip.

Magnus moved to pin both wrists with one of his hands, then let the other explore her body. His fingers traced gently down her arm and along her waist while his tongue continued to swirl rhythmically against hers. Magnus couldn't remember the last time he'd been so aroused by a simple kiss.

Eventually, though it pained him to do so, he gentled the kiss and released her hands from where he'd held them captive. He had promised her there would be no pressure tonight. He made it a point to never, ever break a promise. When they finally separated, they were both panting. He slumped back against the back of the chair, desperately trying to get his pounding heart under control.

“I can see why you like it up here,” Caroline teased breathlessly as she slouched against his side.

“I must admit. I'm usually up here alone. It's never been quite like this,” he responded, still a little shell-shocked. “I might need a minute to recover from that.”

She gave a small sigh of contentment, curled back into his side and then said, “Tell me all there is to know about Magnus Corbett.”

He looked down at where she lay against him, smiled and then asked, “Everything?”

“You can give me the highlight reel if you'd like,” she said, her voice soft and almost sleepy.

Chuckling, he played gently with her hair and said, “Good of you.”

He found himself talking of his family. Both of his parents had long since passed and he had a sister living somewhere in England, he supposed. No one else in his family had been Transfigured, so when the change had happened, he'd pretty much been on his own. It was funny how genetics worked.

A doctor had explained to him about recessive genes but the end result had been that he'd essentially lost his family when he'd been about thirty. Not that they'd been very keen on him before that. They had slowly but surely backed their way entirely out of his life when he began to crave human blood. Perhaps they'd been frightened that they'd become a late night snack. It was hard to tell what motivated people. It was still a bit of a sore spot, but what could he do?

He even glossed over some of his previous relationships. Not that there'd been much for him to speak of. He wasn't celibate by any stretch of the imagination, but the allure of random hookups had long since worn off for him and he wasn't an easy man to get along with.

She occasionally squeezed his leg in a gesture of comfort or asked a question. For the most though, she listened.

“And that's seventy years, ever so slightly abridged,” he concluded. “Now tell me everything, Caroline. Since we're only dealing with twenty years or so, feel free to be detailed.”

“Thirty two,” she responded, rolling her eyes. “That's sweet of you, though.”

“I was thinking twenty six but decided to err on the side of caution,” he admitted.

“Smart man.”

He grinned, then ordered, “Now start talking. And don't leave out any of the naughty bits.”

In between kisses she gave him an abbreviated history. He found out that she was an only child and daughter to a city council member in Orillia, a small town to the north of them. She talked a bit about the loneliness of growing up alone. Her mother was involved in charity work most of the time, and her father in local politics. That had been what prompted the pink hair and the tattoos. The moment she'd gotten out from underneath their thumb, she'd gone a bit wild.

He was also discovered that even with the wildness, she had gotten a degree in business management. After a few months of working in an insurance office, she'd been miserable. She'd missed the people and the constant buzz of excitement. Much to her parents’ displeasure, she'd gone back to bartending.

He really couldn't blame her either. The thought of settling into an office job made him shudder. Magnus knew he would miss the fast-paced tension of the kitchen. As much as people complained when it was busy, he knew that was when he was in his element. He assumed that bartending would be much the same.

It sounded like the relationship she had with her parents was contentious. She tried to make light of it, but he could see that she wasn't happy with the strain. Not that he could blame her. He didn't think anyone truly wanted to be a disappointment to their parents.

It was almost five in the morning when he finally walked Caroline down to her car. He could already feel the sun coming up. His skin was tight and itchy. Though he wanted her to stay,  he gave her one final kiss goodnight and then watched her drive out of the parking lot again. He looked forward to the day that she didn't.