Flowers and Fangs (Stake and Dust series, Book II) (11 page)

"You heard me?"

"I have excellent hearing and you have a
tendency to talk to yourself." He strode toward her with purpose
and she took a step back, bumping into the wall. Derek brushed her
hair over her shoulder and rested his palm there. Her limbs shook
and she feared she would crumble at his feet, but she should have
known better. He would never let her fall. His hands cupped her
face and he leaned near and kissed her. Soft and sweet, not at all
what she expected from such a formidable man. She gripped his
forearm as his hands explored the recesses of her hair. She
realized his caress earlier had been only a prelude to the true
kiss to come. She never understood the meaning of being so
thoroughly kissed that one's toes curled until Derek had kissed
her. Until this moment, she hadn't realized the last time she'd
been
truly
kissed was by this man. Kisses behind the
bleachers… Kisses stolen before class… Kisses in the back seat of
her car… His caresses in high school had left their mark and no
other's kisses had come close to making her toes curl.

They came up for air and just stood there
staring into each other's eyes. She was acutely aware of his heart
beating and hers was keeping perfect time with his. Her hand rested
on his chest, loving the feel of him.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked, his voice
husky.

She'd known Tim practically her whole life.
True, but she'd only been dating him for four months. They made
out, kissed and fondled, but they'd never slept together, and they
never had a heated moment like this. She hadn't seen Derek for
years and in less than a few days she was ready to let him have his
way with her. Her moral upbringing screamed for her to slow this
down—whatever this was between them. However, tomorrow she may die
and if she didn't, she'd be a vampire. Tonight was all she had to
be a
human
woman. "No. Don't stop."

That's all he needed to hear to spur him on.
His lips were on hers again and before she knew what he was doing,
he scooped her up in his arms and headed for his room.

He managed to open the door and then kick it
shut again with his foot before he carried her to the bed, tumbling
them both onto it.

His agile fingers worked quickly to remove
her garments before he shrugged out of his. She ran her hand down
his chest, enjoying how his muscles moved beneath her palm. There
was slight bruising in places from his fight with Tim, but not
nearly as bad as she would have thought they'd be. "You're so
beautiful," she told him and his deep chuckle made her laugh, too.
"Well, you are," she insisted and her lips slid into a grin.

"I believe, I'm suppose to tell you
that."

"Well then?" She lifted a brow and waited for
him to lavish her with compliments.

He didn't answer her, but nuzzled her neck.
She sighed, giving in to the heated moment. His mouth found hers
again then he looked at her. His hand brushed her hair away from
her face. "I'm going to keep you safe."

She knew his pledge was sacred. He hunted
what she was bound to become, but he promised to protect her.

"The moment I laid eyes on you in high
school, my first thought was that you were the most beautiful girl
I'd ever seen, but my opinion has changed."

"What?" her brows drew together and her heart
sank.

He chuckled. "Hold on. I wasn't finished
yet." He took her hand and laced his fingers through hers. "When I
spotted you in your house fending off a vampire…fighting off Tim,"
he corrected, maybe for her benefit. Tim had been made a monster,
but he had been her friend, a gentle soul before all this happened.
Derek kissed her forehead. No doubt trying to erase the worry lines
between her brows. She made a conscious effort to relax and let his
caress do its magic.

"I thought you were not only beautiful, but
smart and courageous, too."

"As I recall, you wanted to stake me," she
reminded him with a tinge of humor.

"You're missing the point. I didn't
stake
you." His voice hitched with emphasis on the word
stake. "I don't hesitate, Sloane. I don't analyze the situation,
but with you, I did. With you, my world changed."

His admission to holding back was the biggest
compliment he could give her, more so than him telling her she was
beautiful. He sacrificed his core beliefs for her.

"You're frowning again," he told her. His
thumb smoothed over her forehead.

"And when I become a vampire, what will you
think of me then?"

He hesitated. She really knew how to put a
damper on the mood and she tried to wiggle free from beneath him,
but he wouldn't let her go.

"I'm not going anywhere, Sloane."

She couldn't help it. Tears sprung to her
eyes. She could tell he truly believed his claim, but she feared he
would think differently when he was faced with reality.

However, tonight he believed she was
beautiful. "Make love to me, Derek Hayes."

His fingertips caressed the curve of her
cheek and the line of her jaw before he kissed her gently on the
lips. She whimpered into his mouth, eager to have him feel all of
her. She believed his mouth talented, but his hands were even more
so. His fingers skimmed her stomach…her hip… His touch sent quivers
of anticipation through every nerve ending in her body.

She did not remain idle either. She ran her
hand down the hard planes of his chest and lower, touching him
until teasing became unbearable for both of them. With a primal
growl, he quickly moved, bringing her beneath him, filling her
completely. She strained against him, arching her back as he took
her to new heights. The passion inside of her equaled his. His lips
devoured her mouth with a kiss that promised more to come… so much
more and he gave it to her. She held onto him desperately as she
tumbled over the edge of pure bliss with him following close
behind.

He rolled off her and brought her with him.
They were skin to skin just as close as they could be, warm skin
flushed from sated desire. She loved how he held her tight and she
rested her head on his chest. She let out a sigh of contentment as
she listened to the steady beat of his heart beneath her ear.

"I knew you'd be a great lover," she told
him, which won her a chuckle.

"I'm here to please, darlin'."

She shifted so she could see his face. He
grinned and his smile proved contagious. "Is that so?"

"Yep, true story."

She laughed then covered her mouth. "Jeez,
I'm going to wake the house."

"You don't have to be quiet now," he teased
with meaning.

She yelped in horror. "Was I too loud? Oh,
God no." She tried to cover her face sure she would die of
humiliation, but he wouldn't let her hide. He removed her hands and
kissed her soundly on the lips before softening the caress.

"Don't worry, I don't believe the neighbors
heard you." He covered her mouth once more, stopping her from
commenting, and really she didn't care any longer. In this man's
arms, she was lost to the passion. Nothing mattered. Not stopping
Tim, not her impending fate… This moment was real and lovely and
she intended to enjoy every second without letting the hard facts
of reality ruin it. Tonight was hers and Derek's, a night long
overdue.

Chapter Twelve

The sun kissed the edges of the curtain and
the shadows of the night receded slowly to the corners of the room.
Derek lay on his side, his elbow on his pillow as he propped up his
head so he could gaze at Sloane peacefully sleeping. Her onyx
colored hair framed her face, feathering like dark waves onto the
pillow.

He didn't pretend to understand the
attraction he felt for her. It went against all he'd been brought
up to believe. She would be a vampire, a creature he was supposed
to slay and yet he didn't see her as a monster. He had felt the
pull to Sloane when they were teens. He had hid his relationship
with her from his family—and she'd been human then. They were only
to interact with their own kind. The Hayes family wasn't the only
family of hunters, and each family had their own methods of
eliminating the threats to the human race, but as much as they may
differ in carrying out their duties, they were all the same when it
came to their core beliefs regarding vampires: All blood suckers
were evil and they needed to be eliminated, wiped away from the
earth before they took over.

Cassandra had been the first to waver and
then finally broke free from those binding beliefs. She fell for an
original, a vampire that had been
born
not made. Cassandra
confided in him, knowing he would not go straight to their parents
without hearing her out first. On one of their hunts, he had
divulged his doubts to her, and revealed he didn't believe all
preternatural beings were evil. She used him, played on his
emotions so she would have an ally on her side when she confronted
their family.

Only he wasn't sure their proof that vampires
could cohabitate with humans would be enough. Their parents were
not opened to change. They would never welcome a vampire into their
home with open arms. His brother Axel was probably no better with
compromise and Wade... Wade lived on the wild side so perhaps he
could eventually be persuaded to their way of thinking. Wade
flirted with the preternatural world, picking and choosing who he
thought were the worst threats. Only then did he carry out his duty
as a hunter. Otherwise, Wade ignored the preternatural world. His
motto:
You don't bother me, and I won't dust you.

Sloane stirred and stretched. The sheet fell
away revealing cream-colored skin he had lavished with kisses only
hours before. The sun still did not bother her, but it would. Once
she fully changed, her flesh would blister as if the sun's rays
were laser beams.

"You're awake." Sloane's throaty statement
made him chuckle.

"So are you." He moved above her, wanting to
make love to her before they faced the day. How could something so
wrong feel like it was meant to be? Her eyes met his never shying
away. He leaned down and kissed her long and hard, pouring his soul
into the caress and receiving the same in return.

"Derek, my man, are you decent?" The male
voice booming from his living room broke the mood. Derek cursed and
rolled away from Sloane. He grabbed for his jeans on the floor and
shoved his legs in one at a time.

"Who is it?" Sloane whispered. She hugged the
sheet to her chin as she stared at him wide-eyed with worry.

"It's my brother—Wade." He didn't bother with
shoes or a shirt. He wouldn't put it past Wade to just barge into
his room and apologize later.

At the door, he turned and glanced at Sloane,
who looked like a woman who had just been thoroughly made love to.
It was an image he could get used to. "Stay here," he told her and
slipped out of the room to greet his brother.

Wade's eyes did a slow slide, obviously
taking in his hurried attempt to dress. "Your fly's open."

He hastily zipped his jeans. "Haven't you
heard of ringing the doorbell?"

"Sure, but this is much more fun." Wade's
gaze shifted to his bedroom door. "So who's the gal?"

"None of your business," he growled.

Wade just chuckled. "I guess we're all
entitled to our secrets."

"I take it you're here for a reason," Derek
said and headed toward the kitchen. He wanted Wade as far away from
his bedroom and Sloane as possible. Besides he needed coffee if he
was going to keep up the pretense that this was just another
uneventful day.

"Axel and I didn't come across Tim's havoc
until late last night," Wade said, all business now. "He took out
four homeless guys. We almost didn't pay attention when the call
came over the police scanner until they mentioned the rose petals
and chocolates."

All his family had police scanners. Anything
that sounded remotely like a preternatural attack, they
investigated, but they mostly received their orders from the
Preternatural Regulating Bureau
or better known as the
PRB
. They would be handed a case and they would carry out
the mission. Once they checked back in with the details, their
payment for the job would be wired into their account. Some of the
funds were collected from people who paid for the PRB's services
and some of the funds were confiscated from crime scenes or from
the preternatural being's lair. Not all preternatural beings lived
on the run. They lived among the humans as a front and kept their
insidious acts behind closed doors.

"The scene was more gruesome than the first
one." Wade pushed his cowboy hat back and rubbed a hand over his
face. "Tim must have been in a rage. He tore the men's throats out
and stuffed the chocolates there. It looked more like a bear with a
chocolate fetish had mauled them rather than a vampire in need of
nourishment."

Derek knew why Tim had been in a frenzied
state. Tim had been wounded, but he was also pissed off that his
plan to make Sloane like him had been foiled. Derek scooped the
coffee into the filter and added water to the coffee pot then
flipped the switch. In a few minutes he'd have his caffeine fix,
and hopefully then he would come up with a plan to get rid of
Wade.

"So how was your night?" Wade glanced toward
the hall with unspoken meaning.

Before he could make a comment, Cassandra
swept in, wearing a robe and slippers. "Are you talking to
yourself?" she asked between a stifled yawn. She froze when she
caught sight of Wade standing there.

Wade looked momentarily put back, too, but
recovered first. "Well, hot damn, Sis," Wade chuckled. "When did
you get in?" He separated the distance and gave his sister a bear
hug.

Cassandra met Derek's gaze over Wade's
shoulder. She didn't want Wade snooping around anymore than he did.
Tremayne may be centuries old and strong, but he wouldn't last long
in direct sunlight. It was early morning, half past eight to be
exact, and it wasn't overcast outside. The sun sat in the sky
shining bright and pretty, lethally so.