Then she tossed me overboard.
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bat.jpg
The water was damned cold. I'd been swimming for
hours.
I sure wished I could touch bottom. Something brushed my arm and I shrieked.
"Glory?"
I heard the chug of a boat engine and saw the sweep of a search light.
"Over here." I waved an arm. Stupid move. I sank like a stone. I came up sputtering just as a life ring hit a few feet away.
"Grab the ring, and I'll haul you aboard." Ray sounded hoarse.
I threw my arm over it and hung on, too tired to do more than grunt as he reached for me and dragged me into the cockpit. I was shivering in earnest now, wet from my ruined suede Marc Jacobs boots to my dripping cashmere sweater that would probably shrink once it dried. Damn. The icy wind kicked up. Double damn.
"Get out of those wet clothes. Here's a blanket you can wrap around you. I'll get us back to the house." Ray went to the wheel, pushed the throttle and the boat rocketed forward.
I decided against an undignified struggle to peel off tight jeans while a boat tossed me like a silver ball in a roulette wheel (old gambling problemdon't ask). I staggered to the bench seat that looked surprisingly slime free and sank down, pulling the blanket over my shoulders.
A few minutes later the night sky lit up and sounds like gunshots made me drop to the deck and cover my head. Ray shut off the engine and we coasted across the water.
"What?" I figured I looked little better than Aggie as I swiped strings of wet hair out of my eyes. Hey, bullets couldn't kill me, but I'd had a rough night, okay?
"Relax, Glory. Fireworks. It's midnight." Ray helped me up to the seat again. He used the corner of the blanket to wipe my cheeks. "You all right?"
"Not really. God, I think there's something crawling in my bra." I stretched out my sweater and tried to see.
"Want me to check?" Ray grinned when I pulled a string of some kind of plant from my cleavage and tossed it overboard.
"Just get me back to dry land. What's the holdup?"
Ray glanced at the sky, then at the Rolex on his wrist. "In a minute. Like I said, it's midnight. Happy New Year."
"Tell me you're not expecting a kiss." I stared at his lips, which were firm, sexy and, I knew firsthand, extremely talented. "Did you have to kiss Aggie?"
Ray grinned. "I never kiss and tell. Come on, it's tradition." He leaned toward me, eyes closing. I put my hand in the middle of his chest. I'm strong, vamp strong. I could hold him off all night if I really wanted to. "Ray, I'm not kidding here. Swamp thing
kissed
you? Then it's going to take some serious dental hygiene before" He was obviously pretty strong himself because his mouth was suddenly on mine and his lips didn't taste a bit nasty. His tongue was clever and not slimy at all.
He pulled back and smiled at me. "Happy New Year, Glory."
"Happy New Year, Ray." How can you stay mad at a man who is so damned gorgeous?
He reached for the bottom of my sweater. "There might be all kinds of things hiding under here. You've got to get out of this." With the moves of a man who's had way too much practice, he ripped it off over my head and tossed it aside. It landed on the deck with a noisy splat.
"That's as far as this goes, Ray. I'm pretty sure I got rid of anything that doesn't belong." I grinned, glad I'd worn my new black cami with the slimming control midriff and the built-in underwire bra. It had a cute bit of red lace trim at the plunging vee. My hair might be wet, my makeup history, but clinging lace made up for a lot. Hmm. Ray was looking
really
interested in that clinging and the effect of cold water
"You sure? I always try to start my New Year with a"he traced the edge of the lace bra with a fingertip"bang."
"And I thought
I
was the ancient one here." I grinned and lifted his finger off my chest just as it headed for a nipple. "You really need a new line, Ray. Now start the
boat's
engine and get us back to the house. If these wet jeans shrink on me, we may have to cut them off." They hadn't been that easy to get on in the first place. I have the fantasy that tight makes me look smaller. Yeah, right. What I'm afraid they actually do is give me a muffin top. Which is why the camisole has industrial strength spandex. Now the jeans were going from tight to vise. My thong would probably have to be surgically removed.
"Be a shame to cut off jeans that look that good on you. Maybe we can work them off together. With our vamp strength and all." Ray dropped a kiss on the swell of each breast, then pulled the blanket closed. He got up and headed for the steering wheel then stopped with his hand on the key. He turned and looked at me.
"Oh, Glory."
"Hmm?" I was heavily involved in a blow-by-blow mental replay of that kiss, comparing it to one of Jerry's. Not better, no way. Just different.
"I did have to kiss Aggie. Teeth, tongues, slime and all."
My stomach heaved and Jerry's kisses won, no contest.
* * *
"Where the hell have you been? I've been freakin' out here."
Valdez paced the dock.
"And you're soaked. He's dry. Did
he make a pass and you had to swim for it? You must have been desperate to get away from him 'cause I know how you
hate the water. Son of a bitch! I'm so gonna rip him a new one. And where's your sweater? The boss is gonna fire my ass
for this."
"Take a breath, then shut up, Valdez." I took Ray's hand and stepped carefully onto the dock. I'd left the wet lump of wool that used to be a sweater on the boat. "Ray didn't do anything. I'm okay. I'll tell you what happened on the lake later."
"Later?"
Valdez snarled as Ray brushed past him, but a stern look from me convinced him that I meant what I said. The house was still lit from top to bottom and loud music boomed from the upper level where the doors to the wooden deck obviously stood open. Several people were outside smoking what smelled like illegal substances. I knew Ray banned any kind of smoking inside his house. Bad for his voice. Or at least it had been for mortal Ray. Glass crunched under my boots and I remembered Ray was barefoot. "Careful, Ray. Watch where you step."
"Too late." Ray held up his foot. It had been sliced open by a piece of broken bottle. Blood, a beautiful bright red, welled from what looked to be a pretty serious cut.
"That looks bad." Really bad, though I couldn't deny it stirred my vampire senses. First a kiss, now blood. Was Ray trying to
seduce
me?
"Well, shit. That's what I get for making a grand gesture." He hissed between his teeth. "Damn, that hurts like a son of a bitch."
"I'm sorry, Ray." I reached down and picked up a piece of glass with the label still attached. His favorite brand.
"Yep, it's the bottle you tossed over the edge." I was trying to distract myself. Because my fangs had descended with the first whiff.
"Valdez, take a hike. Glory wants me." Ray grinned, reached down to smear blood on his finger and then waved his hand under my nose. "We need some privacy."
"Well, we sure can't join your mortal friends upstairs until I get myself under control." Which wouldn't be anytime soon. I looked down at the widening pool of blood under Ray's foot.
"Why hasn't it stopped bleeding, Glory? Where's my vamp power?" Ray limped around the deck.
"Good question. Maybe Jack Daniel's has the answer. Come here and let me look at your foot." I squatted and waited for him to come close. As usual, he came too close, but I ignored his zipper practically pressed against my cheek as I used a corner of the blanket to wipe away blood. Yep, there was a piece of brown glass imbedded in his foot. Ray's hand tangled in my wet hair and he leaned against me. I tried to pull out the glass.
"Hey, that hurts!" Ray jerked and almost pulled out a hank of hair.
"Sorry. Don't snatch me bald, you big baby." I stood suddenly and almost knocked him over. "Obviously this isn't the place to deal with your foot."
"Looks serious, Blondie. And, yeah, it must hurt like hell."
Valdez looked up at Ray.
"Is that why you're still bleeding?
You drink all of that booze?"
"Most of it. But that was hours ago." Ray gripped my shoulder this time. "Seriously, Glory, you think the alcohol screwed with my healing ability?"
"Don't ask
me.
I avoid the stuff. Wait until tomorrow night. Then you'll know why." When he woke up with the mother of all hangovers. "Let's go inside. Where we've got better light and I can get that glass out." I looked at Ray's hand on me. "Can you walk on your own? Get in the elevator."
"You'll have to help me. And you know that elevator opens right at the deck area." Ray looked around. "You shouldn't have to carry me. Valdez, where are
my
bodyguards? Seems like I have five of them around here. Two of them paranormals."
"Your mortal bodyguards, Sam and Buster, caught two teenage girls trying to climb the rocks to get inside. Last I
heard, they werehustling them toward town. One of the kids was crying 'cause she scraped her knee and threatened to
sue."
Valdez gave a doggy laugh.
"Sam straightened her out about
that.
Then Brittany had to whammy a couple of
paparazzi who tried to crash the party and caught Will with his fangs down. It's his night off so he's drunk off his ass
and hit on one of your bandmates girlfriends."
Valdez chuffed.
"Yeah, Glory.
Some
bodyguards actually get time off."
"Can we not do this now?" I realized Rays foot was
still
bleeding.
Had
the alcohol he'd drunk earlier hurt his ability to heal?
Ray was pale and fell against me. "Seriously, Glory. I'm messed up here. I really need to lie down." He tried to unbutton his shirt, then just ripped it off. "Here, wrap this around my foot and let's go. When we come out of the elevator, play along with whatever I say or do. Your fangs are still out there, darlin'." He slung his arm over my shoulders. "Sexy as hell. Maybe later you can"
"I think you've lost enough blood, Ray." I don't take orders well. But Ray was obviously in no shape to slap down, so I just dragged him into the elevator. Valdez crowded in with us. I tied the silk shirt around Ray's foot, then pushed the button to take us up. "Just do whatever you can to get us past your friends upstairs without causing a Took there's a vampire!' riot."
"Whatever I can. All right then." Ray's grin was weak, but still full of the Devil as he leaned heavily on me. "Better hurry, I'm fadin' fast." He looked down at his foot; the blood had already soaked through his shirt. "Stupid."
"Valdez, since we seem to be under siege, you stay with Brittany and help with security. I'll take care of Ray." I was desperately willing my fangs to retreat before we hit the top deck. I hoped the sight of Ray's foot would draw all eyes, and my fangs would go unnoticed. Yeah, right.
"Relax, Glory. The guys are all drunk, stoned or both. Like I said, let me handle it." Ray grabbed the blanket that I still clutched.
"Won't be needing this."
The elevator doors opened. "Show time." Ray reached for the hooks on the front of my cami. I held his hand. "Part of the show," he whispered, "Trust me."
"Like hell." I pulled him out of the elevator. He was clearly too weak to make it on his own. Valdez growled and dragged the blanket out of the elevator with his teeth.
"Hey, Ray. What the hell happened?"
He grinned and held up his foot with the blood-soaked shirt dangling from it. "Ran out of Jack. Got pissed. Broke the bottle and, like a fool, stepped on it. My baby's takin' me upstairs for some first
aid."
He buried his head between my breasts. Shouts and whistles accompanied that announcement. And when Ray leaned back and showed he'd managed to unhook my bra with his teeth the men laughed, hooted and stomped their feet until the deck shook. Ray captured the cami before it hit the ground, twirled it over his head, then pitched it over the railing onto the rocks below.
"All right, men. I challenge you. Ladies topless. Make it happen."
Squeals, giggles and general chaos. As a distraction, it worked like a charm. Obviously no one was looking at my
fangs.
I dragged Ray upstairs and to the room he pointed to weakly as the master bedroom.
"You are so dead." I dropped him on his bed.
"Don't you mean undead?" Ray's last words just before he passed out.
I locked the bedroom door, then put towels under Ray's foot. I plucked out glass until I was satisfied that I'd got it all, even prodded it with some tweezers I found in a bathroom drawer. And, yeah, I snooped through all the drawers. Usual guy stuff, including an assortment of condoms, gels and lubricants that made my imagination do back-flips. Hmm. Too bad Ray stayed unconscious while I worked on his foot. He'd earned some serious pain and suffering for that stunt downstairs. At least he'd finally quit bleeding but he was very pale under his forever tan. I picked up a piece of glass and ran it across my wrist. Ow. When blood welled up, I pressed the cut to his lips.
"Drink, Ray. Come on. You can't start the New Year in a coma." I rubbed my wrist between his lips. His lashes fluttered, then I felt the pierce of his fangs. Despite the mad I still felt simmering inside me, the pull as he drew on me was unbelievably erotic. Yeah, believe it. And I was foolishly sitting here still topless. Both of us were. That just added to the sexy situation. I grabbed a pillow and stuck it in front of me. A little late for modesty. The entire crew downstairs had seen my boobs, including Valdez. He'd been beyond furious with Ray. Only the rock star's deteriorating physical condition and our audience had saved Ray from being torn apart by my doggie protector. As it was, I'd staggered up the stairs with Ray clutched to my chest like we'd already started getting busy. Good thing I was strong because I'd been carrying him before we'd reached the third step. Ray's eyes opened and he reached up to touch my cheek.
"Guess you'll live. I think you can let go now." I nodded at my wrist.