Annie Nicholas - Bait

Curse his hearing! “T-Tane lured me there.” My voice shook, I couldn’t help it, but the fury it ignited helped me control the fear and come up with a plausible story. “I thought you sent me a ticket for the A38 jazz concert.”

Rurik’s grip loosened and he released me. He heard my words through the rage that boiled in his face.

“Tane wants to use me. He heard what happened between us at the bathhouse.” I rubbed my wrists where he’d gripped them. There would be bruises in the morning.

“Of course he knows, I told him.”

I startled. “Why?”

“He’s been my friend for centuries.”

“Your friend wants me to spy on you.”

Rurik sat on the floor at my feet. He stared at the ring on his finger in silence. “Why would he want that? I hide nothing from him.”

“Tane said a bunch of terrible things to you at the party. What kind of friend is that?”

Twisting the piece of jewelry around his pinky he didn’t even look at me when he answered. “A secret one. If you didn’t notice, Dragos barely tolerates my presence. It places Tane in an awkward situation.”

I went to the other side of the room. Not that the distance really made a difference if he attacked but I needed the space. I thought my lack of friends pathetic but next to Rurik I was Miss Popularity. My wrists ached and my skin itched from the dried river water.

He still didn’t look at me. His shoulders slumped while he lost himself in thoughts. The Overlord of Budapest, confident playboy deflated and vulnerable on my hotel room floor. I needed to decide whether to trust him or not. Things were over my head and I was drowning. It looked like he was too.

The role of judge and jury weighed heavily on my shoulders. “Look, I’m going to take a quick shower and change. Then we’ll talk some more.”

He looked up with sad eyes and nodded.

When I returned, he had taken off his hoodie while I showered. The tight white t-shirt clung to his shoulders and outlined the muscles of his torso. It didn’t leave much to the imagination.

I needed to grab reins of my libido. The urge to rush over and run my hands over his chest grew. His loose jeans hung at his hips and I remembered what they hid. One small tug and they’d slide to his ankles. I should have taken a cold shower.

“Can you forgive me?” His eyes pleaded.

“You need to stop grabbing and scaring me like that. It doesn’t help build trust.”

He came to stand next to me. His fingers hooked into the belt loops of my jeans to draw me in closer. “After I followed Tane, I wanted to find you and ask for your help.” He bent down to rest his forehead against mine. “But then I saw you together. I couldn’t think rationally.”

“He threw me into the river.”

Rurik chuckled. “Yes, well, you can be infuriating.” He lifted my chin to press his soft, full lips to mine. Whatever I wanted to say evaporated. This tender kiss did not resemble the previous heated one we’d shared yet it still provoked a tidal wave of carnal desires. The feel of his mouth slowly exploring mine, not demanding more than I gave, curled my toes. Something vulnerable unfurled in my chest and my loneliness called out to him.

I couldn’t resist fulfilling my desires anymore and ran my hands over his well-developed chest. Hard plains of muscles met my hands with only a thin layer of soft cotton between.

He pulled away from the kiss but kept me pressed against him. “The night’s still young. What do you want to do with it?” The heat in his eyes told me exactly how he wanted to spend it.

I wanted to agree with him and push him on the bed to live out each of my fantasies. Earlier today, I kicked myself for flaking out last night. How many second chances would I get?

If we started this, I needed to finish it. There hadn’t been enough time for me to reflect on my attraction to Rurik. He was the first person to arouse these inclinations in me since Laurent died. Not just physical cravings either. I liked Rurik. He made me at ease with myself, he’d taken care of me, and, I mentally kicked myself in the ass, he possibly killed a bunch of people.

We weren’t going to do anything until I had my answers. I stepped back.

A flash of disappointment skipped over his face. He pulled a chair closer while I sat on the edge of the bed. “You never told me why you are visiting Budapest, Rabbit.”

Colby made me memorize my cover story until I could recite it without a flinch. “I’ve been sent to investigate Budapest nightlife. I work for a travel company that wants to invest in a singles tour trip here.”

The awe in his face made the lie priceless. “They pay you to do this?”

I laughed. “Yes and it’s usually fun. But getting abducted, then Dragos, now Tane. Well, you can understand I’m anxious to leave even though I haven’t seen a single tourist attraction.” The bitterness in my voice came from reality. I really did want to see the city and its history. How many times would I get to visit Eastern Europe?

“Then let me take you somewhere special tonight.”

“What about the attack on your home? There must be a search for you?”

Rurik laughed. “Yes, but not for a street thug with his girl driving a...”

“Rust bucket.”

His smile faded. “I would have called it a love bug.” He leaned forward and drew me into another gentle kiss. It lingered, neither of us wanted to pull away. The bed I sat on invited us to crawl in.

So lost in the sensation of his kiss, I somehow ended up on my back with him on top as he kissed his way down my neck. His hands slid along my sides to my waist.

I couldn’t help but arch my body against his. We needed someone to hose us down.

“Why do you think it’s a vampire slayer who attacked your home?” While Colby did slay vampires by trade, I never would have used that term to describe him. It sounded better than mercenary but I knew he took care of more than just vampires.

Rurik ignored me as his fingers found their way under my shirt. He traced his tongue along my collarbone to the hollow of my throat. Once there, he sucked on the skin and gradually increased the pull.

I moaned at the feel of his hands and mouth on me but I kept my wits. “I think Tane did it.”

He stopped seducing me then sighed before he gazed up at me. “Do I bore you?”

I snorted and then ran my fingers through his thick, black hair. “You set me on fire but, I’m not ready. If you think it’s safe, I’d like you to take me someplace.” I needed to get out this room before I took off my clothes and did things I could regret.

He pushed some of my crazy curls from my face. “Tane is the one who warned me.”

Touché. I shrugged. “How did he know?”

Rurik rolled off to stand next to the bed, his eyes lingered on me with a speculative light. “He has followed this group of slayers actions for some time. They don’t realize if they succeed in killing me they’ll be hunted down and slaughtered for the crime by my people.” He shook his head and a flash of regret crossed his face.

“You don’t want the slayers dead?” The repercussions of assassinating an Overlord never came to my mind. Guilty or not, we weren’t the vampire police. Rurik’s people may not know of his supposed crime. What the hell did Colby get us involved in?

“Of course not, it’s like being angry at the gun instead of the shooter. I have uses for slayers and these ones appear efficient. I need to figure out who is trying to kill me and deal with them on my own.”

Tane. It sat there on my tongue, a lead weight waiting for me to spit it out. Creepy bastard was right, battle lines were being drawn and I’d have to pick a side. Rurik thought him a friend. What a mistake. If I told Rurik what I’d learned, my fate would be tied to his. I didn’t completely trust him. Not yet. I wondered if Colby really knew what he took on by accepting this contract since we’ve only done small time vampires on American soil.