When talking with Nixie, I find it useful to shade toward her own brand of punk speak. “Girl, we don’t have time for a dodge. My cousin the madman is planning to out a whole bunch of bloodsuckers in Times Square tonight. Control their thoughts with hypnosis or something. So I’m asking you-is that possible? Do you or Hottie Hubby know anything that might make vampires go all fangy and drink people to death?”
There was a deep murmur from the background. “It’s Twyla.” Nixie was apparently speaking to said hottie hubby. Lips smacked, faithfully reproduced by my phone. “The vampires in the Big Apple-” smack, “-are in deep shit.”
The smacks told me they were in bed, doing it again. Near as I could tell they were always doing it. It was one of the things that clued me that Nixie’s hottie wasn’t entirely human. I thought of Nikos and shivered.
More murmuring. But if anyone could help it was hubby Julian, who was seriously smart.
“Twyla?” Nixie cleared her throat. Even a non-musician could tell she was uncomfortable. “There was some crap that went down at Christmas. If v-guys did exist-I’m not saying they do-but if they did one of them might’ve hatched a compulsion thing. A hypnotizer that works by sound waves. If it was real-’course it can’t be-it was supposed to be destroyed. But if there’s any chance it wasn’t-fuck me with a side order of damn. That would be bad.”
“I sort of figured that out myself,” I said dryly.
“Huh, Julian? Oh, yeah. Look, Twyla. You have to give Nikos a 911. That’s why we sent him with you.”
“You what? He said he was here on business but…aw, crap.” His business was to watch over me. He didn’t really care.
“If there were v-guys-not saying, but if-this would definitely be v-guy business. Twyla, just call Nikos. Here’s his number.”
If there were vampires-not that Nixie said there were, but if-their underground coffins still had cell phone reception. Nikos answered on the first ring. “What’s wrong?”
Damn, that sexy growl shot shivers straight down my spine to my sweet poo-say. Business, I reminded myself. “ Aylmer is planning something awful. I called Nixie but she said I should talk to you-and she said you were sent to keep an eye on me. That was your business? Me? Were your kisses business too?” I made a raspberry. “I would have been better off with the prostitute.”
A breath of air came over the phone, his version of a sigh. “It’s complicated.”
“It always is.” I jammed the phone under my jaw and started doing dishes-loudly.
Another sigh. “We’ll need to talk. Expect Bruce in half an hour.”
“Bruce? For real? Kato’s name is Bruce, like Bruce Lee?”
“Meiers Corners,” he said by way of explanation. When God fished in the Coincidence Pool, he used Meiers Corners as bait.
On the way out I caught an edge of movement in the deep shadows between the buildings, a skulking figure with light hair and lush lips. Like Modelboy, but what would he be doing here?
Apprehension nearly sent me back inside but the limo showed up and I hopped right in. Bruce sped away, whisking me to an unmarked boutique hotel in Midtown.
Nikos opened the door to a luxury suite. The first thing I saw was the fireplace. The second was the massive four-poster bed. The covers were rumpled.
It gave me ideas. Maybe it was leftover frustration from not joining the mile-high club, although Nikos had taken care of me later, most satisfactorily.
Or maybe it was because he’d taken care of me that I sauntered over to the bed and slid one hand along its brass post. “Ever play games?” Turning, I gave him my most brilliant smile.
His eyes flared the hungry scarlet of a burning African veldt. He came closer. “What kind?”
“Naughty games.” I ran my wrist along the post, suggestively.
“I thought you wanted to talk.” He came closer still.
“Talk will wait. Got any extra of these?” I grabbed the end of his tie, yanked it to pull him even closer. He came, but under his own steam. My smile faltered.
“Plenty.” He cuffed my wrists, shackled them in one hand behind my back. Yeah, I’d forgotten he could do that.
It pressed my breasts into his abs. He reached down and fondled one. I was immediately seared by his heat. He pinched a nipple and heat blazed into passion.
He released my wrists to thread his hand through my hair. Holding me immobile he kissed me hard. Completely overwhelmed me with teeth and tongue.
My game suddenly didn’t seem such a hot idea, not with Mr. Play-to-Win out to conquer the board. “Talk first.” Polysyllabic words were impossible with his mouth devouring me.
“No. Sex first.” He kissed me with tongue everywhere, deep in my mouth, licking my lips, flicking fire along my teeth.
“We don’t have time.” I pressed palms to his hard pecs, which didn’t give an inch. “My cousin-”
“Twyla, shh.” His voice was half-growl, half-purr. He buried his face in my neck. Sharp teeth scored my sensitive skin. His tongue rasped after, chafing, arousing.
My hands slid up his chest with each hot nip until my arms were wrapped around his shoulders and I was arching hard against him. “Nikos, wait. I have to tell you-uhhh.”
His fangs had come out to play. Points of pleasure pricked my neck. My pulse leaped to meet them. I thrust myself closer as his fangs played across my vulnerable throat. Pressing his advantage he backed me into one of the bedposts, his head-cupping hand hitting it with a clang. He released me gently against the post and drove both his hands down the back of my pants.
Two big palms slid over my butt and pulled. He forced me into an arousal so big I nearly swooned. When he ground himself against me and grew bigger, my vision blackened around the edges.
Okay. Hours until midnight. Nikos was here now, and he was hot for me. Talk could wait. Time to push my limits. I rubbed my hips against his expanding bulge, rippled against it, teasing.
With a growl he swept me off my feet. He threw me under the saffron bed canopy and jumped in next to me, crowding me with his huge, naked body.
Sexual haze disintegrated. He was naked? When had that happened?
“Mist.”
It was an answer but I couldn’t think how. And then I couldn’t care less as he ate me up with his hungry gaze, his pupils open circles of fire. “Your body is so lush.” He tore my shirt and bra up, growling with satisfaction when my breasts bounced free. He palmed one, his thumb brushing the nipple. “So full and creamy.”
He fondled me, strong bronze fingers sinking into the globe. Tendons rippled in his arm. Answering passion stirred between my thighs. I tightened them against the first flush of moisture.
He breathed deep. “You smell divine.” His head bent and he fastened onto my nipple.
I arched. My hand found his back, ran over acres of sheer strength. I wanted to feel all that power on top of me. I wrapped one leg over his hips and tugged. “Kiss me.”
He responded instantly-but not the direction I wanted. He vaulted to the end of the bed to yank my jeans off. Pushing my bare legs apart he climbed between them-and pressed a hard kiss to my sex.