She was still afraid of him. Dougal strode into the security office at Romatech, wondering what he should do next to earn Leah’s trust. When he’d teleported her to the townhouse, she’d barely looked at him. She’d thanked him before running upstairs to her room. He was reasonably sure she’d enjoyed the trip to the Empire State Building, and they had succeeded in getting to know each other a little better. That had to be progress.
“You’re back,” Freemont said from behind the desk.
“Aye. Thank you for manning the fort for me.” Dougal scanned the monitors. Abby and Gregori had left. Laszlo was working alone in the lab. The captured soldier was still in the silver room.
“No problem. You were gone for only half of your lunch hour.” Freemont stood. “I’ll do a perimeter check.” He headed out the door.
“Thanks.” Dougal retrieved a bottle of blood from the small fridge and popped it into the microwave.
What should his next move with Leah be? Should he take her to another place tomorrow night? What did modern people do on dates? Dinner and a movie? Dinner would be awkward, since he couldn’t eat. And Leah would object if it was too obvious that he was trying to date her.
He sipped from his bottle, recalling their conversation at the Empire State Building. She’d had a lonely life. He understood that all too well. After being kidnapped at the age of fourteen, he’d learned quickly that he was alone against the world.
She didn’t have to be alone anymore. She could have someone who admired her courage, her brilliant mind, and her strength of character. Someone who ached to touch her beautiful face and explore every lovely inch of her.
She could have him.
Chapter Ten
Leah woke up the next day around noon. Immediately her thoughts fixated on her trip with Dougal to the Empire State Building. The date that wasn’t a date. The attraction she didn’t want to acknowledge. How could she keep from falling for a guy who was so sweet, so attentive, so gorgeous, strong, and dependable? So Undead?
With a groan, she shoved him out of her mind. She would think about work instead. On her first night on the job, she’d succeeded in isolating three genetic mutations. Thankfully, Abby and Laszlo were expert chemists who could devise a serum to reverse the mutations.
Unfortunately, she doubted one antidote would do the trick. Changing the mutated soldier would probably require numerous injections over a period of time. So how could they hope to change a thousand mutated soldiers?
She might have to work here for a long time. And that meant more Dougal. Even if she refused to date him, he would always be nearby. He was probably close now. Downstairs in the basement. She smiled to herself. He did have an underground lair. And she could go see him if she dared.
She pushed him from her mind once again as she climbed out of bed. By the time she showered, dressed, and went downstairs, the Echarpe family was preparing for an outing to Central Park. She declined their invitation to join them, citing dirty laundry as an excuse. Not that she didn’t like them. She was just accustomed to quiet and solitude.
And she did need to do some laundry. She’d originally come with clothes for only three days, thinking it would be a short trip. But it made more sense for her to work alongside Abby and Laszlo, and to remain close to the test subject in the Romatech basement.
That made her think about Dougal again. Was he in the townhouse basement?
She started a load of laundry, then flipped on the lights in the billiards room. Empty. Her gaze drifted to the closed door.
With a groan, she paced back to the washer. How could she let this attraction continue? So what if he was incredibly handsome? And intriguing? Did it matter if his deep, lyrical voice made her bones melt? Or that her heart pounded when he looked at her like she was the only woman on the planet?
He was dead.
But he was close by. What was the harm in taking a little peek? This time, she would be careful not to leave any trace.
She opened the door wide to allow plenty of light inside, then moved quietly toward his bed. He was stretched out on his back, his face peaceful. His eyes were closed and fringed with thick black eyelashes. His beautifully shaped lips were relaxed, almost touching. Dark whiskers shaded his jaw. She smoothed her fingers across his cheek, intrigued by the transfer from soft skin to prickly.
Her gaze drifted down his body, the long, white nightshirt buttoned up to his neck, covering the fiery dragon. No wonder she found him so fascinating. Beneath his old-fashioned, staid surface, he concealed an unexpected, dangerous interior. A solid, quiet mountain of a man, hiding a volcano in his center. A beautiful man, but a vampire.
Her arms tingled with goose bumps. It was safe to be here now, admiring him while he was dead, but how exciting it might be to get caught up in one of his explosions. Or even to be the cause of his explosion.
She shook her head. What was she thinking? She would simply end up burned.
As she turned to leave, she spotted something odd. A piece of paper stuck out from his left hand. He must have fallen into his death-sleep holding it.
She leaned over for a closer look and froze at the sight of large, bold letters. Leah. He’d written her a note? A thrill of excitement shot through her, quickly followed by a jab of annoyance. How dare he assume that she would come downstairs to ogle him in his death-sleep? It wasn’t as if she was obsessed with him.
She winced. She was here, wasn’t she?
With a tug, she slipped the note from his hand, then opened it.
Dear Leah,
I doubt you’ll come downstairs to see my dead carcass, but in case you do, I am leaving you this note. I’m not good at saying what I feel, so I thought I would write what was in my heart.
If I could dream, I would dream of you.
If I could see the sun, it could not shine brighter than you.
If I died a thousand deaths, I would come back to search for you.
Leah’s eyes blurred with tears. She’d been told he was shy, but she hadn’t realized he was so romantic. How cruel could fate be that she’d finally met the perfect man, but he was a vampire?
She folded the note and wedged it back beneath his left hand. It would be better if he didn’t know that she’d read the note. She didn’t dare let him know how deeply he affected her.
A tear ran down her cheek and landed on his hand. She wiped it dry and hurried from the room.
“How is everything?” Dougal asked that evening as he strode into the security office.
“The usual.” Austin slipped on his coat. “Angus and Emma will be returning to London tonight, so it’ll be just you and Freemont. Oh, and Abby wants you to come by her office tomorrow night at five thirty.”
“All right.” Dougal hoped she wasn’t planning to run more tests on his hand. He took a sip from his bottle of synthetic blood as he scanned the monitors. Plenty of mortals were still in the facility, but that tended to happen in the fall and winter months, when the sun set early. He spotted Freemont in the cafeteria, presumably making his rounds, although it looked more like he was flirting with the pretty young cashier.
His gaze shifted back to the lab. “When did Abby and Leah arrive?”
“About two hours ago.” Austin pocketed his car keys. “They needed to see the guy in the silver room, so I took them down there. Leah wanted more blood and tissue samples, and Abby gave him another injection to keep him in stasis.”
Dougal eyed the monitor showing the silver room. “There was no problem then?”
“Nope.” Austin headed out the door. “See you tomorrow.”