He had to be mortal.. Vampires were never that tanned. And nothing this beautiful could last an eternity. Even the most spectacular of sunsets could only last a few moments. For this mortal, this was his moment, the culmination of youth, strength, and grace—all the more beautiful because his zenith was short-lived, and this moment in time was rare.
Darcy's eyes filled with tears. The vampires had it all wrong. They thought they were the beautiful ones because they managed to stay young forever. They didn't realize that an eternity of youth and beauty became cheap when it was stolen, and meaningless when it was the norm.
The man reached the end of the pool and shoved his thick, wet hair back from his face. Darcy caught her breath. Oh God, she should have known it was him. Her shoes slipped from her hand and clattered onto the cement.
He turned toward the noise and smiled at her.
Her knees turned rubbery. He pushed off the edge and swam toward her. She glanced toward the pool house. It would look cowardly if she ran away. But darn it, she'd been so determined to stay away from him.
He stopped and rested a tanned forearm on the tiled edge of the pool. "Hi, Darcy."
Just the sound of Adam saying her name made her feel warm and light, like she could fly to the sun and never be cold again. "Hi."
"The water's great. Want to join me?"
She scoffed. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm wearing a dress."
"Oh, I noticed. I can't take my eyes off of you."
Her face grew warm. "Actually, I need to talk to you about that. You shouldn't look at me, because I'm usually very close to the camera."
He tilted his head, still watching her. "There's no camera now. Just you and me."
"And I have some work to do. Good night." She leaned over to pick up her shoes.
"How does that dress come off? Is there a zipper in the back?"
She jerked straight, forgetting the shoes. "Excuse me?"
"You need to take off the dress to swim."
"I'm not swimming with you. The water's far too cold."
"Oh. In that case…" He planted his palms on the tiled edge. The muscles in his arms and shoulders bunched as he hauled himself out of the water.
Darcy stepped back. Her mouth fell open.
He slowly straightened. Water glistened on his tanned skin. Rivulets sluiced down his body, seeking the easiest path around well-defined pectoral and abdominal muscles. His chest hair lay flat and wet against his chest. It appeared dark brown like the hair on his head. Moisture and darkness had combined to hide the blond highlights that normally made him appear golden as a sun god. Tonight, he looked darker and even more dangerous to her peace of mind.
"We'll find something warmer." He padded to the hot tub.
Speechless, Darcy watched him walk by. His cotton boxer-style swimsuit would never be classified as sexy, but the wet material had glued itself to his body. As he passed by, she became very aware of how low the swimsuit rested on his narrow hips. The material clung to his rump, clearly outlining each buttock and the muscles that flexed with each step he took.
The waistband was so low, she could see two dimples on his lower back. Oh God, that brought his total dimple count up to four. And made her want to examine every inch of him for more.
He stepped into the hot tub and punched a button on the control panel. With a whirring sound, the water began to swirl about. He smiled at her as he settled on a seat. "Feels great."
Steam rose from the water, promising her warmth and comfort, an end to the chill that had tormented her for four long years.
"Come on, Darcy," he spoke quietly.
Oh, God, he was the devil. He knew just how to tempt her and torture her at the same time. She walked slowly toward him. "If I was judging the contest, you would definitely be the winner. But I'm not, so you're wasting your time."
"I don't give a damn about the contest. And time with you is never wasted. Come in, and I'll show you."
She snorted. "Oh, you're good. But there's no purpose for this." Only heartache for wanting something she couldn't have.
"No purpose?" He frowned at her. "What about friendship?"
She laughed. "You just want to be friends? I've heard that one before."
He grinned. "So have I. But I mean it, Darcy. Don't you need someone to talk to?"
How could she confide in a mortal that she lived among vampires? "I'm sorry." She turned to go.
"Wait." He lunged across the spa, causing a wave of hot water to spill over the edge and warm her bare feet. "I need to tell you something. It's about the anklet I'm supposed to wear."
She turned back to him. "What about it?"
"I–I lost it, somehow. Is it important?"
She swallowed. More than important. It was essential for keeping him safe. "I'll make sure you get another one."
"What exactly is it?" His eyes looked wide with innocence.
"Didn't Laszlo tell you?"
Adam shrugged. "Something about pheromones and how we're attracted to each other by our nose."
"That's true." And Adam always smelled wonderful— warm, healthy, and sexy.
"Come and sit a while." He patted the tile edge of the hot tub. "Soak your feet and relax. It's been a long night."
She found herself smiling. "You don't give up, do you?"
"Not with you." He smiled back. "Look, I'll keep my distance." He floated back to the far side of the tub.
Darcy removed her sparkly jacket and dropped it on a patio chair. "Just for a little while." She sat carefully on the edge making sure she didn't snag the silk sheath on the rough cement. She dangled her feet over the side, but the hot, bubbly water felt so wonderful, she immersed her legs to just below the knees. Her narrow dress rode up to the middle of her thighs.
"Feels good?" he asked softly.
"Yes."
"Did everything go well tonight for the show?"
"Yes."
"Are you sleeping in the pool house?"
What a rascal. "Yes."
"Alone?"
"Yes."
He grinned. "You're very agreeable tonight."
She suppressed a laugh. "Yes." And now, he'd ask to spend the night with her, thinking she would continue to say yes.
"Have you ever been in love?"
She blinked. That had surprised her. "Yes. I suppose." She sighed. "I'm not sure. Maybe I just wanted to be in love."
"Did he love you?"
"He said he did. We were together about a year in college. I thought we were engaged, but—" She shrugged. "Obviously, we disagreed on that."
"He was stupid to let you go."
"I think he was a little too young to commit himself."
Adam snorted. "The guy was stupid."
"That's a bit harsh, don't you think?"
"No. Any man who would let you go has got to be stupid."
"He was just immature."
"That's a nice word for stupid."
Darcy laughed. "Okay, he was stupid." Surprisingly enough, the declaration made her feel great.
"So, I guess the big question now is how intelligent are you?"
He smiled slowly, his dimples deepening. "I'm smart enough."
And living in a different world than her, too. She really shouldn't flirt with the poor guy.
Unfortunately, he was damned near irresistible. Somehow, she would have to resist.
He moved toward her. His hand curled around the instep of her left foot. "Can I give you a foot massage?"
"N—" The word died in her throat as his strong fingers pressed into the sole of her foot. Oh, boy, was he good. "Yes."
He massaged slow circles down her foot. "Feels good?"
She sighed and closed her eyes. "Yes."
He tugged gently on her toes. "You're doing a great job with the show."
His compliment spread through her like a ray of sunshine. "Thank you."
He switched to her right foot. "Can I tell you a secret?"
She opened her eyes. "Don't tell me you're an axe murderer."