Chapter 3

I took a swallow of the new drink then listed a couple of the journals. Even as shy as I was, I was still proud of the career I'd built for myself. I'd started out as a typist for a group of doctors then gradually began doing their literature searches for them as well, finally ending up in editing. I'd even trained my own replacement - namely myself, under my new identity. I didn't think he'd read them. He didn't look like the kind of guy who spent his time reading research articles.

"Ah yes. I pick some of those up once in a while. I remember the article last month about Alzheimer's disease. Be interesting to see if that new treatment works out." He gave me a wicked grin that made my insides melt.

I'm sure I blushed, and with his vision, he could probably tell even in the dimly lit bar. Great. He was that hot...and an intellectual. Why the heck was he wasting his time talking to me?

"There was also a review of the new electronic readers in the technology journal," he continued. "You think those are going to continue to grow in popularity?"

"Of course," I replied. "They're convenient, you can store a whole library on one tiny memory card and the technology continues to improve. Other than reading in the bathtub, there isn't really a downside."

"I keep thinking of getting one but haven't talked myself into it yet," he admitted. "Do you have one?"

"Sure," I replied eagerly. "Right here." I pulled my e-reader out of my purse and turned it on.

"I see." His laugh was warm and sexy and came all the way from his gut. "The shy little vamp has unexpected depths."

My eyes went wide as I looked up at him in astonishment. Then I looked down at the screen and wanted to die. I'd left it at the cover of one of my favorite erotic romances. The very explicit cover. Dear lord!

"What?" He shrugged, a wide grin still splitting his face. "I have three sisters. I'm very familiar with a wide variety of fiction."

He spent a few minutes playing with the device then carefully turned it off and set it aside.

"Thanks." He reached across the table and took my hands, surrounding them with the warmth and strength of his own. Moisture built between my thighs just from that subtle touch, and my nipples swelled, rasping against the fabric of my plain cotton bra.

"You ever get the urge to try out any of the scenarios you read about?" It was the lamest line in the world, but not the way he said it with those dark brown eyes smoldering.

A shiver ran down my spine. I swallowed hard, trying not to notice the way his thumbs were stroking the tender skin of my inner wrists. "Ummm...not usually." The words came out as a husky whisper. Truth was, I'd never really thought about it, not seriously. Until now.

"What would it take I wonder..." he murmured. He lifted one of my hands to his mouth and ran the knuckle along his lower lip. "How wild would the sex have to be in order to shock a fan of erotic romance? That sounds like a hell of a challenge."

I shook my head and pulled my hand away - or tried to. The man had a grip like a bear trap. "Please," I said, trying to pretend I didn't want him desperately. "I may be a little down, but I don't need a mercy fuck. I'm just going to go find my friends, let them know I'm leaving." I scooted my butt sideways, trying to escape.

This time fire flashed in that dark gaze and I went still, like a terrified rabbit. It suddenly occurred to me this was a very large werewolf I had just pissed off. Without letting go of my hand, Jackson stood, coming around to my side of the booth so his body was blocking me in. The position put me at eye level with his waist.

"Look down." His voice was so low it was more vibration than sound.

Obediently I dropped my eyes. "Goodness!" The jeans, which had been snug before, were now practically bursting over a massive erection.

"Want to reconsider the phrase 'mercy fuck'? I've wanted you since the moment I saw you on the dance floor. Why do you think I followed you outside? If you aren't interested, then you're welcome to go. But you sure as hell smell like you're turned-on."

"I - oh - we..." I had no idea what to say. But I couldn't take my eyes off that enormous bulge, and my whole body clenched in response. I could feel more wetness coating my lower lips, which were swollen and tender against my soaked panties.

"There's an apartment upstairs." He used our joined hands to tip my chin up so he was looking me in the eye. "Nobody's using it right now. Or we can go back to my place, which is just about a mile away. Either one is fine with me."

Alarm bells went off but I ignored them. I was a hundred-year-old vampire. Even though he was a werewolf, I was still superhumanly strong and fast. I could take care of myself. Besides, I trusted him, though I had no idea why.

"I need to tell my friends where I'm going."

"Of course." He pulled me to my feet, led me over to the bar. He reached behind it and pulled out a pen and a napkin. "Which address?"

The band crashed into a loud power chord and I winced. "Your place."

While he wrote on the napkin he rubbed his erection against the side of my hip. "Oh honey, this is going to be one hell of a night."