"No, I wouldn't expect that. I've learned my lesson." He touched his throat. "Believe me. If I come out of this able to sing" He swallowed and I forgot all about ulterior motives. "I'm scared. Glory. Singing. It's all I have. What if"
"Stop it, Ray." I sat next to him and put my hands over his, throwing a few healing thoughts his way. "This has got to be temporary. I told you. I've had hangovers before. Bad ones. A few days, a week at most and I was back to normal." I smiled.
"Or at least as normal as a vampire ever gets. Read my mind. You'll see I'm telling you the truth." Ray gripped my hands and looked into my eyes. "Yeah, I can see you're being straight with me. Thanks." He pulled me down and kissed me on the lips, a sweet friendly peck. "Go take your shower. The sooner I feed, the sooner I get cured. Right?"
"Right." I jumped up and headed for his closet. "Ray, you know I need to go home soon. I can't keep wearing your clothes. And there's the shop. Tomorrow night I really need to check in."
No answer. I looked out and saw Ray had his eyes closed.
I guess admitting his fears had worn him out. Or relieved him so much he was finally relaxed enough to sleep. My heart squeezed and I had to force myself to go back into the closet and the problem of what to wear.
I found a red silk shirt that was definitely my color. Indulgent, but what can I say? I'd earned it. I held the shirt up and realized it would only come down halfway to my knees. It would be totally sluttish of me to wear this and nothing else. I pulled open a drawer and found a pair of his silk boxers. All right. Modesty preserved. Sort of.
Before I hit the shower, I couldn't resist checking out Ray lying in bed. Not sleeping. Now he was watching me, eyes gleaming, that wicked smile on his face like he was still reading my mind. Which he shouldn't be without my express permission. How many women had thought to toy with him before? And how many had ended up just exactly where he wanted them? I wanted What? A clear conscience for when Jerry came home again? Or the experience of a lifetime with a legendary rock star? What a hell of a choice.
"Glory?"
"Hmm?"
"You do great things for a wet T-shirt. Just thought you'd like to know that I noticed." I scurried into the bathroom, my face on fire. Stupid, I know. I should have thrown my shoulders back and said "Thanks, Ray." But I'm still a fangirl and he's still a world-class rocker. I've listened to his CDs for hours. Watched his concert DVDs over and over again. And if vampires could dream, well, I'm sure he'd be a star in some pretty hot ones. I made the shower quick. Didn't need to wash my hair, so I wrapped it in a towel to keep it dry then picked a nice lavender shower gel I found among the offerings in a basket in the bathroom. After I got out, I inspected my healing wound. It was barely a pink spot. I put on the shirt and saw that my nipples were excited to start the party. What party? All I was going to do was feed Ray. I pulled on the boxers.
See? I was decently covered. My nipples refused to face reality and calm down.
I opened the bathroom door and found that Ray had been busy. He'd lit candles. Almost a dozen of them around the room. Oh, boy. Now what had been a simple case of me giving him a dose of healthy healing blood was turning into a seduction scene right out of one of my fantasies. Yep, a vampire might not have dreams, but she sure has fantasies. Jerry had certainly never thought about lighting candles except for light, back in the days before electricity had been invented. Nope, not thinking about Jerry now. Who was I kidding? I couldn't be with any man and not compare him to Jeremiah Campbell. Not since 1604 anyway. And all of them (and I'm not revealing numbers, you do the math) had come up short when compared to my Scotsman. Ray would probably be the same. I blocked my thoughts and smiled. Nothing was going to happen here tonight. But I wasn't about to share that thought with Ray. I wanted to see what kind of moves he made. If any.
"My shirt never looked that good on me." Ray was still talking in my head.
"Maybe you didn't think so, but millions of women would disagree with you." I walked to the bed, putting a little sway in my hips.
II When you come out looking like that and?' sniff "smelling like that, you give me hope that something interesting is going to happen here. Besides feeding. I mean." Ray smiled and held out his hand. "Lavender. I like."
"I like too. That's why I chose it. It's supposed to relax me. No ulterior motives."
"Are you tense? I promise not to attack you this time." Ray pulled me down beside him. "Or at least I hope I won't. I didn't intend to do it last time. I went a little crazy. That's why I lit the candles. I'm trying to make things nice this time. Last time wasn't."
"I understood, Ray. You weren't yourself. And there's nothing wrong with crazy, as long as it doesn't get out of hand." I settled next to him, facing him. I reached out and brushed the hair back from his forehead. "Quit worrying. You were in a weakened state. You've had time to recover now. I feel sure you'll be fine. Start slowly. Like you just did, smell me. Start here." I touched my neck.
Oh, pooh, my hands were shaking. So much for calm, sophisticated Glory. I'd had a thing for Israel Caine for years. Sure I was just going to feed him, but this was pretty cool. He was showing every sign of really wanting to be with me. He nuzzled my neck and I felt the gentle scrape of his fangs across my jugular. But he didn't take me there. "You smell fantastic. Like warm, rich blood. I can hear your heart pounding. Does it always beat this fast?"
"No." I lay back on the pillow. "Every vamp gets off to a little blood exchange. Even when it's just between friends."
"Friends. Right. You're a good friend to me, Glory." Ray moved down my body, still just inhaling. I try. First he picked up my wrist. Then he touched his lips to the crook of my elbow. Oops. A few buttons had come open on my shirt and he nuzzled the space between my breasts.
"Soft, sweet, and your pulse is calling to me." He eased down to my knees and then picked up one foot. "You even have a pulse in your ankle. But I won't bite you here. Too bony and there are much more interesting places left to investigate."
"I think you've gone far enough, Ray."
He kissed a path up my leg behind my knee.
I bit back a moan. "Ray, I said"
"Don't say anything. Just let me explore. Will's been telling me about all the places a vampire can take blood." He carefully, oh, so slowly, moved his lips toward my inner thigh. "There's a spot near here. Isn't there, Glory?"
"Stop!" I practically flew off the bed. Ray was left looking puzzled, like where the hell did she go? Tough. I stood a foot away and put my hands on my hips. "Okay, Ray, listen to me."
"Come here, Glory, things were just getting interesting." He patted the bed beside him and gave me his sexy smile again.
"No, they weren't." I tapped my foot. "That spot you were headed for is an intimacy I reserve for one guy. I think you know who he is."
That wiped the smile off his face. " I wasn't asking you to make love, just give me some of your blood,"
"Well, sorry, bud, but in the vampire world, giving my blood from that spot is all about lovemaking. I don't do that lightly." I looked down and realized I was definitely sending the wrong message. Clingy red silk unbuttoned down to there? No wonder
Ray had headed for the Promised Land. I stomped into the closet, pulled out a black T-shirt and exchanged it for the silk. I took a steadying breath, then marched out to stand by the bed again. Ray was lying on his side, watching me.
"I get it. We're friends, not lovers. I crossed a line. Sorry." He held out his hand. "I'm grateful to you for helping me. Maybe I'll be able to talk out loud after this session and not in my freakin' head. Even sing. I owe you. And it wasn't fair of me to use this sitnation as a chance to get into your pants."
"No, it wasn't." I liked the honest contrition I felt coming from him. Ray was being real. I could feel it. And he did want me, or "in my pants" anyway. Which was a compliment I wasn't about to be insulted by. The guy was hot and famous and every woman's fantasy man, for crying out loud.
"Now can I feed? I'm feeling like crap." He managed to grab my hand and pull me down to the bed. He took my wrist and gently drew it to his lips. "Okay?"
"Sure. Go for it. But not there." I lay back on the pillow. "Use my neck, it's a better spot, quicker." Ray grinned. "And I like lying close to you too. Thanks." He gathered me in his arms, angled his head and began to drink. I lay there, his body wrapped around me and impossible to ignore as I felt the pull of his mouth all the way down to my toes. Glory the noble, Glory the irresistible. Glory the stupid? Had I just missed my one chance to find out what it would be like to sleep with the famous Israel Caine? I could feel the proof against my thigh that he'd really been ready to rock and roll. Hmm. Jerry? You'd better not be falling into Mara's clutches because look what I just gave up for you.
Chapter Seven
I woke up to what had to be the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard. Ray singing in the shower. Yep. Singing. Not a CD, but the man himself. I was so jazzed, I threw open the bathroom door and then the glass shower door and jumped him.
"Oh, my God! It's back! Your voice is back!" I ignored the steamy water pounding on top of my head and soaking my T-shirt and shorts. Hey, I was used to being wet. I hugged his slippery body, then laughed like a mad woman.
"Thanks to you." Ray laughed too, then turned off the water and wrapped his arms around me. "You saved me, Glory. I'll never forget it." His eyes seemed to darken to a stormy blue as he looked down at me. "I've never been so damned terrified in my life. Not even when I woke up a vampire. You pulled me through it, lady."
"I, uh" I felt a flush heat my cheeks. Sometimes my enthusiasm overloads my common sense. Ray was naked and we were both wet. I began to back out of the tiled shower.