bothering with the long, monotonous drive home to Connecticut,
Andreas strolled along one of the many wooded paths in Central Park
on his way back to his apartment on Madison Avenue. He needed to
clear his head. He’d been overly distracted as of late. It was beginning
to show. Even Natasha had noticed.
Andreas enjoyed this communion with nature often. He
walked this same path through the wooded park almost every day on
the way to his apartment on the Upper East Side. Nowadays, he
stayed there more times than not. Even more so on nights like this
when thoughts preoccupied his mind. He’d do anything not to have to
face his father. The man had an uncanny ability to see through him,
all the way to his soul.
Finally, he came to a familiar park bench and sat down. He
perched himself in the very same spot a million times before. It was
one of his favorite places. It provided him with the private serenity he
needed to do what he does best. After all, he was a vampire. Preying
on helpless victims, preferably of the female persuasion, was his
birthright.
Andreas leaned back on the bench and took in the sights and
sounds around him. Birds chirped in trees and leaves rustled as small
animals scurried across the ground. A cool breeze drifted lightly over
his skin, while the fragrant aromas of nature invaded his senses. The
night seemed calm and peaceful. He felt compelled to close his eyes
and relax, taking in the intoxicating scent of gardenias that must be
planted nearby. He always loved the scent of gardenias. Then
suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on edge. He wasn’t
alone.
“Who’s…” he started to ask. Before the words could fully
escape him, Andreas flipped backwards over the back of the bench.
His body landed with a force strong enough to break several bones. A
sudden burst of pain screamed through him. But all he could do was
stare up at the woman straddled on top of him, holding a dagger
firmly to his throat.
Andreas flexed his fingers. The need to flip his opponent on
her back and take control of her was high on his list of priorities. The
first item on his agenda, fuck her brains out. Only after he satisfied his
sexual desires, would he take her blood. Then, he saw the blade inch
forward ever-so-slight, puncturing the skin. Warm liquid drizzled in a
slow, intricate pattern down his neck and over his shoulder blade.
Blood.
“God damn woman, it’s a good thing I heal quickly.” Andreas
forced the words out between clenched teeth. He shrugged his
shoulders and shook off the pain.
The goddess glared back at him, eminent contempt reflected in
her mesmerizing gaze. “Any last words, bloodsucker?” The words
spewed out of her, as if a venomous elixir pinned him to the floor.
She shifted her weight above him and positioned herself more
securely over his finely-honed torso, no doubt feeling the press of his
thick erection against her buttocks. That one rookie mistake gave
Andreas the edge he needed and soon, he had her body flailing
through the air. She landed butt-first on the cold, damp floor along the
edge of the trail. However, Andreas didn’t give her time to retaliate.
No sooner had she hit the ground before he attacked using all the
natural predatory instincts he’d been born with. His cool hands
snatched up both of her wrists, shoving them roughly above her head
into a very vulnerable position. But truth be told, Andreas felt more
like prey than predator ensnared in an assassin’s seductive web.
He balanced on one knee. His free hand reached down and
clenched the leather bolero jacket she wore with a tight, restraining
fist. He jerked her body up against him in one swift motion that left
her gasping for air. With their faces just inches apart, he gazed into
her eyes, peering through the swirling Bermuda Triangle of her
pupils.
Hmm. No Reaction. Interesting. Andreas was used to women
falling at his feet, succumbing to his potent power of persuasion. Yet
the gorgeous creature didn’t even flinch when he turned on the charm
in full force. She seemed completely immune to him. The only inkling
of hope, the melodic beat of her heart as blood pumped through her
veins.
****
Their close proximity had repercussions on Eva as well. The
first clue was the thunderous beating of her heart echoing in her ears.
That simple, unconscious response ignited a chain reaction of other
bodily functions to ignite like rapid fire one after another. Sweat
formed in the valley between her breasts and at the tip of her spine.
Her nipples peaked into flushed, red rosebuds. Her entire body
thrummed, singing at a frequency only the two of them could discern.
They stood motionless and stared into each other’s eyes for
what seemed like an eternity without so much as breathing. Neither of
them said a word, unwilling to acknowledge the significance of their
little exchange. It was as if time stopped. The pad of Andreas’s index
finger slowly glided over the inside of Eva’s wrist. She jerked away.
But the innocent brush of skin-to-skin contact had her senses reeling.
“Are you afraid of me?” Andreas leaned down and whispered
seductively in her ear, making her shiver. He took a deep breath, so
close he was sure to inhale her scent. The combination of his sultry
voice and heated breath gently caressed the nerve endings along
already-warm skin. It was too much to bear. The heat of it traveled all
the way up and down the length of her body on its own accord, and
settled itself at the junction between her legs. It set off an explosion of
epic proportions and caused her clitoris to literally vibrate with need.
The blood normally residing in Eva’s brain stimulated an
entirely different part of her body. “No, Andreas. I’m not afraid of
you,” she answered, as she rolled her shoulders back and straightened
her posture in a show of defiance.
“You know who am I? Isn’t it fair that I know the name of the
lady who broke into my office, and so obviously has me at full
attention?” His eyes darted to the very evident bulge protruding from
the tight leather pants he wore.
Slowly, the fist holding onto the fabric of her jacket
relinquished its grip on her. Then Andreas’s talented fingers moved
and delved below the edge of the lacy black chemise she wore
underneath. He moaned out loud, touching her no doubt turned
Andreas on. The irises of his hypnotic green eyes changed like a
chameleon to a bright red. The color of fresh blood. Eva shook her
head, and jostled her brain as she suddenly remembered who and
what stood before her.
“My name is Eva. Eva Sambucco.” She batted her lashes at
him innocently, just before she swung the spiked heel of her three-inch
boot up that slammed right into the indentation of his chin. His
body was thrown back several feet across the path. Those Muay Thai
classes sure do come in handy.
A gaping wound oozed blood down his chest and stained his
pristine-white shirt, much more pronounced than the tiny knick she’d
inflicted earlier. Andreas flew at her with preternatural speed. But she
was too fast. She stepped out of his path before and threw a handful of
powerful punches. He ducked, purposely dodging her blows in an
attempt to avoid any hand-to-hand contact.
The fucking coward refuses to fight back. With renewed anger,
she kicked at him and nearly succeeded at wrestling him down to the
ground again. They battle waged on for several minutes. It only
managed to frustrate Eva all the more. He was good. Almost too
good.
Andreas’s defensive stance stopped her from inflicting any
serious damage. Still, twinges of soreness erupted all over her body as
bruises started to form. His chin continued to bleed, splattering like
paint on the trail. Eva panted desperately for air. But she stood her
ground and refused to accept defeat. She had a sneaking suspicion,
neither would he.
Andreas moved first, inching toward her. A jaguar stalking its
prey. “You don’t have any intention of killing me, Eva. I’d love to
play with you like this all night long.” He purred in her ear and let her
name roll off of his tongue seductively. “But the sun’s coming up
soon. And believe me when I tell you, my dear, I am not a handsome
man when I get a sunburn. We’ll have to continue our little game
another time.” With that, Andreas Kristopolous blew her a kiss and
high tailed it out of there in the opposite direction.
A bit shell-shocked, Eva allowed him to walk away without a
fight. She needed some time to re-think her strategy when it came to
this particular vampire. Andreas was right about one thing though.
Victory wasn’t the ultimate goal. It was all about the game, and Eva
enjoyed toying with him as much as he did.
I’ll eventually have to kill the bastard. But it’s going to be a
whole hell of a lot of fun torturing him first. Eva bit down on her
bottom lip and groaned. And sometimes, pleasure can be almost as
excruciating as pain.
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