Real Vampires: Glory Does Vegas by Bartlett, Gerry (white hot kiss TXT) 📕

took Valdez’s leash and my tote. “We’re going for a walk outside first. It’s cooler now and I want to sit by the pool. Have fun you two.”

“The music sounds good.” Jerry offered his elbow in an old-fashioned gesture. I took it and we walked up to the entrance. “I reserved a table for us as soon as you mentioned this. I also arranged for our private stock to be on hand so we’d have something to drink.”

The hostess greeted us. We had a table near the dance floor. There was a bottle in a silver ice bucket and two glasses ready for service. A trio on the small stage had switched to a lively tune and several couples were doing what I recognized as a jitterbug on the generous wooden dance floor. Jerry and I decided to sit this one out and he poured us each a drink. I sipped and found it delicious. It was obviously one of Dom’s exotic synthetics. As soon as the song ended, the lights dimmed and a slow song began. Jerry held out his hand.

“We came here to dance, didn’t we?” He smiled and pulled me into his arms.

“We did.” I leaned against him, content to let him hold me and move to the music as I’d imagined. The darkness made this feel wonderfully intimate, even though there were other couples on the dance floor. I breathed in his masculine scent, the scent I had memorized all those centuries ago. I’d know him in the dark, I was sure of it. When he leaned down to scrap a fang over my jugular, I shivered, not bothering to admonish him. He dared to try such a thing in public and I wanted him to do it, take my blood there, surrounded by mortals who didn’t have a clue who was in their midst.

“You are mad.” I gasped when he bit down hard and began to take my blood. I shook out my hair to cover his face. Then I held his head against me, my fingers in his soft hair, that he wore cut short this century.

“I am mad. For you.” He said it inside my mind, where only I could hear him. When he just as quickly eased away from my neck and licked the punctures closed, I moaned and looked up at him.

I slid my hand between the buttons of his silk shirt, another white one, and pinched his nipple. His eyes narrowed and he pulled me even closer so I could feel the press of his arousal. What were we doing playing like this when there was a perfectly good suite upstairs?

“You want to go up?” He whispered to me.

“After only one dance?” I grinned and led him to the table. “Not at all. Sit, drink. We will dance at least two more, lover.” I knew the anticipation was killing us both. But we needed it. Getting anything too easily made it mean nothing. Jerry was going to have to work to have me. Yes, tonight wasn’t going to be easy for either of us.

14

Ikicked off my high heels when a song with a Latin beat came on. We knew how to tango. We’d spent some time in Cuba in the fifties. I stood and held out my hand.

“Show me what you’ve got, Jeremiah.” I wiggled my hips. “Do you remember how?”

“I remember everything I’ve ever done with you, querida.” He pushed back his chair and reached for me, sliding across the floor in the traditional tango hold. He laughed when he realized I was barefoot. “Where are your shoes?”

“Where they belong. Under the table. Don’t you dare step on my toes. Now find the beat and let’s show these mortals how it’s done.” I held onto him as he spun me then locked us together at the hip.

“If only I could.” His whisper sent chills through me. The music became louder as the musical trio clearly enjoyed having a couple on the floor who knew how to dance to the song they’d chosen. Jerry proved that he did remember how to lead me through the steps, dipping me dangerously low as we spun at the end of our trek across the floor. When the song finally came to a close, there was applause from the other customers. Jerry took my hand and we bowed then laughed and returned to our table, flushed and pretending to be thirsty.

“I am overwhelmed. I think you’ve been practicing.” I looked up from my glass and realized I’d said exactly the wrong thing. “Oh, you have! Who was she?” I put down the glass, no long interested in some paltry imitation blood. “No, don’t tell me. Is she waiting for you in New Orleans?”

“It was a fling. Nothing more. Surely, you’ve taken lovers. Valdez doesn’t tell me about those. I told him not to. It would drive me mad.” Jerry drank his synthetic then refilled his glass from the bottle in the cooler. “We agreed…”

“I know. I’m being unreasonable. You have needs.” I hated that word. I denied myself because I wouldn’t admit that I had needs too. I had some stupid sense of loyalty to Jerry, Jeremy, Jeremiah. Damn him for holding my heart.

“Gloriana, I can be celibate. Is that what you want from me?” He stared at me in the darkness.

I wanted to screech at him. Didn’t he know by now that the answer was “Hell, yes!”?

“Glory, Jerry!” The whisper interrupted what had become a tense silence, even though the band had started a new tune. This time it was a love song we could have enjoyed swaying to again.

“What is it, Sherie?” Jerry didn’t even glance at her. He was too busy trying to read my mind.

“They’ve taken Valdez.” She touched my shoulder. “Three men came out of nowhere. This guy was ranting about a court order or something and waving a paper. He had two uniforms from Animal Control with him.” She sniffled and I realized she