A faint thrumming sound made her sag over the top of him. Thank G.o.d, she hadn't killed him. But what if he died anyway? Luke's victims had died.

Julie leaped from the bed and ran from the room. Before she made it to the door of her apartment, she remembered she was naked and ran back for her robe. When she yanked her front door open, she didn't see William and plowed right into him.

"Whoa." His arms gripped her shoulders and steadied her. "Where's the fire?"

"I think I killed him. You have to help him." Julie grabbed William's arm and hauled him through her living room into the bedroom where Roger lay sprawled across the bed, naked and deathly pale.

"See? He's not usually that pale." Practically shoving William at the man, she cried, "And he won't wake up."

William stood back, staring down at the naked Roger. "Not bad, Julie. I bet he gave you a good ride, huh?" His lips twitched and he crossed his arms over his chest. "Although I think I might have him on the c.o.c.k." "What are you saying?" Julie turned to William and clutched his arms. "The man might be dying and you're comparing c.o.c.ks? Did you hear me? I bit him!"

"I could tell by the flush in your cheeks."

Julie was ready to slap the smile off William's face, she was so frustrated. "Do something!"

"It's okay, Julie. He'll live. As long as he's still breathing." William nodded at Roger. "And he's still breathing. He'll be okay.

Calm down."

Julie turned away and paced the length of the bed, gazing down at Roger. "I don't know what came over me. It's as if I couldn't stop myself."

"That ability comes with practice. It's natural for a vampire to bite during an o.r.g.a.s.m." He grinned. "Best o.r.g.a.s.m you've ever had, wasn't it?"

"Ah, geez." She pressed her hands to her heated cheeks. "Beyond incredible."

"And he didn't mind that you're a vampire?"

Her cheeks burned hotter and she turned away from William. "I sorta didn't tell him."

"You didn't tell him?" William's brows lifted. "I see."

Julie spun to face him. "What do you see? That I'm a coward? That I'm a liar? Well, d.a.m.n it, I love this man and I don't want to screw things up between us. Not now." She wrung her hands. "We're just starting out."

William raised his hands. "Okay. You don't have to bite me to make a point."

She glanced at the bite marks on Roger's neck. "Will he remember?"

"Not if you don't want him to."

"What do you mean?" Her poor brain already on overload with vampire trivia, Julie forced herself to focus. "And what do I do about the bite? If he wakes up and sees those fang marks, he'll know."

"Another vampire perk. You can lick the wound closed and fade the scar as well as muddy the memory with a little telepathy."

Julie glommed onto that piece of information. "I can do telepathy?"

"With practice."

"Wow. Being a vampire does have some perks." The immortal thing and the strength were a known quant.i.ty from the get-go, but telepathy? Cool. She wondered how many more advantages she'd discover and when.

William was shaking his head. "I don't recommend reading minds, though. It can be messy and overwhelming to the neophyte vampire."

"Whatever, as long as I can whitewash this little incident to where Roger doesn't remember that I bit him."

"Is that all you don't want him to remember?" William glanced to where her robe hung open, exposing everything. "What about the s.e.x?"

Wrapping the belt around her middle, she tied it with a jerk. "Oh, I want him to remember that. Can I do that? Wash away one memory without taking all of them?" "Yes, if you're careful."

She clapped her hands together. "Let's get started. I don't know how long he'll sleep."

A loud rumbling sound woke Roger from a dead sleep. When he realized it was his own stomach, he darted a look over the side of the bed at the clock on the nightstand-6:00 a.m. Huh? The clock was not his, nor was the nightstand and the comforter or even the room.

Roger closed his eyes and reopened them, focusing on the woman walking through the doorway, wearing a silky white robe and her hair up in a towel, turban style. Julie-his angel of mercy and she carried a tray of what smelled like food in her hands.

"Good, you're awake." Julie set the tray on the bed and fluffed the pillows behind his head. "You must have been really tired to sleep so long."

"I have to be to work in an hour." The scent of coffee drew him to the contents of the tray. "Is that for me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Yes. Since you slept through breakfast and lunch, I thought you might be hungry." She removed a pan lid from the plate and steam rose from a mouth-watering pile of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast.

His stomach rumbled louder and he reached for the plate. Ravenous, he dug in. Not until he'd eaten several bites did he think to ask. "Aren't you going to eat?"

Julie smoothed the comforter, refusing to meet his gaze. "I ate earlier."

Pain stabbed through his temple and he winced. "Got any pain killers? I feel like I've got the hangover to beat all hangovers."

"Sure. I'll be right back." She raced from the room and was back so fast, Roger barely had time to eat a bite of toast.

"How do you do that?"

"What?"

"Move so fast?" He reached for the tablets and water she handed him and downed them.

"Better?"

"Yeah. Except for the pain in my neck."

"Pain?" She examined his neck with an inordinate amount of curiosity, her eyes widening. "Here, let me rub it for you."

He shifted his head from side to side. "I think I slept on it wrong."

"Oh, right. You slept so long." She moved to sit behind him and ma.s.saged the knots in his stiff neck, leaning close to kiss the side that hurt. A warm wet tongue pa.s.sed over the skin, leaving a trail of tingles.

"Umm, that feels good."

"You like that?" She licked him again and followed by pressing a kiss to the spot. "There, all better." Julie shifted behind him and stood.

The food, pills and ma.s.sage all combined to make Roger feel much better. He laid the plate on the nightstand. "I don't have to be to work for an hour." Before Julie could get away, Roger snagged her hand and pulled her on top of him.

Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s pressed against his chest and her breathing was coming in ragged gasps. "I really think we need to talk." Roger kissed her lips. "About what?"

"About last night."

He kissed the sensitive area below her earlobe. "Talk away." He rolled her onto her back and spread her robe open.

"About last night..." she began.

"I remember." He worked his way down her body, kissing and nipping the tips of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, counting her ribs as his tongue slid downward. When he reached the soft fur of her mound, he spread her folds wide.

Julie gasped and her back arched. "What do you remember?"

"You were fantastic." His mouth claimed her c.l.i.t. He flicked and nibbled the nub until her fingers twined in his hair and pulled him even closer. Sliding a hand over her inner thigh, he thrust two fingers into her p.u.s.s.y, swirling in the creamy moisture.

"Do you remember anything else?" Her voice was a breathy whisper he barely heard.

"Yes. I remember." He dragged his wet finger downward and circled her a.n.u.s. "I remember wanting to do this."

With her a.s.shole moist from her own juices, he probed her, pushing steadily inward until his first knuckle was inside. He pointed the tip of his finger toward her v.a.g.i.n.a and pressed fingers from his other hand inside her p.u.s.s.y. He could feel the fingers from his other hand through the walls of her v.a.g.i.n.a. "You're so beautiful," he said, then continued his a.s.sault on her c.l.i.t, stroking her c.u.n.t and a.n.u.s as the same time.

Julie's feet planted in the comforter and her bottom lifted off the bed. "I'm going to come."

"Do it, baby. Come to me." He flicked her c.l.i.t, laving his tongue over it until she cried out. Then he shoved his finger all the way inside her a.s.shole and c.u.n.t at the same time.

Julie remained taut, her body jerking with her release. When her a.s.s fell back to the bed, Roger climbed up her body and sank his c.o.c.k deep inside her wet c.u.n.t. He rocked against her, the walls of her p.u.s.s.y clutching at his d.i.c.k, pulling him deeper. She was so tight, so delicious. "I could do this forever," he said against her neck and pumped in and out of her with a fierce longing to do just that. In a short amount of time, this woman had crawled into his heart-a heart he thought unable to love again after his ex-wife's betrayal. Julie was his angel, a woman incapable of deception, unable to hurt others with lies. His body surged and shot him to the edge. Just as he toppled over and released inside her, he cried out. "I love you, Julie."

Her body went rigid and she lay stiff and unmoving beneath him. "You can't love me, Roger. You don't know me."

Chapter Nine.

Roger had never been packed off and pushed out of a house so fast. What had he said? "I just don't get it. I told her I loved her."

Too confused and not feeling on top of his form, Roger had insisted Chase do the driving for their shift. Darkness had already filled the sky and the street lights glowed an ominously eerie yellow.

Chase scratched his jaw. "Too soon, you think?"

"I guess. I thought all women wanted the man to say those three words."

"You keep telling me Julie isn't like other women."

"I'm beginning to believe it more and more." The more he thought about last night, the more he realized Julie wasn't acting quite like herself. "She more or less told me her friend is a vampire."

Chase shot a quick glance his way. "She's buying all that c.r.a.p? I thought the chief was feeding us a line of bull."

"Me too. But it's got me worried."

"How so?"

"That man who attacked us outside the restaurant the other night. Julie knew his name."

"Did she say how?"

"No. I know, I should have asked." Roger was still kicking himself for not delving into that question more thoroughly. "Problem is, every time I'm around her..."

"You can't think past your d.i.c.k," Chase finished.

"Yeah. Pretty much." He shook his head. "Do you think there's any truth to Kim being a vampire?"

"She looks she could be. What with all that black makeup and her black hair, she looks like the dead."

"Maybe we should keep an eye on her."

They turned a corner and the lights from the hospital lit the night.

"Hey, isn't that Kim, now?"

She'd parked her car in a ground lot and walked toward the hospital, hiking her purse up onto her shoulder.

Roger grabbed the door handle. "Let me out here."

"What are you going to do?" Chase slowed the cruiser.

"Talk to her."

"You think she'll admit it if she's a vampire?"

He smacked the dash with the palm of his hand. "I don't know. Stop, will you. She's almost to the hospital. I want to catch her before she goes in."

Kim Erickson headed toward the back entrance. She had to pa.s.s the large dumpsters and an alley entrance before she entered the back door.

When Chase pulled against the curb, Roger jumped out and hurried after her. If she was a vampire, he'd know soon enough.

"Kim!"

The woman jumped and spun to face Roger, a can of mace in her hand. "Stop, or I'll shoot."

Roger laughed, holding up his hands. "It's just me."

"Roger?" As she walked back toward him, her shoulders relaxed. "What are you doing here? Julie doesn't come on for another hour."

"I wanted to talk to you." Her forehead crinkled into a frown. "About what?"

"Something Julie told me last night."