With her words, Zane thought he understood a little about that life. She loved what she did and was pleased she did it well, but she was lonely. The insight unnerved him because he wanted to show her how much nicer it could be with the two of them. He could imagine himself feeding her when she forgot to eat...or rubbing her back when she'd been sitting for too long. Buying her flowers, taking her for walks. What he didn't understand is how he thought he could apply for the position of caretaker.

Had he lost his mind?

Pushing aside his troubled thoughts, he listened to what she was saying.

"So how do we do this? My first take would be to list the names of people who live and work within the compound down the left side of the paper. JJ said something about his contact having limited access, but what does that mean?" Turning, she looked at him questioningly. "Do you have any ideas? Do you know the names of everyone who might work here?"

Zane laughed. "There aren't that many, Nicole, so yes...I know their names. I think for now we put everyone on it and narrow it down. Somehow."

"Good. Then I'll divide the paper into sections and we'll come up with some categories. I think the first one ought to be whether they live here or not. Then add in if they work for you full time, or if they're contractors of some sort. I know I saw a construction truck the other day in front of the new horse arena. What do you think?"

Zane shook his head. She still hadn't asked him if he was a vampire or not, even after everything they'd heard in the closet earlier. She'd just a.s.sumed and gone on with her life. Betting she had no idea how wonderful a gift she'd given him, he hurried to a.s.sure her of brilliance. "Great idea. I think the next category should be money. Computers are a little hobby of mine so it won't take more than an hour to check bank accounts. I'll look for unusual deposits or see if anyone's bought something big and shiny in the last couple months."

"That's a.s.suming this is about money, but it's a good place to start."

Zane realized she was thinking about this as if she were writing a story. Looking for twists and subplots. Inwardly he smiled as he realized conversations with her would always be geared toward revenge, greed and l.u.s.t. He wondered if she'd agree to let him keep her for a few years at least. Leaving her mortal, of course. He'd ensure that, financially, she'd want for nothing while under his care.

He'd make sure to highlight the advantages of having a vampire deeply in l.u.s.t with an erotic romance author. Frowning, he realized he didn't want her writing about them. And he wasn't happy with his choice of words, either. l.u.s.t wasn't the only thing he felt for her.

Working with Nicole on her lists, Zane answered questions while using her laptop to access the Internet. Intent on flushing out information on all those who lived or worked within the compound, he hated the need to look at everyone surrounding him as a potential enemy. Refusing to think about it, he allowed himself to be distracted by watching Nicole. The dark, lush sweep of eyelashes framing her bright blue eyes drove him insane.

Answering her questions, he wondered what else she had on the other list she'd reminded him of a few hours ago. The one filled with all her erotic fantasies. He couldn't wait to see what else she'd dreamed up for the two of them.

He loved the way she moved, a sultry combination of energy and grace. Every time she bent over and unconsciously showed a bountiful flash of cleavage, it snagged his attention. When she got up to make coffee, his gaze locked on the gentle sway of her a.s.s. Looking at her, he couldn't help thinking...mine.

His woman. A woman of quick laughter and unfailing acceptance that his c.o.c.k reminded him he hadn't spent enough time exploring. Concentrating on traitors and a fanatic who wanted to expose his world was becoming more difficult by the second.

Taking a sip of coffee, Nicole hid her smile with the mug. Zane couldn't keep his eyes off her. Whenever she brushed the hair out of her eyes or leaned over the coffee table to write something on one of the lists of suspects, his eyes filled with fire and pa.s.sion. The air in her little house crackled with growing arousal. His and hers. If she didn't do something soon, he was going to burst into flames. Knowing he'd decided he wasn't going to f.u.c.k her brains out until he'd identified the traitor, she had to take the bull by the, um...horn.

The man needed his world rocked every few hours so he could turn his undivided attention to the task at hand. Time to try out the next thing on her list of possibilities.

"Zane, I need a break and I think you do too." Walking over, she took his hand, pulling him off the couch. "I want to ask you about something. Come with me." Watching his face, she saw l.u.s.t turn to hard acceptance. He thought she was going to ask him about tonight. After what she'd seen him do, engaging the lock on the inside of the door while they stood outside, he had to be something more than human. But she wouldn't ask, even though the questions were racing around in her head. She had so many she didn't think she could stop once she'd started. Until he chose to explain, she'd resist the temptation.

But she had no plans to resist the ultimate temptation.

He looked confused when she stopped by the door to the little room at the end of the hall. Listed as a bonus room on the real-estate information, it defied her imagination. Well. Not really.

She opened the door. Like all the rooms on the first floor of the house, this one had twelve-foot ceilings. "Why is there a metal bar running from wall to wall? There's no way to reach it to hang clothes on and whoever installed it made d.a.m.n sure it wasn't going to come down. Do you know what it's for?"

If Nicky hadn't seen it, she wouldn't have believed the expression on his face. He was blushing. Now she really wanted to know what the bar had been used for-besides fuel for her stories.

"I forgot it was here," Zane murmured. Looking at her, he sighed as if debating whether or not to tell her the truth. "Do you remember why I wanted to sell this house?"

"Yes. You said an old friend had lived here and when he pa.s.sed away, you couldn't deal with the memories." c.o.c.king her head to the side, she studied him. "Is it hard? Being here now?"

Smiling, he reached out to touch her cheek. "With your things in place and the way you've painted the walls, I don't see Thomas. All I see is you." Turning to face the room, he motioned toward the bar. "This is something Thomas had installed about a year before he...died." Shaking his head, he sighed. "As difficult as it is to admit out loud, he would wrap his knees around the bar and hang in this room for hours. Saying it relaxed him, he called the room his cave."

Nicky clamped down her initial response-that the entire house had seemed like a dark cave. She realized Zane was waiting for her reaction. Her brows furrowed in concentration as she tried to make sense of what...

Oh.

"He hung upside down on the bar? You mean like a bat?" Was this a vampire thing? Her eyes widened at the thought of Zane...

"Thomas was a little eccentric. And that's the biggest understatement of my life. He was a great person, loveable. Unfortunately, the man truly believed he could transform into a bat. And if he walked a certain way-with his hands at his side and his eyes looking up-he thought he was invisible. I shouldn't have encouraged Thomas by pretending I didn't see him sliding through a room."

"Sooo..." Nicole gnawed at her bottom lip to keep from laughing.

"I don't have one in my home, Nicky. I don't turn into a bat, or sleep or rest or do anything else upside down. Thomas didn't turn into a bat either. I can't tell you how often he had headaches from spending so much time with his head pointed at the floor."

This time she couldn't hold it in. And when she laughed, all the tension eased from his shoulders.

"Well, I've got something different in mind for the bar. How about a little compet.i.tion? How long do you think you can hang by your hands?"

"What?" he asked her incredulously. "What are you talking about?"

"Well. We've been sitting for hours and before that we were crammed in the closet, then the car...I thought we could stretch our muscles a little." Nicky struggled to keep the color from her face at the thought of what they'd done in and on the car. At least the blush would disguise her growing antic.i.p.ation.

"You want to have a compet.i.tion to see who can hang on the bar the longest?" Zane turned to frown at her.

"Yes. You go first. I'll just go get the stepladder-" She stopped in amazement to watch Zane strip off his shirt and shoes-then leap straight up with no more effort than she might use hopping into bed.

"You realize I can hang here for hours," he stated confidently.

"Yes. Well. We'll see about that. We have one rule. You let go-I stop," she warned.

"You stop...what?" The last word was strangled as Nicky moved in front of him and placed her hands on his abdomen. Hanging as he was, his groin was even with her face.

Looking up to meet his gaze, she trailed her fingers over the jumping muscles of his stomach and then moved to his belt. Unbuckling his pants, she slowly lowered the zipper.

"Nicky." Her name was said half in warning, half in raw supplication.

"Remember the rule. You let go...I stop."

After warning him again, she pulled his jeans and underwear off his hips, leaving him naked except for the socks on his feet. When his erection had cleared the constricting confines of his pants, it sprang free to bob in front of Nicole's face. "G.o.d, you're beautiful," she whispered, reverently sliding her hands up his thighs to cup his weight in her palms.

He slipped a little. Nicole looked up, taking her hands away. Watching as he tightened his grip on the metal rod, she smiled at the determined look on his face. Twisting his body, he arched toward her. Nicky waited until he begged.

"My hands were sweaty. I've got it now. Please."

She refused to rush this seduction. It was her turn to make him squirm instead of being ravished. He had a tendency to control their lovemaking. Not that she minded in the least. But this was her fantasy.

Besides, she wanted to see if the scene she'd written in her book would work. Like I really care about anything but having my hands on his flesh.

Deciding the torment would be more effective if he could look down on her naked body, Nicky quickly stripped out of her clothes. If his indrawn breath was any indication, he appreciated the view.

Without wasting any more time she reached up, running her hands over his thighs to circle his staining c.o.c.k. The deep purple vein running underneath his shaft throbbed.

"Woman. You know this is insane," he growled.

Nicky smiled, watching his reaction as he threw his head back when she pulled her closed fist up his broad, blood-engorged length. Moving her hand up to slide over the dark, bulbous head, she traced her fingers in the little slit, trailing in pre-come. Using her palm to spread the liquid over him for lubrication, she started to stroke. "This is one more thing for me to cross off my list," she purred.

"Ah, Nicky!" Zane gasped in obvious enjoyment.

Nicky wanted him mindless. Craving all she could give him. Leaning forward, she stuck out her tongue, licking the crown of his shaft then laving around the deep-plum head. She was a little surprised that he'd been circ.u.mcised. Once she found out how old he was, she'd have to do a little research. Or just ask him. But that was a question for later.

"h.e.l.l. I'll...hang here all night," he groaned. "If it means...you'll keep...doing that!"

Continuing to lick him from root to tip, she was encouraged by his rumbling growl. When her wet lips closed over the flared head, she swirled her tongue around him and was delighted by the sound of Zane's gasps.

With her eyes closed in enjoyment, she imagined him looking down at her as she serviced him. And prayed his hold on the bar would continue a little longer. She smiled as Zane tried to rock his hips as she took his length down her throat. Using one hand wrapped around his shaft to a.s.sist her movements, she grabbed his a.s.s, holding him in place.

Stroking him with one hand and her mouth, she raised her gaze the length of his body, following the dark trail of hair from his trembling belly to his shuddering chest as he struggled to breathe. Noticing the fine sheen of perspiration glistening on his tight muscles, she finally met his burning gaze.

His eyes blazed with fire, his lips parted in tortured bliss. Drawing back, she took pleasure in the silky, solid length in her mouth, the salty-sweet taste of his skin and the vein pulsing under her tongue. He hissed when her teeth sc.r.a.ped him and she released him. "Sorry," she said. Looking up, she met his gaze and winced.

Zane shook his head. "G.o.d, don't apologize!" he grumbled, groaning once more when her tongue slipped through her lips to lick him. "I love the burn of your teeth on my flesh, the pleasure-pain of you feasting on me. It's perfect."

Leaning forward, she wrapped her lips around his c.o.c.k once more and took him into her mouth. Sliding his length down her throat, she pumped him with one hand and bobbed her head back and forth over his c.o.c.k. Releasing his tight a.s.s, she reached around to cup his b.a.l.l.s with her other hand, compressing the small orbs with gentle force.

Zane roared and flexed, straining to thrust his hips in an effort to push his c.o.c.k farther into her mouth. Hot jets pulsed from his shaft and shot down her throat. Feeling him shudder, she continued teasing his semi-hard c.o.c.k by swiping the small hole at the tip with her tongue and then taking just the head into her mouth.

"Hmmm." Nicky hummed her pleasure and Zane's c.o.c.k reacted to the vibration of her mouth, growing eager for another round.

"Step back," he demanded in a hoa.r.s.e growl. "It's my turn.

Landing beside her, Zane pulled Nicky to him and kissed her softly. As he eased her to the floor, she wondered if he could taste himself on her lips.

"I am going to lick and suck you until you come, then I'm going to f.u.c.k you," he whispered intently.

Her body constricted in delighted antic.i.p.ation at his promise. Watching Zane fall to his knees between her spread legs, she moaned as he used his hands to separate her swollen l.a.b.i.a. Within seconds she felt his hot breath against her flesh and the slow slide of his tongue through her slick folds. Gasping, she arched into his mouth as her fingers tried to find something to hold on to.

The thrust of Zane's tongue spiked through her like lightning, moving straight to her core. Nicky groaned at the sensation, her body tightening as she let herself drown in the pleasure moving through her. Bucking in urgent demand, she was rewarded with the pressure of his tongue circling her hardened c.l.i.t, his lips and teeth pulling at the inflamed nub. Fingers slid inside her, pushing her closer to o.r.g.a.s.m. He continued to use his tongue and mouth to drive her insane. Running a wet finger down to the little rosette of her a.s.s, he teased her tight flesh. She couldn't wait. "Zane, please," she cried. "No more teasing. f.u.c.k me!"

Rising up and over her, he took his c.o.c.k in hand and slid it along her weeping slit. Nicky moaned beneath him. Spreading her legs wide, she bowed her back and offered her body to him.

She'd noticed that when they made love, she experienced a strange connection with Zane. It was a freaky, mind-meld thing where physical sensations magnified. Spooky as h.e.l.l, it was also really, really hot. If she feathered his nipple with her fingertips, she swore a ghost of a touch pa.s.sed her breast. His thoughts were closed to her but when they connected like this-his body became an extension of her own.

She panted when he pushed the thick, swollen tip of his c.o.c.k against her opening. The spiritual merge meant getting both sides of the coin, his reaction to her tight sheath and her frantic response to his invasion. Moaning, she flailed her head from side to side as he taunted her with a scant inch. In. Out. Hands on his shoulders, she tried to pull him closer. The dual sensations made her crazy. "Please-Zane, now!" she begged. She screamed as he slammed forward, stretching and filling her. They both cried out in shared pleasure, as the clutching, ravenous addiction for each other seemed to take control of their bodies.

They came together in a frenzied dance of agonized rapture, racing for completion. Driving deep within her, he thrust hard and fast, b.a.l.l.s slapping against her a.s.s. Holding her hips, he pulled her against him and Nicky dug her heels into the floor and thrust upward. Her keening cries of pleasure seemed to encourage him to press for more.

Cradling her head with his hands, he turned it to one side. Feeling his mouth on her neck, she tensed, the sharp slide of fangs sinking into her flesh stinging for a brief heartbeat. And then she felt nothing but pleasure.

Screaming, mind-shattering, please-don't-stop...pleasure.

"Oh G.o.d! OhG.o.dohG.o.dohG.o.d," she chanted, fingernails digging into his shoulders as she tried to hold him in place.

Feeling her inner muscles clench around him, she knew the spasms preceded her o.r.g.a.s.m. Zane used his body to force her l.u.s.t higher. He dug his c.o.c.k into the pulsing constrictions of her c.u.n.t. Continuing to suck and pull at her neck, he tied the motions together.

Nicky screamed, jerking hard against him. Her arms wrapped tight around his neck to hold him to her. She felt every nerve ending in her body respond to the small, sensual pain from his fangs, the thrust and drag of his long, thick c.o.c.k in her v.a.g.i.n.a and the slap of his t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es against her a.s.s. The combined ravishment pushed her arousal so high, torturous need seized her insides and burned her alive as he f.u.c.ked her.

Her mind warred with her body...one wanting him to stop and one wanting more. Unable to make sense of what she wanted, she knew she was going to come so hard she'd likely faint from the experience. Tugging against him, she screamed a final time as agonizing pleasure detonated throughout her body. Every synapse sizzling, her body went up in flames. Letting her head fall back, she gulped air and held Zane as his body stiffened. His release echoed through her soul.

"Wow!" was all Nicole could say a very long time later. Good grief, if mortal women found out vampires existed and had this kind of stamina, the vamps would find themselves locked in an entirely different sort of research lab. Lying on the floor wrapped in Zane's arms, she had absolutely no plan to move anytime soon.

"I have to tell you I never imagined using that bar in such a way," Zane chuckled. "When can I see the rest of your list?"

Nicky laughed. "What's the use in being a vampire if you can't hang from the rafters once in awhile?"

His laughter choked at her words. Then he went still beneath her. "Nicky, why haven't you asked more questions about me?"

"What kind of questions do you think I should ask?" she queried as she snuggled her head into a more comfortable position on his arm and ran her fingers through the crisp hair on his chest.

"You haven't even asked if I'm a vampire."

"Zane, it's not like I was so overcome by the o.r.g.a.s.m that I missed the fangs in my neck." Narrowing her eyes, she turned to meet his gaze. "You've done it before, haven't you? But you did something so I wouldn't remember." The last wasn't a question.

"Yes." His body tensed.

Nicky blew out a breath. "I thought so. I should be mad at you, but it's a little hard to argue right now." She ran her fingers through the hair on his chest and tugged. At his exclamation, she laughed.

"So. You're a vampire. Even without the biting thing, I kind of thought so. After watching you set that lock from the outside today, I knew you had to be something." She didn't say anything else. Just enjoyed having his arms around her.

"So that's it? Don't you have more questions? Like if I kill those I feed from?"

"I thought about the killing thing for about half a second and decided the answer had to be no. Was I wrong?"

"No, you weren't wrong but...how did you decide?"

"If you did, there'd be bodies everywhere. I a.s.sume you aren't the only vampire in the area."

"No. I'm not."

"We need to add another column to my list of suspects. Vampire or human. But with other vampires living in the area, if you killed when you fed, that would be an awful lot of dead people I haven't heard anything about. I may be a little bit of a hermit, but I would notice the news of a dozen or so missing or dead people every week. How often do you feed?" She ran her hand down his arm, trying to encourage him to talk.

"Daily...or at the very least, every other day."

"There you go. Too many bodies. At that rate, if you killed them you'd be out of food pretty soon."

"So you don't have any questions? I find that hard to believe."

Nicky gave a very inelegant snort. "No. I have millions of things I'd like to know. I just figured you'd tell me when you're ready."

"I don't think we have time right now for a million questions, but I could take care of a couple before we get up and finish looking for a traitor."

"Okay. Can I see your fangs?" That wasn't the question she meant to ask, but it would do. Raising her body up off the floor, she turned to look at Zane. He looked a little sheepish when he opened his mouth and within seconds, his incisors grew very long. Sharp. Flopping back down, she decided she was glad to have the death-by-blood-sucking question answered. But the pleasure those sharp teeth brought her took the edge off her fear.

"How old are you?" she asked next.