"Two hundred and fifty-two. I was born in 1756. How old are you?" When he rolled to his side so he could look down on her, she was happy to notice his teeth were back to normal.

"Thirty-seven and you're way too old for me. Did you become a vampire by choice or were you forced?"

"I was thirty-two years old, living in Ireland. There was some small skirmish between neighbors and I was mortally wounded in the fight, left to die as the combatants moved on. Vampires have always used the battles of men as a sort of feeding ground. Thomas thought I looked like his son. So instead of hastening my death, he turned me. Until that moment I'd had no idea such creatures existed."

"Thomas? The guy who used to live here?"

"Yes. Thomas was my sire."

Nicole considered that for a bit. Obviously he'd cared about the man. "So, not being able to go out in the sun is a myth?"

"It takes a couple centuries. Age builds immunity. In daylight I'm weaker and my eyesight isn't as keen. I have to watch how long I'm exposed or I'll burn. Every decade the adverse effects dwindle. And before you ask...crosses, garlic and holy water have no consequence for my kind. However, a stake through the heart, decapitation or fire will kill us."

"On that happy note, I think we need to get back to finding your traitor. Do your employees have cell phones?" she asked.

Zane blinked. "Excuse me?"

Nicky laughed, knowing she'd confused the h.e.l.l out of him with her abrupt change in subject. "Cell phones. I just realized that if Mike and JJ gave me a number to contact them, they probably gave the same number to the other guy."

Zane frowned down at her for a second. "Actually...I have a group cell plan. Its one of the benefits I provide for those under my care. Employees or friends."

"A vampire with benefits? You realize you're blowing my preconceived notions all to h.e.l.l, don't you? Do you have group dental too?" She didn't try to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

"For mortals, yes," he replied, laughing.

"Good. We can check online billing to see if the number was called or received by anyone's phone," she explained.

Slapping her a.s.s, he stood up, reaching a hand down to a.s.sist her. "Come on, woman. Get dressed, let's go log in to the cell company and see if we find the number on my bill. You know, its really going to p.i.s.s me off if I find out I've been paying for calls to the vampire hunters."

Chapter Six.

Zane looked up from the computer to see Nicole asleep on her couch. Watching her did something funny to his heart. Rubbing his hand on his chest, he was terrified and thrilled by the curious melting sensation coursing through his body. He couldn't afford to feel this way. As if every night to come should end just like this.

No matter the threat to his sanity, he couldn't take his gaze off her. She wasn't the most beautiful woman in the world. Or at least not in the cla.s.sical sense.

After using Thomas' bat pole in a rather intriguing way, she'd changed into faded blue jeans and an oversized t-shirt. She'd pulled her wealth of black hair into a ponytail and removed her makeup. A dark sweep of eyelashes stood out in stark contrast to her pale face, a light sprinkling of freckles accented her nose.

She was beautiful to him.

Checking his watch, he grinned. She should be asleep. It was after three in the morning.

As the laptop shut down, he took a minute to enjoy the sight of her sprawled in slumber. Hair coming loose from its confining elastic, it was now a wild tumble around her flushed face. She'd tucked one hand under her cheek.

Just as he stood to scoop her into his arms with the intent of taking her to bed, he glanced at the pile of colorful folders sitting on the end table by her head. The dark blue file folder on top was labeled Blood Red Ruby.

Zane sucked in a sharp breath.

Instead of carting Nicky off to bed as he'd intended, he picked up the file and glanced inside. Abruptly he sat back down and started reading.

The first page was a copy of information from Wikipedia.com on Catherine the Great and a ruby given to her by Gustavus III of Sweden. Underlined in red ink were the words "a beautiful ruby the size of a pigeon's egg, the present whereabouts of this stone are unknown".

Well. Zane knew exactly where the d.a.m.n rock was. Underneath his bed in the small safe he'd installed beneath the floorboards. s.h.i.t. This was too coincidental for his taste.

Glancing at Nicole, he decided he needed some answers. But not tonight. Tonight he'd go home and read the rest of the information in her ruby file, including what looked like the rough draft of a book. In the morning-h.e.l.l, it was already morning. In the afternoon he'd have a better idea of what to say to her. If there was anything to say at all.

The first flicker of anger caused his gut to churn with the prospect of betrayal. Was he wrong to trust her? Was this entire exercise a ruse to gain possession of the ruby? Son of a b.i.t.c.h.

Was she sleeping with him, hoping to find where he kept the stone? That first night he'd f.u.c.ked her in the kitchen, he'd had the d.a.m.n thing in his hand. Hadn't she noticed?

If not, the joke was on her.

Could he have been wrong about Nicole's motives in all of this? After one final look at the sleeping woman, Zane turned silently and left the room. He'd go home, read the file and her work in progress and then talk to her tomorrow.

Nicky didn't go downstairs until a little before noon. At five this morning she'd woken on the couch, freezing her a.s.s off and disappointed to find she was alone in the house. Zane hadn't bothered to tell her goodbye. Nor had he thought to cover her with a blanket before he left. Confused by his actions after the day they'd spent together, she'd dragged herself to bed after deciding she was being too sensitive.

Already showered and dressed in comfortable sweats and a t-shirt, bemoaning the voices in her head, she started a pot of coffee and munched on trail mix. With her hip propped against the counter, she decided she'd get some writing done while she waited to hear from Zane.

Looking out the window, she smiled. It was a perfect writing day, all misty rain and dark clouds with nothing to tempt her outside. Lighting a fire in the front room, she grabbed her laptop. A few moments later she was sipping coffee and rereading the chapter she'd written a few days ago. She'd left off at the beginning of a s.e.x scene...

Taking control of her body, he checked to make sure she was ready to withstand his wild desire. Nibbling at her mouth, he simultaneously opened her thighs with his leg and slid his hand over her stomach, down to the strip of tiny curls accenting her mound. Slipping his fingers through her folds, he found her dripping with moisture. Wanting him. Sampling the hot, slick wetness by pushing two fingers into her channel, he ignored her cries of pa.s.sion and pushed deeper, forcing her to ride his hand, wanting her to burn for him.

Stop!

Nicole frowned. She didn't think the heroine would say "stop" at this point, but the word had popped into her head nonetheless. Usually she let her characters dictate the action, but really-now wasn't a good time to stop.

His world centered on the velvet friction and heat between her thighs. Dragging her back toward him with each hard stroke, he rode her- "d.a.m.n it, Nicole!" A rough hand grabbed her arm and shook her. "Stop it!"

Nicky gasped. Blinked. Took a few minutes to transition from the world she'd created to the here and now. Zane stood in front of her. Feet spread apart, hands on his hips and a fierce scowl on his face. His hair and clothing were soaked. She noticed a small puddle of water growing at his feet.

"Oh! Zane, I'm sorry. I didn't hear you come in. Let me get you a towel." Nicky jumped up, looking forward to stripping the well-worn jeans and blue windbreaker off his hot body so he could sit by the fire and warm up.

When she got back to the living room, Zane was pacing. The hard fury in his face changed her plans. "Here. What's wrong? Did something happen?" Nicky handed him the green towel she'd grabbed from the downstairs bathroom and took a quick step away from Zane when he snarled at her.

"Wrong? What. Could. Possibly. Be. Wrong?" Each word seemed squeezed between his clenched teeth.

Nicky shuddered. "Do you want a cup of coffee? Then you can-"

"I don't want coffee, Nicky. I want an explanation."

The words. .h.i.t her like an icy slap. When she frowned, he tossed a damp file folder on the coffee table.

"Explain that!" he growled, pointing at the blue file.

Frowning, she inched toward the table to see what he was so upset about. "Explain what? Why do you have my file on..." Bending over to look, she scowled. "Blood Red Ruby?" Raising her gaze back to Zane, she stumbled to the nearest chair under the focus of all the anger and hurt in his eyes. "Zane?" she softened her voice. The man was clearly upset about something.

"Don't play dumb blonde with me, Nicole. I've seen your performance before, remember?" he snarled.

Okay, now he'd managed to p.i.s.s her off. "What in the h.e.l.l crawled up your a.s.s this morning?"

"As if you don't know. Tell me, Nicole, did you kill Gustof or did you have Mikey do it?"

He'd lost his mind. That was the only explanation for this attack. "Who's Gustof? And why would I kill him? Why do you think I'd have Mikey do anything? This doesn't make sense, Zane. You're going to have to spell it out for me." She jumped up, crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Zane. He loomed over her, practically frothing at the mouth.

"The ruby."

Nicole waited for a moment. When he didn't say anything else, she prompted, "What ruby? Wait. You read my Blood Red Ruby file? Are you talking about a real ruby or my book?" Now she was totally confused.

Zane looked at her long and hard. The chapters she'd written and the detailed research she'd done on the ruby hidden under his bed had led him to believe she was using him. Yet she sounded as if she had no idea what he was talking about.

Either she was the best actress he'd ever seen, or he was a raving idiot. Taking a deep breath, he reached a hand out to touch her arm. Ignoring her attempt to pull away, he let his mind seek hers. The barriers between them came down easily when she was thinking about s.e.x. Or they were having it. In order to see anything else, he had to touch her. He needed to read more than just the thoughts she had about s.e.x.

He winced when she tried to pull away from him. Buried beneath anger, he felt her pain at his accusations. The confusion. Skimming her surface thoughts-he realized he was definitely an idiot.

Sighing, he released her arm and rubbed a hand over his face. Pushed his hair back. He hadn't considered this. After reading the entire file last night, including the two hundred or so pages of her incomplete ma.n.u.script, he'd jumped to the most logical conclusion.

It just didn't appear to be the correct one.

Then when she'd started writing this morning, filling his mind with her erotic musings...he'd snapped. Grabbing the file, he'd run to her house. And attacked her.

In a much calmer tone of voice, he tried to apologize. "Let's sit down. I'll have that cup of coffee and we'll talk."

Nicky just stood there for a moment. Looking at him as if she'd like to shove him back into the pouring rain and bar the door, instead she turned and went into the kitchen. Zane hoped it was for a coffee cup and not something sharp.

Now that his anger had subsided, he watched her hips sway with what he hoped would turn into a mesmerizing invitation. His body hardened. He had a lot of ground to make up before she forgave him. Taking off his jacket, he ran the towel through his hair and tossed it to the side. He sat down on the couch and waited for her.

When she handed him a mug of coffee, she didn't look at him. Moving away from him, she sat on the floor in front of the fire with legs crossed, a blanket arranged on her lap. "Explain what just happened," she demanded.

Zane winced. "I will. First...I'd like to ask you a question."

She raised her eyebrows. He could ask but she might not answer. "How did you come up with the idea to write about Catherine the Great and the ruby?"

"A dream."

Zane frowned. "I don't understand. You dreamed about her ruby?"

Rolling her eyes, she shrugged. "I didn't dream about that specific ruby. I had a dream...several dreams, really. They started about a month ago. All of them were about an egg-sized ruby with strange, mystical powers." She winced. "And vampires. There were vampires in the dreams. I Googled 'egg-sized ruby' and got hers. I already had most of a story written that seemed made for the drama and intrigue of a priceless, historic ruby. The fact that no one knows where the ruby is now was a bonus."

"You're wrong," Zane said.

Frowning, she looked at him. "Wrong about what?"

Slowly taking his hand out of his pocket, he leaned forward and sat the ruby on the coffee table. "There are a few people who know where it is."

Her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened in shock. Staring at the priceless ruby, she didn't question for one minute that it had once belonged to Catherine the Great. Obviously Zane had more problems than Mike and JJ. The man had secrets. Possessions men would kill for. "Who's Gustof?" she asked as she got to her knees and reached for the stone.

"No!" Zane dove for the ruby and their hands closed over the stone at the same time.

Nicole shuddered, whimpered as her fingers surrounded the ruby with Zane's hand encompa.s.sing hers. She felt the ruby pulse and heat as her body matched the stone's rhythm. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s ached to be touched, her internal muscles clenched as her p.u.s.s.y wept in readiness. For Zane. Only Zane.

"Christ!" he growled. Releasing her hand, he buried his fingers in her hair and leaned over to capture her mouth in a kiss.

Clutching the stone to her chest, she landed on the floor in front of the fireplace with Zane on top of her. She heard him grunt. When she looked between their bodies, she saw that his t-shirt had ridden up under his arms, exposing most of his chest. A sharp edge of the uncut ruby had scratched the flesh over his heart. He was bleeding.

Why had the ruby cut him and not her? She tried to tell him, but the ruby throbbed between their bodies. The erotic sensations beating through every pore made her forget about the small sc.r.a.pe.

Nicole fought to get her hands free and won. Throwing her arms around his neck, she pulled him to her. Their mouths ravished. Lips, teeth and tongues frantically moved over flesh, seeking more. In the back of her mind she acknowledged the sound of fabric tearing as Zane ripped the t-shirt she wore down the front, exposing her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Thank G.o.d she hadn't bothered with a bra this morning.

When she tried to pull his shirt over his head she realized the ruby clenched in one hand interfered with her ability to get him naked. She dropped it to the floor.

Her fingers found the hem of the shirt and at the same time, he took her nipple into his mouth and sucked. Arching her body as the pleasure spiked through her, she pushed his shirt upward, struggling to get it off...

Releasing her breast, Zane groaned and sat back. "f.u.c.k this!"

When he waved his hand and their clothes melted away, she blinked. But the questions faded from her mind when he picked up the ruby and placed it on her belly.

A deep, red radiance seemed to pulse within the stone, sending currents of sharp desire through her soul with each flicker. "Zaaane!" She cried his name in supplication. Firelight mixed with the dancing beam from the ruby, playing over his muscled chest, making his golden skin glow. Her breath left her lungs in a whoosh.

The man was seriously gorgeous. With long, dark-brown hair falling past his shoulders, strong biceps flexing as he held her in place. Lowering her gaze over the downy soft hair on his chest, she moaned at the sight of his c.o.c.k standing straight up from a nest of dark curls. The plum tip oozed pre-come. She licked her lips.

"Hold the ruby," he commanded, his voice rough with emotion.

Automatically she obeyed, dropping one hand to cover the stone.

"I wanted to take you in bed."

At her unhappy groan, he smiled. "I won't make it up those stairs. Hang on, love. s.e.x with you is like riding lightning, but this is going to get even wilder."

It was a warning. One that thrilled her. Watching him wrap the fingers of one hand around his shaft and guide it toward her, she tilted her hips and met him halfway.

Pushing forward, he slipped between her folds, sinking deep into her body. Rising over her, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders to hold her in place with the ruby wedged between them. Rotating his hips, he dug his c.o.c.k into her p.u.s.s.y. "You feel so d.a.m.n good," he whispered into her neck.

Pulling out, he slammed back in. Making her grunt with the force. Wrapping her thighs around his hips, she strained to meet every thrust and dig. There was no need to urge him to a faster pace. He went wild. Meeting the cadence of the stone, he answered its summons to a frantic scramble, an insane search for something just out of reach.

Nicole felt Zane's mind nudge hers and she opened for him. Their psyches flooded with sensations from both bodies. They merged, became one. His c.o.c.k strangled by her inner muscles and her breath teasing over his skin, they lost sight of which sensations belonged to who.

As their bodies slapped together, the room filled with Zane's frenzied cries and her heartfelt sobs as o.r.g.a.s.mic release was held just out of their grasp. Finally, finally Zane's lips searched and found her jugular. The sharp jolt of pain and his suckling shoved them over the edge of reason and they shattered. He moved his mouth from her neck, holding her to him.

Her face pressed against Zane's chest, Nicole cried out. She opened her eyes and saw the blood still trickling from the ruby's cut just above his left nipple. Without considering her actions, she placed her mouth over the small wound and suckled. The sharp, sweet fire of Zane's blood filled her mouth and she swallowed. Moaning against his flesh, she felt an overwhelming urge to take more. Part of her mind recoiled at the action. But the sensations flooding her body silenced any internal opposition.