But he wasn’t thinking about prey now.

He lifted one hand, his fingers trailing through the silky fall of her hair. “You smell like flowers.”

She laughed softly. “That’s hardly surprising, considering the apartment is filled with roses.”

His knuckles caressed her cheek, then slid down her neck and along her collarbone. “You said you wanted to be romanced,” he reminded her. “How am I doing?”

Kay met his gaze, and immediately forgot what she’d been going to say. His dark eyes smoldered with desire, causing her mouth to go dry and her heart to skip a beat. She swallowed hard as heat speared through her, threatening to turn her bones to liquid and her insides to mush.

His voice was little more than a groan when he said, “Kiya, I can’t wait any longer.”

She didn’t have to ask what he meant. She remembered all too clearly the first night she had spent here with him. He had asked if she would like to try out his bed, and she had replied, rather primly, that she wanted to be romanced first. Hence the dinner dates, the nights at the opera, the tour of the city, the bouquets of flowers.

She let out a long shuddering sigh with the realization that it was time to pay the piper.

Not that she was complaining. Gideon was far and away the sexiest man she had ever met and there was no sense in pretending she didn’t want him just as much as he wanted her. And since she had to go home in the spring and accept the betrothal of a man not of her choosing, it seemed only right that she be allowed to pick her first lover. Of course, she knew her father would not be pleased. And Victor would undoubtedly be outraged to discover that his bride was not a virgin, but she really didn’t care whether he liked it or not.

And then, as a new thought occurred, she smiled inwardly. Perhaps, when Victor discovered she was no longer untouched, he wouldn’t want her.

Problem solved!

Smiling, she drew Gideon’s head down and kissed him. It was like touching a match to gunpowder. The resultant explosion rocked her to her core, setting every nerve ending and cell on fire as his tongue slid over hers in a silent duel. His mouth was hot, his arms strong around her as he kissed her back. There was nothing reserved in his kisses, no uncertainty in his touch as his hand boldly stroked her from shoulder to thigh.

She fell back on the sofa, moaned softly as his body covered hers. Desire stirred deep within her, growing hotter with every kiss and caress. She delved under his shirt, eager to explore the hard muscles in his back and shoulders. His skin was smooth and cool beneath her hands.

Impatient with the layers of clothing between them, she quickly divested him of his shirt and dropped it on the floor. Her sweater and bra quickly followed and then they were wrapped in each other’s arms, her breasts crushed against his chest, their mouths fused together. She moved restlessly beneath him, her breath coming in ragged gasps between kisses as he caressed her ever more intimately.

She made a soft sound of protest when Gideon sat up, carrying her with him.

She looked at him askance. Surely he didn’t mean to stop? Not now.

Muttering, “No way,” he carried her into the bedroom.

Standing her on her feet, he stripped away her leggings and panties, then tossed her, gently, onto the bed. Quickly removing the rest of his clothing, he stretched out beside her and gathered her into his arms.

“Now, let’s see,” he drawled, “where were we?”

“Don’t you remember?” she asked with mock disappointment.

“Here, perhaps,” he said, dusting kisses along the length of her collarbone. “Or was I here?” His tongue laved her breast. “Or here.” His fingertips made lazy circles on her belly.

“How about here?” she said, and pulling him down on top of her, she cupped his face in her hands and kissed him.

“Ah, yes,” he said with a wicked grin. “I remember now.”

The pleasure of his touch, the heat of his kisses, the welcome weight of his body pressing her onto the mattress made a heady combination.

Whispering, “Now, Gideon,” she held him closer, her hips lifting to receive him. She cried out as his body melded with hers, cried again, in protest, when he withdrew.

He stared down at her. “What the hell!”

She looked up at him, her whole body throbbing with need. “What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong?” Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, he stood glaring down at her. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me you were a virgin?”

She blinked at him, confused by his anger.

“I thought …” He shook his head. “When you told me you were ‘engaged to be engaged’ I figured you just wanted a last fling before you settled down. I didn’t realize you were …” He made a vague gesture with his hand. “Shit.”

“Oh.” She felt a blush heat her cheeks as embarrassment overcame desire. “I … that is … since I don’t have any choice in who I marry, I thought …”

“I guess I know what you thought.” Gideon sat on the edge of the bed, his fingers idly stroking the back of her hand. “I guess I should be flattered.”

Pulling the bedspread over her nakedness, she muttered, “Do we have to have this conversation now?”

“No.” Why leave her unsatisfied when the damage was already done? It was, after all, her first time. He reached for her, determined to make her first time memorable in spite of what had just happened, then paused, nostrils flaring. “Someone’s here.”

No sooner had he said the words than the doorbell rang.

“Must be the pizza.” Kay shook her head in exasperation. Talk about bad timing!

Gideon brushed a kiss across her cheek, then pulled on his pants when the doorbell rang again. “Stay here. I’ll get it.”

Kay stared after him. Who needed food at a time like this? For once, it wasn’t food she was hungry for, but Gideon’s strong arms and passionate kisses. She smiled, remembering how incredible he had made her feel.

She let out a startled cry when Gideon suddenly materialized beside the bed.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, worried by the angry look in his eyes, the tension in his arms.

He said only one word. “Verah.”

Before she could say anything else, he pulled her into his arms and held her close. She experienced a slightly queasy sensation in the pit of her stomach, a disorienting sense of spinning through time and space as everything went black.

When her vision returned, she was cradled in Gideon’s arms. A quick glance showed they were in a large rectangular room made of cement painted light blue. Dark blue carpet covered the floor. A trio of candles in tall, wrought-iron stands provided pale, flickering light. A king-sized bed covered by a thick black quilt took up most of one end of the room. The only other furniture was an old-fashioned wardrobe made of rosewood and a good-sized, iron-bound chest that stood at the foot of the bed.

But it was the polished ebony casket on a raised wooden dais at the far side of the room that held Kay transfixed.

She had only one question, and it came out in a hushed whisper. “Where are we?”

“An underground lair near Gatlinburg, Tennessee.” He owned the property. The building overhead was empty, but it was equipped with electricity and water, which had been rerouted to his lair. Anyone breaking into the building above would find what looked like an abandoned warehouse. A large sign nailed to the front door advised would-be vandals that the building was unsafe. Nevertheless, in times past, he’d had to chase kids who were high on drugs of one kind or another out of the place, not to mention the occasional transient.

His lair consisted of three large rooms—living room, bedroom, and bathroom—and one small alcove adjacent to the bathroom that contained an apartment-sized refrigerator where he kept a supply of bagged blood for emergencies when he was in town. Thankfully, he’d rarely had to resort to using it. He far preferred his nourishment to be hot and fresh.

“What are we doing here?” Kay asked. She couldn’t draw her gaze away from the ebony casket, couldn’t stop imagining Gideon lying inside, his eyes closed, his body as cold and still as death.

“Kiya? Kiya, look at me.”

With a shudder, she dragged her gaze from the coffin.

“It’s just an old box made of wood.”

She nodded. “I know, but …”

“I don’t sleep in it.”

“Then why is it here?”

“Every vampire needs one.”

“If you don’t sleep in it, why do you need it?”

“It contains a little dirt from the town where I was born. If I get seriously injured, I heal faster if I sleep on the earth from my homeland. I’ve never had to use it.”

“Why do you have one here, but not in Phoenix or New York?”

“There’s one in Phoenix, behind the bookcase, and one in New York, behind the fireplace.”

“And they all have dirt in them?”

He nodded.

“So, you have three.” She digested that a moment, then asked, “How did Verah find us?”

“How do you think?”

“Oh, right. Magic.”

“Right the first time. You’re cold.” He could feel her shivering in his arms. Not surprising, since she was stark naked.

“A little.”

Carrying her to the bed, he drew back the covers and tucked her in.

She pulled the blankets up to her chin. “Will we be safe here, do you think?”

“I don’t know.” He raked a hand through his hair, wondering what spell Verah had used to track them down and if there was any way to shield their whereabouts if she tried again.

“How long are we going to stay here?”

“I don’t know.” Cussing under his breath, he paced the floor. He should have put a shield around his apartment in New York, but he had been so enamored of Kay, he just hadn’t thought of it. Had he done so, it might have prevented Verah from entering his lair. As it was, he had barely managed to get himself and Kay out in time. Alone, he might have done battle face-to-face with the old witch, but not with Kay in the house.