After carrying her dirty dishes into the kitchen and putting them in the dishwasher, she went upstairs, changed her clothes again, grabbed her handbag, and left the house. She had been spending entirely too much time sitting at home alone. She wasn't in mourning, for goodness' sake. It was time to get out of the house and return to the land of the living. She grinned. Land of the living, indeed, she thought, and wondered again where Rourke was.

She had always loved dancing, so she drove downtown to her favorite club. She had never gone there alone before, but hey, there was a first time for everything and she needed a diversion. Besides, women today were strong and independent. She didn't need a man to support her, or to give her confidence. Heck, according to a recent poll, the majority of today's women didn't even get married. She wondered what it said about her, that she hoped to become one of the minority.

As soon as Kari stepped into the club, she started having second thoughts. What was she doing here? She wasn't looking for casual sex, a one-night stand, or a meaningless relationship. She wanted what her parents had, what her sisters had, solid marriages based on mutual love and respect.

She was about to turn and head for the door when a man stepped up and asked her to dance. He was of medium height, with slicked-back sandy-colored hair and pale green eyes, not gorgeous, but not bad looking.

She accepted with a smile, wishing she was as chatty as her friend Amy, at work, who was never at a loss for words, or dates.

"Hi, I'm Jack," her partner said.

"Karinna."

"Pretty name for a pretty lady."

"Thank you."

He smiled at her. "You don't come here often, do you?"

"No, why?"

"You're uptight. Relax, honey. We're just dancing."

She laughed self-consciously, eager to be rid of him, though she didn't know why. While they danced, he told her that he was an accountant, divorced, with a six-year-old daughter. Though he seemed nice enough, there was something about the way he looked at her that set her teeth on edge and made her glad when the song ended.

She thanked him for the dance, then turned and headed for the bar. She had never been a drinker, but she thought this might be a good time to start.

Jack followed her, crowding her, making her uncomfortable. "What are you drinking?" he asked.

"Diet Coke." She had been about to order a Manhattan, but it suddenly seemed like a good idea to keep her wits about her.

"Come on, we can do better than that," Jack said, signaling the bartender. "Herk, give the lady a Sea Breeze."

"Herk, the lady doesn't want a Sea Breeze," Kari said.

Jack put his hand on her forearm and gave it a squeeze. "Come on, honey, loosen up a little."

"Get your hands off the lady."

A thrill shot through Kari at the sound of Rourke's voice. Glancing over her shoulder, she gave him a grateful smile. My hero, she thought.

Jack glared at Rourke. "Who the hell are you?"

"The man who is going to rip your heart out if you touch the lady again."

Kari didn't know if it was the tone of Rourke's voice or the feral look in his eyes, but Jack got the message. He let go of her arm as if he'd been stung and practically ran out of the club.

Kari smiled at Rourke. "Thank you."

Rourke glanced around the room. It was smoky and dimly lit, filled with the scent of perspiration, alcohol, and lust. "What are you doing here?" He might be a stranger to this time and place but he wasn't a stranger to what was going on around him. Men had been pursuing women since time began.

"Nothing," Kari said. "I just wanted to get out of the house for a little while. I thought..." What had she been thinking? Looking at Rourke, she couldn't remember. With a shake of her head, she said, "Never mind," and then frowned. "How did you know I was here?"

His gaze settled on her face. The look in his eyes was hot enough to melt iron.

She had seen desire in a man's eyes before, but never anything like this. Everything that was female within her responded to the sheer masculine hunger in his eyes. He wanted her, there was no doubt of that.

Her throat went dry and her pulse raced as sexual awareness thrummed through every inch of her. Excitement fluttered in the pit of her stomach as every rational thought went right out of her head and all she could do was stare at the incredible creature before her.

He held out his hand. "Are you ready to go home?"

Home. Hearing the word on his lips sent a shiver of a different kind down her spine, had her imagining a small house with a red brick chimney and roses growing in the front yard, and her with a golden-haired baby in her arms.

She took his hand. His skin was cool against hers, and yet, at his touch, warmth speared through her.

Outside, he walked her to her car, waited while she unlocked the doors. She was keenly aware of his presence behind her. Her hand trembled when she tried to put the key in the ignition, so much so that she had to try three times before the key slid into place. The interior of her car seemed smaller with him beside her, the air thicker. Tension stretched between them as she pulled away from the curb and headed for home.

Kari kept her gaze on the road ahead; her nerves were humming with anticipation when she pulled up in front of her house. It wasn't much to look at. It was old and not very big, but she loved it.

Mouth dry, palms damp, she unlocked the front door, stepped inside, and turned on the lights. She tossed her handbag and coat on the bench inside the door, then stood there, at a loss as to what to do next. Her thoughts went round and round, like a hamster running on a wheel.

She stilled as he came up behind her. He was close. So close, it was suddenly hard to breathe. If she leaned back, she could touch him.

"Karinna?"

"Y...yes?"

"Do you want me to stay?" His breath fanned her cheek.

"I...I don't know."

Placing his hands lightly on her shoulders, he turned her to face him. "Tell me what you want me to do."

Oh, my. She stared up at him. Kiss me, she thought, just kiss me.

She didn't think she had spoken the words out loud but he lowered his head and claimed her lips with his.

All rational thought fled her mind as her body quickly responded to his kiss. Her arms went up around his neck; her body moved toward his of its own accord as her eyelids fluttered down. Someone moaned softly. Had that sound, so filled with yearning, come from her? Lights and color flared behind her eyelids as he deepened the kiss. His tongue swept over her lower lip, its touch like a velvet flame, unleashing a wave of desire more intense than anything Kari had ever known. She didn't know what he was doing to her, but she hoped he would never stop.

His arms locked around her waist, crushing her body close as his hand moved restlessly up and down her back.

She wanted him, wanted him as she had never wanted another man, wanted him as she had never wanted anything else in her whole life.

She went up on her tiptoes, her hand delving into the hair at his nape as her tongue sought his. With a little cry of surprise, she drew back. When she touched a finger to her tongue, it came away bloody.

She looked up at him, her desire abruptly cooled. Vampire! The word thundered in the back of her mind. What was she doing, standing in her living room making out with a 767-year-old vampire?

He gazed down at her, a hint of amusement evident in his eyes. "Forgive me," he murmured. "I did not mean to hurt you."

She stared at him, shocked to realize that not only had she been tempted to take a vampire to her bed, but that she had cut her tongue on one of his fangs.

"Karinna?"

"You didn't hurt me."

"What is it that troubles you?"

"Do you want the answers in alphabetical order?"

"You are upset." He looked genuinely confused "Why?"

"Why?" she exclaimed, fisting her hands on her hips. "Why do you think? You're a vampire!"

"Yes, I know," he replied dryly.

"Well?"

He shook his head. "Why is that a problem for you?"

"Because I...because you..." She stamped her foot in exasperation. "Because it is!"

His laughter added fuel to the fire of her indignation.

Kari pivoted on her heel and stomped into the kitchen, then stood there, at a loss as to what to do. When her stomach growled, she filled a pot with water for spaghetti and put it on the stove. The soup and sandwich she had eaten earlier hadn't filled her up. Besides, eating would give her something to do.

A subtle shift in the air told her that Rourke had followed her into the room.

"I guess you've had dinner," she muttered. Something warm and red and liquid.

"Yes."

She turned to face him, her curiosity overcoming her irritation. "How often do you have to...you know?"

"I take sustenance when I feel the need, the same as you."

"Hmm. And how often do you feel the need?"

"Every day or so, more often if I am injured, or if it has been a long time since I fed."

It occurred to her that he hadn't fed for three hundred years. Obviously, vampires didn't starve to death.

Fascinated by the turn of their conversation, Kari sat at the kitchen table. "What's it like, being a vampire?"

He leaned against the counter, his arms folded over his chest, his brow furrowed as he sought for an answer. And then he shrugged. "I do not know how to explain it."

"In the movies, it seems that vampires spend all their time running about sucking people dry or making other vampires."

Rourke looked at her a moment, and then he laughed. He, too, had seen those movies on the television. "Perhaps there are vampires who live that way."

"So, are you one of them?"

"What do you think?"

"I don't know," she replied flippantly. "That's why I'm asking."

"Before Vilnius, I lived a rather quiet life. I admit, when I was first made, I did my share of, how did you put it? Sucking people dry? But that soon passed." Once he had learned to control his hunger, he satisfied his craving by taking a little from two or three instead of draining one mortal dry. Since not all blood tasted the same, it gave him a bit of variety. Another advantage was that it left no bodies to dispose of, no mysterious deaths to arouse the suspicion of the local authorities.