She gives her head a shake.
“Then, follow me.”
The wooden floors creak beneath our footsteps as we climb the stairs to the third floor. We’re quiet as we make our way down the hall. I guess I’m more out of practice than I realize at small talk, because as curious as I am about her, I can’t think of a single thing to say.
“Dinner is at seven in the formal dining room,” I manage—just—to end the silence.
“Thank you,” she says softly.
I show her the guest sleeping quarters that Mrs. Potts has prepared for her arrival. The bed is dressed in fluffy gray linens and the dresser holds a basket containing toiletries, a packaged toothbrush, a stack of fresh white towels that have been neatly rolled into cylinders.
Even though I haven’t aware of her arrival today, it appears Mrs. Potts has been busy preparing.
Maybe that’s all my unease is… I’ve been caught unprepared, unaware that she was arriving today. If I’d had time to prepare for the fact that a young, attractive, and deliciously scented human will be sharing my living quarters for the next six months, well, maybe I wouldn’t feel so exposed now. So raw and naked. Maybe I wouldn’t have the urge to nail her against the wall, or sink my fangs into the delicate column of her throat—preferably at the same time.
For the first time ever, I regret not taking my brother up on his offer to visit the whorehouse.
Yes, that’s all this is. A bit of misplaced lust for a toy that isn’t mine to play with. Still, I haven’t felt a primal attraction this strong in recent memory. Or possibly ever. Which is curious…
I’ll just have to be more careful around her than I have been with other humans.
Chapter 3
Tressa
A vampire who owns three copies of Winnie the Pooh? I’ve never heard of such a thing. Never have I imagined such a thing is even possible. And such a sexy, attractive man being a vampire? I feel like my brain has melted into goo.
Yes, I know the world is changing. I am aware of vampires. Have been since I was a little girl. But to me, they seem like something rare that only exists in far-off lands. Transylvania. Russia. Places like that. Yet, here I am—living in the home of one. And oh, what a lovely home it is. From the maze of hedges in the front to the stonework in the foyer to the massive staircase with its intricate millwork on the banister. But the home, no matter how glorious, is the furthest thing from my mind. Because when you find out you’ll be living with a vampire, well, that trumps pretty much everything else.
Reign Tryst is a beast of a man, well over six feet tall with broad shoulders and muscles, well everywhere as I learn when I first arrive and see him shirtless and looking quite confounded in the upstairs hallway. His broad chest halts with a shallow breath, and he looks like he’s just seen a ghost. He and his estate manager exchange a handful of tense words I can’t discern from behind the closed door. It is awkward to say the least, especially since I am the topic of conversation.
And when he’d gotten closer, I almost forgot how to breathe, caught there in his gaze. Crystal-clear blue eyes and pale skin. Dark, disheveled hair. A dusting of stubble along his masculine jaw. He was radiant, and I was captured by him. Like a butterfly caught in a web.
In those few, confusing seconds, my heart thudded almost painfully in my chest, and I felt an inexplicable pull toward him. Then Reign had crossed the room and placed his hand in mine, and all my thoughts scrambled. His touch burned a hot path through me, and I pulled my hand away. His skin was soft, but completely temperature-less—not exactly cold, but certainly not warm either. The first curls of awareness licked inside me, even if I didn’t want to name the thoughts crowding my brain.
I shake my head. A mansion complete with a vampire. That should have been in the job description—because I would have strongly considered if this is the right move for me.
I didn’t realize my presence here would be a surprise for him. But it’s as if my arrival in his home caught him completely off guard. That’s a bit unsettling.
As I make my way further into the bedroom, I see that my luggage has already been brought up. It’s neatly stacked beside the window seat that looks out over a courtyard. The window seat has been outfitted with a custom cushion that fits just so. No detail of this guest suite has been overlooked. There’s a four-poster bed dressed in the softest bedding I’ve ever felt, a huge closet with built-in drawers and cabinets, and a humungous free-standing tub in the adjoining bathroom. This place is a dream.
It’s almost enough of a distraction to make me forget the fact that I was recently fired from my job as a children’s librarian. Almost.
But it’s certainly not enough to make me forget the actual vampire waiting for me downstairs. Do vampires even eat dinner? He asked me if I have questions, and at the time, I froze, but I do have questions. Many, in fact.
Namely, what the actual hell?
Needing a distraction, I busy myself with lumbering my suitcase into the huge closet, unzipping each one and placing my unmentionables inside the lacquered drawers, my t-shirts and jeans into the cabinets. Next I hang the sweaters, and skirts I’d thought to bring. Any man who is wealthy enough to have his own personal library may want an employee who sticks to a business professional dress code during the week, so I’ve brought along plenty of modest knee-length skirts and dresses.
“Bite you? Not unless you ask. Very, very nicely.”
His words from earlier replay through my brain. The way his deep, cultured voice curled around each syllable had seemed luxurious. Sensuous. Forbidden. It sent a chill zipping down my spine.
Well, I’ll never ask for such a thing. Not in a million, billion years.
I press my fingertips to my temples where a rogue headache is forming.
This will be a fresh start for me. A badly needed do-over. I’d been fired for sneaking romance novels to the information desk and reading them there while I was supposed to be working. Whoops. But who could blame me?
I won’t make the same mistake here. I doubt Reign even has any romance novels in that impressive library of his. Which is just as well. Love is a pain that I don’t need in my life.
After plugging in my cellphone, I see that I have a missed call from my sister, and two hours to kill until dinner.
I dial Libby back and she answers on the first ring. “Hey, sis, how’s the new job?”
Stifling a laugh, just barely, I prepare myself for her reaction. “Well. There’s something surprising about my new boss.”
“Which is?” she prods.
I clear my throat, then lower my voice. “He’s a vampire.”
“You’re shitting me!” she screams into the phone, and I have to hold it away from my ear while the ringing stops.
“Indeed, I am not shitting you. But it’s fine. He has a bunch of human staff that live and work here too,” I reassure her, and maybe myself.
Libby makes a clucking sound of disapproval. “I know we’re not supposed to discriminate… but I’ve heard some horror stories from the girls in my dorm.”
“Those are probably just spooky stories girls tell at slumber parties…” I trail off though, my words sounding hollow in my own ears. The truth is, I don’t really know much about vampires. It’s never been something I’ve specifically researched. And before now, I’ve never met one, not that I know of anyway.