Читать книгу Her Vampire Lover - Caridad Pineiro - Страница 6

Chapter 2

A bright stain of color worked its way across her cheeks and Gregori had a hard time deciding if it was from embarrassment or something else. He hoped it was something else, although there was a vibe about the woman that struck him as almost virginal. He couldn’t quite say why, because she was beautiful. Toffee-colored hair with streaks of sunlight framed a heart-shaped face with deliciously full lips. But it was her eyes that snared his attention the most. They were the dark violet-blue of the happy-faced pansies his father had used to plant to cheer up Gregori’s ailing mother.

That violet-blue gaze had been almost demure as it traveled over him at first glance.

He was used to women with a more direct approach and the kind of perusal that left no doubt about just what they wanted, which was fine with him. It was usually just what he wanted anyway. Especially because it gave them that bright taste of desire as he sank his fangs in for an after-sex bite.

But not this woman, he thought again, as he waited for her answer, anxious. He hadn’t felt that way in a long time.

“I wouldn’t mind.”

Funny response. She’d not said she’d like it or love it or any of the other expected replies.

Henri immediately jumped into the discussion. “She’s already ordered, Count. The roast chicken.” His nose twitched with obvious disapproval.

“A wonderful choice. The same for me. I’m sure it will be as delicious as always,” he replied with a glare at the host.

Holding out his hand, he introduced himself more properly. “I’m Count Gregori and you would be…”

She slipped her hand into his. It was warm, smooth and slightly moist from nerves. A skitter of desire worked through him as he imagined that hand trailing over his body.

“Sonja Dubcek, but everyone calls me Sunny.”

He held back a shudder at her nickname. Nothing sunny held an attraction for him. But as he brought her hand to his lips and her excited pulse registered against his vampire senses, he realized he’d be lying to himself if he didn’t acknowledge his interest in her.

“Sonja,” he said, enjoying the way her name fell from his lips. “If you wouldn’t mind indulging me yet again, I’d love to add a few of my favorites to our meal.”

“Of course. It’s not a problem.” She withdrew her hand from his overly long grasp and lowered it to her lap.

Inclining his head down to Henri’s shorter height, he rattled off his selections and after the host hurried off, he eased onto the bench beside Sonja.

His actions surprised Sunny. She had expected him to sit across from her. The booth seemed cramped with him beside her. He had seemed lean at first glance, but she realized now that he was a big man and broad across the shoulders. Although she scooted over as far as she could, his arm brushed against hers as well as against the side of her breast—until he turned a bit to face her.

“Tell me about yourself, Sonja.”

She almost didn’t want to talk because hearing him speak intrigued her more than it should. His baritone voice was deep and smooth, like a well-played cello. An upper-crust English accent bore traces of another, more subtle inflection. One she couldn’t place. She humored his request, intending to hear more from him during the course of their meal.

“I’m a high school math teacher in New Jersey on vacation. My flight was supposed to leave last night, but there were delays, so I only landed this afternoon.”

“You must be tired after such a long trip.”

“I am, but I’m also excited about visiting Prague and seeing where my grandparents were born. How about you, Count?”

“Gregori, please. I should have guessed you were Czech from the last name.” He motioned to the waiter, who immediately brought over a bottle and two wineglasses, and whisked away her half-full wineglass.

“I wasn’t done with that,” she said, slightly annoyed at his high-handed actions.

He surprised her by leaning in close. In a conspiratorial whisper he said, “I don’t like to complain, but the wine choices here are usually a bit limited. This one is from my private stock and I think you’ll enjoy it more.”

He poured them both a taste, but when she reached for her glass, he snared her hand and tucked it into his. “Let it breathe a bit while you tell me a little more about yourself.”

Sunny hesitated and examined his features. Ruthlessly handsome would have been a good way to describe him. His face was all strong, powerful lines, but as he smiled and cocked his head to the side, the boyishness returned and his dark brown eyes glittered with amusement.

Did he find her humorous somehow? she wondered and called him out on it.

“Do you find me funny?”

He shrugged and the blue-black wool of his suit stretched tight against those wide shoulders. “I guess you could say I’m used to women who won’t shut up about themselves. You’re a refreshing change.”

His candor tempered her anger. “Maybe you should stop hanging out with all those princesses.”

His grin broadened, awakening that delicious dimple on one side, and he brushed his thumb across the knuckles of the hand he continued to hold. “Maybe. So tell me more, Sonja from New Jersey.”

“Not much to tell. I teach. Work out on occasion. Visit with my friends and family.”

“No boyfriend?” he asked with an inquisitive arch of his brow.

“Not right now,” she admitted, unsure of why she had. Although she had considered she might find a little romance on this trip, she wasn’t sure the count was what she had in mind.

“American men must be quite foolish not to snatch up such a beautiful woman.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “Does that pickup line work often?”

To her surprise, he laughed as well and shook his head. “Poor Sonja. Sometimes a compliment is just a compliment.”

His chastisement stung a little, but then he leaned forward until his warm breath spilled against her lips and her heart did that funky flip again. In a low, sexy whisper that sent a wave of heat through her, he said, “When I seduce you, believe me, you will know.”

Before she could respond, he released her hand and picked up his wineglass, urging her to do the same. “Close your eyes and open your senses,” he said and she watched as he did so while taking a sip of the wine. After he swallowed, that engaging smile returned to his lips and he focused his gaze on her as he waited.

Sunny brought the glass to her lips and Gregori held his breath, imagining his lips there instead. She closed her eyes as he had asked and took a sip, holding the wine in her mouth a moment before swallowing. When she opened her eyes and faced him, her lips were moist and smiling.

“Delicious.”

He couldn’t resist. He tucked his hand beneath her chin and swiped his thumb across those luscious lips.

She drew back, but barely. A brighter flush erupted on her cheeks and her eyes darkened to nearly purple. As he slowly withdrew his hand, he touched his thumb to the small indent in her chin in a final caress. Maybe even as a promise of what could come, if she let it.

A second later, Henri and a waiter approached. The waiter set the covered plates before them and then whisked away the lids with a flourish. Henri immediately stepped in and poured a glass of another wine for each of them.

Sunny shot Gregori a questioning glance, but he quickly explained. “The foie gras is in a reduction with bits of pear. This Sauternes is on the sweet side and will mesh well with the fruit.”

Sunny stared down at the grilled piece of goose liver delicately drizzled with a brown sauce. Toast points and more sauce with bits of caramelized pear completed the presentation on the plate. Not knowing what to expect because she had never eaten foie gras, she followed Gregori’s lead, cutting off a small piece to taste.

As soon as she closed her lips over the morsel, an assortment of flavors exploded in her mouth. The sweet of the fruit and the slight tang of the sauce. The buttery smoothness of the liver, like nothing she had ever tasted. She couldn’t quite hold back the slight moan of pleasure.

“I guess you like it,” he teased and took a sip of the Sauternes. She did the same, experiencing the perfect balance of the slightly sweet wine against the earlier tastes.

She polished off the foie gras and Sauternes way too quickly, almost greedily, caught up in the sheer luxury of it and the decadent feeling it had roused in her.

Gregori was slightly slower, and when he had only a bite left, he lifted his fork and offered to share it with her.

As her gaze met his beyond the tempting tidbit, she understood he intended for them to share that, and more.

Closing her mouth over the morsel, she tasted all of the earlier flavors and one more.

She tasted Gregori.

Between her legs a low throb pulsed with each chew and after she swallowed, her mouth was dry with want. She reached for her glass, but it was empty.

Instead of refilling it, Gregori offered up his own, turning it so that she would drink from the exact spot he had. As he tilted the glass and she sipped it, the wine was still sweet, but the taste of him was far more enticing.

After he moved the glass away, she licked her lips, wanting more. Determined to take the leap, she decided to explore this unexpected adventure that had presented itself.

She leaned forward, prepared for another taste of him. Bringing her lips to within an inch of his, she asked, “Would you mind sharing something else?”