“Yes.” She nearly snapped the affirmative at him. “Of course it does. You cannot make me angry and then flirt and be all gorgeous and sexy. That’s definitely in the rule books. When I’m angry you can be suitably cowed.”
If it was possible, his eyebrows went higher. His lips twitched, drawing her attention to his beautiful perfect mouth, which immediately made her hungry for his kisses.
“Cowed?”
He repeated the word as if he didn’t quite understand it, and maybe he didn’t because he wasn’t only a different nationality, he was a different species. He managed in his utter astonishment to look even sexier than usual. She sighed.
“Clearly”—she injected sarcasm into her voice—“you are not getting the concept. Don’t talk anymore. It’s just better than way.”
“Csitri.”
She closed her eyes. He said that word so softly, his accent twisting the sound of each individual consonant and vowel separately, so the word was musical. The notes slid inside of her. Softly. Gently. Just slipped in and melted her. Her fingers tightened on his back pocket. He was hers. This amazingly beautiful man belonged to her.
“I need an answer. Can you still see me even when you are angry with me?”
He asked the question gently. Softly. Just as melodically as when he’d called her baby or little one in his own language. She knew that, not because he told her, but because the translation was there in his mind.
Teagan looked up at him, her eyes meeting his. What she saw there took her breath away. He looked at her as if there was no one else in his world. As if he wanted to swing her up in his arms and take her back to the cave and have wild, crazy sex with her and then make love to her slowly.
She blushed. She was reading his mind again, not just the telling look in his eyes. “I see you all the time, Andre. Especially when I’m angry with you. You’re too sexy for your own good. Well. For my good.” Scowling, she clapped a hand over her mouth, as if trying to push the words back inside. “Seriously, I have to learn to keep my mouth shut. You’re already as arrogant as a man could possibly be, which . . .” She glared up at him, uncaring that her voice was muffled behind her palm. “It is not a compliment.”
His fingers settled over hers, gently pulled her hand away from her mouth, kissed her palm—which sent a million butterflies winging through her stomach—and placed her palm on his flat belly again, his hand covering hers. The butterflies just kept fluttering.
“It sounded like a compliment,” he said softly.
She loved his voice. Plain and simple. There it was. Her entire problem. His voice was sexy no matter what he was saying. Okay. If she was being strictly honest, his voice wasn’t her entire problem. There was his really masculine, manly, gorgeous face and his rock-hard, muscles-everywhere body. That was a good part of her problem right there—and the fact that he knew how to use his body. His mouth. His fingers. His . . . well . . . everything. And then of course, he was a kickass vampire hunter. That was pretty cool. And mostly, he looked at her with that look, the one that said she was his world. Teagan sighed. He had every reason to be all arrogant and confident. She was falling like a ton of bricks.
For the first time she noticed the rain had begun to fall much faster. No longer mist, it should have soaked both of them, but it didn’t. They strolled through the drops without really getting any wetter than if it was still mist.
“Is it really so bad?”
“What?” She was too absorbed in the minor miracle that she wasn’t completely soaking wet.
“The way you feel about me. Is it really that bad? You know I feel the same way about you.”
She stopped right there with the rain coming down and darkness surrounding them. Teagan shook her head. “It’s not the same way, Andre. The way I feel about you is fierce and intense, so much so, that against my better judgment I’m still with you. You feel for me, yes, but you can say no to me very easily. You refuse to get the concept that I wasn’t born in your century. I’m going to have to live with that, and it will be difficult for me.”
“Is that what you think?” Andre’s arm tightened around her. “Teagan, against my better judgment, we are here, in this village.”
She bit down on her lip. She had forgotten he’d objected strenuously to coming here. He didn’t mix with humans, not if he could help it. She understood part of his reason, but what was the harm of walking down the street and feeling normal for a few minutes? Well, her normal.
“I need this.”
His hand moved up her back to the nape of her neck. “I know you do, Teagan. That is why we are here. Just remember, it is imperative to keep a low profile. Stay close to me and always keep your eyes open. This is the nearest hunting ground for vampires.”
Her throat closed for a moment. She hadn’t thought of that. Of course the undead would hunt in the village. The next closest humans were many miles away.
“You’re going to go after them, aren’t you?”
“It is what I do. First, I want you safe and happy. I need to know you have my back on this before I go out. It is necessary that you are comfortable with your new life.”
She pressed her lips together and then decided the best thing to do was just tell the truth. She was who she was. “I’m scared, Andre.”
“Teagan.” That soft loving tone. “I know you are.”
“No. I mean all the time. Every minute of every day. I’m so used to being afraid that it’s a part of me, of who I am. Fear is inside me. In my skin. In my blood.”