“There have been some developments.”
He finally looked at her across the distance, and she tried not to get lost all over again. How were his eyes so hypnotic? Was that some kind of vampire sense? He still made her nervous, yet she couldn’t look away.
“You’ll be informed in the morning now that I know that you’re safe,” Beckham said.
She opened her mouth to ask another question, but then quickly snapped it shut. Some other time.
“Was there something else?” he asked.
The few feet of distance between them felt like an eternity. He was so close and yet so far, and she felt reluctant to ask the one question she had regarding their situation. The one question she dreaded.
“I read through your schedule and didn’t see anything on there about eating,” she whispered. “I didn’t know if it was a mistake or when…” Her voice trailed off as she watched the hungry glint in his eye reappear. Why the hell had she brought this up again?
“Why?” he asked, taking unhurried steps toward her. “Are you so ready to give your blood to me, Little One?”
Reyna stood stark still, uncertain how to respond. She wasn’t eager. She just wanted to be prepared. But the way he was looking at her set her blood to boil. She had never been looked at like that before.
“Well?”
He was directly in front of her now, and she couldn’t hide her racing heartbeat. She had unlocked Pandora’s box. Any minute now she would feel what it was like to have a vampire take from her. She felt shaky and afraid and like she couldn’t breathe, all at once.
Beckham raised his hand and slid it through her hair. Her eyes automatically closed at the feel of his large hands taking control of her. She realized it was the first time he had actually touched her, and it made her so very aware of how powerful he truly was. This was what she always saw brimming under the surface. With the weight of it directed at her, she felt as weak as a lamb beneath his fingertips.
Slowly he ran his hand down the curve of her neck to the vein beating fiercely against her skin. She opened her eyes and was certain fear reflected back into them. Here were her fears magnified tenfold.
His head dipped down to the soft skin. She inhaled deeply as his lips caressed the tender skin. Her eyes fluttered closed again, and all thoughts seemed to flee her mind.
This wasn’t what she had expected. Terror, stark terror. That was all she had anticipated. Not this. Whatever this was fluttering around in her stomach and heating her lower body at his nearness. Some part of her mind told her to pull away; that this was the last thing she wanted…she would give her blood out of necessity. She wouldn’t like it. But it was quickly silenced by the soft kisses trailing up her neck.
Then she felt it…a sharp prick against her neck. Her entire body shivered in anticipation of what was to come.
And then she was roughly shoved away from Beckham.
Her body collided with the wall five feet from where she had been standing. Her head cracked back against it. It wasn’t all that hard, but she could already feel a headache blossoming, and her vision went blurry for a second. Her hand went to her neck where there was the faintest trace of blood.
“What? What happened?” she asked. Fear crept back in, obliterating everything else that had just shot through her.
He was breathing heavy and refused to look at her.
“Beckham?” she whispered, using his name for the first time.
His eyes snapped to hers. “Nothing. Nothing happened,” he growled, and then stormed from the room without another word.
She was so terribly confused.
Why hadn’t he followed through? Why did she wish he had?
Chapter 9
Reyna wasn’t used to the new clothes.
She wondered if she would ever get used to the new clothes.
There was nothing in her closet that was less extravagant than her ensemble from yesterday, and her wedges had disappeared. Beckham had probably had someone trash them since they had set foot on warehouse soil.
She almost wanted to wear something over the top, but she still didn’t know where she was going. And fear of what had happened last night and Beckham’s uncontrolled anger kept her from acting out. She slipped into a plain black dress that was surprisingly comfortable. The material felt light as air. She wished for her Converse in that moment, but ended up in a pair of four-inch black heels. They squished her toes a little bit, but otherwise had a good bit of cushion in them.
She teetered over to the mirror to take a look. Though she felt ridiculous, she had to admit that she looked…good. Not great. But passable.
Beckham was waiting for her when she exited her room. He looked dangerously good-looking in a stark black suit with a black shirt and tie. The way he seemed to drink her in was enough to say that she had done well. He stared at her a full ten seconds longer than normal before staring back down at his phone.
“Acceptable?” she asked, turning in place. Now she really did feel like a baby doll.
“You look fine.”
Fine. Right.
“Let’s go.” He started toward the elevator. She hurried to keep up, but in her ridiculous heels it was a struggle. The doors nearly closed on her, and she tripped forward and threw her arm out to catch it. It opened right back up.
She grappled for proper footing, but couldn’t catch herself. She stumbled right into Beckham, her arms grabbed onto his suit, and her body collided with his chest.
“Oh God,” she groaned, trying to right herself, and only slipping further.
Beckham’s hand reached out, touched her waist, and held her securely in an upright position. But she was still pushed against him, staring into those bottomless pools of darkness.
“Um…sorry,” she whispered.
She swallowed and tried not to look up at his lips…the lips that had been kissing her neck last night. No, she wouldn’t think about last night at all. Not about the kiss or the bite or how much she had wanted it to happen when he had touched her. Like right now with his hand on her waist.
Reyna stumbled back a step. She cleared her throat. “Sorry.”
“Be more careful,” he said gruffly.
“Noted.” Reyna shivered under his gaze, feeling the full weight of his power. How could she be thinking about his lips? The only thing he wanted to do was rip her throat out. And he could do it with ease.
Except he hadn’t.
At least, not yet. She swallowed hard and tried to keep her unease at bay as the elevator whooshed down to the bottom floor. As they exited, Beckham received a phone call.
“I have to take this,” he said. “Go get in the car. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Okay.”
She wondered who was calling him so early. Then again, she had never even had a phone call, so what did she know? It must be important.
She hurried across the marble floor as best she could without slipping. It was probably the least sexy thing she had ever done in her life. Her walk was more of a waddle. Her feet were pinched and her dress kept riding up. When her feet touched down on the carpet before the sliding glass doors, she hastened her steps.
“Everett!” she cried. Then she covered her mouth. She hadn’t meant to be so loud or enthusiastic, but he was the only person who had been nice to her.
His smile brightened when he saw her. “Hello, Reyna. Did you have a good day yesterday?”
Her own smile faltered. “It was…eventful.”
“I’m sure it was. Do you need a cab?”
“Actually, I’m supposed to get in Beck…erm, Mr. Anderson’s vehicle.”
Everett nodded and quickly looked away from her. He snapped his fingers at a man across the parking lot, and soon a sleek black Town Car drove up to the front of the valet.
“Here you are,” he said, his voice switching to a formality. She didn’t understand what she had done wrong.
She reached for his arm to stop him. “Is everything all right?”
“Of course.”
The car parked in the front.
“Allow me.” He escorted her over to the vehicle and popped open the back door.
“Everett?”
“Reyna, you are here with our most distinguished guest. I thought…well, it doesn’t matter.” He smiled.