Amaury's Hellion
Page 35
Nina had no idea why he hadn’t just fed her to the lions, but rather had taken their wrath upon himself to get her out of the precarious situation. She watched him from the side as she struggled to keep up with him, his hand still clamped around her arm in a none-too-gentle manner.
“Where are we going?” she asked him once they were out of earshot of his vampire friends.
“Somewhere where we can talk.”
“Talk about what?”
Amaury stopped and jerked her toward him. The furious look he gave her made Nina hold her tongue. “We both know you and I didn’t have a date, so cut the crap. You’re lucky I could fool my friends. But now you owe me an explanation.”
Again he pulled her along.
“Slow down! I can’t keep up with you.”
“Unless you want me to sling you over my shoulder, you’ll keep up.”
Nina ignored the shiver rolling down her back.
Caveman!
Eleven
Nina was driving him mad—stark-raving mad. The moment Amaury had witnessed Zane manhandling her, he’d seen red. No—crimson, scarlet, purple! What the hell was she doing there, spying on them outside the offices? And clearly she had been spying. No way was this encounter a coincidence.
Amaury grunted to himself as he let them into the apartment and locked the door. His decision to get her out of there had been a simple gut reaction. He hadn’t thought about the consequences at all. The only thing he could think of was to get her away from Zane.
He knew Zane all too well, and his interrogation methods were anything but gentle. He didn’t want Nina to be subjected to his brutality. Zane followed the directive in a straight line, he was loyal and fiercely protective of his brethren, but his methods were questionable at best.
To imagine Nina suffering at Zane’s hands turned Amaury’s stomach. And not just for the obvious reasons. Even if Zane wasn’t as brutal as he was, he wouldn’t want the other vampire’s hands on her.
“Woman, you’re giving me a headache.”
“If that’s the case, why don’t I leave you alone?” She made an attempt to brush past him toward the door, but he held her back and turned her body toward him.
“Nice try, Nina—if that’s even your real name.”
She tilted her head up in defiance. “Like you’re on first-name terms with the truth.”
Touché!
“And Nina is my name,” she added.
“You might as well make yourself comfortable, since you’re not going anywhere.” He released her shoulders before he could give into the urge to pull her against his body and punish her with a kiss.
“Go, sit.”
She didn’t move. “I’d rather stand.”
“Suit yourself. And start talking.”
“Looks like the fog burned off—”
He cut her off. “About why you were lurking around outside Scanguards.”
“I wasn’t lurking.”
Her innocently fluttering eyelids wouldn’t work on him. Neither would those plump red lips she’d pushed forward in protest.
“You weren’t waiting for me, that’s for sure. Looks like we have a veritable Buffy on our hands.”
“You’re calling me a slayer?”
“That’s what you are, aren’t you?” Amaury let his gaze drift over her slender form. She was tall for a woman, well built with muscles that would put the average human male to shame. But she wasn’t strong enough to fight a vampire, and especially not one like Zane.
“I’m not a slayer.”
“Then what are you doing seeking out vampires and killing them? In my book, that’s slaying. And don’t even try to deny it. I was there, remember?” But he wasn’t thinking of the fight with the vampires; rather, his mind conjured up images from later that night, images of her naked breasts. With an impatient shake of his head he tried to rid himself of the mental picture.
“That’s the thanks I get for saving your ass? If I hadn’t killed that guy, you’d be dust right now!”
Nina did have a point. Frankly, he had no idea why she’d saved him when she could have taken the moment to run for her life. Instead, she’d courageously jumped onto that vampire and staked him.
“And my ass wouldn’t have needed saving in the first place if I didn’t have to come rescue you.”
“I didn’t ask for your help.”
She braced her hands at her hips, pushing her open jacket clear of her chest. Was he hallucinating, or did this simple action make her breasts appear more voluptuous?
“Where are we going?” she asked him once they were out of earshot of his vampire friends.
“Somewhere where we can talk.”
“Talk about what?”
Amaury stopped and jerked her toward him. The furious look he gave her made Nina hold her tongue. “We both know you and I didn’t have a date, so cut the crap. You’re lucky I could fool my friends. But now you owe me an explanation.”
Again he pulled her along.
“Slow down! I can’t keep up with you.”
“Unless you want me to sling you over my shoulder, you’ll keep up.”
Nina ignored the shiver rolling down her back.
Caveman!
Eleven
Nina was driving him mad—stark-raving mad. The moment Amaury had witnessed Zane manhandling her, he’d seen red. No—crimson, scarlet, purple! What the hell was she doing there, spying on them outside the offices? And clearly she had been spying. No way was this encounter a coincidence.
Amaury grunted to himself as he let them into the apartment and locked the door. His decision to get her out of there had been a simple gut reaction. He hadn’t thought about the consequences at all. The only thing he could think of was to get her away from Zane.
He knew Zane all too well, and his interrogation methods were anything but gentle. He didn’t want Nina to be subjected to his brutality. Zane followed the directive in a straight line, he was loyal and fiercely protective of his brethren, but his methods were questionable at best.
To imagine Nina suffering at Zane’s hands turned Amaury’s stomach. And not just for the obvious reasons. Even if Zane wasn’t as brutal as he was, he wouldn’t want the other vampire’s hands on her.
“Woman, you’re giving me a headache.”
“If that’s the case, why don’t I leave you alone?” She made an attempt to brush past him toward the door, but he held her back and turned her body toward him.
“Nice try, Nina—if that’s even your real name.”
She tilted her head up in defiance. “Like you’re on first-name terms with the truth.”
Touché!
“And Nina is my name,” she added.
“You might as well make yourself comfortable, since you’re not going anywhere.” He released her shoulders before he could give into the urge to pull her against his body and punish her with a kiss.
“Go, sit.”
She didn’t move. “I’d rather stand.”
“Suit yourself. And start talking.”
“Looks like the fog burned off—”
He cut her off. “About why you were lurking around outside Scanguards.”
“I wasn’t lurking.”
Her innocently fluttering eyelids wouldn’t work on him. Neither would those plump red lips she’d pushed forward in protest.
“You weren’t waiting for me, that’s for sure. Looks like we have a veritable Buffy on our hands.”
“You’re calling me a slayer?”
“That’s what you are, aren’t you?” Amaury let his gaze drift over her slender form. She was tall for a woman, well built with muscles that would put the average human male to shame. But she wasn’t strong enough to fight a vampire, and especially not one like Zane.
“I’m not a slayer.”
“Then what are you doing seeking out vampires and killing them? In my book, that’s slaying. And don’t even try to deny it. I was there, remember?” But he wasn’t thinking of the fight with the vampires; rather, his mind conjured up images from later that night, images of her naked breasts. With an impatient shake of his head he tried to rid himself of the mental picture.
“That’s the thanks I get for saving your ass? If I hadn’t killed that guy, you’d be dust right now!”
Nina did have a point. Frankly, he had no idea why she’d saved him when she could have taken the moment to run for her life. Instead, she’d courageously jumped onto that vampire and staked him.
“And my ass wouldn’t have needed saving in the first place if I didn’t have to come rescue you.”
“I didn’t ask for your help.”
She braced her hands at her hips, pushing her open jacket clear of her chest. Was he hallucinating, or did this simple action make her breasts appear more voluptuous?
