When He Was Bad
Page 52

Hed dreamed about the woman for the past four nights. Hot, wild dreams that left him aching and pissed when he awoke alone.
Cain had wanted Miranda from the first moment hed seen her. Wanted her naked and moaning his name.
Hed thought hed play the gentleman. Get her used to him. Then take her.
Idiot. Hed wasted time playing the good guy when the woman was hanging out with the undead.
He wouldnt make the same mistake again.
If Miranda wanted to take a walk on the wild side, she could damn well walk with him.
It wasnt like she could find a guy much wilder, anyway. He could get downright primal and knew that with her, he probably would.
Uh, Miranda? You gonna be all right tonight? The question came from the uniformed deputy with the buzz-cut red hair, a fellow who apparently thought he was in charge. Miranda had called him Sam. Cain had no idea what the guys last name was.
Her head lifted, and he caught sight of the bruises, scratches, and bite marks on her neck. His hand clenched. Oh, yeah, hed be finding that vamp. Very, very soon.
You didnt catch him, she said, and sounded both alarmed and disgusted by that fact.
Of course they hadnt. Humans werent equipped to track vampires. Not like he was. Cain knew he should have run full force into those woods after him, and if the deputies hadnt trained their guns on him, he would have.
Then Miranda wouldnt be sitting there looking furious and afraid.
But neither he nor Miranda had confided to the deputies about her dates true nature. Cain hadnt spoken up because he knew the uniformed men wouldnt believe him.
Was Miranda keeping silent for the same reason? Or was something else holding her tongue?
Sam crossed to her side and put a hand on her shoulder.
Cain frowned at the man.
I can keep a patrol car in the area. Weve got an all-points bulletin out for him
Like that would do anything.
Weve fixed your door
Okay. His fault. Cain winced at the reminder. But when hed heard Mirandas scream and caught the scent of her blood on the wind, hed been frantic to get to her side.
He barely remembered kicking open the door.
You didnt fix it, she muttered. You pretty much just nailed the thing shut.
A cough from Sam. Well, you can go in the back, cant you?
Miranda sighed and shrugged off his hand. Then she rose, holding tight to the railing.
Hes not going to come back, Miranda. Hed be an absolute fool to head this way again.
Unfortunately, most of the vamps Cain had met were fools. Or sadistic killers.
IIts all right, Miranda said. Ill put on the alarm and
Oh, hell, no. Cain marched toward her. Breathed in the sweet honeysuckle scent the woman carried, caught the richer smell of her blood. Youre not staying alone. Not until hed caught that vampire.
A frown appeared between her brows. There was only a little moonlight trickling down on them, but her porch light shone brightly on the small area.
Yet even if it had been pitch black, he would have been able to see her almost perfectly. One of his kinds little gifts.
He caught her hand. Became aware of just how small and delicate she was. He could crush her bones with a careless touch.
But hed never be careless with a human female.
And certainly not with her.
She licked her lips and the sensual swipe of her pink tongue had his cock swelling. Whwhat are you proposing?
The deputy glared at him.
My place. His bed, but theyd get to that later. You can have the guest room, and you wont have to worry about that vamah, jerk coming back.
She blinked at him. Damn, but he loved that womans eyes. Thats very kind of you
Kind. He snorted. If the woman knew just how many hot and heavy fantasies hed been having about her, the last word shed use to describe him would be kind. Baby, I want you safe. I dont care what Sam here sayshe jerked his thumb toward the glowering humanbut that creep could be back. And he didnt want to take any chances with Mirandas life.
Damn. Why had the woman been with that guy?
Theres no reason for him to come Sam began.
Mirandas the reason. The perfect temptation. Sensual woman. Sweet blood. How could the vampire resist?
How could he? Especially once he got lovely Miranda locked inside his house?
The beast within began to growl.
He could easily hear the sound of her indrawn breath. Even over the dizzying call of the insects. The mutters of the men. The racing of his own heart.
Then she was pulling her hand away. Easing down the steps.
Running?
Forcing his gaze to break its lock on her, Cain surveyed the area. A large lake separated his place from Mirandas. The woods surrounded their homes, effectively cutting them off from the rest of the town.
To the right, the way the vampire had fled, waited swamps. Alligators. Snakes.
If he was lucky, maybe one of them would attack the parasite.
Maybe.
Miranda, if you want to stay with someone, you can stay with me, Sam said, raising his voice and catching Cains attention.
Oh, hell, no. Not one of his options. Bad enough he had to compete with a bloodsucker to get the ladys attention. He didnt want to go against some kind of hick deputy.