[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

the room.
33
Cindy Spencer Pape
My skin warmed I knew he was talking about me and his open admiration made
me smile.  Isn t this room a risky place to sleep for a vampire?
 Every piece of glass in this house has full ultraviolet protection built into it. The
windows are on a timer they ll close a half-hour before sunrise. As a backup, the
blackout shutters are on a UV sensor. I m also a very light sleeper. The first touch of
sunlight and I wake up before I take any serious damage. But we can close things
manually if it will help you sleep more comfortably. He wrapped his arms around my
waist and leaned his cheek on the top of my head. Since I m tall especially for a
woman from my era I didn t find too many older immortals who were taller than me.
 No, the breeze is lovely. I leaned back against him and sighed with contentment.
 Thank you, Dermott, for everything. I can t believe you went to all this trouble, just for
me.
 Ah, Jess. This is only the beginning of what I d do for you.
* * * * *
I woke alone in the big, incredibly comfortable bed. The blackout shutters covered
the windows, but Dermott had left the bathroom light on, so I had enough illumination
to see by. Vampires can see in near-dark, but we have to have some light for our eyes to
work with. Before I d fallen asleep in his arms, he d told me that the bottom cabinet of
the bedside table was actually a fridge, stocked with bagged blood. I pulled one out,
pierced the bag with a fang and quickly drained it. A glance at the clock told me it was
five p.m. I d slept for eleven hours. No wonder I felt so refreshed. According to a note
in the bathroom, Dermott had unpacked my bag while I slept, so after another shower,
this time washing my hair, I stepped into the walk-in closet.
These weren t my clothes. Oh, they were my size, and I could tell they were all
brand new, but my girlfriends had pulled a fast one. Instead of the conservative
clothing I usually wear, one section of Dermott s closet held skimpy, slinky things I d
have never purchased in a hundred years. Clearly Dani s work.
34
Just for Jess
I reached out and touched a simple sundress. Ah, Dani did have good taste in
fabrics. The sky-blue cotton was spattered with fuchsia orchids. The weave was so fine
it was almost like silk. The bodice had a built-in bra, so all that would be required
underneath was a pair of panties. I couldn t wait to see what my friends had provided
in that department. Fortunately, Dermott had left a sticky note on one of the built-in
drawers that simply had my name on it. I opened it to find enough sexy underwear to
outfit a very upscale bordello.
With a rueful grin, I settled on a stretchy cotton thong in a matching blue. I didn t
bother with makeup or jewelry this was supposed to be a restful getaway after all
just padded downstairs barefoot to see what Dermott and his feline friends were up to.
The open great room was beautiful. The polished hardwood floors were pale, and
the furniture was comfortable and casual in shades of cream and turquoise with accents
of coral and lime. Sunlight streamed in through the yards and yards of UV-filtering
glass. Part of me longed to go out into the warm, semi-tropical sunshine, but I wasn t
suicidal. At least in the modern era I could enjoy sunlight through filters, which hadn t
been possible even thirty years ago.
The great room was empty, but I heard voices coming from an adjoining space, so I
turned the corner and spotted an archway leading to a spacious, gleaming kitchen. Two
of the brothers were in here, Christos sitting at a breakfast bar eating while the other
Elek, based on the shoulder-length hair caught in a ponytail at his nape, was cooking
something that smelled divine.
Christos stood as I approached the breakfast bar. He must have the hearing of,
well& a cat. I smiled at the errant thought and in response to the warm, welcoming grin
on his face.  Good evening, sunshine. You look even prettier now that you re rested.
How could a girl not be flattered when he spoke in such a fervent tone and his
amber eyes radiated sincerity? I decided not to let myself be flustered by their offer
from the night before and just enjoy their company. I took his outstretched hand and let
him help me up onto the stool beside his.  What s for breakfast? It smells wonderful.
35
Cindy Spencer Pape
 Elek s a professional chef. Christos fetched me a plate a fork from a cabinet
nearby.  Would you like orange juice? It s fresh Theron picked it up in Key Largo this
morning.
 That would be great.
He went to the fridge and pulled out an icy pitcher of juice. It was nice to be waited
on for a change, so I sat back and accepted the crystal goblet he handed me.
 What s on the stove is gumbo, but it won t be ready for a few hours. Elek finished
adding chopped vegetables to the pot and turned to beam at me.  I made pineapple-
pecan waffles for the others. Want some? There s batter left in the fridge. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]