Chandler: Books 4 The Witch and the Vampire (13 page)

Chapter Twenty-five

The doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of someone at the front door of the house.
Chandler
put aside his pen and pushed out of the leather desk chair. As he headed toward the main entrance of the house, he sensed Jada’s presence on the front porch. He smiled, pleased she had come to him.

“Guess what our search turned up in Collins’s club?” She whisked through the door, a wide smile on her face.

His efforts last night had paid off. He hid his delight that the matter was finally coming to an end and led her into the living room. “You seem greatly pleased.”

“I am. We found a dozen crates filled with stolen paintings. We have all the evidence we need to convict him and his gang of stealing and trafficking in stolen art.” She sighed and smiled. “I should get a promotion when this case is wrapped up. I sure as hell deserve it.” She stifled a shiver. “I hope to hell I never have to go undercover again.”

Chandler
laughed softly and pulled her into his arms. “You mean you wouldn’t want to go undercover with me?”

She giggled and splayed her fingers across the muscles of his chest. “You’re talking about sheets and blankets, right?”

He nodded and bent his head to kiss her lips.

She returned his kiss, then pulled back. Her brows wrinkled. “I have these foggy memories about last night, at my house. Will you tell me what happened?”

He thought for a moment before speaking. He couldn’t tell her he had destroyed the only thing in the world that he feared,
Johannes
, or that the old vampire had deliberately pursued her just to wind up taking her life or turning her into a creature of the night and commanding his will over her. “You took a bath, I came over, you sent me away.”

She frowned at him. “That doesn’t make any sense,
Richard
.”

A surge of joy sprang up inside his body. She had called him
Richard
twice now. Perhaps she had no memory of anything that took place last night. He studied her face, looking for traces of the spell
Johannes
had placed her under. Her eyes seemed just as bright and assessing as he remembered, her lips appeared just as full and inviting. His gaze traveled along her throat, identified the remnants of where he had bitten her the day before, then lowered to the front of her blouse. Her big tits heaved as she released a somewhat impatient sigh at his overt assessment of her.

“Stop looking at my tits.” She combed one hand through her hair, pushing the long mass over one shoulder. “Do all men think with their dicks?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I can’t answer for every man, but—”

“Never mind, dammit! Just tell me what happened at my house last night. I found ashes all over the bathroom and every damn bottle of perfume I own was broken to bits. Even the damn towels were destroyed.”

“I’ll replace everything you lost. I promise.”
Damn!
Johannes
’s ashes were still in the room?

“You can come over and clean the bathroom. I have a feeling you were the one who made the mess.” She smiled slightly.

He nodded his head. Apparently she had surprised him a few minutes too soon when she burst through the door with her gun drawn. He had to smile. The memory of her exploding into the room clad only in a towel and brandishing a weapon was one sight he would never forget. Had it not been for the urgency of his task, he would have enjoyed removing her towel and having his way with her. A ripple of lust raced through his insides.

He pulled her back into his arms and pressed her against his chest. He nuzzled her neck with his nose, drawing in the sweet fragrance of her hair and skin. He could hear her heart beating, a steady rhythm that echoed into his chest cavity.

“
Richard
? Tell me what happened.”

He tightened his arms around her waist and kissed her cheek.
She keeps calling me
Richard
. Maybe
Johannes
’s spell erased her memory altogether.
“You had a visitor and I interrupted his plans.”

“A visitor?” She pushed out of his arms and clasped one hand over her mouth. “I don’t remember a thing. Was it
John
Collins
? Did he come to my house? Is he back in town?”

Chandler
shook his head. “You’ll never see him again.”
And that’s the truth, Jada.

“I knew that son-of-a-bitch would find a way to escape before we could arrest him. What happened? Did you just let him leave?” Her brows lifted in question.

“Not exactly. But he’s gone. You can stop looking for him. You’ll never find him.”
Unless you somehow guess the ashes scattered around your bathroom are his remains.
He mentally halted his words before he relented and shared his good news about
Johannes
’s annihilation with her.
Maybe someday.

“That’s strange. We arrested two of his accomplices in the raid and they were both found dead in their cells. And then we found another of his associates dead in the back room of the club.” She shook her head. “I guess
John
Collins
was more dangerous than anyone realized.”

How true!
“You found the stolen art. You have enough evidence to wrap up the case. You can move on now, Jada.” He stared at her and hoped he was putting an end to her questioning.

She nodded suddenly. “I don’t have to get on stage and bare my ass anymore. I’m actually looking forward to my next assignment.” She walked back into his arms. “And I’m looking forward to getting to know you.” She sighed. “I have bits and pieces of memories of you, of us in bed, of the great sex.” She tipped her head back, staring up into his face. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”

His senses jolted. He splayed his hands across her back and dragged in a long breath.
Things might work out after all.
He pressed her breasts against his chest and savored her warmth. Glancing out the front window, he saw it was daylight once again. He had managed to stay up all night and, come the morning, felt no inclination to sleep. He closed his eyes and rejoiced in the feel of Jada’s body clasped tightly in his arms, pressing against his cool body. He had destroyed
Johannes
, and miraculously discovered that the secret of existing in the daylight was to just drink more blood to keep his body rejuvenated.

 
And Jada had just confessed she might be falling in love with him.
Would she change her mind when she finds out what I am?
There was time remaining to bring her around, convince her that loving a vampire wasn’t too different than loving a mortal man.
Bullshit!
He had a new identity. And Jada didn’t have any memory of his real name.

“Take me to bed.”

Her voice was low and sultry. She pressed her breasts into his chest and lowered her hands to grasp his buttocks. His cock began to harden immediately with thoughts of lying with her and thrusting his hardness inside her hot body. He released a quivering sigh as happiness filled his big body.
I will have to find my brothers and tell them of
Johannes
’s demise so they can stop looking over their shoulders in fear of him.

Jada raised her hands and tangled her fingers in the long hair at his nape. She pulled his head down and pressed her mouth firmly against his. The kiss rocked his senses.

“Take me to bed,
Richard
. I want the man I love to fuck me senseless.”

Her words echoed in his ears. He gazed down into her upturned face, identifying the look of love in her eyes. He raised one hand and trailed a fingertip softly across her cheek. “Jada, I love you. You’re beautiful and sexy. You’re the woman I want to spend eternity with.”
We’ll discuss that little aspect of our relationship a little later.

“Do I have to pull my gun and march you to the bedroom?”

Bedroom? Damn! Which one of those rooms has a bed in it?
“How do you feel about being laid on the couch?”

Jada giggled and pushed him toward the living room. “I have a feeling this relationship is going to be filled with surprises.”

About the Author

I began writing freelance almost twenty years ago and eventually my short stories became longer. The characters seemed to take over and draw their stories out. I first submitted a novella length story to Extasy Books in 2003 and it was accepted. That was Captive Heart, the historical romance now on the site. I have thirteen titles with Extasy Books. New ideas come to mind every day and some of them find their way on to the computer screen. When I’m not writing, I enjoy traveling with my husband
Dave
.

Fawn can be reached at this email:

[email protected]

Fawn’s website is located at:

http://www.geocities.com/[email protected]/mypage.html