Cleopatra's Return: A Paranormal/Vampire Romance (4 page)

But that would have to wait. Night waned. He needed to return to his abode lest the sun’s rays catch him in flight. But it didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy the journey home
, or the passenger he brought along with him.

As if flying were something she did every day, Cleo
calmly looked about as they flew at dizzying heights and speed. Did nothing daunt this woman? She didn’t cling to him in fright, although she did wrap her arms around his neck and press her body against his. But he’d wager she did that more because she suffered from the same attraction he did. With his enhanced senses, he could scent her arousal, a musky aroma that promised sweet delight. A delight he yearned to taste.

In short order they’d arrived at their destination.
Forget a hotel for this rare treasure. Much like a dragon would in the face of something precious, he took her to his home where he could guard, and seduce her.
Why am struck with an urge to mutter Mine, my precious.
He was no dragon or fictional character to covet a person. Yet covet her he did.

He set her down reluctantly on the front steps
, his arms already missing the lushness of her curves. With an expression that gave nothing away, he waited for her inevitable question and then refusal to stay with him. Women could be so predictable he’d learned over the centuries.

“Your home I assume?” she asked
, glancing at the large dual door with its intricate metal knocker and the archaic carvings handcrafted into its wooden surface.

Inclining his head
in reply, he prepared to counter her argument against staying. But Cleo seemed determined to break the molds of those who’d come before her.

“
Thank you. The location appears perfect, as do the premises. If at all possible, I’d prefer an east-facing room, as I like to see the sun rising in the morning. Given your decision to act as host, and my lack of current amenities, then I would also like to request some clothing, but first a meal. I haven’t eaten in hours and find myself famished. Oh and toiletries please.” She wrinkled her nose delightfully. “I really need to wash the stench of brimstone off me. Such a pity Lucifer, with all his magic, can’t stop the sulfuric ash from raining on Hades.” She’d no sooner finished her list of requests than the doors swung open and his butler prepared to greet them. Without any hesitation or qualms, she swept inside, regally, every inch the queen. Never mind she’d long ago lost her throne. It appeared habit held sway, and he couldn’t stem his grin of amusement.

I believe I’m about to kiss boredom goodbye because I have a feeling my life is about to take an interesting turn
.
He couldn’t wait.

As Cleo took imperial command of the situation, she noted Michael’s amused grin, which replaced his previous one of speculation.

She wasn’t stupid.
It didn’t take much mental work to realize he expected her to protest the accommodations and, after token resistance, accept. Screw that. She hadn’t become a queen of manipulation by doing what people expected. Besides, if she expected to receive respect, especially from his staff, then she needed to enter his home on a position of power, tenuous as it was.

When it came to assigning roles and perceptions in people
’s minds, confidence was more than half the battle.

Cleo had tons of confidence, or as Lucifer used to say, “You’ve got the giant fucking balls of a fire drake.”
But that was pretty much all she had at the moment.

She’d arrived on this plane with only the clothes on her back. She didn’t doubt she’d soon reconnect with the riches she had stashed
. However, in the meantime, it didn’t hurt to accept the help of an attractive man.

Accept
, but never give the impression she was beholden.

W
hen she came to his bed, for she had no doubt that was where they would end up—she’d noticed his impressive erection pressing against her during their thrilling night flight—she wanted to cement her position as an equal, not chattel.

Head held high, s
he swept into the impressive mansion and stood silently waiting in front of the butler, a staid fellow dressed in starched tails. She arched a brow at Michael, who grinned unabashedly. “Chester, please prepare the golden room for Cleopatra, former queen of the Nile and my most honored guest.”

Cleo gasped as he let her indirectly
know that he was well aware of her identity. And yet, he’d still brought her home.

What game is he playing?
Suspicion roused its familiar head. A lifetime of attempted assassinations and plots made her leery of trusting anyone but herself. Did he have a motive in bringing her to his home? What else did he know but hide?

T
he time to ponder those questions and more would have to come later, as she currently need to lay the framework for her stay. “Hello, Chester. As I was just telling your master outside, I have a few needs that I am sure you can easily accommodate.” She gave him a list of demands, including a few extra she hadn’t mentioned outside, such as the need of a chauffeur the following day to run errands and for a list of establishments where she might outfit herself.

Her host
watched her order his man with hooded eyes as he leaned back against the door, arms crossed over his impressive chest. His presence distracted her, especially since she could now see him clearly in the light and by all the sinners in Hell—of which there were many—he was gorgeous.

His hair
, whose color she’d been unable to decipher in the dark, turned out to be a dark blond with lighter streaks giving it a sun-kissed look. His face proved comprised of chiseled planes, full sensuous lips, and eyes dancing with mirth. His was a timeless manly look that reminded her of the Vikings of old—randy, violent fellows in and out of the bedroom, but loyal if given a firm hand. Michael’s body was muscled and covered in clothing that begged for a helping hand to strip him.

My hand.

Desire thrummed through her body, and her already damp sex pulsed. It longed for someone to touch it.
For Michael to touch it, with his tongue then his cock.

How
long had it been since she’d felt such sexual need?
I can’t even remember the last lover who could arouse my body with only his presence.
She regarded him almost hungrily, a meal for the savoring, but she mustn’t seem too eager—too slutty. Nothing turned a man off quicker than a woman who was too forward.

A man enjoyed the chase. S
he would have to hold her libido in check, wait for him to seduce her. Hopefully it wouldn’t take too long.

So much for my vow about not getting involved with a man, but maybe this time, since I only have myself to offer and not a kingdom
loaded with riches, it will be different. Just once I would like to take a lover not because I need protection or because of threats but just because I want to fuck him until we’re both too sore to move.

She
missed the intimacy and pleasurable rush that came of hot, sweaty sex with a man she actually enjoyed.

Michael
seemed perfect for the task. Pleasing to the eye, courtly in his manners, and, best of all, already powerful which meant perhaps, for once, she’d have a lover who wasn’t in her bed trying to manipulate her.

Her demands given to the butler, she didn’t wait for Michael to offer
a tour. She just walked into the nearest room to check it out. She entered a plush living room sectioned into multiple seating areas, including an area of fabric-cushioned couches and love seats forming a circle. Wingback chairs were grouped around a low table, upon which sat a chessboard, the pieces in play. A baby grand piano sat in a corner, and a fire crackled hotly in a stone-faced fireplace.

Warmth.
Cleo walked until she stood in front of the flames, heating limbs chilled from their night flight. The heat, though, was nothing compared to the inferno building in her.

What is it about Michael that attracts me so? Not since Julius have I felt this kind of attraction and
sexual need.
It both troubled and excited her. She’d forsworn men after Marc Antony—his abuse made her hate males who thought a cock gave them the right to control her. Besides, the pickings in Hell were slim. Her few sexual escapades when her frustration became too much had occurred with ordinary men whom she met on her excursions earth side and a few in Hell who could advance her cause.

Since meeting Michael
, though, she had a feeling, a gut instinct really, that her long years of solitude were coming to an end.
Has the time finally come for me to move on from my past and try for a new life, a new partnership with a man?

A
part of her said no, as one of the reasons she had for abstaining from a relationship was the futile hope that she would one day find her first love, Julius Caesar. A fruitless wish, for after his death, she’d never seen him again, not even once during her sojourn in Hell. She’d always wondered if Julius had somehow made it to Heaven. A baffling thought because his crimes had been as great, if not greater, than her own.

She sensed more than heard
Michael glide to a stop behind her, a tall, dark presence at her back that weakened her knees. With an iron will she’d cultivated over hundreds of years, she steeled herself against his allure, only to sag helplessly when his breath tickled her neck. His arms caught her around the waist as he nuzzled the soft skin under her ear, his lips tugging at her lobe.

“Cleo.” He purred her name like a term of endearment
. She couldn’t help a girlish sigh. “I’ve just met you, and yet already I sense we shall have a marvelous time together, both in bed and without.”

She stiffened at his brazen words.
“I think you assume too much.”

He chuckled, the sound sending shivers up her spine and weakening her legs even further
. She let her head fall back against him, and he brushed his lips across the exposed expanse of her neck as he whispered, “My feisty little queen. You can deny me aloud all you want. I can smell your desire. Feel it.” His hands slid up her ribcage to lightly cup her breasts, and she couldn’t halt a shiver. “You and I both know there is something special between us.”

“Do you use that pickup line on all the women you save from rampaging demons?” she asked
, more breathless than she liked.

“No.” His single word rang with sincerity.

“And you expect me to believe you? I’ve known you what? An hour, two? How do I know you’re not the biggest vampire player in town?”

“For one, I don’t usually ask. I take.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

He laughed
, and the soft rumble tightened her sex, and a tremor rocked her body. “Oh, Cleo. I don’t want to force you. I like your spirit. You carry about you an aura of danger and assuredness that I find most attractive.”

H
ow could words disarm and arouse her and with him barely touching her? “Such flattery. But I’ve heard pretty words before.” She spun in his arms and tilted her face to see his expression. His eyes practically smoldered, and his lips, oh his tempting lips, were curved in a lilt she wanted to kiss. “How do I know if I let you seduce me so easily that you will respect me in the morning?”

“
I fear that I will more than respect you. Let us not play games. I want you and for more than just a quick screw. At my age, I look for more than fleeting pleasure. I am seeking someone who will make me feel whole. Someone who is unafraid to be by my side. Who has the confidence to join me when I must attend events with others like me.”

“Arm candy?” She arched a brow. “Not selling it so far, Michael.” She let her lips curve into a teasing smile.

“If I wanted arm candy, I could mesmerize any number of woman. But I don’t want a mindless drone whose only thought is to please me. I am seeking a true partner. A woman who will share eternity with me as both friend and lover. One who will remind me what it is to feel again, live again.”

He hugged her tight as he spoke, a comforting embrace to go with his
flattering speech, but Cleo had heard thousands of compliments in her life, and even though his made her heart beat faster, she wasn’t about to believe him so easily. “And you think on the basis of a few conversations that I’m this woman you’ve been waiting for? Give me a break.”

“
I’ve learned to trust my instincts, but I can see how you would doubt. But time will tell. Actions will prove my intentions.”

“And
, by actions, you mean sex.”

His lips tickled along the sensitive skin under her ear lobe
, and she almost forgot to breathe. “Sex. Need. Arousal. I know you sense it, so why deny it? How long since you’ve desired someone? And yet, the moment you met me, the attraction was instantaneous. You feel yourself drawn to me just as I am to you.”

“For today
, but what of tomorrow?” He spoke the truth. She desired him. Crazy and out of character, given her long abstinence from emotional intimacy with men. But something about Michael, a virtual stranger and yet, at the same time, a spirit it felt like she’d known forever, drew her.