Not What She Seems (14 page)

“Isn’t she? I beg your pardon, ladies, but I think it’s time we get going- if it’s fine with you, of course, Sylvia.”

“Of course, it’s getting late, isn’t it? Ladies, a pleasure meeting all of you.” Before she could make her exit with Mason, she found business card after business card being thrust into her hands as the ladies gave her their contact information so that they might get together in the future.

“Mason?” Marjory tore away from the group and followed them to the door as the attendant retrieved Sylvia’s stole. “I’d love for
you two to come for brunch at our country house next weekend.”

Mason looked to Sylvia before answering, trying to glean her re
action to the invitation. She was touched by his consideration and nodded oh-so subtly to indicate her approval.

“We’d love to, Marjory.”

“Good. It’s settled then. It’s a bit of a trip, actually, and it’s so lovely out there this time of the year- why don’t you plan to spend the day?”

“It sounds wonderful. N
ext weekend it is.” He took Sylvia’s hand in his and she fought the urge to kiss him then and there. Oh, what that man could do to her with a simple touch.

They bid Marjory goodbye and headed
outside to the waiting limo. The paparazzi were still present, shouting out questions and snapping photos as they climbed into their ride.

Sylvia settled down on the seat and Mason slid in next to her. He was close, so very close,
much closer to her than he had been on their ride to the gallery.

“So what did you think?”

“I think it was a lovely evening,” she replied simply as he slung his arm over her shoulder. Inspiration struck her and she feigned innocence as she removed her stole so her shoulders were bared.

“It was my grandmother’s and
I don’t want anything to happen to it,” she explained by way of an excuse.

He
slid his arm back around her and rested his warm palm flush against her naked skin. Tiny currents of electricity sizzled through Sylvia’s body from the skin to skin contact.

“It was a lovely evening, wasn’t it? I must admit, I wasn’t bored at all with you there, and I usually find these types of things extremely boring.”

Sylvia leaned forward and made a pair of martinis before passing one to him and settling back against him.

“Thanks. Are you in a hurry to get home? Feel like going for a drive?”

“I’m in no hurry at all. A drive sounds nice.”

Mason called the driver over the intercom and instructed him to just drive around the city for the time being. He turned his attention back to Sylvia.

“So next Sunday at Marjory’s is all right with you?”

“Of course.
She seems like a wonderful woman. Where does she live? I know she mentioned her country house.”

“Yes, she and her husband live here in Boston, but they keep a home in Peterborough, New Hampshire, for quick getaways to take a break from the city. It’s gorgeous up the
re, out in the mountains.” He placed his drink down sat up to turn to face her. He kept one hand on her shoulder and began lightly stroking the tendrils of blond hair near her face with the other.

Sylvia’s breath caught in her throat as desire raced through her. She wanted this man, this Innocent, more than she had ever wanted any man before. Here
she was, alone with him after the best evening out she’d had in a long time. The kiss was coming, she could feel it. She just had to be patient.

“Everyone loved you tonight. I wouldn’t care if they didn’t, but they’re a tough group to impress, and everyone loved you.”

“I liked them too,” she whispered, scarcely trusting herself to speak. Her desire for him was threaded with worry. What if she did something wrong, something that scared him off and blew her chances with him?

Mason gently took her drink out of her hand and placed it
down before grasping her head with both hands. Time seemed to stop as they sat like that for a moment, with Sylvia holding her breath with anticipation, and Mason looking at her with genuine affection.

“You’re something else, you know that?”

She could stand it no longer. Her body sang with longing for Mason and she couldn’t take another moment without knowing how he tasted. Without thinking she leaned forward and planted her lips firmly against his.

Chapter 15

Mason stiffened in surprise for the briefest moment before returning the kiss. He wound his fingers in her hair as she wrapped her arms around him, their mouths exploring each other tentatively at first but with an ever increasing need.

Sylvia’s head swam. She could feel the tiniest bit of his pure energy leaking into her and it thrilled her. Never had she fed except through intercourse. To find she could feed off him without actual sex was confusing and empowering all at once. He tasted pure, like his energy. Like sunshine, and ocean breeze, and freshly cut meadows. The sensations that washed over her as they kissed overcame her and she began to rub his chest through his tuxedo, hungry for more.

He
rose to meet her passion, kissing her with a fervor she had not anticipated. His mouth was insistent and soft all at once. She couldn’t recall a kiss such as this in all her centuries of seducing men. It made her giddy and she was eager for more. Doing what came naturally to her she moved her hands down, seeking to undo his pants.

Gently he grabbed her hand
s to stop her and broke their kiss. His eyes shone with the heat building up inside of him.

“Don’
t.” He pulled away from her and sat back against the seat as her heart fell and she silently chastised herself for pushing him too far. Her greediness for him had overtaken her common sense.

“I’m sorry, I
… I just need to take things a bit slower than that between us, okay?”

Sylvia sat back in silence, not daring to answer him. What could she possibly say to that? It wasn’t okay, she
wanted him now. She had spent all night tortured by his electric touch, dreaming of bedding him. Was he hung up the whole virginity thing? If he was saving himself for marriage she had a big problem on her hands.

He
sighed and turned his body back to her, watching her quietly until she dared to meet his gaze.

“I know it sounds cheesy, but it’s me, not you. Trust me, it’s not you.” Silence hung betwee
n them for a moment before he continued. “I feel like a fool, turning you down tonight, but I have my reasons. I don’t care to discuss them right now, if you don’t mind, but I have my reasons.”

She
nodded. “I can respect that,” she said softly. “We can go slow.”

“I’m probably the most foolish man in Boston right now, but it’s important to me
that we don’t rush these things. Thank you for your understanding. I like you, Sylvia, I like you a lot. I don’t want to ruin it by doing something impetuous.”

To her surprise he leaned over and kissed her again, but
this time it was sweet and slow. She met him eagerly but fought to keep herself in check as she absorbed a touch of his Innocent energy again. Finally she broke away, against her inner desires, but she felt it best to reign in her passion lest she push him too hard again.

Mason gazed at her intently, practical
ly glowing from their intimacy.

“I really
should be heading home.” She didn’t want the night to end but she knew she couldn’t stay pent up in the limo making out with him. Her willpower could only go so and she knew she was already pushing its limits. If she spent much longer kissing him, she didn’t trust herself to refrain from getting sexually aggressive with him again. It was clear to her that was not the way to pursue him. The best thing she could do would be to allow him to move forward with her when he was ready instead of throwing herself at him.

“Sure.” He
alerted the driver to take Sylvia back home. He took her hand in his and conflicting feelings plagued her. The larger part of her, the part that was used to running the show and doing as it pleased, wanted to spend the rest of their time together moving towards sex. The smaller part of her just wanted to enjoy the time they spent together without worry over sex or Lilith’s Challenge. The Hunter inside of her was at war with the human emotions long buried within her. Her desire for him was fierce but a softer part of her respected and even admired his need go slowly when it came to their sexual relationship. She could have kissed him all night, but she was happy to be with him even if they weren’t making out. He made her feel special for who she was, not just what she looked like or what was between her legs. No human had ever done that before. Her suitors always wanted to enjoy her physically and had little interest in anything outside of sleeping with her.

“Might I see you again soon, maybe somewhere we could actuall
y talk?” He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his calendar. “How’s Tuesday night? I’d love to take you to dinner.”

Sylvia pulled out her phone to check her calendar and stifled a gasp when she saw she had missed 53 calls and 17 texts from Keith. With Mason to distract her s
he had forgotten all about him.

“Tuesday would be great
,” she said brightly, trying to hide her unease at the thought of facing Keith when she got home.

“I’ll pick you up at seven, then?”

“That would be fine.”

The driver pulled up to the curb in front of her building and came around to open the door for them. Mason climbed out
first and then helped Sylvia out of the limo while the driver stood discreetly on the opposite side of the limo, facing away from them.

“I had a great time tonight, Sylvia. I’m sorry I couldn’t be m
ore attentive. Next time,” he promised.

She
waved her hand dismissively. “I understand you had business to attend to. It was fine. I had a great time tonight.”

He
leaned in and kissed her on the lips, his tongue lingering in her mouth before he pulled away. “Tuesday?”

“Tuesday.”
They parted ways and Sylvia was pleased to see he stood outside of the limo, watching until she was safely inside, before heading home himself.

~~~

In the elevator Sylvia read the first few of Keith’s increasingly panicked and hostile texts before deleting the lot without reading the rest of them. He was furious she had left, as she knew he would be. She dreaded the confrontation she knew was coming between them and hoped he had taken her advice and gone out for the evening himself.

No such luck.
Just as she began turning the key in her door to open it, he threw it open. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her, fire in his eyes. Sylvia stood frozen in place, waiting for the fire storm to begin.

“Come on in
, there’s no use loitering on the doorstep,” he snapped. “I know you just spent a night out on the town with some boyfriend or another while the Hunter’s on the loose, but by all means, stand there with your mouth hanging open some more.”

She
stepped inside and closed the door behind her before doing up all of the deadbolts. She kept her back towards Keith while her cheeks reddened. She didn’t want him to see how much his nastiness was upsetting her.

“Well? What do you have to say for yourself? Do you think it’s smart, ducking out of here by yourself right now?”

She turned slowly to face him. “I’m sorry, I had something I had to do, something you couldn’t come with me for.” Her voice was soft but strong as anger bubbled up within her. Who was he, anyway, to act as if she didn’t have the right to a life of her own, Hunter or no? She expected him to be upset about tonight, but she hadn’t expected him to insult her intelligence.

“I know
just what you had to do,” he snarled, “I can smell him all over you.”

Sylvia placed her clutch on the counter and went to the closet to hang up her stole. She refused to dignify that remark with a reply.

“So tell me, Sylv, did you do it? Did you ‘beat’ Elora at deflowering an Innocent? Was it worth risking your life over?” His voice crumbled on the last question.

S
he turned to him, wide eyed with surprise that he knew about the Challenge. “You know about that?”

“Don’t kid yourself,
everyone
knows about it. I just didn’t think you were foolish enough to put your claim on your territory above your safety.” He was close to her now, directly in front of her as she stood in front of the closed closet.

Be
fore she had time to react, he cupped her cheek in one hand. “You have no idea how worried I was about you. You just took off and left a note like everything’s fine. It’s not, Sylv. It’s dangerous out there for you alone.”

“I wasn’t alone.”

“No, I know. Your Innocent isn’t the Hunter, we all know that, but that’s not to say the Hunter won’t go after you with him around. I can’t keep you safe if you won’t let me.” His eyes searched hers and Sylvia melted, her anger over his fury forgotten. His concern was touching, and though she would never admit it, she knew he was right.