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Catch reached across the table and took her hand. “That must have been hard.”

“They were the best parents.” Matty swallowed hard. “Kind and fun and always there for me. I was an only child and they were older when they had me. Mum had difficulty getting pregnant and they made me feel so special.”

“You were lucky.”

She watched his face. “Turner said you don’t have any brothers.”

Catch’s fork hovered over his plate. “I have brothers. Five of them.”

“But you didn’t play ball with them. That isn’t how you got your name.” It was only a guess, but Matty saw from the shadow that flashed across his face she was right.

“You don’t want to hear about my rotten life.” He forked eggs into his mouth.

“Yes, I do.”

“Well, sorry, princess, but I don’t want to tell you. I’d rather you believed that people were decent and honest and loved their kids and played ball with them.”

He’d been hurt and that made her angry. Matty knew she’d had a good life. Her parents had been rich by most people’s standards. She’d been to university. Had a good job. Had friends until it had all fallen apart.

“You said you’d tell me why you might get killed,” she said.

Catch nodded for more coffee and waited until the waitress had retreated.

“It’s what I do for a living. You saw my weapons. I’m a security specialist. Sometimes the jobs I do are risky.”

“Is that why you came to see Turner? Why you wanted him safe in his room? Is he in danger?”

She stared at him as he weighed his response.

“He might be,” Catch said. “A couple of people recently released from prison might come after him.”

Matty didn’t ask her next question. What happens after that? What right did she have to expect anything from Catch or Turner? One night of sex—fantastic though it was—didn’t bind them for life. What was life anyway? For all Matty knew, she could disappear at any moment and not even Turner and Catch would be able to see her. The best thing for everyone was to live in the moment, and Matty would take what she could, when she could. Better to enjoy what she had than mourn for what she’d lost or for what might have been.

“Ready to go shopping?” Catch asked.

She plastered a smile on her face.

He kissed her cheek. “You can buy whatever you like. But not fur.”

Matty started to laugh, but for once, Catch looked deadly serious.

He glanced at the sky and swore as they stepped out of the cafe. Matty looked up. The sun was about to emerge from behind a cloud. Wasn’t that a good thing?

“Where’s the mall?” he asked.

“’Round the corner.”

Her feet hardly touched the ground as he raced her there, but once they were inside, he slammed to a halt.

“What was that about?” she asked, panting.

“Got to make the most of our time,” he said with a sheepish grin.

She raised her eyebrows. A guy who wanted to shop? Maybe this would be fun. Then Matty thought of something she was pretty sure wouldn’t have occurred to Catch and bit back a smile.

“In here.” Matty pulled him into a woman’s clothing store.

Within moments, she’d filled his arms with dresses, jeans, skirts and tops.

“You want to buy all these?” he whispered.

No.
“Maybe, but I have to try them on first.”

“Fine. You take them.” He tried to pass them back to her.

Matty turned to a rail of sweaters. “I’ve not finished looking yet.”

She kept piling clothes onto Catch until finally an assistant headed in his direction.

“Can I help you?” asked a girl as thin as a stick insect.

Catch opened his mouth, closed it again and glared at Matty as reality dawned. She burst out laughing.

“You want to buy all of those?” the girl asked, her eyes wide.

For a moment, Matty wondered if Catch would call her bluff and do exactly that.

“I need to try them on,” Matty said.

“She— I need to—” He glared at Matty and mouthed, “Bitch.”

“Need to…?” The assistant raised her eyebrows.

“Try them on.” Catch tightened his lips.

The girl gulped.

“Is there a problem?” Catch’s face was rigid.

The assistant shook her head so hard Matty expected it to keep wobbling after she stopped. It was fun teasing Catch.

“This way. Usually you’re only allowed five items but…um…you can use the changing room we reserve for customers with…special needs.”

Catch opened his mouth and then closed it again.

“It’s bigger,” the assistant said. “More…private. ’Round the corner.”

Once he was inside the cubicle with the armful of clothes, the girl cleared her throat. “If you need a different size, just hang the garment on the outside.”

“Thanks.” Catch grabbed Matty’s arm, yanked her inside and closed the door.

They both heard the hurried whispers and the following snorts of laughter.

“You little witch,” he whispered. “The whole store will think I’m a transvestite in a minute. Thank fuck I don’t live in this town.”

Matty laughed and slid her arms around his neck. “Guess what?”

His brow furrowed. “What?”

“I need something from the shop next door. New underwear. Bra, panties…maybe thongs. ’Fraid I’ll need to try them on.”

Catch glared and finally laughed.

Matty pushed him toward the seat in the corner. “Tell me what looks nice.”

The moment she stripped to her underwear, Catch’s brain raced south along with his blood supply. His cock wrapped his zipper in a headlock and he bit back a groan of discomfort. Why hadn’t he helped himself to a pair of Turner’s boxers? Matty bent to pick a hanger from the floor—the little vixen took her time about it—and the prolonged view of her curvy butt made his mouth water.

Catch offered the same response to everything she put on. “Nice, try something else.” Because all he wanted was to see her standing there in that little pink bra that was a size too small and made her breasts look humongous, and that flimsy strip of lace that didn’t cover her butt.

“How you doing in there?” called a voice outside the door.

“Great,” Catch said, and snagged Matty’s arm before she could pick up another item of clothing.

“Need me to see if they look okay?” the girl asked.

Catch didn’t miss the snort from farther down the corridor. “Nope, I’m fine, thanks.”

He pulled Matty to stand between his legs and pressed his face into her breasts.

“Need anything bigger?” the assistant shouted.

“Nope.” Catch grabbed Matty’s butt, nudged down one of her bra cups with his cheek and wrapped his mouth around her nipple. When he lightly bit down, she yelped.

“People will hear,” she whispered.

He smiled. “You can be neither seen nor heard.”

“It’s you I was thinking of.”

He furrowed his brow. What—?

“Interesting mirror,” Matty said. She dropped to her knees and looked up at him. “Stand with your back to the door.”

Catch jumped up. “Oh Christ.” He had a perfect view in the three-way mirror. Another reason to be grateful he was only part vampire. He could see himself just fine.
And
the princess kneeling at his feet in her underwear. His desire ratcheted up like a roller coaster. When she flipped open the button on his pants and eased down his zipper, his cock sprang out and nearly hit her face.

“I knew I needed a whip and chair,” she said, and he laughed.

Matty tugged on his pants until they fell to his feet. Catch ripped off his jacket and yanked the shirt over his head. Matty laid her palms on his thighs, slid out her tongue and licked the sticky pre-cum from the head of his cock. Catch moaned. He didn’t know where to look, at Matty or in the mirror. The mirror won and the view sent a sharp pang of desire galloping down his spine.

Another lick by her hot tongue and as she leaned forward, her breasts touched his thighs. The hard peaks of her nipples made Catch long to wrap his lips around them. The way her backside went up and down, the feel of her hands, her hot mouth, her hair brushing his belly—if all that wasn’t enough, he was drugged on the scent of her. Flowers, sex, sunshine. With one slender finger she traced the line of the thickest vein on his erection and then stroked his balls with her thumb.

After a bone-melting smile, Matty opened her mouth wide and enveloped his cock head.

“Jesus Christ,” Catch gasped.

“Okay in there? Need any help with zippers?” shouted the girl.

“Nope. I’m good,” he said in a half-strangled voice.

Matty let him out again, letting the tip of his cock slide slowly off her outstretched tongue, and Catch shivered. She sucked one of his balls into her mouth and teased it with her tongue, rolling the delicate orb around, shifting it back and forth with exquisite gentleness until Catch didn’t think he could stand it another moment. With perfect timing, she let him out with a soft pop and kissed her way back up his shaft.

“Suck me,” he whispered. “Hard.”

Catch threaded his fingers in her hair as she lowered her mouth over him. He watched as fraction by fraction his cock disappeared between her lips. He was too big for her to take all of him, but it didn’t lessen his excitement. The feel of her lips tightening, her mouth sucking as if she were drawing blood to that point from everywhere else, had him gasping for air. His veins sizzled, his organs played chase around his body, and when she raised her head to meet his gaze, he almost came.

“Matty. Princess. Angel,” he whispered. “That is so good.”

She tightened her throat around his shaft and began to slide her mouth up and down. Catch was desperate to keep his eyes open. He didn’t want to miss a thing. He wanted to empty himself into her—
Ah
. One thing he needed to check.

“Matty, you can’t eat. Can you swallow?”

She shook her head.

“Want me to pull out?” Spray the mirror, the ceiling, the floor? All three?

She shook her head again and the breath juddered out of his lungs. Catch liked the feel of that twisting movement on his cock head. He dropped his hands from her head to her neck and stroked the thin skin with his thumbs. Matty somehow took in more of him than he’d thought possible, and Catch could feel his cock moving in her throat. He caught sight of his wide-eyed delight in the mirror and the telltale tingle in his balls gave him the fifteen-second warning.

As Matty worked her magic, Catch slipped into a trough of bliss. His head fogged and all he could think about was her mouth, her lips, her tongue and her sweet face looking up at him. The switch tripped in his brain and orgasm pounded down his spine. His cock swelled and then jerked, spraying cum into her mouth. Catch couldn’t stop the deep groan bursting from his lips.

“Is there something wrong?” asked the girl outside the door.

Matty pulled back and he watched his cum dribbling from her lips.

“In an agony of indecision,” Catch said. “Can’t decide…which suits me best. Blue or pink.”

Matty laughed, grabbed a pink t-shirt from the floor and wiped her mouth.

“The pink,” Catch said. “I’ll keep it on if that’s okay.”

Chapter Nineteen

Turner had been disappointed to find neither Matty nor Catch in the house when he woke. Disappointment turned to aggravation when he picked up the note pushed through the letterbox.

Looking forward to seeing you tonight. Hope you haven’t forgotten to bake a cake for the auction. The cake judging will take place at seven in the marquee. Save me a dance? Diana.

Turner wasn’t sure what appalled him more—the idea of making a cake, judging a cake competition or dancing with anyone. Except maybe Matty or Catch. He wished he had Catch’s grace but he didn’t.

In the kitchen, Turner flung open the fridge and drank without thinking. In an ideal world, he’d have found the chance to tell Catch privately what he’d discovered about Matty. Then without admitting what they were up to, the two of them could have made a reconnaissance trip to check that it was indeed her in the hospital. Now Turner didn’t feel he could leave Milford until he’d at least judged the damn competition. The situation with Matty was unlikely to change anytime soon, but if he was to continue his research, Turner
did
have to live in this village and needed to be on the right side of the locals. There should still be enough time to get to the hospital and back without having to suffer the indignity of traveling in the trunk. Only—what to tell Matty?

Turner looked at the three empty Plasmix bags and smiled, knowing why he’d needed the extra energy. Last night had been…perfect. He could still scarcely believe it had happened, and he’d always remember it as the best time of his life. And if he wanted another best time, he had to ensure Catch and Matty weren’t around just in case Gabriel and Dava turned up.

When
they turned up.

Despite Gabriel having been found guilty and the passage of twenty years, support for Purelight lingered like a bloodstain. If one knew where to look, it was easy to find those who still believed what Gabriel had preached, those who thought the books a vampire bible, despite the Court’s ruling. Of course it was always possible that Gabriel wanted nothing more to do with Purelight. Though Turner’s guess was once the fraudster realized it was less effort to continue with what he’d started rather than move to something new, he’d slide back onto his original track. This time he’d just be more careful.

No doubt Gabriel
would
come to ask him about the books. Turner needed him to, so all this was over for good one way or the other. He’d seen Turner working on the translations and asked him why he was copying the old writing out as well. Turner had made up some lie about insurance and not wanting to miss a single word when he’d been more interested in adding a few extra and taking a few out, but he knew Gabriel wouldn’t have forgotten.

Turner had added details to lead others astray and well away from the direction he’d taken. Working for Gabriel had shown Turner how easily truth could be hidden within lies. But his plan to let Gabriel wrestle the diaries out of him only worked if Turner had the damn things. The suspicion that kept surging up his throat to choke him was that Catch had taken them.