Don't Rush Me (Nora Jacobs #1)(10)

A man leans against this bedpost. For a moment, all I can do is stare as he slowly removes his tie and dress shirt. He appears to be in his late twenties to early thirties and is painstakingly attractive. His dark blond hair is pulled back into a short ponytail, and his dark eyes pop in contrast to his flawless pale skin. I swallow at the sight of his muscled chest and stomach, clearly defined beneath a tight white tank top.

The look of heat in his eyes leaves me breathless. The vision is so intense that it feels as if that needful gaze is directed at me. But it’s not. He’s staring at a woman standing in front of him. “I’m glad you’ve come to join us, Desi.” His voice is low, soft, and alluring. “Are you settling in all right? Have you been welcomed?”

“Of course, Sire.” Her voice trembles slightly, but I don’t think she fears him. She looks nervous, but hopeful. There is longing in her gaze. “Everyone has been wonderful and…” A blush rises in the woman’s cheeks, and she looks at her feet.

The man lifts her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. “And?”

“I’m glad that my presence here pleases you,” she whispers. “It’s an honor to be claimed by you.”

Heat sears from the man’s eyes, making both the woman and me shiver. The man strokes the woman’s arm, and she sucks in a breath, finding a moment of confidence. “Sire…” She opens the top button of her blouse and pulls back her collar, exposing her neck and shoulder. “If you are in need, I am yours.”

The man stiffens, causing my focus to fall to his stomach once again, and to all of the perfectly sculpted muscles there. He brushes his hand along her smooth skin and then buries his fingers in her hair. As he pulls her to him and places a soft kiss to the crook of her neck, he says, “It’s not blood I am in need of right now.”

His mouth falls to her collarbone and dips lower, exploring the skin exposed by her open blouse. She shudders. “I’m yours however you want me, Sire.”

He lifts his gaze, meets hers for a moment, contemplating, and then in a move so fast that he blurs, he rips off her blouse, spins her around, and slams her against the bedpost.

I try to escape the following show, but the stronger the vision, the more impossible it is to pull myself out. I’m forced to stand witness, and I can’t help the physical feelings that stir in me. It’s impossible to deny the appeal of this man—the grace and stamina he displays. There’s no question he will leave his partner in want of nothing.

As the woman reaches her climax, her lover finally allows himself to follow her, and in the exact moment of his release, he leans forward and sinks his teeth into the woman’s neck. Two screams shatter the air—the woman’s cry of ecstasy and my shriek of utter horror.

The scream rips from my lungs and finally pulls me from the vision. Alone in the lavish room once more, I release the bedpost and stumble back. I barely have time to let my eyes adjust before the bedroom door is thrown open and the man from my vision bursts through it, Parker following closely. “Nora?” Parker asks. “Are you all right? What happened?”

His panic lessens as his eyes sweep the room and find no danger present. My panic, however, increases a hundred times. I’m stuck in a room with two vampires, and I’m certain that one of them is the clan leader.

Parker steps toward me, but the man from my vision thrusts his arm out, blocking Parker’s path. “She seems fine, Parker.” The warmth that was in his voice in the vision is gone. He doesn’t look or sound angry, but his words to Parker feel like a warning. “Close the door.”

I flinch at the soft click the door makes when Parker shuts it, closing me in with them.

The man from my vision smiles at me. “Hello, Nora.” He says my name as if testing out the feel of it on his lips. “That’s a very beautiful name, love, for a very beautiful woman. I am Henry, and I’m very pleased to meet you.”

I give no reply. My heart is pounding so hard in my chest it’s painful. My eyes bounce back and forth between Henry and Parker. Parker is now standing by the door, acting as sentry and keeping me from running—as if I could run from these guys.

When Henry crosses the room to me, I dash away from him, placing myself behind one of the couches in the retreat area. It’s hardly a protective barrier, but I have no other options at the moment. My voice shakes as I say, “Stay away from me.”

Annoyance streaks across Henry’s face, but he stops coming toward me. “Have I hurt you? Touched you? Disrespected you in any way?”

He hadn’t. Not yet. But he would. It’s what his kind does. “How long was I out?”

“A good nineteen to twenty hours,” Parker mumbles.

“A day?” Parker winces at my screech. “I’ve been gone a whole day?” Damn it. I’ll be lucky if I still have a job when I get home. “Where are my shoes? I have to go.”

Henry’s voice stops me from looking around the room. “I’m afraid we can’t let you go yet, Nora.”

I freeze. In my panic about work, I’d momentarily forgotten who and what Henry is, and how I got here. “Why are you holding me hostage?”

Henry walks toward me again, and my stomach leaps into my chest. I glance at the window behind me. There’s a thick dark curtain blocking out all the light, so I have no idea if I could use it to escape. Even if I tried, Henry would catch me. Still, my brain can’t stop trying to come up with a solution.