The Vampire Hunter. Michele HaufЧитать онлайн книгу.
me again.”
“Sounds good, in theory.”
“You really are skittish.”
He heaved out a sigh.
Zoë sensed a distraction from his deeper thoughts was a necessity. Leaning in, she lingered before his mouth, not touching, waiting to see if he would take what she offered. She dusted her lashes and they fluttered against his cheek.
Kaz’s kisses touched her lips, her cheeks, the lobes of her ears. He explored down her neck and skimmed his tongue across her breasts’ exposed curves. The square neckline did not allow for further access, and Zoë bemoaned the prim dress style.
But no. She did and she did not want to tear off clothing. While rushing into kisses, and tastes and touches could lead to sex, that was an entirely different chapter she hadn’t even gotten to yet. Happily ever after would come with patience and a slower turn of the page.
She didn’t want to scare him off. Especially when he’d confessed an urgent need for escape. Slow and exploratory felt right. Because she knew little about him, and suspected she had only peeled back the first layer of Kaspar Rothstein. Beneath, he harbored many layers that she would be wise to cautiously seek out and carefully explore.
The dryer beeped that the cycle had finished. Kaz nuzzled his kisses between her breasts and then up along her neck.
“You smell good. Peaches?”
“And cinnamon. You like? Men usually do like the food scents.”
“Speaking of which, I’m starving.”
“You should have finished the chia pudding.”
“Yeah, I’m not so into all that healthy stuff.”
“You should be.” She bent to kiss his pectoral. “You want to keep these muscles hard as rocks, you should feed them properly.”
“I eat well. Protein and veggies. But chia? That doesn’t sound remotely foodlike.”
“Okay, I’ll give you that. It does require a certain palate. I can make you some lunch. Or how about I take you out for a bite?”
“Are you talking about vampires now, because I’m not sure...”
“The bites I have to offer don’t involve fangs.”
“A lunch date?”
She nodded, hopeful for his positive answer. “We can go Dutch. Come on, hunter. I dare you to be seen in public with a creepy witch.”
His smirk wasn’t so horrible; in fact, it was sexy shy as his mouth gradually caught up to the smile that already beamed in his eye. “Lunch, it is.”
Chapter 5
Seated at a tiny table for two beside a window that overlooked the streets crowded with tourists, Kaz felt as if he were being watched. And not by the gorgeous witch across the table, who was digging into her crème brûlée. Her blue eyes flashed up to his and she smiled before forking in a generous bite.
“Want a taste?” She tilted her head. “Kaz? You seem distracted.”
“Uh, sure, I’ll take a bite. Anything that makes you smile that big must be great.”
She served him a taste.
Kaz didn’t indulge. Didn’t have the time for it. Since joining the Order ten years ago, his life had become disciplined, and his diet militant. Picard’s grocery was his usual stop for frozen meals he could pop into the microwave. He rarely ate in restaurants, unless he was on a date, and dates were few and far between because he never had a day off to actually meet women. He was always on call, which meant he didn’t hang out in nightclubs or bars.
Instead, he had to beat up vampires to get the girl.
Apparently, that method worked for him.
Zoë devoured the dessert, and Kaz split his attention between her and his surroundings. It was difficult to completely let down his guard in public. No wonder his relationships never lasted long.
What was a relationship?
Whatever it was, it was beginning to appeal more and more. Had she been in many? Did he appeal to her as much as she did to him? Could a knight ever attract a woman looking for stability? Did she want stability?
Well hell, who didn’t?
It had been a long time since he’d thought about that night Tor had found him behind Madame du Monde’s Dance Emporium, bloody chair leg clutched in his white-knuckled grip. Man, had his life taken a one-eighty for the better since then. Though, most certainly a strange turn.
“Is it something outside?” she asked. “I’ve not had your full attention since the salad. I’m sorry to bore you—”
Dragging his gaze from the window, Kaz forced himself to pay attention to the only thing that he should have in focus. “It’s not you, Zoë.” She was all kinds of pretty to command his attention. “Do you know how exciting it is watching you eat? I’m trying not to stare at you so much you want to start calling me a creep.”
“I could never do that. You’re too handsome to be creepy.”
He wished he’d never said that about witches. It would remain a sore spot for her, he felt sure.
“Do you ever feel like you’re being watched?” he offered as a means to change the conversation. “I can’t put a finger to it. I usually can tell when vampires are nearby. This feeling I’m having is...out there. That’s not a good way to explain it, but it’s the only words I can summon.”
She nodded knowingly, and set down her fork. “You’re sensitive to the paranormal breeds. That’s why you can feel it.”
“It? Feel what?”
“FaeryTown, of course.”
“Faery—”
While the Order had only touched on faeries during training, Kaz did know FaeryTown existed within Paris. It was sort of a fourth dimension overlaid upon the mortal realm. A place where faeries lived amongst mortals, yet could not be seen by them. It was also where vampires in the know went to get their dust fixes.
“Why didn’t you tell me where we were?” He darted his gaze around the small restaurant and out the window, but wasn’t sure what he expected to see. Wings? “Right now?”
She nodded.
“I should have been told.”
“Wow. You hop right up that anger scale with little provocation, don’t you? I didn’t think it necessary because it’s not as if most people are aware of it. And you’re not a vampire, so—”
“So, it’s important to me to know these things, Zoë. Don’t keep significant information like that from me.”
She leaned back, toyed with her fork, but left her half-eaten dessert alone. He’d offended her, had spoken harshly when she could have no reason to understand his anxiety. It had been a bad idea to go out for lunch during a job. Did he want to hook up with her that badly?
Yes.
“Sorry.” Kaz turned his focus to her pouty pink mouth. “Once again, I said the wrong thing to you.”
“I’m not taking offense, but I am surprised at your reaction. So we’re in FaeryTown. What of it?”
A lot of it, actually. Especially since Kaz was tracking the source of the Magic Dust. Could it be in FaeryTown? Made a hell of a lot of sense. Why hadn’t he considered this angle of investigation until now?
Probably because he had no known way of accessing such a realm.
“Let’s say I’m curious about my surroundings and this very obvious feeling of unease I mentioned to you. I mean, can they see