Part 5 (1/2)

”Ow,” I said, instinctively jumping back and then rubbing my nose. ”Sorry, I wasn't watching-”

I stopped, suddenly recognizing the grinning man in front of me. It was the emerald-eyed Fae I'd talked to yesterday.

”Meeting in this doorway seems to be our destiny,” he said, idly rubbing his chest. Though I'd hit him with some force, I doubted I'd actually done any real damage. He was too muscular-too hard-looking-to be injured by a short woman in a hurry. ”How's your nose?”

”Sore, but that's what I get for not looking where I was going.” I shrugged, my cheeks heating. Only I very much suspected its cause wasn't embarra.s.sment, but the rather intense way he was watching me. Like I'd suddenly become prey he very much intended to hunt. I might not be an innocent, but-if his expression was anything to go by-he very much intended to explore some of the more sensual pursuits with me.

”Well, I'm afraid it's not entirely your fault.” He raised his left hand, revealing a phone. ”I was texting rather than looking.”

He was also blocking my entry into the building and showed little inclination to move.

”Do you live here?” I asked, more to break the silence than any real need to know.

His gaze dropped to my lips as I spoke, and the waves of heat rolling from him sharpened abruptly. Desire flared deep within me. Heat-any sort of heat-was a siren call we found hard to resist.

”No. But a friend rents an apartment on the second floor.” His gaze scanned me, and it felt like I was standing naked before him. It was a rather pleasant sensation. ”You?”

”My boss lives here, but he's a forgetful old sod and I'm always having to retrieve stuff.”

He laughed. It was a rich, strong sound that rumbled across my senses and fueled those inner flames. ”I've known a few bosses like that. Sounds like you might need a drink to recover.”

”Possibly,” I said, raising an eyebrow. ”Depends on who's offering.”

”Ah, of course.” He held out his hand. ”Jackson Miller, at your service.”

”Emberly Pearson.”

His big hand enclosed mine, and a tremor ran through me. G.o.d, his skin was so deliciously warm it was all I could do not to close my eyes and draw it into me.

”Well, Ms. Pearson, I do think I need to buy you a drink to apologize for my clumsiness.” He drew my hand to his lips and lightly kissed my fingers. It felt like a caress of flame. ”What are you doing tonight?”

I couldn't help smiling. He was a fast worker, that was for sure.

”Sadly, I'm working tonight.”

”Well, technically, so am I, but I can always find time for a pretty lady.” He pursed his lips, amus.e.m.e.nt and desire making his bright eyes glow. ”What about breakfast?”

”Breakfast?” I repeated, all sorts of exciting possibilities running through my mind.

”Yeah, breakfast.” He paused, his grin widening. ”Nothing else, just breakfast. Fae prefer to savor the chase, so the rest will come with our second date.”

Second date? I didn't know if I'd survive the first one without at least exploring some of his unrestrained heat. But I raised my eyebrows and drawled, ”And what if the first date bombs?”

”Given what's burning between us, my sweet, I very much suspect the first date will be hot and heavy and that our second date will be sooner rather than later.” He took a business card out of his wallet and handed it to me. ”Ring me whenever you've finished work, and we'll go from there.”

I accepted the card. Jackson Miller, Miller Engineering, it read, with a cell number underneath. I tucked it into the top pocket of my jacket. ”It could be very late by the time I've finished tonight.”

He shrugged and finally stepped to one side. ”I'll be awake.”

”Then I'll call.” With a smile, I brushed past him and made my way up the stairs. His hungry, heavy gaze followed me until I was out of sight.

d.a.m.n, but he was hot.

I blew out a somewhat shaky breath and tried to pull the scattered remnants of my thoughts together. Work first, then Sam, then pleasure.

Although once upon a time Sam would have been my pleasure, instead of an unknown but s.e.xy fire Fae.

I shoved the thought back into its box. Sam had moved on to the amazonian, and maybe, just maybe, I'd run nose-first into her male counterpart.

I coded myself into Mark's apartment and then ducked under the police tape and went inside. The mess was much the same, only this time there was fingerprinting dust everywhere. I ignored the empty but bloodied chair and walked over to his desk. After feeling around for a couple of seconds, I found the little latch and pressed it. There was a click; then a drawer popped out from the base of the old table. I grabbed the laptop, plonked it down onto the desk, then hit the on b.u.t.ton. After a moment, it fired up.

I pulled up the chair and got to work, accessing his network and then entering his cloud site. To discover it was empty. Totally empty.

The b.a.s.t.a.r.ds had not only accessed his site but erased all his files. And the only way they could have done that was via Mark. I wondered how long he'd lasted before he'd given up his secrets. I guess if his battered state was anything to go by, it had been quite a while, and for that I could only admire him. Many a stronger man would have suffered far less before giving in.

I studied the screen for a few moments longer, then clicked back into the activity screen. The information had been accessed at 9:20 and then removed at 3:45 a.m.-hours after Mark had been killed and the inst.i.tute ransacked. Why? If they'd wanted to ensure they were the sole owners of all his notes, why not erase it immediately?

I didn't know. Probably wouldn't ever know, given Sam wasn't likely to bother me again once I'd handed over all the information I could. And given they apparently had open orders to kill the virus-afflicted, I very much suspected that whoever was behind the professor's death wouldn't exactly be getting his day in court if caught.

I leaned back in the chair and rubbed my eyes for a moment. It had been a long day, and all I really wanted to do was go home and go to sleep before I went to breakfast with a certain Fae. But I needed to complete my task here and get Sam out of my life again, and the sooner I went through the rest of this mess, the better.

With a sigh, I pushed upright and got to it. It was close to eleven by the time I'd finished. I picked up the laptop and left Mark's apartment-hopefully for the final time-then made my way downstairs. The back of my neck began to p.r.i.c.kle as I neared the ground floor, and I frowned, glancing around quickly. I couldn't see anyone in the shadows, couldn't feel any body heat, and yet . . . someone was watching me.

And while the sensation might have been nothing more than tiredness and an overactive imagination, I nevertheless hurried out of the building. Only it wasn't just cold, but raining.

”Fantastic,” I muttered, shoving the computer under my coat. ”Just f.u.c.king fantastic.”

s.h.i.+vering, I ran toward the crisp white and pink glow of Magenta's lights.

The sensation of being watched didn't fade.

It grew.

And they were no longer just watching, but following.

CHAPTER 4.

I ran on, but all my senses were trained behind me. Whoever it was, they were little more than the occasional whisper of footsteps and a distant s.h.i.+mmer of heat that was too cool to be human.

Vampire.

Fear and panic surged, making my heart race and a cold sweat break out across my skin. I could protect myself better than most, but I'd been attacked by a rogue vamp in a past life, and it was an experience I had no wish to repeat. Legend might suggest a vampire's bite was o.r.g.a.s.mic-and they certainly could be-but it was a harrowing, hateful thing when you were an unwilling victim.

And the b.a.s.t.a.r.d had killed me, too, simply because he'd caught me off guard and had ripped out my throat before I could fully react. And if a phoenix died before their allotted one-hundred-year span was over, the subsequent rebirth was a wretched, traumatic experience.