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“We have extra on the back patio,” she blurted. “Lots of extra. I’m practically drowning in the stuff. Help!” The footsteps turned abruptly and then a fading clatter signaled that Evan had bought the distraction and was heading to the opposite end of the house.
“Does that mean you’re staying?” Travis asked when the footsteps finally disappeared and Holly could actually breathe again.
“He’ll be looking for me again when he realizes I’m not on the patio.” She turned the knob.
“Wait.” Before she could pull open the door, he stepped up behind her and pressed her up against the wood.
She could hear his voice distinctly, his lips feathering over her ear. But there was no warm rush of breath against her temple. No heartbeat pounding against her shoulder blade.
He was there, yet he wasn’t there.
Just as the strange thought struck, he murmured “Thanks.” The knob seemed to turn beneath her fingers and suddenly the door was open and she was free.
She resisted the urge to turn and catch a glimpse of him standing in the shaft of light from the hallway. His hair mussed. His shirt hanging open. His pants still undone. His eyes still gleaming with passion—
She stiffened and ignored the image whispering through her head. Sure, it was a purely sexual image. But that was beside the point. If she turned around now, they would have sex again. And possibly again. And then before she knew it, she would be hopelessly in love. A repeat offender.
These boots were made for walking. She squared her shoulders, stepped forward and went to intercept Evan.
4
TRAVIS MANEUVERED HIS way through the crowd gathered on the front lawn just in time to see Cody follow his bride into the back of a black stretch limousine. It was barely nine-thirty, but there was no mistaking the birdseed in the air and the shouts of congratulations. The crowd waved goodbye and panic sucker-punched him smack dab in his gut.
“They had to cut the reception short to catch an early plane,” Brent’s deep voice sounded next to him just as the limo door closed, “otherwise they won’t make it to Colorado before sunrise. They’re going to Aspen for the honeymoon.”
Travis glanced at his brother. “You’re kidding me, right?” When Brent shook his head, he ran a hand over his face and damned himself a thousand times for following Holly Simms into that storage closet and wasting precious time. What the hell had he been thinking?
But then that was the point—he hadn’t been able to think. Not with the lust raging through his veins, the hunger gnawing at his gut. He should have stopped to feed before he left Wyoming, but he’d been in a hurry to catch his plane. He’d figured on holding out until after he talked to Cody.
But then he’d seen Holly—her soft lips and lush body and those sparkling, surprised eyes—and all his figuring had gone to hell in a hand basket. Now it was too late to talk to Cody. To find out the truth.
Like hell.
He shoved a hand into his pocket to retrieve his keys. “Which airport?”
“They’re flying out of San Antonio.”
“If I leave now, I can catch him before he boards the plane—” The words died as a vice grip tightened on his arm. His gaze swiveled to his brother and he saw the steely determination in his eyes.
“You’re not going after him,” Brent told him. “It’s his honeymoon, for Christ’s sake.”
“I just need five minutes. He’ll tell me what I need to know and that’ll be that.”
“No.” The grip tightened and Travis knew he wasn’t budging a step without a fight. “He’s not talking until Colton gets here and that won’t be until Saturday. Cody will be back Saturday night and we can all have a sit down.”
“That’s a week from tomorrow.”
“That’s the way it is. Rose was Colton’s wife. He should be the first to know.”
“We all have a right to know.”
“Damn straight we do, but not until Colton gets here and we’re all together.”
Which meant he was stuck here for the next seven days.
The truth sank in as he stood there, staring at the crowd that walked past him. People laughed and smiled as they headed back to the reception. While Cody and Miranda had cut the evening short, their guests weren’t inclined to do the same. The DJ had kicked up the music and the promise of a great party hung in the air.
Brent clapped him on the shoulder. “Seeing as how you’ve got a little time to kill, why don’t you come on back inside and have a drink.”
Travis shook his head, his mind still trying to wrap itself around the fact that he would be forced to hang out in Skull Creek if he wanted to find out Rose’s whereabouts.
And he was going to find her. He owed her and he intended to see that she got what was coming to her for destroying his family.
“It’s just seven days,” Brent added. “Think of it as a vacation.”
“I don’t take vacations.”
“Think of it as work then. I could use some help out at my place.” When Travis arched an eyebrow, he added, “Skull Creek’s not a bad place. The people are nice and there are even a few vampires to keep things interesting.” At Travis’s surprised look, Brent added, “Garrett Sawyer and his buddies own Skull Creek Choppers. They live just up the road from me.”
“Since when did you become the settling down type?”
The last Travis had heard, Brent had been making his fortune as one of the most sought-after guns-for-hire. He went from job to job, guarding the rich and famous and doing his damnedest to not get too attached to any one person or place.
“I’m tired of living out of a suitcase.” He gave Travis a pointed stare. “Aren’t you?”
“I like moving on. It keeps things much more interesting.”
“I can’t imagine anything more interesting than Abby, that’s for damned sure.”
“Abby?”
Brent glanced at a petite brunette who stood talking to a nearby group of women. As if she felt him, her head snapped up and their gazes locked. She smiled and a strange expression lit his brother’s eyes. “I bought a hundred acres just down the road from here. I’m going to try my hand at ranching.”
“How much does she know about you?”
“How much doesn’t she know? Abby is ex Special Forces. Nothing gets by her.” His attention shifted back to Travis. “Take you for instance. She knew you were a vampire the moment she saw you. She also knew you were my brother. She said we have the same eyes.”
“And the same fangs.”
Brent grinned. “There are some people who aren’t bothered by what we are. Abby’s one of them. So is Cody’s wife Miranda. Garrett’s business partners are both married to humans, too, though Garrett himself is with another vampire.”
“He’s smart. Meanwhile, you’re playing with fire.”
“Maybe, but I like the heat.” A wistful look twisted his features. “That’s the one thing I miss the most about being human. Being warm from the inside out. When I’m with Abby, I feel it again, bro. Deep inside my bones.” He must have noticed Travis’s get real expression because he added, “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. You don’t sit still long enough to meet anyone, let alone warm up to them.”
“I like moving.”
“That or you’re just so used to it you don’t know how to stop.”
“You buy a spread and suddenly you’re a shrink.”
Brent shook his head. “Just a rancher. Speaking of which, I’ve got three mustangs that might make damn fine cutting horses if I could ever get close enough to them.”
“And?”
“And since you’re sticking around for the next seven days, I thought you might help me out.”
“Horses don’t like vampires.”
“They like you,” Brent argued. When Travis cut him a glance, he added, “Ranchers talk. You’ve become a hot commodity.” When Travis shrugged, Brent added, “I could really use the help.”
But the less time Travis spent with Brent, the better. Already, he felt the strange pull he’d once felt with his brother. The camaraderie. The sense of family.
But his was gone. Rose had seen to that.
She’d destroyed them all and there was no rebuilding what was permanently damaged. They’d turned on each other and gone their separate ways, and that was okay.
It was better than okay.
Out of sight, out of mind.
That had been his motto all these years. He’d done his damnedest to forget his brothers and his life before. And he’d managed to do just that. Hell, it had been easy. The farther away he stayed, the less he thought about them. No doubts. No regret. No remorse.
Just the hunger.
Until Cody’s invitation.
His little brother had stirred it all up, reminding him of the man he’d been, of the injustice he’d dealt out and the fact that the real culprit had yet to be punished.
Travis knew now that he couldn’t forget again.
Not unless he spent the anger inside of him and dealt it out to the real murderer. Then he could move on again. He would move on. And forget.
His gaze shifted to the woman standing several feet away, herding people back to the reception tent. Her cheeks were pink, her eyes bright. A few tendrils of hair had come loose from her ponytail. His fingertips tingled and he had the crazy urge to cross the lawn, tug her hair loose and run his fingers through the long, blond silk.
He stiffened. He wasn’t here for sex, despite the past half hour. He was here for information.
For vengeance.
Just as soon as Cody returned and Colton arrived and the Braddock boys were back together once again.
“So what about it? You gonna help me out?”
Travis shook his head. “I can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“Does it matter?”
Brent looked as if he wanted to say something, but then thought better of it. “If you change your mind, my place is just a few miles north of here. I could use you.” And then he turned and headed toward the petite brunette.
She smiled and Brent smiled and for a split second, Travis had the crazy thought that his brother had found the real deal. One man. One woman. Love.
If there’d been such a thing.
But Travis knew better. There was no such thing for their kind. Sooner or later, the hunger would get the best of Brent and he’d grab the first woman that crossed his path.
That’s what had happened to Travis tonight. He’d gotten hungry. Holly had been handy. And bam, he’d satisfied that hunger in the storage closet.
He watched her gather up a group of seniors and steer them toward the dessert table, and the familiar pang hit him hard and fast. Hunger. Because he’d only partially fed.
He’d drank in her sweet energy, but for Travis it wasn’t enough. He’d grown accustomed to taking sex and blood. While most vamps leaned more toward one or the other, Travis was a fan of both. It made him feel more alive. More in control. More in touch with his senses. For a vamp who made his living by being in tune with each of the five senses, a double whammy was essential.
But he hadn’t bitten her.
He wasn’t sure why. He’d wanted to more badly than anything else. At the same time, he’d felt a moment’s hesitation, as if drinking her in would make it impossible to get rid of her. She’d be under his skin. In his head. His heart.
Crazy.
While drinking and having sex with the same woman often created a bond for most vampires, that wasn’t the case for Travis. He was too much of a hard-ass. That, and he kept moving. The distance weakened the connection until, eventually, it snapped altogether and there was nothing. He’d learned that early on with Amelia. She’d been his girl before he’d gone off to war and she’d been more than eager to rekindle the fire in the weeks after his return.
But the night of his return had changed him. He’d been hardened by the war and devastation at the ranch. Insatiable thanks to the beast that lived and breathed inside of him. The hunger had been all-consuming and he’d quickly learned that he could never go back to being just a man.
And one woman would never be nearly enough.
The hunger had driven him into the arms of another and Amelia had been devastated. Thanks to the sex and blood they’d shared, he’d been completely in tune to her feelings. He’d hurt the way she’d hurt. But then he’d left town and the farther he’d gotten from her, the less he’d felt her sorrow and angst. No hitch in his chest. No knife twisting his gut. No piercing white hot pain when she’d finally ended it all and pulled the trigger. Rather, the news of her death had caught up to him months later in the form of a letter from her parents.
We just thought you should know …
But he hadn’t known. Not even a clue. Because he hadn’t felt a thing. He was a vampire now and incapable of feeling anything other than lust.
He knew that. He’d accepted it.
Which is why he should have bitten Holly and gotten it over with. The attraction would have ended, and he wouldn’t be standing here at the entrance to the tent, as hot and horny as a cowpoke about to crawl into bed with his first saloon girl.
That was the only reason.
Damn straight it was.
And if he downed enough Jack Daniels over the next few hours, Travis might actually start to believe it.
IF TRAVIS BRADDOCK looked at her one more time, Holly was going to dunk her head under the nearest champagne fountain.
She forced her gaze from the man standing at the bar and busied herself replenishing the dessert table for the remaining guests. The newlyweds had departed, but the party was still in high gear. The band cranked out a lively Kenny Chesney tune and a sea of Stetsons bobbed across the dance floor. Waiters moved here and there, passing out glasses of the newly discovered champagne. The sweet smell of cake infused the air.
“Methinketh this is one more fabulous set of event pics for our Facebook page.” Evan’s voice sounded behind her. “I think the worst is over.”
She turned to see her assistant balancing a platter of chocolate covered cheesecakes. “Don’t count your chickens yet. The DJ doesn’t wrap up until midnight.”
