Page 31 of Bound by Vengeance
Nathan directed his beam onto the mountainof a man coming toward him. Stooped over to make it through thetunnel, the guy had to be at least six foot six with the shouldersof a bull. He scowled when he spotted Nathan.
“Who are you?” Duncan demanded.
“Nathan Holter, who are you?”
“He’s with me, Duncan,” Vicky said andsauntered forward to greet the giant man.
Duncan’s scowl vanished, and a broad smilespread across his weathered face. With his warm brown eyes, brownhair, flannel shirt, and bulky build, Duncan reminded her of theBrawny paper towel man, if the Brawny guy also sported a beard asDuncan’s thick beard hung to his chest.
“Look at what the cat dragged in,” Duncangreeted and embraced her.
A flash of trepidation crossed her facebefore she wrapped her arms around Duncan’s neck. The irrationalurge to pull her away from the man swallowing her within hisembrace hit Nathan. When Duncan let her go, Vicky straightened hercoat, and he realized she was trying to hide her discomfort overthe embrace.
Nathan clasped her elbow, and when herhaunted eyes met his, he opened his mouth to tell her she deservedkindness and to stop punishing herself, but he held back the words.She wouldn’t appreciate him saying those things in front ofothers.
“Duncan, these two require your help withsomething,” Sister said.
CHAPTER 14
After a night spent traveling more tunnelswith Duncan, Nathan suspected the man took them on a convolutedroute to keep them from knowing where they were going. They cameacross one other group living below, but none of them had heard orseen anything out of the ordinary.
Duncan said there were more groups, but withdawn approaching, they decided to call it quits for the night.After leaving the sewers, Nathan and Vicky returned to hisapartment. They showered and changed before he drove to her hotel.The entire time she was in the shower, he paced from one end of hisapartment to the other, unable to stop himself from imagining herbeneath the spray of water.
“They’re amazing people,” he said to Vickyas the edge of the sun broke over the horizon.
“They are,” Vicky agreed.
So are you, he held the words back.He would feel like a horny, self-conscious teen if he blurted themout. He’d never expected to discover Vicky knew of the existence ofsuch people and that she visited them on a regular basis before hercaptivity. Every discovery he made about this woman amazed himmore.
“Why don’t Sister June and Duncan live in ahouse somewhere if they have enough money to send all the kids tocollege?” Nathan asked.
Duncan had revealed they often, anonymouslyfound ways to give the children money for school.“These kidshave it tough enough and will be at a disadvantage throughout mostof college, as they’re not accustomed to the straight world. Thelast thing they need is to be in debt when they get out.”
“The children wouldn’t trust them as muchthen,” Vicky said. “They also might not be able to find the oneslike Elmo. Besides, sometimes when one way of life is all you’veknown, it’s difficult to change. Sister and Duncan have spent mostof their lives in those tunnels; it’s their home.”
Nathan pulled up in front of her hotel. Herhand fell on the door handle, but when he placed his palm on herthigh, she stiffened before turning toward him. She didn’t try tofling his hand away, but he was about to remove it when she relaxedbeneath his touch.
“If you prefer, you can bring your thingsand start staying at my apartment,” he said. “There’s an airmattress in the bedroom with brand new sheets and blankets. There’seven a TV in there.”
“Are you asking me to move in with you,Nathan Holter?” she teased.
He smiled tiredly at her. “It would beeasier.”
And I’d like to know you’re there, inmyplace, waiting for me.
He waved the thought off instantly.Keepyour head in the game. Sleeping with a vampire could be a disaster,and you’ll be engaged soon.And the hunters will oust orkill you if they ever learn you bedded a vamp. This arrangementbetween you is only to find Joseph.
But staring at her, he knew it wasn’t.
His thumb rubbed her thigh. She licked herlips before she bit enticingly on her bottom lip. Nathan’s gazefastened on her mouth, and when her legs opened wider, his handdipped briefly between them. For a second, neither of them breathedas they stared at each other.
If she moved her hips just a little forward,his hand would brush intimately against her. She wanted that sobadly, she could almost taste it, yet she didn’t move, and his handremained where it was.
Then, Vicky shook herself from the haze ofpassion he evoked and opened the door. “I’ll consider the invite,”she told him.
Before he could reply, she pulled away fromhim, leapt out of the truck, and closed the door. He couldn’t tearhis eyes from the formfitting jeans hugging her ass as she strolledtoward the entrance. The doorman opened one for her; she stopped tospeak with him before glancing over her shoulder at Nathan. Shecast him a sultry smile and sauntered forward with an extra sway inher hips.
He suspected she knew what she did to him,and she enjoyed it. The prospect of being teased or played withwould bother him with any other woman, but not with her. With her,he craved more.
