HE WAS LEAVING.
That’s what Brent told himself as he headed down the Interstate. If Cody had any sense of self-preservation, he would follow. But his little brother had gone off the deep end. Home. There was no such thing. There couldn’t be. Not for them. They were vampires. Cold. Ruthless.
Scared.
Like hell. Brent wasn’t scared. He was smart. He’d learned from his mistakes. It was all about survival. He wasn’t running, he was staying alive. There was a difference, even if Cody was too damned lovestruck to see it. He would realize his mistake all too soon and it would be too late.
Not Brent.
He was going to stay one step ahead of the storm. He was going to stay alive. Even if it meant being alone for the rest of his existence. Lonely.
The truth struck and the weight of it pressed down on him. He realized then and there that he wasn’t half as afraid of being strung up and left to fry in the hot sun as he was of never seeing Abby again.
That thought tore at him far worse than any horsewhip.
He wanted to fall asleep next to her and wake up with her every morning. He wanted her warm body cuddled up next to him and her sweet smile greeting him when he opened his eyes.
Even more, he wanted to pick her brain and find out more about her childhood, her life. He wanted to know and suddenly that thought wasn’t half as frightening as the possibility that he might never know. He’d spent his entire afterlife keeping his distance because he thought it would make things easier when it was time to walk away.
It didn’t make a bit of difference now. His chest ached and his throat burned.
He was walking away, running away, and it hurt like hell. Far more than anything he’d ever suffered before.
The realization hit him like a two-by-four and his stomach hollowed out. This was his greatest fear.
He wasn’t afraid of being discovered. No, he was terrified at the thought of being ripped away from the one thing he wanted most—Abby. And he was doing it himself.
She doesn’t want you, buddy.
Maybe not, but he wasn’t going to add to the pain by putting more miles between them. She might not want him, but he was going back. He was going to face her and do everything in his power to show her how good they were together.
How good they could be.
And if she freaked and revealed his true identity?
It wouldn’t matter. That pain was nothing compared to the thought of never seeing her again. Of giving up. Of not trying.
He hit the nearest Exit and made a U-turn, because Brent Braddock was through walking away.
It was time to stop running and start fighting.
HE WAS KNOCKING on her door again.
Abby listened to the familiar rap of knuckles and fought the urge to jump to her feet, haul open the door and throw her arms around Brent.
He was a vampire.
Even more, he was an annoying, persistent vampire who’d spent the past three days knocking on her door every night.
She hadn’t answered, but that hadn’t swayed him. She’d half-expected him to kick open the door or morph into a wisp of smoke and slide through the keyhole, but he’d done neither. He’d simply pulled up a chair and talked to her as if they were sitting face-to-face.
He told her about his childhood. About growing up with brothers and horses and lots and lots of cattle. He talked about the war and how he and his brothers had followed Cody to keep an eye on him. And he told her about the massacre and his suspicions that his sister-in-law had been involved somehow.
He told her about his life. And damned if she didn’t have the urge to tell him about hers. She didn’t.
She didn’t say a word because she knew that even if he’d changed his mind about the two of them getting to know each other, it still didn’t make a difference.
It wasn’t like they could have a future together.
She had to go back, to clear her name, to keep leading her unit and building her reputation and fighting for what she believed in. She’d worked too hard and sacrificed too much to give it all up to stay in Skull Creek with Brent Braddock.
No matter how much she suddenly wanted to.
So she kept her mouth shut and tried not to hang on his every word. During the day, she prowled the town and tried to keep herself busy. She got her hair done and did more shopping and tried to forget the man waiting back at the motel for her. But none of it was half as much fun as it should have been. Even Winona and her infomercials started to seem depressing. By the time Friday rolled around, Abby had all but given up on reveling in femininity.
Instead, she pulled on an old pair of sweats and a T-shirt and dove into a quart of chocolate ice cream. One more day, she reminded herself. One more day and Rayne would return. Then she would be out of here.
The thought wasn’t nearly as comforting as it should have been and she devoured the carton in less than fifteen minutes. She was just reaching for another when she heard his voice.
“I know you love me.”
She didn’t say a word. She couldn’t, due to the sudden lump in her throat.
She couldn’t love him. And no way could he love her. They hardly knew each other.
The only trouble with that logic was that she’d gotten to know him over the past few days. Even more, the incredible sex between them had forged a connection. While he couldn’t seem to breach her thoughts unless she wanted him to, she could breach his.
She’d discovered that much early this morning while she’d been lying in bed, trying to convince herself to get up and face another long day.
One minute she’d been staring at the ceiling and the next, she’d seen the blaze of fire. Heard the shouts. Smelled the smoke.
She’d seen inside of his head. His nightmare.
She’d felt every lash of the whip as it came down on his back and she’d felt the sting of betrayal. The hopelessness of being surrounded by so much hate. The loneliness of being a one hundred and fifty year old vampire and she’d understood.
Because she’d felt that same loneliness growing up with her father, moving from base to base, never really belonging. But wanting to. Wanting it so badly she could taste it.
The one time she’d taken a chance on easing that want, she’d been devastated.
Like her, Brent had wanted to fit in. To fall in love. To be normal. And so he’d taken a chance too.
And he’d been betrayed. Lila had turned her back on him. Walked away. Run away.
They had much more in common than just the sex. They were cut from the same cloth, with the same hopes and dreams. The same fears.
“I’m leaving tonight,” he said, through the door. “Dillon has a lead on a few women that fit Rose’s description. I’m going to fly to New Mexico and check the first one out.”
“What about your brother’s wedding?” she heard herself ask. “Aren’t you going to stay for that?”
“I’m not in much of a mood to celebrate. He’ll do fine without me.”
“But he’s your brother.”
“Yeah, well, life’s tough. We all learn that sooner or later. I just wanted to let you know.” He paused and then she heard the thud of his footsteps as he turned. “I’m sorry about everything.”
Before she could stop herself, her hand went to the doorknob. She hauled open the door. “Brent.”
He turned at the sound of her voice. He wore faded jeans, a simple white T-shirt and a relieved expression.
“I know about Lila.” She wasn’t sure why she told him except that she’d been thinking about it all day. About him. His past. His pain. Her own. She knew he’d been trying to forge a connection with her the past few days and suddenly she wanted him to know that he’d done just that. “I saw her in your dream.”
Confusion clouded his face and she wanted so much to reach out. But regardless of the fact that she understood him, that she loved him, she was still leaving. She’d worked too hard to get where she was. She couldn’t just abandon it for a man.
Besides, he’d never asked her to. Sure, he’d stuck around but he’d never actually said the words.
Stay with me. Spend the rest of your life with me.
He wouldn’t go that far because he was still scared.
“We’re connected now. When I close my eyes and clear my head, I can hear what you’re thinking. It’s the damndest thing.” Her gaze met his. “Such is the life of a vampire, right?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I can hear you. In my head. Because we had sex.”
“Sex doesn’t forge that kind of connection. I’ve had sex with tons of women and none of them have been able to crawl inside my head. You’re the first.” The only.
My one and only.
The truth hung between them for a long moment before he finally turned. “I guess I should get going. I’ve got a long drive.”
Panic rushed through her as he walked away, the feeling growing with his every step. While she knew it was easier to let him leave now instead of later, suddenly she just wanted to seize this moment.
She went after him.