Chapter 33

Late the next afternoon, I lay by the side of the indoor pool, basking in the warm glow that came from a night filled with amazing sex. One of the reasons I'd chosen the Dark Tower was their subterranean "grotto" with a pool, several small hot tubs and two bars all in a great facsimile of a natural cave. I saw a few other vamps among those lounging around, along with the occasional shifter or other immortal and a number of humans. Even the staff was mixed, which meant that if any of the furry or fanged patrons got out of line, there'd be someone who could deal with them. I kept hoping for a glimpse of Ty, but I hadn't seen him since he'd left my room with a smile and a kiss shortly before dawn.
I'd discovered a lovely side benefit of having sex with a Zendir demon. Even though I hadn't taken much blood from Ty during any of our romps, I still felt full, like I'd just fed. Immortal blood is more powerful than human, but I'd never had any that was as energizing as his. Looking around at the other pool denizens didn't even make my fangs elongate.
Until Kaz walked in.
Ah, Kaz.
After leaving the bar with Ty, I'd almost, almost forgotten the handsome security director. When I met those blue-violet eyes across the pool, my fangs emerged at the same time as my bikini bottoms got soaked - and I wasn't in the water.
He grinned at me and sketched a wave. He was having a brief word with the security guard stationed by the locker rooms, and apparently couldn't take time off work for fun. With a wicked wink in my direction, he turned and strode back out of the pool area.
Damn. After the night I'd had with Ty, getting this wet just from looking at another guy across the cave made me feel almost - dirty. I'd been a prostitute at one point in my human life, but not by choice, and I prided myself on the fact that though I was definitely a free spirit, I'd never been a slut. Getting this hot for two guys at the same time was a totally foreign experience for me, and I wasn't sure I liked it.
Still, Ty had left me this morning without so much as giving me his cell phone number or room code. We hadn't come close to mentioning seeing one another again - there was certainly no sense of commitment, implied or otherwise. Just because the sex had been fucking phenomenal didn't mean he wanted more.
Thinking about either one of them made my pussy ache, and if I'd been alone, I could have done something about it, but there were way too many people here in the grotto for me to even think about getting myself off - even if the couple in the corner hot tub were going at it hot and heavy, just out of sight of the guard. With a sigh, I set down the book I'd been pretending to read and walked over to the deep end of the pool. Ignoring the posted rules, I dove in, picking an empty lane, and began swimming laps. Sometimes cool water and exercise are the best way to clear your mind of two mouth-watering hunks.
Sometimes even that doesn't work.
Twenty minutes later, I gave up. I flopped back on my lounge chair until my swimsuit was mostly dry. After a while, I wrapped my sarong around my waist, slid on my flip-flops and dumped my stuff into my canvas tote bag. My long, damp braid hung down my back as I made my way toward the bank of elevators. The hotel had cleverly designed it so half of the lifts never opened onto a room with windows, making them safe for vamps to use any time of day. Even the glass in the guest rooms was UV treated, so I could open the drapes and enjoy my view of the sunset.
Yeah, modern technology has sure as hell improved vampire living.
I was halfway down the hall to the elevators when Kaz stepped out of an office labeled Security and smiled that wicked smile. Instead of the leather pants and jacket, today he was dressed in a pair of painted-on black jeans and black t-shirt. A silver hoop glinted in each earlobe as he stood in front of me, arms crossed over his chest, and blocked the hallway.
"Enjoying your stay?" One black eyebrow lifted.
I smiled back, even as I felt myself creaming and my nipples harden. "So far. I like the grotto."
"I'm sorry about last night." He took a step forward and leaned one shoulder on the wall of the corridor. "Had to break up a fight - two high rollers accusing each other of cheating."
"I imagine that happens now and then." God, I sounded as breathy as a high school cheerleader talking to the quarterback. How embarrassing.
"Dani - " he began, and I'll admit I got a thrill just knowing he remembered my name.
I stepped closer. "What?"
"Just...this." Moving so fast I didn't even see him shift, he had both hands on my shoulders and his mouth was on mine. The kiss was hard, demanding, and I didn't feel any threat. Instead, he just seemed to be coaxing my response. I dropped my bag and grabbed hold of his shoulders. When his tongue traced the seam of my lips, I opened, welcoming him inside.
Licorice - aniseed, really - was what he tasted of, mixed with strong black coffee. His tongue sought out every hollow of my mouth, traced every ridge. His hands slid down the bare skin of my back, still holding me close. I rubbed my breasts against his broad chest, trying to ease the need that had welled up in them to be touched.
One of his hands slid under my sarong and under the bottom of my bathing suit to cup my ass as our mouths ravaged one another's. His other hand found the tie to my bikini top and tugged on the string.
"So, you want to head out on the strip for dinner?" The high-pitched voice cut through the sensual haze in my head just as I also registered footsteps approaching from around a bend in the hallway.
"I was thinking downtown," a male voice replied. The footsteps moved closer.
"Shit!" Kaz wrenched his lips from mine and looked around while I clutched at my undone swimsuit top. His grin was feral as he moved a few steps up a hallway, wrenched open a door and tugged me inside, shutting the door and pressing my back up against it almost before I could register that we were in a supply closet. Two stocked cleaning carts were pushed up against one wall. Moments later, his mouth was on mine again as his hands came up under my dangling bikini top to palm my breasts.