He stopped right in front of her, his gaze meeting hers. Isabella suddenly realized that she had been staring at him the entire time he’d made his way down the stairs. She was sure he had watched her examine him. Unable to tear herself away from him, she inhaled his purely masculine scent.
He handed her a stack of clothes, his hand accidentally touching hers as he did so, creating a spark of electricity in her.
“There is a bathroom at the end of the hall. Fresh towels are in the linen closet,” he said, his voice soft and gentle.
“Thank you.” Isabella felt her voice tremble, probably making her sound like a star-struck teenager.
As she walked down the hall to find the bathroom, she heard the men whisper, but couldn’t make out what they were saying. She glanced back before she entered the bathroom and found Samson looking at her. Those dark eyes of his had followed her every move.
———–
After she left, Samson went to the wet bar and poured two glasses of brandy. He finished one glass and refilled it immediately. He liked the warming feeling it caused in his chest when he tossed back a shot.
Tonight he had something to celebrate. His hydraulics were working again; in fact, even better than before. His cock had been as hard as granite when he’d pressed his body against hers and had kissed her. How it had happened, he didn’t know and didn’t care, but at least he knew he was back. Damn, it felt good!
Samson turned back to his friends, who hadn’t moved an inch. They just stood there and watched him.
“Nice timing, guys” he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes at them. “Nice timing”
Mark grinned. “Hey, it’s not our fault, you know. If you had just picked up your phone and told us that you were trying to get laid, we wouldn’t have bothered to come check on you in the first place. We would have given you the space you need so much, but because you are you, you decided to ignore us.”
Samson glared at him. “First of all, I wasn’t trying to get… I just needed some time to myself and then I happened to meet her”
“Yeah, and suddenly you didn’t need any time to yourself anymore” Raymond chipped in, while the rest laughed.
Samson would have joined them, as he knew that they loved to tease him, but he knew the human woman would be back from the bathroom soon, and he didn’t need any audience. He’d had enough.
“You guys really need to leave now” he said, “Go on. Thanks for checking on me. As you can see, I’m fine, so just come back some other time.”
The guys didn’t argue. They understand that he needed some privacy, so they left. A minute later, Samson heard a door creak open.
He turned when he heard her steps. She wore one of his sweatshirts and sweatpants. Both were too large for her, but she had turned the sleeves over several times to make them fit. Damn, she looked cute. She had towel dried her long dark hair.
“Please, come in. Sit here. Warm yourself.” he said to her.
She inched forward into the room, her movements hesitant, her eyes clearly watching him to determine if it was safe to approach. “Thank you.” she replied softly.
“Brandy?” he asked.
He handed her one of the glasses he had poured earlier. She reached out. Samson brushed her fingers with his when she took the glass from him. Cold, he thought. She sat down on the armchair closest to the fire and took a sip from her glass.
“I’m sorry; I haven’t introduced myself to you. I’m Samson Perry.”
She looked up at him, and he realized that he was still standing. He took a seat opposite her to be eyelevel with her.
“Isabella. Isabella Stevens” she said.
Isabella? A beautiful name for a beautiful woman. A beautiful human woman.
A woman who was off limits, he told himself. Not that he was sure if he could stay away.
“I must apologize. I’ve been rude, and it’s inexcusable.” Samson said.
Inexcusable, yes, but arousing nevertheless. He wanted to feel it again: the heat, the arousal, her body. Even now, dressed in shapeless clothes several sizes too large for her, she looked more tempting than any female vamp he’d ever set eyes on. Her scent teased his senses, threatening to overpower his good manners once more.
“It was a misunderstanding. I get that. And your friends did some apologizing on your behalf. It’s alright” Isabella replied.
She seemed to be warming up. Her cheeks looked rosier now, probably from the warmth of the fire and the brandy she was sipping. If he could only lick the droplets of brandy off her lips, maybe his body would be appeased.
“How’s your foot? I’m so sorry.” she added.
“It’ll be fine. Not to worry.” Samson replied, and then added in his head. ‘If you kiss it and make it better.’ But he didn’t dare say that last part out loud, because he was afraid that he would scare her again. His foot had Hurt like hell back then when she had smashed her heel into it, because as a vampire, and every feeling was heightened, he felt things like pain even more, but the good thing was that vampire’s healed very quickly.
“Thank you for helping me.” Isabella said.
“Goes without saying. Again, I’m truly sorry for having acted like a complete jerk.” Samson ran his hand through his hair. He recognized his gesture for what it was: indicating his nervousness, when he should have no reason to feel such a strange emotion.
“Where are your friends?” she asked.
Was she afraid of being alone with him? He had obviously scared her. He couldn’t blame her. Being alone with the man who’d attacked her, kissed her passionately and ground his erection against her, could not be a situation inspiring confidence. Could she see that his cock started twitching again, readying itself for her? God, he hoped not. He shifted in his chair and crossed his legs.
“They left. I sent them home. Look, I assure you, you are completely safe wit h me. If that’s what you are worried about.”
“Oh.” she said simply.