Free Wanton With a Vampire by Cassandra Lawson

trust.”
    “Lucky me,” he grumbled. “I don’t have any
contacts out here, and I’m on vacation. Honestly, I’m not sure I’m
going back to work after this vacation.”
    “Why?” Ivy all but gasped.
    Detective Ramirez’s eyes landed on Alek. With
his dark sunglasses masking his icy blue eyes and the lighter shade
of his hair, many wouldn’t connect Alek to the Draksel family.
“Draksel, right?” he asked Alek.
    Alek nodded. “Aleksandr,” he said.
    The detective studied Alek for a long time
before speaking. “We need to have a serious talk, one that doesn’t
involve me pretending I don’t remember what happened or you playing
any mind control games, Mr. Draksel. I also expect this talk won’t
involve any more lies,” he said before pinning Ivy with a pointed
stare.
    “My place is only about thirty minutes from
here,” Trish said. “The unit next to me is vacant, and the garage
is right below me, so no one will overhear us.”
    Tension radiated from every pore of Alek’s
body, and he hadn’t taken his eyes off of the detective. “What
makes you think someone tried to control your mind, or that I would
try? Hell, what makes you think that sort of thing is even
possible?”
    Detective Ramirez threw his hands in the air
and started to storm off. “Screw this. Call me when at least one of
you wants to be honest.”
    Ivy raced after him and caught his arm.
“Carlos! Please wait. You just shocked everyone. I’m sorry we
haven’t been totally honest with you.”
    The detective looked down at Ivy, his lips
pressed into a thin line. “I haven’t exactly been honest with you
either, but I want that to change.” Before Ivy could respond, the
detective cupped her chin and kissed her. It was a soft brush of
lips, and Trish felt like a voyeur for watching, but she simply
couldn’t look away.
    Ivy had trouble maintaining her balance when
the kiss ended. “Oh,” was all she said before pulling away.
    “Text me the address, and I’ll meet you
there,” the detective said as he walked away.
    Trish went over to Ivy. “Are you okay?”
    Ivy was still standing in the same spot, soft
brown eyes wide and mouth slightly open. With a shake of her head,
Ivy pulled herself together. “That was a bit of a surprise.”
    Trish giggled and covered her mouth. It was
more of a nervous reaction than a matter of her finding any humor
in the situation. “Which part was a surprise? Was it where he
basically admitted that he knows the vampires tried to use mind
control on him? Or were you just surprised that he kissed you?”
    Ivy flashed a shy smile. “Both, I suppose.
He’s always known my family had some extra abilities, and he’s
never freaked out over it. I guess I just never thought about what
that meant. Are you okay?”
    Trish wanted to say yes, because she always
avoided telling people her problems, but she just couldn’t pull off
carefree at the moment. “I’m not sure,” she admitted. “What I just
saw was . . .” Her voice trailed off.
    It was a relief when Alek’s arms wrapped
around her from behind. Leaning into his powerful chest, some of
her tension eased. “It’ll be okay,” he murmured against the top of
her head. “Let’s get this meeting over with.”
    “Are you okay with him knowing you aren’t
human?” she asked.
    “He doesn’t know that,” Alek said. “He knows
I have extra abilities like you, and there’s no need for him to
know more.”
    Trish nodded, but something told her
Detective Ramirez wasn’t going to be satisfied with that answer. He
obviously knew a lot more than anyone had given him credit for.
     

Chapter Twelve
    Trish found the detective waiting on her
front porch when she arrived. “Thank you for agreeing to help us,
Detective Ramirez,” she said.
    “I haven’t agreed to help you yet,” he
reminded her before adding, “Call me Carlos.”
    Willow and Ivy were right behind her. Trish
was surprised Willow had decided to tag along since she seemed