Free Desire the Night by Amanda Ashley Page A

Way, so named for the millions of lights of theater marquees and billboards. Most of the theaters were dark now. He glanced at the marquees— The Lion King, Wicked, and the ubiquitous Phantom of the Opera, which he had seen perhaps a dozen times.
    His hunger quickened when he spied a young couple looking at the posters in front of a theater. On cat-quiet feet, he moved up behind them. Speaking to their minds, he commanded them to follow him.
    Faces slack, expressions blank, they trailed behind him as he moved toward the deep shadows near the theater doors. He took the male quickly, the female more slowly, his whole being focused on the woman in his arms, the scent of her hair and skin, the warmth of her blood quenching his thirst. Her blood was sweeter than Kay’s. Even so, he wished it was Kay he held in his embrace, Kay’s blood easing his hunger.
    After satisfying his thirst, he wiped the incident from the couple’s minds and sent them, none the wiser, on their way.
    Hands shoved in his pockets, Gideon turned for home. So, Kiya the werewolf wanted to be romanced, did she? He grinned at the idea and then, with that thought in mind, he headed for the mall located in the heart of the city. It was closed at this hour, but that wasn’t a problem for him. The owner was a friend. And a vampire.
     
     
    On waking, Kay stretched her arms over her head, and then froze as she realized she was in a strange bed in a strange room, and that she wasn’t alone. It took her a moment to remember where she was, and who was lying beside her.
    Turning onto her side, she regarded the sleeping vampire. He was bare to the waist, revealing a broad chest, wide shoulders, and six-pack abs that would have made any male model jealous. She realized, abruptly, that he wasn’t breathing. When she touched his arm, he didn’t move. She worried her lower lip with her teeth. Maybe vampires really were dead when they slept. A creepy thought, that, sharing a bed with a dead man, even one as roguishly handsome and sexy as Gideon Marquet.
    And with that in mind, she practically jumped out of the bed, only then noticing the flowers set around the room—vases of red roses and pink carnations occupied every flat surface save for the dresser, which held a large white box and two shoe boxes. Her name was scrawled across the box tops in a bold hand. Opening the largest box, she found two pairs of jeans, a pink T-shirt, a couple of sweaters, and three changes of underwear, all the right size. The first shoe box held a pair of strappy black sandals; the second, a pair of white sneakers.
    She ran her hand over a pair of silky black bikini panties, wondering how he had known what size she wore. But she didn’t care. She selected an aqua sweater and a pair of jeans and carried them, along with a bra and panties, into the bathroom, and closed the door behind her.
    There were more flowers in the bathroom—roses, again—along with a new toothbrush, toothpaste, a hairbrush, and a comb. Heaven bless the man for his thoughtfulness.
    With a shake of her head, she dropped her dirty clothes on the floor and placed the clean ones on the counter. When she opened the shower door, she found a bottle of shampoo, a new bar of soap, a pretty pink washcloth, and a single red rose.
    Who knew vampires had such a romantic streak? Stepping into the shower, she wondered what other surprises the day might bring.
     
     
    Additional gifts, flowers, and treats arrived all day long. Shortly after she finished her shower, a waiter from a nearby restaurant knocked on the door bearing her breakfast on a silver tray, along with a single red rose in a delicate crystal vase.
    Kay smiled, thinking how sweet it had been for Gideon to order her something to eat.
    A full-body massage came an hour later, followed by a manicure and a pedicure.
    As the manicurist was leaving, lunch arrived, accompanied by another red rose.
    She had barely finished eating when there was another knock on the door. She