Free Dalton, Tymber - Love and Brimstone [Brimstone Vampires 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) by Tymber Dalton

She didn’t mind, because he was the boss. She just didn’t want him getting the wrong idea.
    Yet.
    “I understand. What are you most comfortable with me calling you?”
    Darling, dearest, booty call, Mrs. Hawthorne, anytime you want, oh baby—
    “My first name is okay.”
    “But never Anna-stah-sha.” He laughed. Pahk ya cah in the yahd.
    She grinned. “Lord, no.”
    “Very well.” He paid their bill and helped her carry the files back to her room. He stopped at her door, where he handed them over. “Seven in the morning. We’ll eat downstairs before we hit the road again.”
    “That’s fine.”
    “Good night, Anastazia.”
    The sound of her name on his lips made her shiver. His accent sounded slightly British, now that she thought about it. She wasn’t sure where he’d grown up, but her name sounded beautiful when he said it.
    “Good night,” she managed.
    He turned without hesitation—
    Oh rats, I mean oh good, no awkward attempt to kiss.
    —and walked several doors down to his room, where he went in without a backward glance.
    She closed and locked her door and leaned against it while she tried to catch her breath. He was being a total gentleman, completely professional. Absolutely…
    Wonderful.

Chapter Eight

    “Well?” Albert asked.
    “She hasn’t fled screaming into the night, if that’s what you mean,” Matthias said. “I thought she was going to die a happy woman when I tossed her the keys.”
    “From now on, Tim plans everything.”
    Matthias agreed. “I need a very cold shower to have any hope of getting to sleep. Unless…”
    “Don’t you dare. Don’t you blow this—oh, poor choice of words.”
    “Don’t worry, Albert. I’ve been totally professional.”
    “Don’t scare her off with your singing, either.”
    “There’s nothing wrong with my singing.”
    “Yes, as long as you’re not singing. Good night, Matthias.”
    He laughed. “Pass the word to Tim, would you?”
    “I’m sure she’s already on the phone with him as we speak.”
    Matthias hung up and rested his head against the headboard. He’d split them up by a few rooms to make her feel more at ease. And to reduce his own temptation.
    He closed his eyes and searched for her. He held back, not wanting her to sense his presence. He wasn’t sure how sensitive she was, which was why he didn’t want to probe her while in the car or office. That would be too obvious.
    He found her. Taz was getting ready for bed, talking on the phone with Tim. Score one for Albert.
    Beautiful, wonderful, exquisite—inside and out.
    Patience . Don’t ruin this.
    He turned down his bed, put out the lights, and waited. She finally settled, tossing back and forth.
    Despite what he told Albert, Matthias couldn’t resist sending out a gentle probe. He didn’t have to deeply explore her mind to feel her agitation, the frustration.
    The sexual tension.
    If only you knew, Anastazia .
    Twenty minutes later, she was no closer to sleep. She laid there with her eyes open, staring at light patterns cast on the ceiling by a neon sign outside her window.
    He had to do it or she’d feel horrible the next day, he justified.
    Sleep, my dearest , he thought, using the lightest of touches on her mind. It was so hard not to plunge in, to soak her up. She was so close, so fully and completely open to him, unable to erect any barriers in her mind to keep him out.
    Four rooms away, Anastazia’s eyes fluttered then closed.
    I still have it . Matthias rolled over in search of his own restless slumber.

    * * * *

    Matthias knocked as he walked past her door. She opened it almost immediately. He knew she’d been ready to go since six thirty, alternating between sitting on the bed and nervously pacing by the door.
    “Good morning, Anastazia.”
    “Good morning.”
    He grabbed her overnight bag before she could object and motioned for her to go first. “How did you sleep?”
    “Oh, I had a little trouble at first—”
    —thinking about sliding into