“Playing with fire, Kitten?”

His mouth grazed my cheek as he spoke directly in my ear to be heard above the noise. His lips were cool against my skin, but not cold. My head spun, my senses reeled, and in reply my tongue crept out and licked his neck with a long wet stroke.

The shudder went all through him. Bones pressed me so close that his body ground into mine, jerking my head back with a thick handful of hair until our eyes locked. What had started out as a game was now an open challenge, as well as a direct threat. Any further action would bear results, it was clear from the way his gaze smoldered into mine. All of this should have frightened me, but it was as if my mind were incapable of rational thought. He was a vampire, a hit man, and had almost killed me…and nothing mattered more than the feel of him. I licked my lips and didn’t pull away, and it was all the invitation he needed.

His mouth came down onto mine, slanting across without difficulty, since I moaned at the first touch. It had been so long, so long since I’d kissed someone and not been faking it. The last time had been with Danny, and the scant desire I’d felt then was nothing compared to the searing flash of heat in me now. His tongue caressed my lips briefly before twining around mine and seeking my depths with ruthless sensuality. My heart pounded so fiercely I knew he could feel its pulse in my mouth as I responded, pulling him closer and digging my nails into his back. Bones deepened the kiss further until he sucked on my tongue. Everything inside me began to throb with need. I returned the gesture with more strength, drawing on his tongue with erotic hunger. There was a distinct hardness to him as he rubbed his hips against mine in a wave of friction that caused a near-excruciating clench in my loins.

He only pulled away to snap at someone when we were rudely jostled for no longer dancing, leaving me to gulp in breaths of air. My legs felt almost rubbery and lights danced in my head. Bones propelled me toward the far wall until we were clear of the dance floor, tumbling my hair in my face from the speed of his action. He brushed it back to kiss me again, and this kiss was better than the one before. His whole body seemed to be poured into his searching mouth. He finally pulled away, but didn’t go far.

“Kitten, you need to make a decision. Either we stay here and behave or we leave now and I promise you”-his voice dipped lower and the words fell against my lips-“if we leave, I won’t behave.”

His mouth closed over mine once more, lips and tongue expertly evoking a response. My self-control was still somewhere away on vacation and my arms went around his neck because I simply wanted more. His back was to the wall and one hand was in my hair while the other was low, dangerously low on my back. Fingers kneaded my flesh through the thin material of the dress, holding me so close, every movement he made stroked me. After another few dizzying minutes, he broke the kiss to whisper almost raggedly in my ear.

“Decide now, luv, because I can’t take much more of this before I make up your mind and carry you off.”

The room seemed fuzzy, the lights dimmer, and there was a far-off noise in my head. None of those things seemed important, however, except for Bones. His body felt as hard and sinewy as a racehorse’s, and his mouth on mine made me want to scream with lust. There wasn’t a single part of me that wanted to be anywhere but with him.

“Bones…” I couldn’t begin to articulate the need.

Unexpectedly his whole body stiffened, and he looked over my shoulder with tension ringing off him.

“Bloody frigging hell, what is he doing here?”

He seemed to freeze in my arms, face hardening as though turned to stone.

Confused, I squirmed to look behind me. “Who? Who’s here?”

“Hennessey.”

NINE

M Y MIND COULDN’T SEEM TO KEEP UP WITH current events. “I thought Sergio said he was in Chicago. He’s supposed to be in Chicago!”

Bones muttered a foul curse and straightened, spinning us around until his back was to the door.

“Do you think Sergio lied to us?” I persisted.

He shook his head as if to clear it.

“Keep your eye on him, luv. Black hair. Mustache, thin beard, dark skin, tall. Wearing a white shirt, see him?”

I leaned my head against Bones’s shoulder and scanned the faces until I found one that matched.

“Got him.”

“Sergio didn’t lie,” Bones answered my earlier question grimly. “That means somehow Hennessey got word that he’s gone missing. He knew Sergio was in this area, so he’s poking around here for answers. He’s no doubt rightly worried about what Sergio would have said to whoever made him disappear.”

“Well, whatever the reason, he’s here. Let’s go for him.”

“No.”

The single word surprised me. “No? Why not? He just got dropped into our lap!”

His expression was ice, and he kept his voice low. “Because he’s a bloody treacherous sod and I don’t want you anywhere near him. You’re going straight home as soon as he’s away from the door. I’ll handle this myself.”

My head cleared enough for me to be pissed.

“You know, for someone who keeps telling me to trust him, you sure don’t extend the same courtesy. I thought tonight was a regular job, so I’m all staked out and ready to roll. I took on vampires before you, remember? All by myself and without someone to hold my hand through it. Now I have training and backup, and you still want me to turn tail and run? Don’t kiss me like a woman if you’re going to treat me like a child.”

Bones stared down at me with frustration. “This isn’t about treating you like a child. Bugger, I clearly don’t see you that way! Look, I told you Hennessey’s not just a bloke who goes out and snatches up a girl when his tummy grumbles. He’s in another league, Kitten. He’s a very bad sort.”

“Then quit arguing and let’s go get him,” I said, softly but firmly. “He sounds just like the kind of person I’d love to take out.”

Bones didn’t say anything for a moment, then he let out a resigned noise.

“I don’t like this, not at all, but…fine. We’ll go for him. So much for a night off. If anything goes wrong, anything at all, you hit that panic button. Now, here’s what we’ll do…”

He outlined the plan quickly and I picked a place near the bar where Hennessey just sat, keeping myself within eyeshot. Actually, I still felt a little dizzy, not that I’d told Bones. He’d have pulled the plug on this for sure if he knew. God, had it been so long since I’d been kissed, a few smooches were enough to throw off my equilibrium? Just to be safe, though, I ordered a Coke instead of my usual gin and tonic. Maybe my resistance to alcohol wasn’t as strong as I’d thought.

After about five minutes, Hennessey glided over. It amazed me how vampires seemed to be drawn to me. Certainly there were plenty of other pretty human girls milling about with veins just as big and juicy as mine. Bones told me once there was something about my skin that was eye-catching, some glow that still looked human but also a touch vampiric. He said it was like a homing beacon.

“I haven’t seen you here before, Red. May I sit down?”

Wow, manners. Usually vamps just plunked down next to me, ready or not. After a faint inclination of my head in the affirmative, he sat next to me, regarding me with hooded blue eyes.

“Can I buy you a drink?”

Hmmm, two for two on politeness. With feigned regret, I smiled at him.

“Sorry, but I’m kind of here with someone. Wouldn’t want to be rude.”

“Ah, I see.” He settled back into his chair but made no effort to vacate it. “Husband, perhaps?”

The thought of being married to Bones made me nearly choke on my next swallow of soda. “No. A first date, actually.”

Hennessey smiled and spread out his hands in a harmless manner.