Night Rider by Tamara Knowles Page A

know?”
     
    He raised a languid finger to her side. “Books can say a lot about a person.”
     
    She glanced down to the set of three books she had tucked underneath her arm. Oh. She had almost forgotten she had taken them with. Barry was being such a busybody, I had to get out of there. “What do my books say about me?”
     
    Nicholas glanced at the titles on the spines and smirked.
     
    “That you read a lot.” Smart ass. He took a step closer to her and looked at her lips, before gazing back into her eyes. His large and solid hands eased her shaking shoulders. “You're still shivering. A little ride in the winds would do wonders for your stress and anxiety.”
     
    “Really? What kind of ride?”
     
    His eyes sized her up from head-to-toe, uncaring of how obvious he was. He finished his scan with a smirk. “A bike ride. Among other things.”
     
    “I don't know...it's a little cold out. And I'm tired.”
     
    “Come to my room them. For tea.” He took a deep breath near her neck, while she wished he would do so much more. “I promise you won't be disappointed.”
     
    She so desperately wanted to say yes; but, the night had done much to rattle her desires. “Maybe tomorrow? I just...just need to rest.”
     
    He drew her closer to his groin, both his hands around her waist. “Maybe tonight.”
     
    This guy's persistent! “I'm really tired.”
     
    He broke away from her with a smirk, and already Eve felt yearning for his touch. “Say no more...and sleep well. I'll see you soon.”
     
    “I look forward to it.” Eve loosed a nervous giggle, as he walked away. She gave him one last look before he stepped out of the entrance and back into the blustery, black night. Kind of thought he would put up a little more fight. Maybe he's biding his time? Or maybe he's just messing with me? She trudged up the stairs, thinking about his touch in silence. Lights on the wall flickered behind her step, just like they did on the street. The pattern did not escape her.
     
    At least he wasn't boring...better than Barry...and silence. The silence in the hallway hung like a deathly pall. No sounds of sex, of arguments, or of blaring TVs came from the other doors. When she got to her door, her hands jittered, and her key skid over the lock. Just the sound of unlocking it made an unnerving amount of noise in the quiet hall.
     
    When she got into her apartment, she dropped everything and headed straight to her bedroom. She locked the door and clutched one of her pillows, as she got into bed. The howling winds slammed against her building, as the shaking tree branches scraped against her window like gnarled hands. It's just a little wind and a little tree...it's happened a hundred times before. Stop acting like a child. There's nothing wrong. It’s just nature.
     
    Outside her window, more than just nature came to disturb her sleep...
     
    ***
     
    Nicholas used the night as his cloak, impossibly perched on Eve's narrow window sill. Through the glass he heard her nervous heartbeat. Her scent was ripe and feminine with a hint of the familiar. How he had longed for a woman just like her...innocent and pure, unknowing of the darkness in the world.
     
    Something familiar about her, too, he thought. Why did I only notice it now?
     
    He slid her window open with a silence only he could create. His sheer unnaturalness quieted the winds just enough for him to stalk into her room. She had exhausted herself with her fear, and now she had fallen into blissful sleep. The vampire's keen night vision penetrated the darkness.
     
    He saw her smooth, milky skin glistening in the dim light. Still stressed. Let's fix that. He padded onto her bed with the grace of a panther. His hands and feet made no impression upon her mattress. Eve's auburn tresses spilled out above her and over her pillow like a pool of ruddy silk.
     
    Nicholas ran his fingers through her soft locks, relishing her scent. The beat of her heart sung to him. Its rhythm