The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance

underneath.
    Julia sighed out loud. “Three hundred years? That’s kind of a long time. What are you, a vampire, or something?” She was kidding of course, but the look on his face told her he wasn’t.
    “You sense what I am,” he said with obvious approval. “You know me.”
    She tried not to laugh. “No, I don’t. Besides, vampires are cold, undead creatures of darkness. And you’re . . . well, you’re—” very hot “—warm and breathing.”
    “Real vampires are not what you might expect. We are simply different than humans. We do live eternally. But when our soulmates are taken away before they are sired, we must try to find them in their next life. It has not been easy for me to locate you. I feared I would never find you again.”
    Right. “Ithink you should probably take off. My friend’ll be back any minute.”
    Instead of departing, he took a step even closer to her. “It is I, dearest Julia. Evan. Search your heart. You know me. I know you do.”
    She leaned back from him. “I know you need to get away from me or we’re going to have a big problem here.”
    He looked very confused. Either this guy was surprised that his whole reincarnation shtick didn’t work on her or he was completely insane. She didn’t know which. She didn’t care. Either scenario creeped her out.
    “I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said, with a deep frown creasing his forehead.
    She slid off the bar stool. He put his arms on either side of her to block her from leaving.
    “Please, stay and talk with me a while longer, Julia.”
    “I mean it,” she said very firmly. “Get away from me now.”
    A small smile touched his lips. “I remember that fire, that spark of life inside you. There are many things that are so very, very different, but that remains. You are the one. The witch is not wrong. She guaranteed me that you are she.”
    “That I’m your reincarnated soulmate?”
    “Yes.” His smile widened. “You are beginning to believe. That is wonderful.”
    She tried to move away from him but he didn’t budge. Was she going to have to call security? Not that anyone seemed like they were paying attention. A quick glance around the bar confirmed that several people were very close to each other getting to know each other much like she and Evan.
    “What do you want?” she asked him warily.
    “You, of course,” he replied.
    “Not interested.” She eyed him. “Maybe you should go bite some necks somewhere else.”
    “I need to drink very little at my age.”
    “If you’re a vampire, then how old are you?”
    “I am nearly 400 years old.”
    He looked no more than thirty. A very hot, but creepy, thirty.
    “I should be able to go wherever I want and not worry about getting harassed by some dead guy.”
    “I’m not dead.”
    “Undead, then.”
    He made a frustrated sound in his throat. “You don’t believe me.”
    “Obviously not.”
    “The witch told me it shouldn’t take long to convince you of my intentions.”
    “Which are?” Julia turned to face him again.
    He stepped closer. “To woo you, to take you as my wife, to make love to you and worship your body until our desires are sated, and to sire you as a vampire so we will never have to be apart again.”
    That probably shouldn’t have turned her on. This guy spoke like something out of a 1950s horror movie. But there was something about him . . .
    Something familiar?
    Nah.
    “I don’t believe in vampires,” she told him, but her voice sounded a bit breathy now. “And I don’t believe in soulmates.”
    He leaned closer and pushed her hair behind her ear so he could whisper, “Let me prove it to you.”
    It was working, damn it. Sad but true, she was starved for male attention. She’d put up her “girl power” front for years now, shunning relationships that didn’t seem like they had the legs to go for . . .
    To go for what? she thought. Eternity?
    She didn’t believe in true love. And she sure didn’t believe in soulmates. Then why the hell was she letting this self-proclaimed warm-blooded vampire nibble on her ear?
    And why was she letting him kiss her, there in the middle of the bar in front of everybody? That was something Julia’s bar-hopping buddies did on their nightly hunt for masculine prey. Not her.
    But soon enough she was kissing him back. So much for her half-hearted protests.
    After a moment she felt a twinge of pain and pulled away. “What was that?” she asked.
    “Sorry.” Evan was frowning, his