Vampires Among Us [Vampires Among Us 1] (Siren Publishing Classic)

had caught up with her.
    She helped Jennifer and Kevin clean up the last little bit in the family room and then headed towards Kevin’s suite with her shoes off, dangling on a finger. She opened the door and walked in, dropping her shoes off to the side.
    She had started removing her necklace as she headed to the bedroom to change, when Kevin walked in. In the next second he was standing directly in front of her, grabbing her up for a heart-stopping kiss. His kiss was needy, passionate, and demanding all at the same time. In no time at all, Erica’s head was spinning. He finally let her come up for air, but continued trailing kisses down her neck, shoulders, and the exposed skin at the top of her chest.
    “Do you have any concept, of how much I missed you?” he murmured in a silky voice.
    “I know how much I missed you,” she whispered in reply.
    He leaned over slightly, and in the blink of an eye, hefted Erica up into his arms. He carried her over to the couch and sat her down gently.
    He didn’t want their evening to end, but he knew he needed to tell her he would be gone tomorrow morning. He sat down next to her and sighed heavily.
    “Kevin, what is the matter?”
    He glanced over her way with a frown on his face. “I have some bad news to tell you.”
    Immediately, her fears and insecurities came roaring back to life. God, had she so totally misread him? Had he changed his mind about his feelings for her? Was he getting ready to ask her to leave? What else could possibly put that frown on his face? Taking a deep breath, she resolved herself to not showing her true feelings for him, no matter what! If in fact he’d had a change of heart, she would thank him for his hospitality and leave quietly. Where she would go, she had no clue, but she would be damned if she was going to stay where she wasn’t wanted!
    Kevin gently took both of her hands in his before beginning to speak. God, how he wished he could get around having to break this news to her! “I will be leaving in the morning for about a week. Last week’s drug bust at the college has paid off, and we have the name and location of the top guy involved. He is in Brazil.” He carefully watched her face as he continued. “The plan is to go there and catch him off-guard. But, I’m not scheduled to be back before next weekend.”
    “Oh,” Erica responded. So, what did this mean for her? Did he want her gone by the time he returned? She could feel the tears start to burn her eyes, and blinked rapidly. No, she wouldn’t let him see her cry. She glanced over to him, confused to see a look of anguish on his face.
    “Thank you for your hospitality, I’ll be sure to be gone by the time you get back,” Erica stated in just above a whisper. She kept her face averted from his, thankful for her long hair which would help her hide the tears threatening to spill. She couldn’t bring herself to look over at him, it was just too painful, and therefore missed the look of pure shock that transformed across his face.
    “What do you mean, you will be gone? You will do no such thing! Shawn is still out there looking for you! Are you crazy, woman? Why would you want to leave?” Kevin exploded, reaching for her arms and holding tightly.
    No way was she leaving. If he had to lock her up in this apartment while he was gone, so be it. She was just becoming comfortable with him, and she was his mate, damn it all! Like hell was she walking away now!
    “I just thought you were trying to tell me you didn’t want me…” She didn’t get any further before his hand cupped the back of her head and his other hand reached down to gently tilt her chin up so he could see her face. As soon as her head lifted, her mouth was immediately covered in a hard and relentless kiss. As he pummeled her mouth, his mind went back to the conversation trying to figure out exactly what he had said to make her think he wanted her to leave. It came up blank.
    Finally, knowing Erica would need air, he let her go. He was a bit surprised to find that both were breathing heavy. He took just a moment to try to word his words correctly. He couldn’t afford another miscommunication. “Erica, I was just trying to tell you I have an assignment that is going to take me out of town. Well, actually, it is taking me out of the country.” He grinned. “I love you. You are it for me, love. You are my other half, my soul. Don’t ever think for a minute that I don’t want you. Hell, I feel like I am