Cora's Secret: A Vampire Ménage Urban Fantasy Romance Read Free Page A

tarmac, her breath ragged and her heart trying to burst through her chest. She came to a halt up against the same Dodge, her hand splayed against the side window for balance.
    He moved up behind her. “Hey…”
    “No!” She pushed herself upright and turned to look at him. “Don’t say anything. Just leave. Get out of town. I have no intention of listening to anything you might think you have to say.”
    Then she spun and raced for the door, fumbling for her pass card. Without looking, she knew he was watching her every step.

* * * * *
     
    It took long minutes for her to shrug off what had happened and fully concentrate on dealing. Kruger watched her relentlessly. She was good at her job. Her hands did most of the work without her having to think about it. Which was a problem, for when her mind settled into the dangerous idle mode, she starting thinking all over again about what had happened with him…it….
    Finally, she deliberately called up the details of the current renovation project in her townhouse. Colors, accessories, trimmings. The drapes she intended to make. Denim? Or sheers? Or Roman blinds?
    It kept Kruger off her back and the customers happy for the next couple of hours…until Sheriff Wisherd turned up.

* * * * *
     
    Rhys Wisherd watched through the diner windows as the tall blond man got out of the black Audi with the New York plates and stretched hard. If he’d driven all the way up from Manhattan, then he had reason to stretch. That also explained why he had pulled up in front of the diner. It was highly visible from the I90 and yanked in a lot of transient customers.
    Rhys ate here because the food was good and the prices even better. It also let him keep tabs on new arrivals, passers-through and other potential sources of trouble. As the county sheriff, he liked to stay on top of who was floating around his town. Erie wasn’t a big place, but lately, it had acquired some big city problems.
    He couldn’t figure out if this guy was potential trouble or not. He was travelling alone, which wasn’t unusual, but did put him into an interesting category.
    Rhys finished his second cup of coffee as the guy locked the car and headed for the front doors of the diner. The guy stepped off the sidewalk to let a couple of women get through without brushing up against the bumpers of the cars pulled up in front of the diner.
    A polite fellow then.
    He also seemed to be a healthy one. It was a hot day, especially for September, and he was wearing a short-sleeved and collared tee shirt, open at the front. His arms seemed to…well, glow. So did his face and his blond hair. He was in such peak condition it was radiating from him.
    Rhys recalled that it had been months since he’d hit the gym. He looked down at the remains of the bacon, hash browns and eggs he’d had for his early dinner and grimaced. He was a long way away from the sort of health that would make him glow.
    He looked up from the plate as the man came inside, sized the room up in one sweep, then moved over to the counter and settled on one of the row of empty stools there. Most people took booths and Rhys was usually the only one eating at the counter. But he was usually the only one eating alone.
    The blond man glanced at him and gave him a short nod. His eyes were blue, like Rhys’, but deeper. Then he picked up the menu that laid in front of him and studied it.
    Rhys thought the guy was possibly taller than him. His shoulders were solid, matching his overall health and proving that he exercised. There was a serious amount of muscle there and none of it was steroid-induced excess. He worked his muscles hard and built them the honest way.
    All in all, the guy looked harmless. He was probably passing through town like most strangers pulling into the diner were. But Rhys found himself studying him even more closely. There was something about him that was interesting. He didn’t know what it was yet. It wasn’t like his cop’s instincts were