Honor Calls Read Free Page B

the man shifted his head for the barest of seconds, a dark line of blood became visible against the woman’s skin.
    Instinctively Jesus began to rise, determined to interrupt the assault, but his companion laid a hand on his arm.
    “Don’t get involved. She came here for that and the vampire knows the rules.”
    Vampires did not exist and what he had seen so far that night could be explained by….
    He didn’t know what would explain it, but surely there was a rational reason somewhere.
    “The rules?” he asked, sitting back down and picking up his shot glass. He hoped her answer would provide a more plausible explanation for what he had just seen.
    “No siring the humans in public. I’m even surprised he put the bite on her like that. Foley—”
    “Foley?” He finally downed his shot, wincing as the heat burned down his throat.
    “Foley’s the owner of this place. He usually has a ‘no public biting’ policy,” she replied easily, but a furrow of worry was etched in the middle of her forehead.
    “Not good that they’re getting so bold,” she added.
    The waitress came over at that moment with their next round of drinks and he placed another order.
    “Not running?” she asked as she picked up the wedge of lime.
    “Not sure. But before I make up my mind…Who are you?” He dragged the shot glass close and slowly shifted it between his hands.
    She wiped the lime juice from her hands against her jeans and then introduced herself. “Michaela Ramirez.”
    He eyeballed her hand, then shifted his gaze back to her face as he took her hand in his much larger one. “Jesus Hernandez.”
    Raking her gaze over his attire, she said, “Special Agent Hernandez?”
    “Assistant Director in Charge,” he corrected.
    “The boss man.”
    It explained the air of power about him and confirmed what Michaela had already suspected—he was the kind of man who knew how to take care of himself. But it also meant he was the kind of man who would not understand the mission to which she had dedicated her life, and her eventual death.
    He played by the rules. Her existence defied such constraints.
    Arching a brow upward, he asked, “And what is it that you do? You know, your job when you’re not busy staking the undead.”
    She didn’t have an answer she thought he would accept, so she took her time, perusing him once again.
    His suit was expensive and well tailored to his big muscular body. Despite his age, thick dark brown hair showed not one hint of gray. The few wrinkles on his face were the smile lines at the edges of his very sensual mouth and dark brown eyes.
    Eyes that twinkled with amusement at her inspection, at her stalling tactic.
    Surprising.
    “What’s a guy like you doing in a place like this?” she asked, wanting to shift the focus back to him.
    “Maybe starting to believe.”
    He downed his shot of tequila just as the waitress brought the third round.
    When she reached for the lime and shot glass, he covered her hand with his deliciously warm one. His palm was rough against the back of her hand. She imagined that roughness rubbing other parts of her body and a hot flush erupted within her, dampening the spot between her legs.
    “Sure you can handle another? You’re kind of…small,” he said, dragging his gaze over her figure.
    His look lingered at her breasts, yanking a more obvious response from her. Her nipples beaded into tight points, which only convinced her that it had been way too long since she had last satisfied herself.
    Way too long, she thought as she turned her hand and grasped his, running her fingers along the fine hairs on the back of his wrist. She stroked his bare skin, edging beneath the cuff of his shirt.
    “You’d be surprised at how much I can handle.” She grinned when she felt the tremor beneath her fingers.
    Jesus held his breath as her simple touch jerked his body to life. It had been so long since he had done this little dance with a woman. He wanted to confirm that he