He shook his head. "I had given it some thought, but you are too interesting to destroy, Carly. Too intelligent." He stroked her soft hair away from her face. "Too beautiful."

"Then what are you going to do with me? Why show yourself?"

He stepped back, releasing her chair completely. He paced away a short distance, his eyes following her movements as she straightened her sleeves unnecessarily.

"Now we come to the crux of the matter." He sighed. "I have been watching you for some time. Since you moved into the farmstead, in fact."

"The farm? Why?"

His gaze pinned her. "Because I live there as well." He paused but she made no comment. "Under your home, several stories down into the earth is a replica of the farmstead. I have been living there in peace and safety for over a century. For all that time, the same family owned the land and house above and we peacefully co-existed until old Jacob died. He had no family to leave the place to in his will, so it was sold."

"To me." Her voice was a surprisingly calm whisper.

"To you," he agreed with a nod. "Now I am faced with the problem of a mortal inhabiting the space above me who has no idea of my existence and no loyalty to the agreement I had with Jacob's ancestors, binding on all subsequent generations. That agreement is, in effect, null and void now that their line is ended."

"So you want to make a new agreement with me?"

He smiled. "I thought so at first." He moved closer to her once again.

"But?" she prompted.

"But I recently became dissatisfied with the old arrangement. I want to broker a new deal with you, Carly. A much more intimate deal." His hands framed her face, tilting her head up to his. "I want you, Carly. In my bed at night and safeguarding my rest during the day."

"Does this also include...um...my blood?"

His smile turned carnal. "Indeed. I want to taste you, Carly. I want to drink you and take your essence into myself. But I won't hurt you. I will only bring you pleasure, like I've been doing in our shared dreams, only much, much better."

"Oh, God." She was overwhelmed by him...by everything.

"I can see I've given you a great deal to think about." He stood and headed for the door. "Finish your work here and I'll see you home." He turned to look at her, his dark eyes pinning her in place. "I'll give you a bit of time to decide, Carly, but I can't wait long. I want you more than any woman I've ever met and believe me, that is saying something. Call my name, and I will come when you're ready to leave."

How she got through the final installation and testing, she never knew. Around four in the morning, the job was finally done. True, it had taken her quite a bit longer than she had originally estimated but with such chaotic thoughts racing through her mind what else could she expect? It wasn't every day she was propositioned by an honest-to-goodness vampire.

Holy shit! That thought and several others raced through her mind every few moments despite her best efforts to stay focused on the project. She had to finish it tonight. It was important she settle her work before tackling the much larger personal problem she had just inherited by buying a cursed farm.

How was she to know there was a vampire living under her house? Shouldn't the real estate agent have disclosed something as serious as that? She laughed inwardly at the thought, knowing the old man who had owned the house before her had taken the secret to his grave as his ancestors had before him.

They had lived with the vampire, apparently with no ill effect. All the people she had spoken to about old Jacob had loved him. He had been a happy old man, always ready with a kind word or a helping hand, or so everyone claimed. No way could he have been some kind of evil servant of the undead. Right?

But Dmitri wanted more from her than peaceful coexistence. He wanted her blood and her body. He wanted her to be his mistress, she realized with some shock. Here she'd been hoping since she was a little girl to find some good man and become his wife. Apparently fate had something different in mind for her. She was to be the mistress of a vampire. Either that...or what? She realized with a shiver that Dmitri hadn't given her an alternative.

When she could delay no longer, she called his name softly. In moments he was there, his dark gaze boring into her, watching her every move as if he could see into her mind. And perhaps he could, she thought with a gasp.

"Can you read my mind?"

He chuckled. "Actually, not well. Most mortals have surface thoughts that are easy to pick up, but your mind is more complex, Carly. Beautifully complex."

"Well, thank heaven for that," she muttered but still, she could tell from his amused expression, he had heard every word.

"Come." He picked up her coat from the chair and held it open for her.

She allowed him to help her as he had the night before and, as before, he did not release her right away. He held her close, wrapped in the coat and his strong arms while his mouth teased the skin behind her ear and down to where the pulse beat strong in her neck.

She felt his sharp teeth scrape over her flesh. It sent shivers down her spine but whether of fear or arousal was anyone's call. She knew what he was now and it gave every one of his motions a whole new meaning.

He released her and stepped back, holding the door for her. When they got to her car, he simply held out his hand for the keys before taking the wheel and guiding them safely, if a bit speedily, home. Apparently the undead liked to drive fast.