Page 7 of Patrick’s Seduction (Scanguards Vampires #19)

7

A gainst his better judgment, Patrick ushered Fallon into the H Lounge, the lounge where Scanguards’ human employees and guests could help themselves to free refreshments and snacks. He knew what he was doing had nothing to do with his responsibilities toward Scanguards, the city, or its inhabitants, and everything to do with his libido.

Fuck!

One glance at Fallon, and he could understand why any man who’d dated her would have serious trouble letting go of her. He was drawn to her like a moth to the light. Even before she’d uttered a single word, he’d known that her voice would sink deep into him, heating his blood, sending it racing through his veins. She was beautiful with her long black hair, grey eyes, and red lips. She looked a little flushed, but he liked that look. It made him imagine her lying in bed, satin sheets draped around her naked body, breathing hard, and feeling spent after an afternoon of lovemaking.

Damn! His cock was hijacking his mind, taking it for a joyride. And he stood there, unable and unwilling to grab the steering wheel and right the course.

He wasn’t one to be charmed by a pretty face so easily. Sure, he got laid whenever he wanted to, but he’d always kept his personal and his business lives separate, never slept with anyone employed by Scanguards, nor with any client. And though Fallon Doyle wasn’t a client, at least not yet, he knew he had to treat her like one, which meant one thing: hands off. Apparently, his cock wasn’t getting the memo. Because it was his cock that had initiated this scenario. He’d been ready to tell Fallon that he was sorry, but that he didn’t have the staff to take on her case, but his cock had been faster, inserting itself into the conversation without shame in the hopes of being rewarded by offering to help her with her problem. Rewarded with sex.

Not only was this unethical from a business standpoint, but also unfair to the woman now sitting across from him on one of the big sofas in the H Lounge. The deserted H Lounge, he noticed immediately. Things couldn’t get any worse: if he followed his base instinct, there would be nobody to stop him, nobody to remind him of the manners his parents had instilled in him.

All that left him with was to force himself to concentrate on business, and not on a tumble in the sheets with the tempting woman who was seeking his help.

“So, uhm,” he started, clearing his throat, trying to shake off the lust that was gripping him like a fisherman’s net ensnared an unsuspecting dolphin. “Why don’t you tell me what’s been happening with your ex-boyfriend?”

“Cameron and I were dating for only three months, when I broke up with him. But for the last two months, he’s been pestering me, constantly leaving messages, sending gifts, flowers, in the hopes that we’ll get back together. But it’s over. I made it clear to him. At first, I thought, he’d finally leave me alone, but today he came to my lab at UCSF. He’s trying to intimidate me so I’ll take him back.”

“But you’re not interested in him anymore?”

She shook her head. “He’s not the man I thought he was.”

“What do you mean by that?”

She hesitated for a moment. “He’s jealous and possessive. He treats me like his property. But I’m not anybody’s property.”

Patrick could hear her pulse quickening, and he noticed her breathing become irregular. She was agitated. “Fallon… uhm, may I call you Fallon?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Why did you break up with him?”

“As I told you, he’s jealous and possessive.”

“I understand. But there must have been something specific that made you break up with him. Did you have a fight with him? Was he violent toward you? Did he hit you?”

Fallon shook her head. “No, he didn’t hit me. And he wasn’t violent, not toward me. He’s the kind of guy who uses words to make someone afraid of him.”

“Are you saying he was emotionally abusive?” When she nodded, he remembered what else she’d said. “You said he wasn’t violent toward you . Are you saying he was violent toward somebody else?”

Again, there was a slight hesitation in her before she answered, “I believe so, though he didn’t admit it outright.”

“Tell me what happened.”

“It was two months ago. I got this big NIH grant for my research, and my lab assistants and I were really happy about it. So, we all went out for drinks after work. I’d told Cameron about the grant, and I might have mentioned that my coworkers and I would go for a quick drink. He showed up at the bar. We were just celebrating, you know.” She looked straight at him, her eyes meeting his, looking for understanding. “But Hank, one of my lab assistants, he’d had too much to drink, and he was so relieved that we got the grant, because that meant he could keep his position. You know, without the grant I would have had to let him, and a couple of the others, go.”

Patrick nodded. “I understand. So, what happened?”

“Hank hugged me, thanking me. It was very innocent, believe me. He’s a tactile person. He hugs everybody. Sure, maybe that’s not appropriate coming from a coworker, but that’s just the person he is. And it’s never bothered anyone at the lab. Besides, he’s not interested in me that way. I’m his meal ticket. It would be stupid if he made a pass at me when I can easily fire him, right?”

Patrick wondered how she could be sure that Hank wasn’t interested in her. Did she not realize her own appeal? What man with a pulse could resist such a temptation? Fallon exuded sexual energy like it was going out of style. Everything about her was sensual: the way she lifted her lids, her long lashes almost crashing against her eyebrows, the way she moistened her lips every so often while speaking, the way her chest heaved, pressing her nipples against her tight blue turtleneck sweater. Even though she showed virtually no skin—like so many San Franciscans during the wet winter months—her body invited all kinds of fantasies that filled his head. Fantasies about undressing her slowly and exploring her body. Fantasies about kissing every inch of her glorious body.

When he suddenly realized that there was silence between them, he forced the thoughts out of his mind.

“So, he hugged you. What happened then?”

“Cameron showed up right then. He saw it. And I’ve never seen so much hate and fury in somebody’s eyes than when he stared at Hank.” Fallon swallowed hard. “Cameron made me leave early. He said he’d made a dinner reservation for us, and claimed he’d told me, which I’m absolutely sure he didn’t—just so he could get me away from my coworkers.”

“And you went to dinner? Did Cameron say anything about the incident?”

“No, he didn’t. He was just very intense that night. Like he was trying to suppress something. I can’t explain it. When I went to work the next day, Hank called in sick. I didn’t think much of it right then, because I thought maybe he had a hangover. But then he didn’t come in the next two days either, and on the following day, when I was the only one left in the lab, working late, he showed up to pick up his personal items, and handed me his resignation.” Fallon closed her eyes for a moment, before continuing, “He looked like he’d been beaten to within an inch of his life.”

Patrick wanted to curse. A man who was so jealous and possessive that he would beat anyone coming near his girlfriend was bad news. Anita’s gut had been right. Cameron Gallagher was trouble. “Did Hank tell you who’d beaten him up?”

To his surprise, Fallon shook her head. “He claimed he’d fallen down the stairs. But…” Her voice trembled now. “I could see the fear in his eyes. He lied to me, probably too scared that I might tell Cameron.” Her breath hitched. “Hank was beaten up because of me. I couldn’t have that on my conscience.”

“Go back a moment. Did Cameron even have an opportunity to hurt Hank?”

“What do you mean?”

“After your dinner, did you go back to his place or to yours to spend the night together?”

“He brought me home, and…” She hesitated. “We had sex. But this time, he didn’t stay the night, which was unusual.”

“Does that mean he normally stayed the night?”

“Yes. But he said he had an early meeting, so he left.”

“Okay. So, after Hank resigned, did you talk to Cameron about Hank’s injuries?”

“Yes, of course. I mean, I couldn’t just let this pass. He hurt somebody because of his jealousy. But when I asked him point-blank if he beat up Hank, he kind of denied it and admitted it at the same time.”

Confused, Patrick asked, “What exactly did he say?”

For a moment, Fallon seemed to contemplate her next words. “He said: you should be glad that he resigned. Better for both of you.” She shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes. “When I asked him what he meant by that, he said: nobody touches what’s mine.”

No human talked like that. But he knew creatures who did: vampires and vampire hybrids. Their possessive streak was legendary when they found their mate. They didn’t like to share the object of their affection. However, in Cameron’s case, Patrick wasn’t sure whether it was affection or just plain obsession that drove him.

“And when Cameron came to my lab today, he said it again. He said that I was his, and that I would need him, and come crawling back to him. And the way he said it, I could feel that he was prepared to do anything to have me back. Including using violence.” She sniffled. “I’m scared that he might abduct me and lock me up so he can do whatever he wants with me.”

Patrick exhaled. There was nothing concrete that proved that Cameron had beaten the lab assistant, though, given the circumstances, it was definitely possible. And Cameron’s words could send fear into any woman, certainly into a woman like Fallon, who evidently liked her independence and was dedicated to her job.

“Was that the only reason why you left him?”

“The only reason? Isn’t that enough?”

Fallon felt disappointment spread inside her and couldn’t stop it from seeping into her voice. Did Patrick not believe her? Did he think that leaving a man who was verbally abusive and trying to control her wasn’t a valid reason? Was he taking Cameron’s side? Was she wrong about this man too? Just like she’d been wrong when she’d thought Cameron was a good man?

“I’m sorry, I didn’t phrase that right. What I mean is, were there any other red flags that made you want to break up with him? Before that incident?”

She looked at him intently, trying to find the truth in his green eyes. Was it understanding she saw shimmering in those deep pools that looked like she could get lost in them? For a few seconds, there was silence between them, and she felt calmer.

“Yes. Little things. He always wanted to know where I was, what I was doing. Whenever I got a text message or a phone call, he wanted to know who it was from and what it was about.” She felt an icy shiver run down her spine at the thought of how he’d reacted each time she’d told him that she couldn’t see him because of work. He’d always questioned her. His constant suspicion as to whether work was truly the reason why she couldn’t see him as often as he wanted to or whether she was hiding something from him had worn her patience thin.

“I felt as if I was being controlled. As if I had to ask permission to talk to other people.”

“Were you exclusive? I mean, you and Cameron had sex. Were you going on other dates?”

His remark about sex caught her off guard. Yes, they’d have sex. But it wasn’t something she wanted to elaborate on. She’d told Anita, but then, Anita was a woman and a police officer. Patrick was a man, a man she felt attracted to, although she shouldn’t even be able to think of any man right now, no matter how handsome and friendly he was. Cameron had been friendly too. And handsome. And yes, the sex had been good. Maybe that was the reason she’d overlooked his other faults, his jealousy, his possessiveness. Because she’d interpreted them as affection, as desire. And what woman didn’t want to feel desired?

She pushed the thoughts aside, realizing that Patrick was still waiting for an answer to his question. “Other dates? No, of course not. I barely have time to date one guy.”

“So, there was no reason for Cameron to get jealous?”

“No. Absolutely not.” And that was the truth. While they were dating, she’d never flirted with anyone. Never so much as looked at another man.

“Did you make it clear to him why you broke up with him?”

“Yes, I told him that I believed that he hurt Hank, and that I’m sick of his jealous and controlling behavior.”

“So, there’s no chance for him to think that you might change your mind and come back to him?”

“None.” She’d made that clear to him several times, at first by replying to his voicemails and text messages, then by ignoring him, in the hope that he would finally stop contacting her. But he hadn’t stopped, as if he wasn’t even listening, as if he was living in a different reality.

“I want him out of my life. Please, help me.”

Patrick met her gaze, and there was understanding in his eyes. “Alright. I’ll look into him to see whether I can make him understand that he needs to leave you alone.”

“Thank you.”

“Write down how I can reach you. I also need Cameron’s details, full name, contact info, and the like, same for Hank. I want to talk to him too. Maybe I can convince him to tell me what really happened.”

Patrick rose and walked to a sideboard. She followed his movements, her eyes darting to his backside, his muscled butt shifting beneath his well-fitting black pants. There was something so confident and self-assured in his walk that drew her to him. He snatched a notepad and a pen from the sideboard and turned back to her.

She quickly averted her eyes, pretending to admire the floral arrangement on the coffee table in front of her. Patrick handed her the pen and paper before he sat down again—this time not on the armchair opposite but next to her on the sofa. Close enough for her to feel his heat, and smell the faint scent of his shampoo or maybe the body lotion he used. Her hand trembled at first when she started to write down the information that Patrick had requested.

When she was done, she handed it back to him, while he was reaching for the pad at the same time. Their fingers touched for a brief second, making her gasp involuntarily and jerk back quickly. Her eyes shot to Patrick’s face, and their gazes met.

“I didn’t mean to…” she stuttered, embarrassed about her reaction to his touch.

“My apologies, Fallon. I didn’t mean to startle you.” His voice was calm and collected, even soft as if he was speaking to a frightened child. “I know that the emotional turmoil you’re experiencing is making you jumpy. It’s normal. I just want you to know that you’re safe here.”

She nodded quickly, casting her eyes to her hands that now rested in her lap. He’d interpreted her reaction incorrectly, but she wouldn’t correct him. It was better that he didn’t know that the reason for her reaction was the jolt of pleasure that his touch had caused. Because a reaction like this would only cause more trouble, more confusion. And she had no intention of jumping from the frying pan into the fire. The risk of landing in another relationship that ended badly was just too great, because men who were too handsome and sexy for their own good, almost always came with a fatal flaw.

She was sure that beneath Patrick’s flawless exterior lay personality traits that she didn’t like either. And just like Cameron’s flaws had bubbled to the surface, eventually Patrick’s would emerge too. Nobody was as perfect on the inside as on the outside. There was always a catch.