Page 6 of Twilight Destiny

Saintcrow grinned inwardly. Smart girl, he mused, pleased that she’d had the innate ability to recognize when she was in danger. And with good cause. Kincaid was an old vampire, powerful not just physically but with the strength that came with having survived so many centuries.

Rosa had sensed it, whether she realized it or not. It was a talent that might one day save her life.

Chapter Three

When Rosa woke in the morning, her first thought was of the vampire she had met the night before. Jake Kincaid. He wasn’t as scary as Saintcrow, but damn, he was a close second. Thinking about it now, she was even more certain that Saintcrow had arranged the meeting knowing that Kincaid would intimidate her and scare her off. It embarrassed her to think she had fallen for such an obvious ruse. But it had been hard to think clearly surrounded by all that testosterone.

Rising, she pulled on a pair of jeans and a red sweater, brushed her hair and her teeth, stepped into a pair of sneakers and drove to the hotel restaurant.

She couldn’t stop thinking about Jake Kincaid as she tucked into her breakfast. Was he really as scary as he had seemed, or had it just been an act? Not that it mattered. She would probably never see him again. She told herself she was relieved as she left the dining room.

At loose ends, she stood on the sidewalk a moment, then drove to the movie theater to see what was playing. It was a four-plex. Three of the auditoriums were showing new releases, the fourth was playingThe Lost Boys, which was an old vampire movie.She recalled watching it on Netflix with Sofie late one night.

Rosa grinned as she pulled into the parking lot. Saintcrow had a twisted sense of humor, she thought, as she bought a ticket to the vampire flick. As she took her seat, she wondered if she would still think Jason Patric was hot.

The movie had been playing for about fifteen minutes when a man took the empty seat next to hers. Rosa knew a moment of irritation as she slid a sideways glance at him. There were plenty of other empty seats he could have chosen.

She let out a startled gasp when she recognized Jake Kincaid. “You!” she hissed. “What are you doing here?”

“I like vampire movies,” he whispered. “Although I’m not crazy about the way this one ends.”

She could hardly blame him for that, she thought, since all the vampires were destroyed in graphic and hideous ways.

Unable to think of a response, Rosa focused on the screen, but the actors might as well have been speaking Chinese because she couldn’t concentrate on the dialog or anything else. She was far too aware of the incredibly handsome man beside her. What was he doing here when the sun was out and it was hours until dark? Micah had told her only very old vampires like Saintcrow could endure the heat and light of the sun. Which meant Kincaid must be one of the ancient ones.

Her heart skipped a beat when his shoulder brushed hers, and again when she felt his gaze on her face. Never in her whole life had she been so aware of another person.

She stood and headed for the aisle as soon as the credits rolled.

She didn’t have to look over her shoulder to know that he was right behind her.

Outside the theater, she whirled around to confront him. “Why are you following me?”

He shrugged. “I’d like to know you better.”

She arched one brow. “Oh?”

“You got a problem with that?”

“Did Saintcrow put you up to this?”

“No, ma’am. Coming here was all my idea.”

“But he asked you to be at the nightclub last night, didn’t he? To scare me away?”

His smile was devastating. “That he did.”

She hadn’t expected him to admit it.

“Mind if I walk you to your car?”

“I guess not,” she murmured after a moment.

He fell into step beside her, a tall man who exuded raw masculinity. She had forgotten how big he was. It was like walking next to a mountain. He was wearing jeans and cowboy boots again, and a jean jacket over a black tee shirt. Try as she might, she couldn’t think of a single thing to say.

He stood beside her while she unlocked the car door. “I’d like to see you again,” he said.

She looked up at him. Lordy, he was gorgeous, his deep brown eyes almost as hypnotic as his voice.