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K adie started her new job in the morning. It wasn’t hard, though it kept her busy and for that she was grateful. She answered the phones, made and canceled reservations, responded to questions and concerns as best she could, and tried to memorize the names of the people she worked with.

On her lunch break, she walked through the business district, memorizing the locations of the various stores and shops so when visitors asked for directions, she would know the answer and wouldn’t have to rely on someone else.

She was on her way back to the hotel when she saw Saintcrow striding toward her.

She couldn’t help noticing that people, especially women, often gave him a second look as he passed by.

No surprise there. Not only was he cover-model gorgeous, he cut a commanding figure and oozed sex and self-confidence.

She was surprised by how glad she was to see him.

“How are you doing?” he asked, as he fell into step beside her.

“All right, I guess. I’m trying to familiarize myself with the town so I can answer questions.”

He nodded. “Do you like staying in the hotel?”

“It’s all right. Why?”

“I was thinking you might prefer staying in one of rental houses.” He didn’t like her staying in the hotel, although he wasn’t sure why.

“That would be nice,” Kadie said, with a smile. It would, indeed, be lovely to have a place of her own.

“I’ll arrange to have one of them ready for you tonight.”

“Thank you.”

“Anything else I can do for you?”

“You can tell me the truth. When did I stay here with you?”

Taking her hand, Saintcrow pulled her down on the wooden bench in front of one of the gift shops.

“This is where we met. You came here to photograph the town. We’ve had a long relationship, Kadie.

You spent a good deal of it here, with me.

” He paused, wondering if he should tell her the whole truth.

“You’d think I would remember something like that.” Her brow furrowed as she glanced at the town and the tall mountains that surrounded it, the houses on the hill in the distance. One of them looked like a castle, complete with turrets.

They had a long and complicated past, Saintcrow mused.

Would things be better between them if he told her everything?

What would she think if she knew he had kept her as his prisoner?

Would knowing she was his wife make things more comfortable between them?

Or make her more leery of him? He shook his head.

She had been happy to see him this afternoon. That was something.

“I should probably get back to work,” Kadie said.

“You’re with the boss,” he reminded her. “No one’s going to complain.” Knowing he was taking a risk, he reached for her hand. “I love you, Kadie. I hope someday you’ll love me again.”

When Kadie went to her room in the hotel after work, the events of the day were little more than a blur.

All she’d been able to think about was Saintcrow telling her he loved her and hoped that she would love him again.

It would be easy to fall head-over-heels for him, she thought with a smile.

He was tall, dark, and gorgeous. He seemed to like taking care of her.

He had given her a job, offered her a place to live.

And he wasn’t just being kind. It was because he loved her.

Or so he said. She felt guilty, somehow, because she didn’t love him back.

Oh, she was attracted to him. What woman wouldn’t be?

But in a little corner of her mind, she couldn’t help wondering if all the things he had told her were true.

And yet, why would be lie? He had nothing to gain.

She wasn’t an heiress. Or was she? How was she to know? If only she could remember!

Her thoughts scattered when there was a knock on her door. Her heart skipped a beat. It had to be Saintcrow. She didn’t know anyone else who would come calling, except maybe Rosa and Kincaid.

Taking a deep, calming breath, she opened the door.

“Are you ready to go see your new house?” Saintcrow asked.

“So soon?” She stood back to allow him inside. “Just let me get my things.”

“Take your time.”

With a nod, she hurried into the bedroom and packed everything—clothes, shoes, and toiletries—into the suitcase she had bought in one of the hotel shops.

After a quick glance around to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything, she pulled the suitcase into the other room, slipped her phone into her handbag, and she was ready to go.

Saintcrow took her luggage down to the lobby and out of the hotel. A car waited at the curb. He lifted her suitcase into the trunk, held the passenger door open for her before going around to the driver’s side. Sliding behind the wheel and fastening his seatbelt, he pulled onto the street.

Kadie was surprised by the number of houses located a couple of miles from the town.

They all looked pretty much the same, single story, some larger than others.

Most of them appeared to be occupied. She saw men and women reclining on lawn chairs, children playing in the grass, teens on their phones.

“What do you think?” Saintcrow asked.

“It’s really nice. No wonder this place is so popular. Does anyone stay here year-round?”

“No, although we have a few families who stay about half the year. Retired couples, mostly.”

Kadie nodded. “Who lives up there?” she asked, gesturing toward the houses on the hill.

“Kincaid and Rosa stay in the yellow one. I live in the big gray one. The white one belongs to Ethan.”

The big gray one with the turrets. It looked ominous, she thought, like something out of an old Dracula movie.

“I’d love to show it to you sometime,” Saintcrow remarked, thinking it might spark a memory. After all, she had decorated it.

A moment later, he pulled up in front of a white house with dark blue trim and a yellow front door.

In the old days, most of the houses only had one bedroom, since most of the captives taken by the vampires had been single.

But Ethan had changed that, insisting that if they wanted to rent to families, they needed more space, so additional bedrooms had been added to most of the rentals.

Kadie stared at the house, which was located on a corner lot. Like all the others, it looked clean and well-cared for. Flowers grew along the brick pathway to the front door. A tall tree shaded one side. “It’s lovely.”

Saintcrow got out of the car, opened her door, retrieved her suitcase from the trunk, and walked her to the door.

“I hope you like it.” Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew a key and handed it to her.

“If you’re unhappy with the furnishings or if there’s anything you need or want to change, just let me know. ”

Feeling a rush of excitement, Kadie unlocked the door and stepped inside.

It was clean and cozy. The walls were off-white, the carpet a pale green, the furniture covered in a pretty flowered print.

It was small, but plenty big enough for one occupant, she mused.

All the appliances looked new, as did the carpet.

There was a queen-sized bed in the larger bedroom, twin beds in the smaller one, a nice-sized bathroom in between, a roomy kitchen.

“Is it all right?” Saintcrow asked. “If you don’t like it, there are others.”

She had almost forgotten he was there, he’d been so quiet as he followed her from room to room. “It’s perfect.”

“Call me if you need anything. I’ve notified all the stores to charge your purchases to me.” He held up his hand when she started to protest. “No arguments, Kadie.”

She nodded. One way or another, she was determined to repay him now that she was working. They might have been lovers once, but they weren’t now.

“And no need to pay me back,” he said, after reading her thoughts. “It isn’t charity. It’s not costing me anything for you to stay here. Just think of it as one of the perks for working at the hotel. Have a good evening.”

“You, too.”

He hesitated a moment, wanting more than anything in the world to take her in his arms and tell her how much he loved her. Fighting the urge to do so, he left the house.

Kadie stared after him, then shook her head as she went into the bedroom and began to unpack.

He was not only the most gorgeous man she had ever met, but also the most generous.

And the strangest. She was reasonably certain he would never hurt her and yet she couldn’t help being a little afraid of him.

There was something about him that made her wary.

Huffing a sigh, she emptied her suitcase and put it in the closet, then went into the bathroom to soak in a long, hot bubble bath.

Dissolving into mist, Saintcrow slipped inside Kadie’s house and hovered near the ceiling as he followed her from room to room. He should feel guilty spying on her, he thought, but he didn’t. She was his wife, after all, and he needed to be near her.

In the bathroom, he watched her undress and step into the tub.

She lay back, covered in a foamy swath of bubbles, her eyes closed.

She was thinking of him, wondering what he was up to.

It irritated him that she thought he had some ulterior motive for looking after her.

Maybe he was trying too hard, but he was used to taking care of her.

Dammit, he liked taking care of her. She had complained sometimes, saying she could take care of herself, especially after becoming a vampire.

But he had come close to losing her twice now, and like it or not, he was going to stay close by her side whether she knew he was there or not.

She had fallen asleep. Unable to help himself, Saintcrow slipped into her mind and took control of her dream.

It wasn’t real but it was close enough, he thought, as his dream-self took Kadie in his arms and cuddled and caressed her as he so longed to do.

He didn’t control her reactions to his lovemaking, was immensely pleased when she didn’t resist but caressed him in return.

Perhaps there was hope for them, after all.