Chapter 19
Beth was dazed. She had given him her life -- her blood. Let him drink from her body bringing him back from death in a dingy bathtub. He could have taken her life but she knew he would not. And Everything Had Changed. She was no longer just Beth Turner. Now, there was an indescribable feeling of closeness, of an intimacy she had never known. Beth Turner reborn.
But now she was hurting.
He had given her a small smile while holding Leni, then he was all business, hustling them out while he did God's knows what with this newest dead body. He had detached completely from her while she was going through the most confusing feelings of her life.
It didn't help that Josh wanted to work together again, almost repeating exactly what she had said to Mick. They do make a good team! So now why did she feel like bursting into tears?
First she had wanted to cry but mostly she just wanted to talk to Mick, to talk about this incredible, life changing day. Why didn't he call her? Why wasn't he returning her calls?
And especially, why was she so weak? Was it simply the loss of blood? Did everyone feel a closeness after joining their bodies together in this way?
Whatever it was found her outside Mick's door, clinging to it, head lying against its solid thickness as she silently begged for him to open up and let her into his life, into his heart.
But he had ignored her silent pleas that night, then phone calls again and again, until she had drawn her own conclusions. He wanted nothing more from her.
Beth went back into Josh's arms but in her heart, knew it would never be the same again.
Then, by the sheerest of coincidences, once again a murder, they were brought back together on a case. She had to wrench it out of him that he had feelings for her -- that sharing her blood meant something to him. Stubborn vampire!
But after that, he had introduced her to his friend, Josef Kostan and she accepted that they would never speak of the desert again.
Together they found the girl in time before the sex-starved vampire teenager took her life. Mick said sex between them would never end well but somehow she didn't believe him.
And in the parking lot, she just couldn't hold it back any longer. He had walked into the Buzzwire offices looking like a Greek God. Once again he was going to disappear out of her life. She had to know how his lips would taste. She kissed him.
Twice. Then, like a teenager, ran away.
