Kelly sat back in her office chair, staring at the computer screen before her and sighed. Things at the vineyard had certainly been in an upheaval since the arrival of the Master Vampire of this region, Marc Latour. Well, at least for her.

The blasted man seemed to be there every time she turned around, watching her with those dark, mysterious, ancient eyes. Since she worked in the evenings to be on call during most of the hours when her best friend Lissa and her new husband Atticus needed her, she had precious few moments of daylight when Marc couldn't corner her.

Not that he was unattractive. In fact, he was one of the most devastatingly handsome men she'd ever seen, but he was way out of her league. She was truly happy for her friend Lissa and the love she'd found with her mate Atticus, but Kelly didn't relish the idea of becoming a vampire herself. Sure, she'd thought about what it would be like to stay young forever since Lissa told her about her conversion, but just the thought of drinking someone's blood made her shiver.

She sat back, staring at the screen, nearly jumping when a breath of warm air sizzled past her ear. It was Marc, of course. He was hovering close, just over her shoulder. She could feel him now, though he'd not made a sound as he approached. She could hear his slow breaths and the deliberate way he breathed in her scent as if smelling a rare perfume.

"I thought they made it clear to you that I'm not a snack."

"Mmm, I quite agree." He dipped his head lower, his stubbly cheek rubbing along her neck, "I imagine you'd be a full course meal." He punctuated his words by licking her neck, just over her rapidly beating jugular. "A very satisfying feast for the senses at that."

The man had licked her! She could hardly believe it. She was only just barely suppressing the shivers of excitement-not revulsion, much to her dismay-that coursed down her spine. This had to stop. The man was a steamroller and if she wasn't careful, she'd end up flat. Flat on her back, that is, with him possessing every last inch of her body, her blood, and her sanity.

"Mr. Latour!" She whirled her chair around, making him move back slightly. "I'm not on the menu."

Those dark eyes blazed down at her, humor in their depths. "My proper title is Master, but you can call me Marc."

"Yeah, right," she said, rolling her eyes. "I call no man 'master.'"

"Ah, but ma petite, I'm not just a man. For centuries now, I've been something more...and less." His eyes turned oddly thoughtful as if he reflected on just what he was at this point in his long, lonely existence.

"I know what you are." Kelly jumped to her feet, emphasizing her words with a rather rudely pointing finger. "You're a womanizer, a scoundrel and someone who believes rules just don't apply to them."

She was working up a fine head of steam and Marc was enjoying the show immensely. Kelly was adorable when she was in a temper, he realized. Just one more thing to fascinate him about this small mortal woman.

"Sadly, you're right about some of that. I've never followed rules, cherie, because for many years now, I've been the one who makes them. Alas, I can admit to being a bit of a scoundrel as well, but I do object to the term 'womanizer.' While it is true I enjoy taking my sustenance from females more than males, I always leave them well satisfied and with no complaints. In fact, they rarely even remember me." Again, that odd pang of something that could be regret sounded through him. He shrugged it off and stepped into her personal space, crowding close and tipping her chin up so he could look deep into her pretty eyes.

"I bet you would remember me though, ma petite. It would be difficult to cloud your fascinating mind enough, and I believe I like the idea of you thinking of me years into the future, for I will most certainly be thinking of you. You are," his voice dropped low and sexy, "eminently memorable, mademoiselle."

He leaned in then, dipping his head as if to kiss her. Her eyes widened when she didn't pull away. She was as trapped as he, wanting to know the taste of her lips, the feel of her tongue and the passion of her kiss.