Dracul's Revenge 01: Dracul's Blood by Carol Lynne, T. A. Chase Read Free Book Online

admitted to himself he liked young and pretty. That flavour was the kind he brought home from the bars when he went looking for a quick lay. Innocence, not so much.
    Being a cop jaded a man, and people who didn’t understand the seamier side of life tended to bore Bobby fast.
    Nikolay Radin projected an air of naivety and purity that usually turned Bobby off, yet there was something else about the professor teasing Bobby’s interest.
    “This isn’t the time to think about it, Bobby, old man,” he muttered. “You have a case to close and eight other murder cases you have to work on. A gorgeous college professor is totally beyond you anyway.”
    He wasn’t the kind of guy who worried things to death, so he pushed his thoughts away. Live and let live was his motto. If something was supposed to happen between him and Nik, he’d let it. If not, then he’d treat Nik like every other expert he’d worked with in the past.
    Forty minutes later, he pulled up in front of Nik’s townhouse. He whistled at the expensive neighbourhood. Evidently professors’ made a heck of a lot more than he thought.
    Before he could even get out of the car, the professor jogged down the front steps and went in front of the vehicle to get to the passenger door. When Nik was seated and buckled in, Bobby pulled away from the kerb.
    “Can’t wait to get your hands on my cask, huh?” he joked.
    Nik ducked his head and blushed. The fall of dark curls blocked Bobby’s view of Nik’s face. He reached out and patted the man’s knee.
    “I’m just kidding, though I know you’re excited about seeing the cask.”
    “It’s a unique specimen. I’ve never seen one like it before.” Nik’s face lit up and he glanced at Bobby. “I hope we can figure out who might have commissioned it.”
    “Can you do that from looking at it?” He merged into traffic.
    Nik shrugged, his slender shoulders moving under a wrinkled, dark red dress shirt.
    “It’s possible, or it’ll give me hints on where to look.”

    DRACUL’S BLOOD
    Carol Lynne and T.A. Chase

    36

    Bobby’s stomach rumbled, reminding him he’d missed breakfast. “You want to grab some lunch before we head back to the precinct?”

    * * * *

    Nik emptied another packet of sugar into his iced tea and picked up his spoon. As he started to stir his drink, he noticed Bobby staring at him. “Is something wrong?”
    Bobby gestured to Nik’s glass. “Ya like a little tea with your sugar, do you?”
    Nik grinned and sipped at his drink. “I have a bit of a sweet tooth.”
    “I can see that.”
    Nik felt his face flush. “My parents didn’t allow sweets or television in the house.
    They thought…”
    Nik shut up before he made a fool of himself. He barely knew Bobby, no sense telling him his faults upfront.
    “They thought what?” Bobby rested his arms on the table and leant forward like he really was interested in hearing what Nik had to say.
    Nik shrugged. “I have a tendency to be a bit…scatterbrained. My parents thought it was the sugar in my diet and too much outside stimuli. So, no candy, no TV.”
    He glanced up to see a big grin on Bobby’s face. “I bet you’re making up for lost time.”
    Nik grinned back. “With the candy, but I still don’t own a television.”
    Bobby shook his head. “I thought everyone owned at least one.”
    Nik started to reach for another packet of sugar. He knew his tea didn’t need anymore, but for some reason the detective made him antsy. On the car ride over, he’d managed to steal several glances at Bobby’s powerful body. Nik wouldn’t say the guy resembled a bodybuilder, but the detective sure did have his share of muscles. He reminded Nik of the men who used to work with his father on the docks.
    The waitress delivered their food and Nik’s jaw dropped. “They sure do give you big portions. I won’t need to buy another meal the rest of the weekend.”
    Bobby narrowed his eyes. “Two slices of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green