Hot Summer Bites: A Castle of Dark Dreams Novella (A Penguin Special from Berkley Sensation) by Nina Bangs Read Free Book Online Page A

feeling she would see them all if only she could catch him in the right light.
    He had the prerequisite sensual mouth that all hot guys needed in order to qualify, but his eyes . . . They were so dark she couldn’t see his pupils. And maybe her imagination was still overstimulated from last night, but Kristin could swear she was looking into the eyes of a predator.
    She rubbed the back of her hand across her forehead in the hope that the gesture would clear her thoughts. Banan was just a guy with an unusual hair and eye combination. Spectacular, but nothing to send her into full retreat. Last night was messing with her mind.
    “And you’re here why?” Kristin met his gaze.
    He shrugged. “For whatever you want. We could take in a few of the fantasies in the park or go down to the beach. Get some sun. Play in the surf.” His lips lifted in another smile, exposing white teeth that somehow looked menacing.
    Oh, let it go, Hughes.
He had great-looking teeth,
normal
-looking teeth. Taurin was the one with the chilling dental work.
    “Playing in the surf sounds great, but ask me again tomorrow. I overslept today. Gotta get moving on my story. I’ll stay in the castle for a few hours and interview people, try to get a feel for the place.” A lie. She wanted to be around when Taurin showed up.
Before
sunset. She hoped. “By the way, who sent you?”
    Banan studied her with those dark eyes. “Holgarth. Taurin’s showing you around at night, but he’s . . . busy during the day. I’m not.” He shrugged. “So here I am.”
    “Taurin’s showing me around? Who made that official?” There was something not quite right about this whole deal, beyond the talking cats and vampire thing.
    “Holgarth. He said if you’re doing a story about the park, you need someone to show you around.” He shrugged. “If you change your mind, I’ll be hanging down at the beach until dark.” He nodded in the direction of Seawall Boulevard, which separated the Castle of Dark Dreams from the Gulf.
    Kristin watched him walk away. Strange man. If she was serious about searching for sex, she should try to hook up with him and see where he led her.
    Not interested. The only one in the castle she wanted to hook up with was Taurin. A surprising revelation considering everything that had happened last night. He’d have a lot of explaining to do when she saw him, but she was open to being convinced that last night wasn’t what it had seemed.
    Kristin turned from the door. She wanted coffee, a shower, and some exciting gossip about hot sex in ye olde castle. Surely there was one employee who worked here willing to spill his or her guts for instant fame and maybe a small bribe.
    Or not. Hours later, she’d grilled everyone who’d stand still long enough to listen to her broad hints about how grateful she’d be to anyone willing to point her in the direction of sex and sin. Sex and sin score? Zero. Dumb people. Kristin gave up for the day.
    All she’d gotten for her trouble were some strange looks, a few giggles, and one pamphlet inviting her to visit the Church of Eternal Salvation.
    Even more troubling was the fact that late afternoon was fading into dusk and Taurin was nowhere in sight. She was deep into denial. He’d probably been up for hours. Just because she hadn’t seen him didn’t mean he wasn’t doing his handyman thing somewhere in the castle. Or maybe it was his day off, and he’d stayed in his room to catch
Oprah
or
Dr. Phil
. Yeah, like she believed that.
    Finally, she couldn’t stand it anymore. Her nerves were shredded. She’d walk on the beach to calm herself down, maybe run into Banan. He might answer a few questions if she was persistent enough. After all, the early mosquito got the blood. Ugh, blood. Nope, wouldn’t think about Taurin. Not giving herself time for second thoughts, she headed for the door.
    “He’ll be down soon.” The deep masculine voice spun her around. The man was big, muscular, and smiling.