That black brow of his rose. “Baby, you did that.” His hips pressed down against her in a soft thrust. “And if you wanted different, well, I was right next door.”

But she’d already agreed to the date with Paul before she’d met Cain. She’d thought about canceling with him once she started fantasizing about her neighbor, and now she sure wished she’d gone with that impulse.

His lips brushed over hers, then he eased away from her, pulling his still-firm flesh from her body.

Dammit.

“I’ll be right back.” He tossed her a hard look over his shoulder. “And then you’ll finish telling me why you were surfing the Web and wound up with the vamp.” He headed toward the guest bath, and Miranda took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of sex in the air.

Damn, but that had been good. Better than good. Her body ached, but it was a fine, satisfied feeling like—

“So finish talking, Miranda.”

She jerked at his voice. Too close. Jeez, the man moved fast. Her eyes narrowed as she stared up at him. The guy was sure soft on those big feet of his. “I—ah—” She caught sight of his perfect abs and, momentarily lost her train of thought.

“Miranda?”

“Tired of jerks,” she muttered, dragging her gaze away from the tempting abs. “My fiancés were—”

He froze in front of her.

“Uh, Cain?”

Slowly, he held up a hand and wound up looking like some kind of sexy naked statue. “Hold that. Did you just say ‘fiancés’?”

“Um.” But Ryan and Peter really weren’t important. No, the important thing was to get Cain closer so that they could go a second round.

The statue came back to full life as he snagged her hand and crowded her back against the couch. “Just how many fiancés have you had?” There were sparks in his eyes.

“Two.” The sparks burned a little brighter. Miranda shook her head. “Look, Ryan and I got together right after college. Honestly, I think I liked the guy’s bike more than I liked him.” He’d driven one prime Harley. “The engagement ended almost as soon as it started.”

“And the other guy?” His voice was expressionless, but that fire still simmered in his gaze.

“Peter.” She said his name on a sigh. “Big mistake.” She’d let him move in with her. “Peter didn’t want a fiancée so much as he wanted a free ride through life, and let’s just say that I got tired of paying.” Two losers, but there had been more.

“Do you still love him?”

“Oh, God, no!” The words burst from her. Miranda shook her head. “I don’t even try to think about the guy if I can help it.” A close escape, that’s what she’d had. “I was online because I wanted to findsomeone different. And it’s not like I’m the only one out there looking for—for—” Miranda cleared her throat. “Well, you know.” Actually, her partner teacher, Sally Jennings, had been the one to encourage her to create a profile.

Sally had met her husband, Ted, online just over a year ago. Not a vampire. Ted was a perfectly normal, handsome accountant.

Some women just had good luck.

And some women just got dates with devils.

“You’re not going to be looking for ‘you know’ anymore.” Cain’s voice was firm. The drawl she liked so much trickled through his words.

A smile curved her lips. Okay. Maybe she wasn’t quite as unlucky as she’d thought before. “No, I’m not.” Miranda pressed her finger lightly against the middle of Cain’s chest. “I’ve got what I need.”

His jaw tightened. “I mean it, Miranda. I’m not the sharing type.”

“Neither am I.” Best to get things clear from the start. “When I’m with a man, I don’t cheat, and I expect the same promise from my lover.” Not that she’d had a ton of lovers, but she wasn’t exactly Snow White, either.

“I don’t want anyone else.” Stark. “Just you.” Said with more than a hint of possession.

Miranda swallowed and held his bright stare. No one had ever looked at her quite that way before. With such demanding need. A stark hunger.

Her heart did a fast kick and started drumming in a double-time rhythm. “And I want you.” Her finger trailed down his chest, headed for those absolutely perfect abs—

A gunshot rang out, the loud blast piercing the quiet of the moment and sending a spike of adrenaline through her blood.

In the next second, Miranda was on the floor, and Cain’s naked body was covering hers. He waited a beat, two, then slowly lifted his head. All signs of the replete lover had vanished. Now, a hunter looked out from those golden eyes.

“Cain . . .” Her thoughts were flying. The FBI agent. He must have fired. Oh, God, was he okay?

“Stay inside and away from the windows.” A growl. An order.

She’d never really been the order-taking type, but when gunshots were involved, that changed things for her.

Cain headed for the door.

Her jaw dropped. What the hell? He was running outside without even taking a weapon? The guy was ex-Bureau; he should know well enough to take a weapon with him into a gunfight! And the man was naked!

Miranda slithered across the room, making damn sure she didn’t present a target. She jerked on her shorts. Realized her shirt was damaged beyond repair. “Shit.” She crawled five feet, snagged her jacket from the back of a chair, managed to zip it up, fast. “Dammit, give me a minute—”