Dalakis Passion 2 - Lucian's Delight Page 9

  arose. He would just have to adjust.

  Keeping silent, Lucian watched the men and took their measure. They introduced

  themselves as Detectives Jean Gagnon and Sam Cassidy of the New Orleans Police

  Department. Gagnon was the picture of urban sophistication with his styled dark hair,

  Italian suit, and fine leather shoes. Cassidy was the exact opposite. He wore jeans,

  boots, and a sports coat. His blond hair was cut short. However, both men had one

  thing in common. Cop's eyes. Two pairs of deceptively shrewd eyes had already

  catalogued everything and everyone in the room.

  Lucian smiled inwardly, already sensing their suspicion towards him. He decided

  to make the first move. Seating Delight once again, he sat back in his own chair and laid

  one arm over the back of Delight's in a blatant show of possession. Both detectives

  showed an immediate male understanding of the action. They now knew that Delight

  was his and he would protect her.

  "And you are?" Detective Gagnon's question and tone were polite, but there was an

  edge to both.

  Lucian slowly came to his feet, allowing his large frame to unfold from the chair

  until he was standing at his full height. At six-foot-four, all of it solid muscle, he knew

  he was an intimidating sight. Keeping his own voice low and pleasant, he addressed

  both detectives. "I am Lucian Dalakis." Nodding to both men, he then resumed his seat

  and replaced his arm around Delight.

  Detective Cassidy's eyebrows rose in surprise at his obvious recognition of the

  name. He glanced at Delight, giving her a second, slightly more appraising look as if

  suddenly realizing that there was more to her than he'd noticed at first glance. Lucian's

  entire body grew tense and it took all his discipline not to rip Cassidy's throat out for

  staring at Delight with masculine interest.

  Gagnon cleared his throat, obviously trying to break the tension. "Let's get down to

  business, shall we?" Taking a notebook and pen out of his pocket, he flipped it open

  until he found the page he was looking for. "If you'll give us a few moments alone with

  Miss Deveraux to question her."

  "Absolutely not." Lucian's voice was almost drowned out by similar denials by

  Chase and Miss Nadine.

  Gagnon held up his hand. "We only want to talk to her. We understand that she's

  the victim here, but Miss Deveraux is also a witness to a murder."

  "We stay or you can talk to my lawyers about making an appointment with Miss

  Deveraux. She is being very cooperative, but she does have rights." Lucian leaned

  forward threateningly in his seat. "And I am here to make sure that she and her rights

  are protected."

  Anger was pumping so hard through his veins, he was surprised that he didn't

  explode. It was bad enough that Delight had to witness a murder and then be

  threatened and attacked herself, but now she had to recount it all over again. It made

  him furious at himself for not protecting her better. That he hadn't really known she

  existed until the night before it happened didn't matter to Lucian. Delight was his and

  he had failed to protect her.

  He felt her small hand on his arm. It was such a light, gentle touch, but it

  immediately soothed some of the fury swirling around inside him, allowing him to gain

  control once again. It was amazing to him, a man who had always prided himself on his

  ironclad control, that any threat to Delight churned up the most primitive of emotions

  within him. It would take some adjusting.

  Lucian respected the fact that the police had to do their job, but in the end, it was he

  who would decide how best to protect Delight. When she tugged on his arm, he

  allowed her to pull him back next to her.

  Leaning close, she whispered in his ear so that only he could hear her. "It's all right,

  Lucian. I'll talk to them." Her tone became more pleading. "Don't make any trouble. I

  don't want them looking into your life."

  For the first time in his over five hundred years of living, Lucian was stunned.

  Other than his parents and brothers, no one had ever tried to protect him. He was the

  monster of people's dreams, the one the hero in the movies slew. He was a vampire. His

  power and abilities were beyond the comprehension of most people.

  Delight's earlier insistence that he leave now made sense to him even if he was

  having a hard time processing the information. She was protecting him. Even knowing

  what he was, Delight was trying to keep his secret from others.

  His heart pounded and he had to force himself not to rub the ache in his chest.

  Pride welled up inside him at his chosen one. Surely, no other man had a woman as

  wonderful as Delight. Love and lust washed over him and all he wanted to do was drag

  her onto the table and bury his hard, throbbing cock in her waiting warmth. His fangs

  ached to sink into her luscious flesh and taste her blood.

  Lucian shook his head. She was doing it again. Distracting him from the moment at

  hand. Detective Cassidy was speaking, so Lucian focused on what he was saying.

  "Look, Mr. Dalakis. I know who you are." Cassidy gave them a boyish grin and

  struck a good ol' boy pose. Lucian was not deceived by the action, recognizing it as the

  ploy it was to get them to relax and talk to him.

  "Really." Lucian scrutinized Cassidy until his easy grin faded. "I do not recall

  meeting you."

  Cassidy gave Lucian a nod, as if conceding him the point in their match of wits.

  "Let's just say, I know you by reputation."

  Delight's fingernails were digging into his arm. She was very tense and growing

  more upset by the moment. It was time to end this charade. "This is upsetting to

  Delight. You will do nothing to distress her further. Ask your questions."

  His voice was filled with compulsion as he spoke. Detective Cassidy eyed him even

  more suspiciously as if he suspected Lucian had done something, but he couldn't quite

  figure out what it was. However, Detective Gagnon, who was the more susceptible of

  the two, began to ask his questions immediately.

  "Start from the moment you were asked to work late, Miss Deveraux, and tell us

  what happened."

  As Delight recounted her horrific tale, Lucian watched the other occupants of the

  room. He could feel Miss Nadine's love reaching out to Delight as she spoke. Lucian

  knew the older woman was a permanent part of Delight's life, and truthfully, he liked

  her. Her energy was invigorating, and her devotion to both Delight and Chase was

  unquestionable. For the rest of her life, Miss Nadine would now be under the care of the

  Dalakis family. Lucian or one of his brothers would make sure she was well taken care

  of.

  Then there was Chase. He was young, but he showed all the signs of becoming a

  formidable man. Chase had immediately jumped to Delight's protection against Lucian,

  who was obviously a bigger and more powerful opponent. But he hadn't flinched from

  Lucian, instead he had become more aggressive. Lucian was impressed by Delight's

  younger brother and looked forward to getting to know him better.

  Lucian made a mental note to contact his lawyer immediately. He had to make

  provisions for his little family in the event that something did happen to him. The

  detectives' frustration reache
d out to him, so he turned his entire focus back to the

  conversation, which had been up to now nothing more than a recounting of events.

  "How can you not know what happened to the men in the alleyway?" Detective

  Cassidy's voice was laced with suspicion.

  "All I know is that one minute they were hitting me and tearing at my clothing."

  Delight's voice broke on a sob and she took a deep breath, trying to regain her

  composure. "Then they were gone. I didn't stop to question it. I only wanted to get

  away."

  Delight's entire body started to shake and she began to cry. Lucian turned and

  lifted her off her chair and cradled her in his arms. "Enough." His soft voice cracked

  like a whip in the small area, making everyone jump. Delight snuggled closer and he

  tucked her tighter to his chest.

  "You have blood in the alleyway, but no bodies. Until you find the bodies, you have

  no crime. She has told you everything she can about the murder she witnessed. You

  have upset Delight. I suggest you leave." Detective Gagnon opened his mouth to speak,

  but quickly closed it when Lucian pinned him with a glare. "Now."

  Both of the detectives stood, knowing that this interview was at an end. Cassidy

  reached into his pocket and took out a card, laying it on the table next to Delight. "If

  you think of anything else, please call me, day or night. In the meantime, we'd like to

  take the clothing you were wearing last night back to the lab for analysis. Maybe we'll

  get lucky and get a DNA sample that will match someone already in our database. It's a

  long shot, but it's worth a try."

  "They're upstairs. I'll go get them." Delight started to rise from the table, but Miss

  Nadine stopped her.

  "You sit right there, Delight. I'll take the detectives upstairs to get what they need."

  Nobody said anything else as Miss Nadine jumped up from the table and directed both

  of the men up the back stairs. A few minutes later they all came back down and Miss

  Nadine saw both men out the door.

  The second the door was closed behind the detectives, Chase turned towards his

  sister. "Tell us what you didn't tell them."

  Lucian could feel Delight shifting in his arms. She had lied to the police to protect

  him, but he didn't know what she would say to her family.

  "There's really nothing else to tell."

  "That's bullshit!" Delight flinched from the accusation in Chase's voice.

  Lucian could not allow this to harm her relationship with her brother. "She is

  protecting me."

  Chase stood quickly, knocking his chair to the floor. "Who the hell are you anyway?

  And why would she protect you? I thought Delight was supposed to be with a friend

  last night. Instead, all this crazy stuff happened to her and then she was attacked."

  Stalking around the side of the table, he plucked his sister out of Lucian's arms and

  thrust her behind him. Crossing his arms across his chest, he glared down at Lucian.

  "But I get the feeling she was with you last night. Just who the hell are you?"

  Lucian felt a deep pride in the young man as he defended his sister once again.

  Delight had done an amazing job raising her brother on her own. But right now, he had

  to diffuse the situation. He needed to take Delight somewhere quiet so they could talk.

  "I am Lucian Dalakis. And I am the man who is going to marry your sister."

  Chapter Eleven

  Delight looked around the fancy restaurant, feeling slightly dazed. Absolute chaos

  had erupted the second Lucian had dropped his little bombshell on her and her family.

  Chase was both hurt and angry, but strangely enough, Miss Nadine seemed quite

  pleased by the turn of events. Lucian had sat calmly in his chair, looking so pleased

  with himself that she'd wanted to smack him.

  Marry him. The man had completely lost his mind. Her life was totally out of control

  and his life certainly couldn't bear scrutiny by the police. She kept trying to distance

  herself and her problems from him and Lucian kept pulling her closer. It was enough to

  make any sane woman want to beat her head repeatedly against a wall.

  Instead, she had taken the time to calmly assure her family that this was the first

  she'd heard of this proposal. That appeased her brother somewhat, but Delight had felt

  Miss Nadine's obvious disappointment.

  When Lucian had suggested that he take her out to dinner so that they could

  discuss the matter further, she'd readily agreed. She wanted to give the man a piece of

  her mind and she didn't want to do it where Miss Nadine or Chase might overhear.

  Delight had managed to put Chase off by promising to tell him everything. Soon.

  He was still mad with her, but he'd grudgingly agreed to give her a little more time. She

  ached to tell Chase everything, but she would have to clear it with Lucian first. After all,

  it was a very big secret she was asking the man to share with her family.

  It hadn't taken her long to run upstairs, slap some cold water on her face and haul

  on a dress. It was made of a black, stretchy material that clung to her curves and ended

  just above her knees. She paired it with a pair of black sandals and decided that it was

  good enough to go anywhere. It would have to be, as she didn't own another fancy

  dress. A swipe of the brush through her hair and a quick slick of lipstick and then she

  was hurrying back downstairs. Delight hadn't wanted to chance leaving Chase and

  Lucian alone together for too long.

  So here she was, with Lucian's large hand on her back, being ushered across the

  floor of a very exclusive restaurant. They hadn't had reservations, but the moment the

  maitre d' had seen Lucian, he had welcomed them effusively, assuring Lucian that his

  usual table was ready for him. Delight had felt the stares of envy from several people

  who were still waiting for a table. If she wasn't mistaken, one of them was a famous

  movie star.

  In spite of her determination not to be impressed, she couldn't resist a discrete peek

  around the place. It was harder to get a table at Black Velvet than any other restaurant

  in the city. Only the rich and famous got to dine here and even they sometimes had to

  wait for a table. But Lucian had been immediately whisked away from the reception

  area.

  Her feet sank into the plush carpet as she walked across the floor. Everything about

  Black Velvet screamed good taste and money from the cream-colored walls to the lush

  greenery that gave the impression that one was seated in a rooftop garden. Balcony

  doors were wide open and Delight glimpsed some patrons dining outside.

  The clink and clatter of people dining followed them across the room. All the tables

  were covered with floor-length, snowy white linen tablecloths and were set with the

  finest china and crystal. Everything gleamed. She managed to catch a quick glimpse of

  some of the meals people were eating. Everything looked and smelled delicious, and

  her stomach growled.

  Embarrassed, she placed her hand on her stomach, hoping no one had heard.

  Lucian dispelled that myth when he leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Not much

  longer. We must keep your strength up." She didn't even acknowledge his words, but

  she could hear the wicked, teasing undertone and could feel the heat creeping up her

  cheeks.

&nb
sp; Keeping her head down, she followed the man in starched white shirt and black

  tuxedo as he led them to an isolated corner. The table was round and had a curved

  bench seat instead of chairs. With lush greenery surrounding it, it was almost like

  entering a private bower. Delight forgot her embarrassment and just enjoyed herself by

  taking in the splendid sight.

  "This is beautiful." She hadn't meant to speak aloud. Now she felt totally gauche,

  but the headwaiter just smiled at her.

  "Thank you, madam." Extending his arm with a flourish, he motioned her to take

  her seat.

  Delight sat down and scooted around the bench. Lucian was right behind her, his

  large body taking up much of the space. There was room for only two people at the

  table and the small size of the seat assured that they would indeed be close. It was a

  table for lovers, cloaked in shadows and lit only by two white pillar candles that sat in

  silver holders.

  Lucian immediately ordered a bottle of wine. Delight's eyes widened as she

  recognized the exclusive label. Their waiter beamed his approval before hurrying off to

  fetch their wine. "That's too expensive." She kept her voice to a whisper, not wanting to

  be accidentally overheard.

  He shook his head at the scolding tone in her voice. She could tell he wasn't taking

  her seriously at all. Fine. Let him waste all his money on a stupid bottle of wine. What

  did she care? Her hands shook as she clasped her small purse in her lap. She knew she

  was being unreasonable about the wine, but it gave her something to focus on other

  than the much larger problems facing her.

  Sighing, Lucian placed his finger beneath her chin and raised her face up. "I did not

  bring you here to distress you." Bending forward, he nipped at her lips and then

  soothed them with his tongue. "You do not seem to comprehend that money is of no

  concern to me. I have more than I can ever spend and it is easy to make more."

  Delight licked her lips, wanting to capture Lucian's taste on her tongue. It took her

  a moment for his words to register in her mind and when they did, she spoke without

  thinking. "That doesn't mean you have to waste it."

  Lucian threw back his head and laughed. It wasn't a light chuckle, but a straight

  from the bottom of the stomach belly laugh. The sight of him mesmerized her. With his