Leaving the TV on to provide cover for any noise she made, she carefully turned the door knob and eased the door to the hallway open. The light was dim. Only one small wall sconce provided light at the opposite end. The floor below seemed to be dark.

Having assured herself that nobody guarded her door, she snuck outside and silently shut the bedroom door behind her. Taking caution to tread lightly, she walked toward the staircase. The plush rug underneath her shoes provided sufficient cushioning to absorb the sound of her footsteps.

When she reached the head of the stairs, she gripped the railing then eased one foot lower, then the next, careful not to trip. As she descended, leaving the third floor behind her, it got darker. As she had guessed, no lights were turned on on this floor. She could only see a faint shimmer of light coming up from the first floor, most likely from the light in the entrance hall.

When she set her foot on the last step, reaching the second floor, she continued to use the handrail for guidance. Halfway there, she encouraged herself.

The house was quiet. Oliver was probably sleeping. And Blake, even if he was awake, didn’t have the kind of hearing a vampire possessed. If she remained quiet and breathed only shallow breaths, he would never hear her.

A few more steps and she would reach the top of the last flight of stairs.

“Leaving us so soon?”

Her breath hitched, and her heart skipped a couple of beats. Then Oliver’s hands were on her, forcing her away from the stairs. Within a fraction of a second, she found herself pressed against the wall, his body and arms forming a cage around her she couldn’t escape from.

Seconds passed with nobody speaking.

“Speechless?” he mocked.

“I . . . ” She hated that he was right. No words came from her throat as her brain still dealt with the shock of being caught. Or maybe it was the shock of feeling his body so close to hers.

“Ursula, Ursula . . . ” He shook his head as his hand moved to her face to brush a strand of her black hair out of her face. “What an unusual name for a Chinese girl. Is it even your name?”

Defiantly she thrust her chin up. “My father was a big fan of Ursula Andress. And there’s no law saying I have to have a Chinese name because I’m Chinese.” Even though she did, of course. Her middle name was Chinese, and all her relatives called her by her Chinese, not her western name.

“I see your father has great taste in women.”

“I’m surprised you know who she is.”

“She was a Bond girl.”

Ursula had seen the many DVDs Oliver owned, but she hadn’t bothered looking through them to find out what he was interested in. Apparently he liked 007.

“Now let me go.” She pushed against him, but he didn’t give an inch.

“No.”

Angry at his refusal, she pressed her lips together.

He laughed softly. “You really thought you could sneak out of the house without me noticing?”

She decided not to correct him. There was no need for him to find out she was trying to call her parents.

“I thought you’d lived with vampires for the last few years. Didn’t that teach you anything about us? Our skills?”

His head came closer. “Our desires?”

She swallowed hard at his insinuation, but at the same time she was unable to break eye contact. His blue eyes looked at her with such intensity that she felt paralyzed.

“Yes,” he said even more softly, “especially our desires.”

His gaze dropped to her lips, and just by doing so, he made them tremble.

“Do you remember our kiss?” He didn’t wait for an answer, not that she had the strength to give one. “When I close my eyes, I can still feel your lips on mine.”

She sucked in a breath, and the subsequent expansion of her chest caused her nipples to brush against his hard chest. His eyes instantly widened before he responded by pressing his body harder against hers.

“And I remember what you offered me.”

Finally she found her voice again. “I’ll never sleep with a vampire!”

He lowered his lids so quickly, she couldn’t see his reaction to her words. “I figured that much. But tell me, if I were human, would you have slept with me?”

She gasped at his bold question. “That’s not a—”

“Just answer the question,” he interrupted. “If we had met under other circumstances, and if I were still human, would you have done more than just kiss me? Would you have gone to bed with me?”

She turned her head away to escape his penetrating eyes, but his hand on her chin forced her head back to look at him.