by V. A. Dold
“Surprise, surprise, another history lesson and not a vampire or the legend of one in sight,” Teresa snarked to Richie.
Etienne chuckled. Those two were amusing with their sarcasm and irreverent comments whispered back and forth. Their antics got two of the others going. The tour guide ignored them and continued his rehearsed speech. Undoubtedly, accustomed to hecklers.
“We’re stopping at a bar soon, right?” Pam asked.
Amy nodded and fanned herself a little faster. “Yeah, the guide said there would be a break at some pirate place.”
Billie only half listened. Her radar was pinging faster than a Las Vegas slot machine hitting the jackpot. She stood still and searched with her senses. She felt the suit again, but she just couldn’t locate him. She slowly turned in a circle, stretched out her gift, and tried to pinpoint the dark, intense energy of the man.
Richie dropped back to stand with her and the other girls, effectively ending her search. “You guys having fun back here?”
“I guess,” Pam grumbled. “I can’t believe they get away with calling this a vampire tour.”
“I tried to tell you at the bar. These guys don’t know shit.”
Billie raised an eyebrow. “And you do?”
Richie fidgeted. “Well, I’m sure I could do better than that guy. I grew up hearing a lot of stories. I could tell some that would curl your toes.”
The girls nodded, and Billie grinned. “I bet you could. You’ll have to share them sometime.”
They suffered through two more tour stops, and you guessed it, there were no vampires. Thank goodness, it was time for a break. Billie’s feet were killing her. Besides, if they stayed in one place for a while, she might be able to locate the suit. She knew he was keeping pace with the tour group. She felt his energy following them.
“Thank you, baby Jesus!” Pam said overly loud.
“I’ll catch up to you guys. I want to check something out,” Billie said, casually searching the street for a sign of the suit.
“You got it, cher. Come on, ladies. I’m buying.” Richie grinned as he escorted the girls into the darkened interior of Jean Lafitte’s.
“I’m hanging with you,” Karen stated, folding her arms over her chest. “You can’t fool me. I know you sensed something and it’s bugging the heck out of you.”
“Yeah, we’re staying, too,” Helen agreed for herself and Teresa.
Etienne was intrigued. What was it about this woman that drew him so powerfully? For the life of him, he couldn’t stop following her. Why did a woman who dressed in tacky clothing and used the vocabulary of a sailor captivate him? For some reason, he found her amusing and oddly beguiling.
That was when it happened, the breeze picked up, and he stifled a gasp. Her scent enveloped him like a warm caress. She smelled rich and sweet. The fragrance didn’t smell like perfume from a bottle but more like a flower. A stargazer lily? Possibly. He inhaled again and reached out a hand to the brick wall for support as his blood stirred.
Etienne was dumbstruck. And he wasn’t a vampire who was ever dumbstruck.
His heart pumped as if he had run from his bayou estate to the city, and to his surprise, his slacks grew tight. Goddess, have mercy. This unusual woman was his soulmate.
He remained in the shadow cast by the wall covered in vines, trying to wrap his brain around the realization. After a moment, he lifted a hand and extended his fingers, tempted beyond reason to touch the human. Then he reluctantly closed his fist.
An unexpected touch from a strange man in the shadows would undoubtedly send her screaming into the night. That was the polar opposite of what he wanted.
She stood with her back to him, recounting a funny story to her friends. Holy hell, her laughter triggered his fangs and caused other needs to rise as well. The reverberations of the throaty sound vibrated through every cell of his body, stiffening parts he had neglected for far too long.
Mustering his control, he stepped from the shadow. “Good evening,” his smooth baritone voice purred.
He heard her gasp as she spun to face him.
Etienne felt her shock and was surprised by her reaction. Ordinarily, his glasses tempered the magnetic pull of his gaze. He had better dial it back a bit before he scared her off completely.
He could also tell his acute scrutiny made her edgy. But then, he made everyone edgy. The effect he had on others was precisely why he worked hard to cultivate a warm, happy-go-lucky attitude for the most part. A small grin tugged at his lips as he considered what some would say about him having a happy-go-lucky anything, much less an attitude.
Normally, he was careful to avoid eye contact unless he had schooled his expression and dialed back the vibes a vampire as old as he naturally exuded. This woman threw him off balance more than he cared to admit.
But he couldn’t take his eyes off the lush beauty, which left one option. With a massive effort, he curbed his vampiric sex appeal. It wasn’t easy when he wanted to pounce on her like a leopard on a gazelle.
Her eyes widened as she took in the hottest man she’d ever laid eyes on. She didn’t know where to look first as she checked him out from head to toe. And there was a heck of a lot to check out.
He was tall, like get a crick in your neck looking up at him tall. Standing at least six-foot-three, he towered over her vertically challenged height. Wisps of long, wavy black hair had escaped from his ponytail and floated around his shoulders on the breeze. He wore an expensive suit with a crisp starched white shirt. His clothing would have looked odd on any other man with hair so long. But the combination on this sexy man was sheer perfection.
When he took a step toward her, her gaze shot to his. She wondered what his eyes looked like behind the dark sunglasses he wore. Suddenly unsteady, she grabbed Karen’s arm to catch her balance before she fell headlong into Mr. Sexiness.
“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Etienne Delacour.” Then he bowed and held his breath.
Chapter Three
“Ooo, manners,” Karen said with a saucy wink.
Billie narrowed her eyes, examining him with her gifts of intuition and empathy. If this guy was full of hooey, she’d know it. She sensed nothing but the honest desire to know her. She weighed her options as she considered his outstretched hand. A gorgeous man wants to get to know me? Hells yes. She could get down with that. She hoped he could handle what she and her friends were undoubtedly about to dish out.
Billie grasped his hand and gave it a shake. “Nice to meet you, Etie. I’m Billie.”
He stiffened at the shortening of his name. “Etienne,” he corrected.
She screwed up her face. “I prefer Etie. Eeetieeeenne,” she said dramatically, stretching out his name, “is too stuffy. I’ll tell you what. You can be sweet-cheeks, honey buns, or Etie. Take your pick.”
Mr. Hottie in a suit looked perplexed. “But my name is Etienne.”
Billie cocked her head and grinned. “Whatever you say, sweet-cheeks.”
He opened his mouth, as if to protest, and closed it again. “Fine. You may call me Etie.” Then he paused and looked pointedly at the other women. “But only you have permission to do so.”
She smiled happily at him. “Awesomesauce. So, Etie, do you always follow women in the dark?”
He cringed as if her nickname for him pained him in some way. “Not typically. In truth, it is usually I who runs from women as they chase me,” He stated with all seriousness and then glanced around to include the ladies attending her. “I, of course, am terrified and afraid for my life.”
“Sure you are.” Billie snorted. “I can just imagine your girly screams as you run away from the menacing women.”
Etienne grinned as he raised her knuckles to his lips. “Yes. It is utterly horrifying.”
He noted how long and tapered her fingers were as he held her delicate, soft hand for a moment longer than was proper. Billie had beautiful hands. Finally, he had no choice but to release her.
She looked at him speculative
ly before turning to introduce her friends.
He bowed to each of the ladies and kissed the backs of their hands when what he really wanted was Billie’s hand in his. He may appear to be politely addressing her friends, but in truth, he never took his eyes off her.
Her silken blonde hair with its multitude of rainbow hues fascinated him. His fingers itched to comb through the soft bouncing curls parting each of the colors only to mix them together again. The pleasure he was going to have when he latched onto that wealth of richness, held her sapphire blue gaze with his own, and rode her into unconsciousness made him tremble in anticipation. He tilted his head, considering her café au lait complexion. Her pale pink peasant blouse accentuated her suntanned skin. I wonder if she has a bikini line or if she sunbathes nude?
He was rooted in his fantasy when he found himself flanked on both sides. Billie on his left and Karen on the right. Surreptitiously, Karen shook her head once and then squeezed his arm and winked at him. Apparently, she didn’t want him to spill the beans that he knew her. The women linked their arms with his and steered him toward the entrance of Jean Laffite’s. Holy hell, he hadn’t been in that dimly lit establishment since nineteen sixty-eight.
Billie retained ownership of his arm with her left hand as she smacked his ass with her right. “Come on, sugar buns, I’m going to let you buy me a drink.”
Etienne was speechless. No one. Absolutely, no one had ever slapped his backside. Her forward behavior and crass speech stunned and appalled him, yet at the same time got him hotter than he’d been in—well, ever. He hadn’t felt true unadulterated arousal since Amalia. Though, even his deceased wife hadn’t heated his body the way this woman did. How frighteningly refreshing.
He wanted to taste her lips so badly, his mouth watered. He had to get this under control before his fangs extended beyond his lips. The last thing he needed was for a human to see his other-than-human teeth.
The instant he crossed the establishment’s threshold, he recalled why he had avoided it for decades. It was wall-to-wall drunken tourists, blaring music, and so dark he knew it was difficult for human eyes to see across the room. The tables, walls, and floor looked the worse for wear.
Perhaps it was the lack of lighting that made it look like it needed a thorough scrubbing and a coat of paint. He was sure the place was clean, or they wouldn’t have a license to operate. Apparently, the decor was designed to maintain the blacksmith shop ambiance.
Dmitri Volkov stepped back, fading deeper into the shadows of the brick wall Etienne had hidden behind. He waited until his mark entered the boisterous bar to take his cell phone from his pocket.
“Buna. Cu ce vă pot ajuta?” Nikita asked as she answered the phone.
“English, Nikita. You must remember to check the incoming call and use the appropriate language,” Dmitri scolded.
“Excuse me, Dmitri. Allow me to begin again. Hello. How can I help you? Is that better?” she asked in a syrupy sweet, sarcastic tone.
Dmitri rolled his eyes. “No. But at least you used the correct language. If it isn’t too much trouble, transfer me to King Ivan.”
“Of course. One moment please.”
He heard a few clicks and then the low baritone of his friend rumbled in his ear. “Dmitri. What news do you have for me?”
“It seems as though Etienne is smitten with a human woman. I just observed him making a complete fool of himself.”
“Really? How wonderful for him,” Ivan purred in a sinister tone. “I shall have to join you and offer my congratulations. Prepare a room for me. I will arrive in fourteen hours. Meet me at the executive airport.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Great work, my friend.”
“Thank you, Ivan. Have a safe flight. I’ll see you soon.”
“Good night, Dmitri.”
Dmitri slipped the phone into his pocket and watched the front of the bar, waiting for Etienne to exit. He was curious about the human woman who had captured the unmovable vampire who looked exactly like his best friend. From what Ivan had told him, Etienne hadn’t had a relationship since his wife died. The woman with rainbow-colored hair must be extraordinary.
“I love this bar. It’s crazy cool,” Billie shouted over the din of music and voices. “Did you know it used to be a working blacksmith shop?”
Perhaps he was being overly critical of Jean Lafitte’s. With Billie on his arm, he took a closer look around. She was right. The structure was a historical building that had miraculously survived countless disasters when most others hadn’t. It was a proud, solid brick building. Somehow, Billie, with her colorful hair and radiant smile, brightened the gloomy space and allowed him to see it from a new perspective.
Smiling, he pulled his gaze from the interior of the bar and glanced down to find her smiling back. The impact of her gaze was like a punch to his sternum. His woman was so smart and sexy, she made torn blue jeans and a peasant shirt more provocative than the raciest lingerie. Holy hell, she turned him on.
Billie swept her arm to encompass the cluster of women before them. “These lovely ladies are the rest of the crew.”
He graciously bowed to each woman as Billie introduced him to those who had followed Richie into the bar.
“Hey! Etienne has fangs just like us,” Pam yelled above the boisterous crowd crammed into the small space.
Etienne feigned a cough as an excuse to cup his hand over his mouth. When he lifted his hand away, his teeth were perfectly human, and he held plastic fangs in his palm.
He braced himself for more trouble when he saw Amy open her mouth to add her two cents. Thankfully, Richie walked over and shook his hand effectively changing the subject.
“Etienne! It’s great to see you,” Richie said loud enough for all the ladies to hear as he gave Et a quick wink.
Etienne was relieved that his longtime friend had seen the disaster playing out and rushed to help him out of the jam. “Richie! What a wonderful surprise. How have you been?” he asked, playing along.
“Great. Really great. We’re celebrating several of these ladies graduating from Tulane. Plus, Teresa here”—he indicated one of the many women—“is getting married next month, so we’re using tonight as her bachelorette party as well.”
Etienne took Teresa’s hand and kissed her knuckles. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” Teresa fanned her face and giggled. “Wow.”
“I’d say,” Karen agreed, eyeing Etienne with an amused expression on her face.
Etienne bent to Billie’s ear. “As interesting as this bar is, it is rather loud. I would be honored if you would join me for a cup of coffee. I know of a place where we can have a proper conversation.”
She turned her head. The action placed her lips within a breath of his, and she wore a startled, yet pleased, expression on her face. “I’d love to.”
Richie set his plastic cup on a nearby table and signaled for everyone to follow him outside. “I’m sorry to say the tour is getting ready to leave. It was great seeing you, Etienne.”
Billie scrunched up her nose and made a sour face. “If you all don’t mind, I’m going to skip the rest of the nonvampire tour.” She glanced up at Etienne, then continued, “I have a coffee date. Let me know when you’re done with the tour, and I’ll catch up with you. Just text me where to meet you.”
Karen nudged her shoulder, grinning from ear to ear. “You go, girl.”
“I wish I could be so lucky,” Helen groused.
Richie rolled his eyes at Karen and Helen.
Billie giggled.
“Okay. I’ll let you know where we end up.”
Etienne waited for Billie’s friends to move off down the street before he tucked her hand into the crook of his arm. “There is a coffee shop a few blocks away. Café Beignet. Do you know it?”
“Sure. I love that place. I go there when I’m studying for a test.”
“Excellent. We can walk there from here. And in case you feel apprehensive about being alone with
a man you have only just met, we will stay in plain sight of the teeming masses.” He flashed her the fake fangs he still held in his hand. “I will be a perfect gentleman and only bite you if you ask me to.”
Billie gave him a hot once over. “Good to know. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Etienne led her to Café Beignet’s outside courtyard and held a chair for her. He was pleased to see they had the patio to themselves. “Would you like coffee, tea, or soda?”
“Coffee with cream and sugar, please.”
He gave her a regal nod. “Very good. I will be but a moment.”
A few minutes later, he returned with two large coffees and a plate of beignets. “I thought you might like something sweet with your coffee,” he said in answer to the question in her eyes.
“You must have read my mind. I was just thinking that I should have added that to the order. Thank you.”
Her fingers touched his as he gave her the coffee she’d requested. A jolt of power leapt from his skin to hers and back. She stiffened and inhaled sharply. Her eyes widened, the pupils dilated. Sucking in a shaky breath, she brought the cup to her mouth and blew across the hot coffee before she took a sip. There was no doubt she felt their incredible chemistry.
“You are very welcome.”
Etienne couldn’t take his eyes off of Billie as she bit into a beignet and moaned. He found himself leaning forward, wholly focused on the woman who was his soulmate. A woman unlike any he’d met. And he’d met thousands. She was truly extraordinary. Rare. A dazzling diamond among lumps of black coal. Time slowed as he let the warmth of that knowledge settle in his heart.
She swallowed and wiped the powdered sugar from her chin. “Oh, man. These never get old.” She held her fried sweet bread piled with powdered sugar out to him. “Come on. Take a bite.”
He had no experience interacting with a woman like Billie. Then again, he doubted few did. She had a larger than life personality, and at the same time, was utterly charming. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that he cared little for beignets, so he nipped off a corner, taking the smallest bite possible and chewed.