The Vampire’s Mail Order Bride

by Kristen Painter

  “The BMOC?”

  She twisted to face him and rested her elbow on the bar. The move put his arm directly beneath her leather-wrapped chest. “Big Man On Campus.”

  He snorted. “I guess you could say that. I am one of the oldest supernaturals in this town.”

  “Not to mention one of the richest.” Her fingers went to the dragonfly around her neck. He’d kind of skimmed that part.

  “I don’t know about that.” Then the bartender arrived with their drinks and Hugh handed over a black American Express card.

  She laughed. “They give those Centurion cards to just anyone these days?” Not even Rastinelli had one of those.

  He handed her glass of wine over. “I’ve had plenty of time to get my financial house in order.”

  A gorgeous redhead in a simple black dress and patent heels came up to them. She carried a black leather portfolio and black leather clutch under one arm. Oddly business-like for a night club. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but can I have a moment of your time, Hugh?”

  “Delaney, this is Pandora Williams. She’s a witch. Pandora, this is my guest, Delaney James. She’s human.”

  “Thanks for the species update,” Pandora said with a laugh and a wink at Hugh.

  “Nice to meet you.” And it was. Even if the supermodel-beautiful witch was being awfully familiar with the man Delaney had just been kissing.

  Pandora smiled back. “You too. Great necklace.”

  “Thanks.” Delaney wanted to say Hugh had given it to her, to make it clear what kind of relationship she was in with him, but then she reminded herself that the jewelry was only a loan, and she had no clue what kind of relationship they were having.

  “Are you new in town? If you’re looking for a place, I’d be happy to help you out.”

  Hugh smiled politely. “Pandora is Nocturne Fall’s most-well-known Realtor. She caters to our kind.”

  Delaney grinned. He’d said our kind. Like she was a supernatural too. “Well, I’ll store that away if the need to buy a town house pops up.”

  “Excellent.” Pandora shifted back to Hugh. “Again, sorry to interrupt your evening out, but I was here talking to a client and saw you, so—”

  Hugh shook his head. “If this is about Stanhill dating your mother, I swear I knew nothing about that.”

  Pandora laughed. “No. My sisters and I love Stanhill. Especially when he makes pancakes.”

  Hugh winced. “That was more information than I needed.”

  Pandora pinched her lips and nodded. “Got it. Keep the sleepovers to myself.” She looked at Delaney. “Not that my sisters and I sleep over. We have our own places. But on Saturday mornings…” She made a face. “Sorry, rambling.”

  Hugh slid his arm around Delaney. It was a sweet gesture, but she still felt like a third wheel. His fingers rested on her shoulder and drew lazy circles. “What can I do for you, Pandora?”

  “I see there’s a vacant store across from the Hallowed Bean. That’s your building, isn’t it? Any plans to list it? With me? I don’t usually do commercial, but I’d really love to broaden my reach.”

  Jealousy poked at Delaney, but that wasn’t an emotion she had a right to. Before she did something she might regret, she put her hand on Hugh’s arm. “While you two talk shop, I’m going to find the ladies’ room.”

  Pandora pointed across the club. “Back corner.”

  Hugh caught Delaney’s eye. “Be careful.”

  “I can go with you,” Pandora offered.

  “I’ll be fine. You two carry on with business. Back in a sec.” She grabbed her purse and started threading her way through the crowd, watching where she was going in a peripheral kind of way. Without Hugh’s arm around her, without his fingers on her bare skin, it was easier to think.

  Mostly about just how crazy over him she already was. Stop being a fool. He only lent you that jewelry so you’d fit in. Maybe. Maybe not. Her inner voice didn’t know everything. When she went back to him, if Pandora wasn’t still there, she’d ask him how he felt about…them.

  There was a them, wasn’t there?

  The door to the ladies’ room was in sight when she walked into the path of a mountain of a man. He peered at her, nostrils flaring.

  “You’re human.” His eyes narrowed. “Tonight just got a whole lot more interesting.”

  Hugh watched Delaney disappear into the crowd, bereft she’d left him so easily. He hoped she hadn’t left because of Pandora. If Delaney thought he was in any way interested in the witch, she was dead wrong. And now that she was out of his sight, a prickle of unease crawled over his skin. She was the only human here. “Excuse me, Pandora. Call Sebastian about the space. I have to go.”

  “But I—”

  He left his drink and Pandora behind and went after Delaney. The crowd seemed to have grown in the few minutes they’d been inside. Where the hell was she?

  He pushed deeper into the club. People tried to stop him, tried to talk to him. He turned them away.

  Finally, he spotted her. A man he didn’t recognize towered over her, blocking her path.

  The edges of Hugh’s vision went red at the thought that she might be in danger. He stormed forward, anger charging him for a fight.

  Then Delaney threw her head back and laughed.

  The color at the edge of Hugh’s vision shifted from red to green, although his anger wasn’t completely gone. She was chatting up another man? What had he said to make her laugh? With a cacophony of emotions bombarding him, Hugh sidled up to her. “Everything okay?”

  She smiled at him and lightly touched his arm. “Everything’s great. This is Nick Hardwin.” She turned to the big man. “Nick, this is Hugh Ellingham.”

  Nick smiled respectfully. “I know who you are, Mr. Ellingham. Good to meet you in person, sir.” He held out a hand the size of a Christmas ham.

  Hugh’s anger fizzled out. He shook Nick’s hand but couldn’t fake an expression to match his words. “Nice to meet you, too.”

  Delaney chatted on, oblivious to the fact that Hugh had been about to take the man’s head off for a perceived transgression against her. “He’s new to town too. He’s a friend of the sheriff’s, but he’s not a werewolf, he’s a gargoyle.”

  Nick nodded. “Merrow and I were in the same battalion. Shared a tour in Afghanistan.”

  “Which totally deserves a thanks,” Delaney said.

  Hugh grunted. “Thank you for your service.”

  “Anyway,” Delaney went on. “He knew I was human right away and I told him I was here as your guest—Nick’s a bouncer here and is supposed to keep tourists out on the off chance any manage to get in—and then we started talking and, short story, I still haven’t made it to the ladies’ room.”

  Nick seemed a little more aware of Hugh’s mood. A quick glance at Hugh’s face and Nick made his goodbyes. “I should get back to work. Nice to meet you, Delaney. Mr. Ellingham.”

  “Bye, Nick.” She squeezed Hugh’s arm. “I’ll be right back, okay? Don’t go anywhere.”

  Where did she think he was going to go? Before he could respond, she’d slipped away to the ladies’ room. He leaned against the wall and considered what had just happened.

  How he’d been driven by the need to protect her. Then driven by the need to have her for his own. He’d been jealous. Over nothing, really. But jealous all the same. He shouldn’t have sucked that drop of blood from her finger. It was just a drop, and it wasn’t like he’d actually bitten her, but maybe with her, a drop was all it took. He was walking a dangerous line.

  The reality of what was happening couldn’t have hit Hugh any harder than if Nick had punched him. He was falling for Delaney.

  Hard.

  Which also explained why he’d lied to her about the necklace.

  That dragonfly hadn’t belonged to his mother. It had belonged to Juliette. A gift on her twenty-third birthday. There was no other reason for why he’d wanted to see it on Delaney except that he’d wanted to mark her as his. To lay cl
aim to her before bringing her here.

  He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt that kind of base, primal need. Yes, he’d loved Juliette despite their marriage being arranged, but that had come sometime into the marriage. The guilt he felt over her death, a death he’d brought upon her, that was just an extension of his love. Wasn’t it?

  Another thought niggled at him. Perhaps there was one other reason he’d wanted to adorn Delaney with those jewels. To test himself. To determine if seeing another woman in his beloved late wife’s jewels moved him in anyway.

  It had. Just not the way he’d expected.

  His first thought had been that the dragonfly had never looked as right on Juliette as it did on Delaney. A traitorous thought to be sure, but there it was. In Delaney’s bright and unreserved light, Juliette’s sainted memory had begun to fade.

  He was utterly, hopelessly doomed.

  Delaney suddenly appeared before him. Her lips were freshly slicked with gloss, and the scent of sugar teased at him. She grinned. “Miss me?”

  “Desperately,” he replied, covering his wretched state with an answer she would think a joke. The joke was on him. The answer was the bald truth.

  “Well, I’m back, so you can stop moping. Where are our drinks?”

  She was the anti-Piper. A girl who colored outside the lines and made no apologies or pretense about who she was. A girl who didn’t care what was proper. A girl who didn’t wait to be kissed. He pointed lamely. “At the bar. I’m not actually sure they’ll still be there.”

  “Didn’t you leave Pandora watching them?”

  He frowned. That would have been a good idea. “No.”

  Delaney made a face. “You don’t go out much, do you?”

  He wanted her to have a good time. He needed her to. Needed her to fall in love with this town. That might be enough to make her stay. Another audacious thought. He waved down a passing server. “We need a table in the VIP section.”

  The girl nodded. “Sure thing. That just requires the purchase of a bottle.”

  He almost asked the girl if she knew who he was, but Insomnia wasn’t one of the Ellingham properties. “Fine. Bring us a bottle of that Mouton Rothschild I saw on the wine list.” If a fifteen-hundred-dollar bottle of wine didn’t buy them a place in the VIP room, nothing would.

  “Excellent selection, sir. If you’ll just follow me.”

  He took Delaney’s hand, happy to have her close again. “Will this make up for leaving the drinks behind?”

  She laughed. “Uh, yes.”

  The VIP section was a tier of private seating areas two steps up and roped off from the rest of the club on the left side of the building. The server got them settled and went off to get their wine.

  He sat next to Delaney on the white leather sofa.

  She smiled at him. “This is cozy.”

  He reached over and pulled her in closer so that her backside was against his hip and they could both watch the crowd. “This is cozy.”

  She snuggled against him. “Any cozier and we’d have to get a room.”

  The thought filled him with as much wanton desire as her lush body pressed against his. He swept her hair off her shoulder and brushed a kiss on the curve of her neck, taking advantage of the closeness to inhale her perfume. That only made him want her more. How would she react if he scraped his fangs over her skin?

  He kissed her again, but kept his fangs to himself.

  She sucked in a breath only to let out a tiny mewl of pleasure on the exhale. She shifted and cut her eyes at him. “You’re…doing things to me.”

  “Am I?” Not the things he wanted to be doing. He laughed softly, thrilled at the response he’d elicited from her. His hand stayed in her hair, running the silky strands through his fingers. “What do you think of the club?”

  Her gaze turned to the crowd. The dance floor had started to fill up, and the music had taken on a more trance-like beat. “I like it. Reminds me a little of home. Not that I went out to clubs very much. And not that any of those places had this kind of crowd.”

  “I’d lay good money some of them did.”

  She smiled, her expression shifting into something coy. She stared at the small sliver of couch between them before looking up at him again through her lashes. “I believe you now. About who you really are.”

  He nodded. “And you’re okay with that?”

  She lifted her head to see him fully. “As strange as it is, yes.”

  Relief flooded him. “Thank you.”

  She canted her head. “For?”

  “For not letting it frighten you away.”

  “It never bothered any of your other girlfriends.”

  She was so adorable. He snorted softly. “I never told any of them.”

  “Oh.” Her smile faded. “I guess you wouldn’t have told me either then.”

  “Except I thought you already knew. Well, Annabelle.”

  She nodded, her eyes clear and guileless. A few long moments passed before she spoke again, this time staring into his eyes. “What’s happening between us?”

  There it was. The question that had danced through his head all night. And as he thought the answer—we’re falling in love—the realization that he’d forgotten one very important fact slammed him in the chest. Chemistry or not, he could not risk another woman’s life in the turning. “We’re enjoying each other’s company. As friends do.”

  A delicate frown bent her pretty mouth. “You mean, we’re just friends then?”

  He nodded while the lie twisted his insides. “Just friends.”

  She cocked an eyebrow. “So when you left our drinks at the bar and showed up about to take Nick’s head off, that was you just being friendly.”

  Ah. She’d noticed that after all. “I—”

  “Also, friendly kissing rarely involves tongue. Just saying.”

  He hesitated. This was neither the time nor the place to tell her that his late wife’s death was his fault and the fear of that happening again meant he could never give his heart to another woman.

  She spoke before he could. “Look, I don’t know what kind of woman you think I am, but I’m not the friends with benefits type. At all.”

  That phrase was only vaguely familiar. He squinted at her. “Friends with benefits?”

  Her mouth bunched to one side. “I don’t sleep with men I’m not committed to.”

  He straightened. “I never thought…no, of course not.” He frowned. “Is that what happens these days? Relationships have turned into friends with benefits?”

  She shrugged one shoulder and went back to watching the crowd. “For some, I guess.”

  The server returned with their wine. It took her a couple of minutes to set everything up and pour them both a glass after Hugh approved it. Once he’d signed the check and they were alone again, he took Delaney’s hand.

  “Listen to me.”

  She set her wine glass down and turned to him. “Yes?”

  “I’m not looking for benefits of any kind unless it’s a mutual decision. As far as commitment goes—”

  “I know. You’re not looking for it.” She smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I wasn’t trying to pressure you into anything or make you feel like—”

  He cut her off with a kiss, not caring that they were in public and the rumors it would start. He lingered over her mouth, allowing himself a long, languid taste of her. When he finally released her, she seemed a little breathless. “You drive me mad, Delaney. I haven’t felt like this in a very long time, and the truth is, it frightens me a little.”

  It frightened him a lot. Her future with him could be a very short one.

  She leaned her head to one side. “What are you afraid of? Getting hurt? That’s part of life.”

  He just shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about it here.”

  She studied him, the look in her eyes shifting to sympathy. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t even live here. And now that your grandmother knows the truth a
bout me, I guess the thirty-day deal is off.” She eased her hand out of his. “I should probably think about what I’m going to do next.”

  “Stay.” He’d said it without hesitation.

  She blinked. “Why? You don’t want a serious relationship. And I’m not interested in being your live-in…whatever that would make me.”

  “Maybe…maybe I don’t know exactly what I want except for you to stay.”

  She bit her lip. “Do you really feel that way or are you doing this out of pity for me and my situation?”

  He picked up his glass of wine. “Keeping you safe has a lot to do with it, but it’s because of the way I feel that I care about keeping you safe. Say you’ll stay. Let’s drink to it.”

  Her wine stayed on the table. “I can’t just stay here indefinitely.”

  “Why not?” Indefinitely sounded just fine to him. Permanently sounded better.

  “I don’t live here.”

  “You could.”

  “I need a job.”

  “I can help you find one.” Or he could just take care of her, but he had a feeling that suggestion wouldn’t go over well. “Also, Captain loves it here.”

  She frowned, but there was a sparkle in her eyes. A second later she laughed and picked up her wine glass. “Bringing my cat into this is playing dirty.” She clinked her glass against his. “You’re a hard man to argue with.”

  “And I like to get my way.”

  “Gee, that doesn’t remind me of your grandmother at all.” She sipped her wine. “We need to set some rules if I’m going stay.”

  “Such as?”

  “Honesty always. We started off with lies. No more of that.”

  “Agreed. What else?”

  “We give this—us—a shot. A real shot.”

  His eyes narrowed. “What are you asking me for exactly?”

  She hesitated. Gathering her courage perhaps. “That we both put our baggage aside and give this relationship a fighting chance. Otherwise, what’s the point? We’re doomed to fail if we don’t.”

  He nodded. “I can…try.”

  “Good.” She leaned in, beaming at him with the kind of naughty grin that curled his toes. “Because if you’re willing to do that, then I think we can talk about adding some benefits.”