“You leave us immediately so we can enjoy the rest of our dinner in peace and you behave yourself during the dinner with Evangeline.”
Julian stood. “That’s two conditions, but I agree because I don’t nitpick the little things. Like some people. And please, what do you think I’m going to do? Try to sleep with her? Even I have standards.”
He twisted on his heel and walked off, flirting with every woman he passed as he left.
Tessa pursed her lips like she was suppressing laughter. “Your brother is quite the character.”
Sebastian watched him go. “I’m aware.”
Thankfully, the server arrived with their steaks, saving Sebastian from further conversation about Julian.
He dug into his porterhouse, trying not to dwell on the fact that Tessa had taken to Julian so much that she’d wanted him at dinner.
Time ticked by as they ate. Sebastian couldn’t get past what had just happened. He shoved a forkful of meat into his mouth and chewed. Was Julian that much more interesting than he was? Sebastian had long ago accepted that he wasn’t to every woman’s taste, but what did it mean that not even the woman pretending to be his fiancée preferred him?
Was Julian really such a prize?
Or was he just that unappealing?
Tessa ate her steak in small bites, very aware that Sebastian’s mood had taken a dark turn. It stayed that way, too, even though their meals were more than half gone. At first she thought he’d just been upset by his brother’s visit, then she realized Julian’s sudden appearance was just the catalyst. She washed down her last bite with a swig of beer and stared at the vampire across from her. “You’re upset.”
He didn’t look at her, just went on eating. “I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not. You forget that I can judge character and intent. And you’re upset.” She tried to get a deeper read on the vibes he was throwing off. “With me. You’re upset with me.”
“No, I’m not.”
She narrowed her eyes, opening herself fully to the valkyrie senses she so rarely used. “Yes, you are. But you’re mad at yourself too.”
He frowned.
She put her fork down. “Want to tell me why? Because I’m absolutely clueless on this one.” She wasn’t entirely sure why she cared about a man this damaged and frustrated, especially when she’d done her best to avoid things that upset her all her life. They had one more day together. That was it. Unless she got the job.
He stabbed a piece of steak. “It’s childish and unimportant.”
“If that were true, you wouldn’t be so bothered.”
He went still for a long moment, then lifted his gaze to meet hers. “You prefer my brother over me and I am petty enough to care. I understand it, but I also don’t wish to discuss it further.”
In the name of Freya, the man was jealous. Never in her life had a man expressed that emotion toward her. “What makes you think that?”
“You want him at dinner. You smiled at him. You—look, I said I don’t want to discuss it further. Please, let’s just eat.”
She laughed, unable to contain her amusement. “You’re jealous.”
“No, I’m not.”
But the vibes coming off him were as green as a tree frog. “You are jealous. That’s sort of sweet, especially considering we’re just pretending to be a couple. Keep that up and Evangeline will definitely believe you.”
His knuckles whitened as he clenched his fork. “I am not jealous.”
“If you say so. I promise, I do not prefer your brother over you. I just thought he’d be a great distraction at dinner and would be able to help us if things get off course. Period. End of story. I’m sure he’s a nice enough sort, but he seems like he’d need a very different kind of woman than who I am. He also strikes me as more concerned with things like how his hair looks or if his manscaping is on point than when the next Haruki Murakami novel is coming out.”
Sebastian’s eyes brightened. “You read Murakami?”
“Yes. Do you?”
“Of course.”
His answer pleased her to no end. At least they could converse about books if nothing else.
The server returned. “How are we doing here? Everything all right? Can I get you anything?”
Sebastian shook his head. “I’m fine. What about you, Tessa?”
She smiled. “I’m good too.”
The server left and Sebastian physically relaxed. “I apologize. I wasn’t as upset at you as I was upset at myself. I should learn to accept certain things, but after this many centuries, I suppose I am who I am and there’s no hope for change.”
She smiled. “You hate change anyway.”
“There is that.”
“What would you change? If you could.”
He sat back. “I imagine being less uptight would be a good thing. Being more relaxed about details, that sort of thing.”
“But you handle the money for the town. I can’t imagine being less relaxed about that would be a good thing.”
He nodded, a small spark of happiness lighting his eyes. “No, it wouldn’t.”
“Anything else?”
“I could be less critical.”
She shrugged. “So you have high standards.”
“Evangeline finds my academic pursuits tedious.”
“Do you?”
“No.”
“Then why change for a woman who hasn’t been a real part of your life in nearly three hundred years? And can I just say, some women find intellect very sexy.”
The light in his eyes went from happy to wicked and became a genuine, silvery glow. A vampire thing, she imagined. He leaned forward. “Are you one of those women?”
She lifted one shoulder, aware that she was being coy for perhaps the first time in her life. It surprised her that it was something she was even capable of doing. “I am a librarian. We certainly don’t dislike brains.”
His gaze tapered but a smirk crooked his mouth. “Are you sure you’re not a zombie?”
She snorted, a horribly unladylike sound, but the funniness of his comment was multiplied by the fact that he was actually making a joke. “Worried about your gray matter now?”
He laughed with her. “Maybe. Should I invest in some sort of metal helmet?”
“Or just go with tin foil. That could be a good look for you.”
“I doubt that.”
They grinned and stared at each other and in that moment, something passed between them. A sense of togetherness. Of camaraderie. And mutual respect.
He drank the last of his whiskey. “I must apologize to you again for thinking you incapable of becoming my better half. I clearly judged you based on appearance alone and that was foolish. This dinner won’t be easy, but I believe everything will come out in the end as it should.”
“What if Evangeline continues to take you for granted? Will you still take her back?”
His happiness faded. “As we are technically still married, I suppose I have no choice.”
“But you do. You can always say no. Appeal to the council.”
“It’s not that simple. It never has been.”
“I feel like there’s more to this than you’re willing to talk about.”
“You’re very perceptive.” He let out a long sigh. “I suppose you should know. It will make things clearer, at least.”
She waited patiently.
With a frown, he began. “Evangeline’s father and mine were strong friends even before our marriage was arranged. I’m sure their friendship had something to do with that arrangement, but it was still considered a good match and we’d been promised to each other almost since birth.”
Tessa just nodded and let him speak.
“The wedding was a few months off yet when her father was thrown from his horse. He was severely injured. There was no question that he would die, it was just a matter of when. He called for me and of course I went to see him.”
“As I sat at his bedside, he confessed to me that he
knew he’d spoiled Evangeline, that he’d pampered her too much and turned her into a willful, moody creature who cared only for her own pleasure. He apologized for the years ahead of me and the suffering she would bring me as a wife. He told me that if I wanted out of the arrangement, he wouldn’t hold it against me. In fact, he would see to it that no censure would come to me because of the disillusion.”
Sebastian straightened his knife. “I was young and couldn’t see past her beauty. I thought he was mad from the injury. I told him I would not break the arrangement. That I loved Evangeline.”
“Did you?”
“Then? Yes. Fool that I was.” Sebastian’s face went a shade paler. “That’s when he made me promise to look after her for the rest of my life. He feared that if left to her own devices, she would come to ruin.”
“I vowed that I would.” His eyes held a very different light now, one so distant that Tessa imagined she could see him as he must have looked before he’d been turned.
“Her father died the next day and at the reading of his will, I discovered he’d left me an inordinate sum of money.” Sebastian swallowed. “He’d paid me to keep my promise.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do. I wish it were otherwise, but it is what it is. I have been paid to watch over her and I promised to do it. As I am a man of my word, I have no choice but to do exactly that. Especially since she was turned by my own hand, something I would take back if given the smallest chance. Becoming a vampire did precisely what her father feared would happen to her anyway. It ruined her. And so, I do what I can to look after her. I will until the day one of us dies.”
Tessa could respect that. So few people held to their promises these days. It was a slightly old-fashioned view of life, but one she appreciated. And he was a man from another time. How else could he respond to such a promise? “I understand.”
“Do you? Because I don’t think my brothers would.”
“They don’t know?”
“Greaves is the only person outside of you who knows. Mostly because I refuse to discuss Evangeline with my brothers or my grandmother.”
“So they’ve asked.”
“My brothers used to. Now they know it won’t get them anywhere, so they’ve stopped. It’s understood I don’t wish to hear her name in my house, and they tend to abide by that. As far as my grandmother is concerned…I think she likes to pretend Evangeline is dead.”
“I see.” She folded her napkin and set it beside her plate. “Thank you for telling me what happened then. I feel honored that you’d share your past with me.”
He laid his napkin on the table as well. “Considering what you’re about to do for me, I thought you should understand how intertwined in my life she is. And why I would want her around me again.”
“I get it. You feel responsible for her because of the promise. Even more so because you feel you turned her into the person she is today.”
He nodded and sighed. “The truth is, I find it all very exhausting. Perhaps that’s why I don’t leave my house as often as most people.”
“Could be.”
“Speaking of, are you ready to go?”
“I am.” She collected her purse. He clearly needed a change of scenery and subject.
“Shall we take a walk through town? Continue getting to know one another? Or have you had enough of me?”
“A walk sounds nice. And no, I haven’t had enough of you. We still have a lot to learn about each other.” Although she definitely felt like she knew him so much better than she’d imagined she would. And curiously, she liked him far more than she had when he’d shown up at Jenna’s.
Amazing how one conversation could change so much.
“That we do.”
They got up and he put his hand on the small of her back as they walked out. It was a sweet, intimate gesture that sent a shiver of unexpected pleasure through her.
She shifted the shopping bag of goodies to her other hand and reminded herself that this was all for show. She was not in a relationship with him, nor would she ever be. For one thing, he was a moody vampire. The vampire part wasn’t so bad, but the moodiness she could do without. For another, he had enough on his plate with Evangeline. And if he’d lasted for centuries without succumbing to the charms of another woman, he certainly wasn’t about to fall for a valkyrie with self-esteem issues, a dread of confrontation and a deadly temper.
She made herself smile and focus on the town as they walked toward Main Street. If she had supposedly been living here, she ought to know more about the place. “What should I know about the town?”
“We celebrate Halloween every day. It’s what brings the tourists in, it’s our industry. There’s trick-or-treating for the children every Friday night. And every month has a larger event designed to bring in even more visitors.”
“Oh? What is it this month?”
“It’s already happened. New Scare’s Eve. Although technically that could be considered a December event, but January is a slower month than most. Which is fine. Many of the shopkeepers take their vacations this month.”
“So what will it be in February?”
“The Valentine’s Day Bake Off. Also, the annual blood drive but that’s more of a local event.”
She cocked a brow. “And that blood drive benefits who?”
He smirked. “Nocturne Falls General Hospital. Mostly.”
She shook her head. “I suppose that’s a necessity.”
“We only take what we need.”
“And the Valentine’s Day Bake Off? Who does that benefit?”
He shrugged. “Everyone who gets to taste the desserts, I suppose. All the funds raised from the entry fees go toward the hospital’s cardiac ward. The contest is popular with the locals, but we get a lot of visitors in for it too. Especially women.” He sighed. “Which makes it one of Julian’s favorite events.”
She laughed. “That seems about right. Do you and your brothers do the judging?”
“I don’t. Julian has but he was banned for being too easily swayed by a pretty face or a sexy smile. And Hugh can’t this year because Delaney will definitely compete.”
She lifted the bag Delaney had given her. “If her entry is half as good as that truffle she gave me tonight, I’d say she’s a shoo-in.”
“She may well be.”
“Do you at least go to it?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“Might be fun to have a day out, though, don’t you think? There’s probably more to it than just a bake off, right?”
“Yes, there are pie eating contests, games, live music and what else, I’m not sure. Dancing maybe. But again, not my thing.”
She imagined what it might be like to dance with him. She enjoyed dancing, although it wasn’t something she got to do very often. The thought of being in his arms, of being pressed against his body, sent another shiver through her.
“Are you cold?”
“No, I’m fine. Just…fine.” Then a new thought occurred to her. One brought on by the idea of being very, very close to him. And maybe encouraged by the beer she’d had. “If you’re going to kiss me, I’d rather we get the first one over with now.”
He stopped on the street. “What?”
They were just outside the entrance of a bar called DOA, which was translated on the window as Drinks On Arrival. “I was just thinking, if you’re going to kiss me in front of Evangeline, I’d rather not be surprised by it or she’ll know you’ve never done it before.”
The look of shock remained on his face. “I suppose you’re right, but…”
“I know. It’s an uncomfortable thought. Which is why I’m suggesting we get it over with now so that if we’re somehow pressed into it the night of the dinner, it won’t seem so awkward.”
He cleared his throat. “That’s smart. And if we can pull off a kiss that looks natural, it would go a long way toward convincing her.”
“All right then.”
He looked around.
“Perhaps not on the street.”
“People seeing us together will just strengthen the story that we’re a couple.”
“True.” He cleared his throat again and smoothed the lapels of his jacket. “I haven’t done this in some time.”
Neither had she. “It hasn’t changed, I promise.”
“No, I guess it hasn’t.”
He looked at her with great intent, a soft, silvery glow gleaming in his eyes. He leaned in, closed his eyes and pressed his mouth to hers.
She closed her eyes and kissed him back.
A second later, her lips were vacant of his. The kiss was over.
It had been warm and technically a kiss, but not much else could be said for it.
He shifted uncomfortably and looked relieved that it was over. “That wasn’t so bad.”
“Actually…” She smiled at him, trying to ease the sting of her answer. “I know you haven’t kissed anyone in a long time, but that wasn’t so good.”
His expression fell. “It wasn’t? How not so good?”
She crossed her arms, tucking the shopping bag half under one of them. “You’re supposed to be in love with me, right? We’re engaged and all that. You have to…kiss me like you mean it or this whole thing has no chance of convincing anyone.”
“All right then.” The glow in his eyes sparked brighter. “Round two.”
Sebastian had been holding back, thinking he could get away with the barest of effort. That was not, apparently, the case. But a war raged inside him, one side fighting to keep his emotions in check, the other, the side of him that was sick and tired of being alone for so long, battled to kiss this very willing woman in front of him until she forgot her own name.
He could do it, too. Or at least, he thought he could. But it would mean allowing her into his life, because there was no way he could kiss her for real and not feel something. He was a vampire, but still flesh and blood. Still capable of feeling, no matter how hard he’d tried to shut that part of himself down.
He’d been nearly three hundred years without the touch or affection or attention of a woman. Surely one honest kiss wouldn’t undo the very delicate self-control he’d put into place, would it?
Tessa stared at him, her pretty blue eyes filled with doubt. “I’m ready when you are.”
The Vampire's Fake Fiancée (Nocturne Falls Book 5) Page 7