“When you’re done, let me know whether you like blueberry or chocolate cream pie better.”
The corners of his eyes crinkled even though the smile didn’t reach that stern mouth. “Maybe if I do a really good job, I could have a little of both.”
When he stood up, he staggered a bit as if his leg wouldn’t support him. She automatically reached to steady him. He jerked his arm out of reach, and one look at those angry blue eyes made her rethink anything she was about to say. He’d hang the lights even if it killed him, and they both knew it. There was no use in arguing the point.
Any more than there was denying that there was something unmistakably powerful about Eagan.
CHAPTER FOUR
AS IT WAS, Harry insisted on showing Eagan where Della kept the ladder in the basement and carrying the plastic crate of Christmas lights up the stairs himself. The older man was puffing pretty hard by the time they reached the front table. Eagan kept a close eye on him to make sure he wasn’t overdoing it until Harry plunked the crate down and sat on the extra chair.
As soon as Harry was settled, Della was there with two hot chocolates with thick mounds of whipped cream floating on top. Eagan suspected it was an excuse to check on her friend without appearing to hover.
She popped the lid on the crate and peeked inside. “I checked all the bulbs last week, so they should be good to go.”
Della smelled like cinnamon and vanilla, two of Eagan’s favorite scents. The heady combination had him hungering for something far more personal than a cup of hot chocolate as a reward.
It was a fight to keep his fangs from showing. “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of it. If I’ve got any questions, I’ll ask.”
She accepted the dismissal with good grace and walked away. Meanwhile, Eagan waited until Harry had finished his drink before setting the ladder up in the front corner. Somehow Eagan figured he’d acquired a self-appointed assistant for the duration. The old man obviously needed to feel useful. It was that or else he was trying to stay between Eagan and Della, which wouldn’t surprise him. For sure the wolf bitch wasn’t happy to have him hanging around the diner, either.
Too bad, although he sure couldn’t fault her instincts. She clearly didn’t trust his reasons for being there. What were her lupine senses telling her that had her fur all ruffled? As far as he knew, he’d never laid eyes on the woman before last night, so it couldn’t be anything he’d done. Most likely it was just the usual prejudice some shifters had against vampires.
As long as she didn’t try to interfere with him insinuating himself into Della’s diner crowd, Lupe could hate him all she wanted to. But for Della’s sake, he’d do what he could to maintain the peace.
He finished the last of his hot chocolate. “Ready to get started?”
Harry nodded and set his own cup down. “Let’s do it.” With his preternatural strength and speed, Eagan could’ve hung the lights in a fraction of the time, but he needed to pass for human. After dragging the whole ordeal out as long as he could, Eagan finally stepped down off the ladder and waved Della over to join them. Given how small the diner was, she didn’t have far to come.
He held out the plug from the extension cord. “Thought you’d want to do the honors.”
“Wait a minute!”
Della rushed to the other side of the diner. “Everybody freeze. I’m going to turn the lights off for a second.”
The few people left in the diner did as she asked. Since most were already seated, it didn’t take long for them all to get settled. She flipped the switch that turned off the overhead lights and then wended her way back through the tables to where Eagan stood waiting for her.
She moved through the darkness with far more assurance than most humans would have. Even he was impressed.
He wasn’t sure how much the others could see, but her smile positively glowed as she coasted to a stop beside him. The warmth of her body seeped across those last few inches, her pulse racing and calling to his vampire hunger. It didn’t help that when she reached for the extension cord, her fingers brushed across his, the brief connection setting off a jolt of white-hot blood hunger.
From the way she jerked her hand back, she’d felt it, too. Good. He didn’t want to be the only one suffering here. But considering their audience, this definitely wasn’t the time or place to explore the possibilities. Especially considering she was both human and innocent. He’d lived too long, had seen too much, to deserve a woman who looked at the world through such gentle eyes and smiled at a soul-weary vampire as if he were still capable of being someone’s hero.
He cupped her hand with his and placed the plug in it. “Here. Let’s see how it looks.”
She curled her fingers around the cord and knelt down to plug in the lights. In an instant, the room went from shadowed to shimmering. Even a hard case like him had to admit the glow of the lights softened all the harsh lines of chrome and plastic, bathing the whole room with an appealing warmth.
Just as its owner did each time she smiled.
Della gave Harry a hug with a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, Harry. Dinner is on me tomorrow!”
Her friend beamed at her. “Ordinarily I’d refuse, considering how little I really did, but only a fool would turn down your pot roast.”
What kind of man was jealous of an old man getting a hug and free meal? Evidently Eagan’s kind, because that’s exactly how he was feeling right now.
Della turned her bright eyes in his direction. “Same deal. Pie tonight as promised, but how does dinner tomorrow night sound?”
Damn it, his job demanded he accept the invitation, but his conscience argued he didn’t deserve it. He hated being here under false pretenses and only pretending to be part of the family of friends Della had gathered around her.
“Like the man said, only a fool would pass up anything you offered.”
Okay, that came out wrong.
Della’s eyes widened in surprise as someone in the background sniffed in disapproval. He knew without looking it was the wolf bitch again.
To cover the awkward silence, he blurted, “Is there anything else you need hung up around here while I’ve got the ladder out?”
Della nodded slowly. “Yes, I have a few more decorations I’d like to put up before I do the tree.”
When she didn’t move, he tried to rustle up a reassuring smile. “Want to tell me where they are?”
Della hit her fingertips against her forehead and shook her head. “Well, duh, that would help, wouldn’t it? They’re upstairs in my apartment. Blue crate in the corner of my living room.”
She tossed him a set of keys. “You want the one with the red tag.”
He snagged the key ring out of the air and headed for the staircase at the back of the kitchen before he changed his mind and bolted out the front door. Was she crazy? Letting a man she’d only met twice in her apartment. Hell, she thought he was flat broke. How did she know he wouldn’t steal something while he was up there?
The answer was easy: she didn’t. Either she had nothing worth taking or else she had her picture next to the word naive in the dictionary.
Upstairs he took a deep breath and turned the key. Out of habit rather than necessity he turned on the kitchen light. The bright overhead light allowed him to see everything in exquisite detail.
The apartment looked just like its owner: warm, soft and inviting with the occasional touch of whimsy. A row of gargoyles decorated the top of a cluttered bookshelf. Each one sported a tiny Santa hat in honor of the season. He was surprised they weren’t wearing T-shirts to match the one she had on. It was similar in style to the one she’d worn yesterday, although today’s version had a reindeer with a nose that blinked on and off. Normally he’d find it irritating. On her, it was cute.
Odd that he’d think so. He wasn’t quite sure why he was so drawn to her. Maybe because in her own way she offered a haven to those who needed one, and he liked that about her. It was obvious that many of her customers lingered in t
he diner far longer than eating a meal required. She looked out for them, and they returned the favor. More than one had given him a considering look, wondering about his interest in their friend. Smart of them.
The crate was right where she’d said it would be. Before carrying it downstairs, though, he wanted to take a quick peek out of her front window to see if anything was happening on the street below.
He pushed the door open, hoping he was heading into a guest room. No such luck. This was definitely Della’s bedroom, her most private space, and here he was clomping through uninvited. He passed by the big brass bed, firmly ignoring the interesting possibilities that sprang to mind. Especially the ones involving those silk scarves hanging on the mirror and the brass railings on her bed.
Looking out the window, he studied the sidewalk below. The streetlights had been on for hours already since the sun set by about four o’clock this time of year. It was late enough that most of the commuters were long gone, leaving only a few people out walking the street. Most looked like shoppers on their way home.
Nothing out of the ordinary. He was about to walk away when a movement at the far end of the block caught his attention. It was those same three kids he’d seen the previous night. He froze, knowing if he was right about the two taller ones being his kind the slightest motion might draw their attention to where he stood.
A few seconds later they passed under the overhang, and he could see the two vampires continue on and heard the bells chiming downstairs. Whoever the kid was, he was now in the diner. Eagan hurried back to the living room to grab the crate. This could be the first break in the case.
Della was waiting for him at the bottom of the steps looking a bit puzzled. “Did you have trouble finding it?”
Damn, he realized he’d been gone too long. “Not at all. I got a phone call I had to take.”
And of course she accepted the excuse without question. As an undercover cop, he was used to lying to everybody. It never bothered him, figuring the end justified the means. So why did he feel like such a creep for lying to this one woman?
He thrust the crate at her. “Show me what you want where.”
Fearing he’d sounded like a jerk, he added, “Please.”
Della headed toward the front of the diner to unload the crate. As she unpacked the crate, she carefully touched each item, treating each one as if it were precious and made of gold instead of plastic and paint. When she was done, she handed them out to her friends, letting them decide where each Santa, reindeer, and snowman would look best.
When they were all busy, she handed Eagan another pair of wreaths made of jingle bells and bows to hang. He took down a pair of pictures and replaced them with the wreaths. When that was done, she asked him to set a dancing Santa on a high shelf out of the reach of small children. He could only be grateful for that much. After setting it off twice, he was ready to heave it against the wall.
When everything had been dispersed, Della walked through the room, touching a decoration here, patting a friend on the shoulder there and straightening one of the wreaths just a hair. Finally, when she’d made the rounds, she turned back to Eagan with a huge grin. “It’s perfect!”
But her smile quickly disappeared. “I take that back. I forgot something. I bought it to hang in the center of the room.”
Eagan dragged the ladder into the middle of the room while she disappeared into the kitchen, where he could hear her muttering under her breath.
Finally, she hooted in triumph. “Found it!”
She came back into the main room holding a ball of what looked like herbs tied together with a bow. She handed it up to him on the ladder. He slipped the loop over the hook and started down the ladder. Before he could collapse it to take it back downstairs, Harry spoke up.
“Wait a minute, young fellow! You and Della are standing under the mistletoe. Don’t tell me you’re foolish enough not to take advantage of that! When I was your age, we relished such moments. ’Tis the season after all.”
Eagan wasn’t sure which he was having a harder time processing: being called young fellow by a man who had to be decades younger than he was or that he was going to have to kiss Della in front of everybody. There was no way to avoid it without hurting her feelings and alienating most of her friends.
As far as the lady herself, she’d backed up half a step. He suspected she was about to chastise Harry for putting both of them in such an awkward position. He could let her go ahead, shifting the attention back to the old man.
But maybe this was the one opportunity he’d ever have to find out if Della tasted every bit as sweet as she looked. Evidently his curiosity was running hotter than his common sense because he held out his hand with a wink and waited for the lady to take the dare.
CHAPTER FIVE
DELLA FOCUSED ON Eagan’s hand for several seconds before she could work up enough courage to look him in the eye. To make matters worse, her friends were chanting “Kiss him! Kiss him!”
It didn’t help that last night she’d dreamed about what it would be like to be held in those powerful arms and how that straight slash of a mouth would feel. Well, now was her one chance to find out if her subconscious had come close to the reality.
Placing her hand in Eagan’s somehow carried more weight than it should have. The palm-to-palm connection between them sparked and sizzled. When had the room gotten so hot? Eagan tugged her closer, wrapping her in his embrace firmly enough to say he meant it, gently enough not to leave her feeling trapped.
“Shall we dazzle them?”
The teasing note in his whispered question gave her the courage to nod. When his lips settled over hers, the rest of the world faded away, leaving just the two of them standing there amidst the twinkling lights and Christmas music. If anyone had asked her at that moment what she wanted from Santa, she would’ve said nothing more than this amazing gift from a man she hardly knew.
He teased her with a soft nibble of her lower lip before getting down to business. Okay, it was time for her to join in the fun. She circled his neck with her hands and leaned in close. When he smiled against her mouth, she grew more adventurous and touched her tongue to his lips.
It was as if she’d touched a match to tinder. His tongue swept in and conquered her mouth, staking a claim, making her wish they were someplace a lot more private. This couldn’t go on much longer. She knew it. Hopefully he knew it, too. But for the duration, she was determined to enjoy every second.
“Ahem!”
Someone nearby cleared her throat and then did it again. No doubt Lupe. Eagan broke off the kiss long enough to glare at the woman before picking up right where he’d left off. But then he gentled the kiss, slowly banking the fire, leaving only a few softly glowing embers when he stepped back at last.
“I guess we showed them,” Eagan said for the benefit of their audience. Then leaned close enough to whisper near her ear, “And us.”
Her face was as red as her T-shirt when she bowed to acknowledge everybody’s applause. Rather than look Eagan in the eye, she kept her attention focused on the others in the room. “Okay, then, I guess it’s time to break out the eggnog!”
Everyone applauded again and retreated to their tables while she made a beeline for the kitchen. The eggnog was only an excuse to give herself a few seconds to catch her breath. Leaning her forehead against the cool stainless steel of the fridge, she waited for her pulse to slow down to normal.
That man should come with a warning sign pinned to his shirt. If his casual kiss was that potent, how overwhelming would it be if he’d really meant it?
And darned if she didn’t want to find out.
“Della, are you all right?”
Darn it, she’d forgotten all about Daniel coming in to work. She straightened up and opened the refrigerator. “I’m fine. Just a bit of a headache.”
“Did you take something for it?”
“Not yet, but I will if it gets worse. How about you? How was school today?”
“Okay I guess.”
He started scrubbing one of her baking pans with renewed gusto, a clear sign he didn’t want her to pursue that line of questioning any further. Too bad. He might have a mother, but the woman was overworked and had three other kids to worry about. As Daniel’s employer, Della claimed the right to do some nagging of her own.
“Why did you blow off school?”
His shoulders sagged, but he didn’t respond, telling her she’d been right on target. It would be one thing if this was the first time he’d skipped, but it wasn’t. She knew for a fact he’d been spotted hanging around the neighborhood during school hours at least twice in the past month.
She started pouring cups of eggnog. “Is something going on that I can help you with?”
“I’m handling it.”
He rinsed the pan and reached for the next one. Odd that he still had on his hoodie despite the heat in the kitchen. She couldn’t very well demand he take it off, but it bothered her even if she couldn’t quite figure out why.
“When you finish with those, you can call it quits for the night if you’d like. I’ll run the dishwasher one last time when everyone is gone.”
She picked up the tray. “I’m going to close up early tonight. It’s been slow all evening, and I’m tired.”
Not really, since Eagan’s kiss had left her feeling buzzed, but it was the only excuse she could think of on short notice to give the boy a break.
That he didn’t argue indicated just how tired he really was. “If you’re sure.”
“I am, but promise me you’ll go straight home and get some sleep.”
“Will do. I’ve got homework, but that won’t take long.”
She’d done all she could to help without talking to Daniel’s mom. He wouldn’t appreciate her going behind his back, but she would if that’s what it took to get him back on track. Crossing her fingers that it wouldn’t come to that, she headed back out to the dining room.
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