“Yes, Sweet, the very same.”
I’m not sure why but Dagan owning Fabian’s just seemed…wrong. Not that I’d been fond of the cretin Fabian at all.
“Sweet, No Regrets is throwing a party in honor of my birthday at the end of the month. I do hope you will attend?”
I’d forgotten about his three hundredth birthday. I smiled. “I’d be happy to.”
The uneven grin on Bram’s lips hinted to his unspoken thoughts. “It would please me greatly if you…attended as my date.”
Hmm, another date with Bram? It would be beneficial to remain on his good side, especially in light of the fact that his three hundredth birthday would see him as much more powerful than he now was. And, furthermore, he was nice to look at…and I was trying to work on dating more. “I’d be happy to,” I repeated.
An hour later, I'd finished a third of my steak, declined dessert, and now Bram and I stood outside my apartment.
“I had a lovely time, Sweet,” Bram said. “I hope you will allow me to take you out again?”
“Maybe.” I guess I was feeling magnanimous. I actually had enjoyed myself, and Bram's company had been agreeable. Hmm, why the hell not go out with him again?
“I suppose a maybe is better than a no,” Bram said with a twinkle in his eye.
I just smiled. “Thanks, Bram, I had a good time.”
“My pleasure, Sweet,” he said and stepped closer until maybe an inch of air separated us. He wanted to kiss me; I could see it in his eyes. And I couldn't say the idea was such a bad one.
He tilted his head and caught my lips softly, his arms wrapping around me as I opened my mouth. He was a good kisser—gentle and slow. But one kiss was enough for me. I pulled away from him with a little smile.
He stepped away, and his eyes burned with passion. “I have wanted to do that for a long while.”
It was the same thing Quillan had said after he'd kissed me. Great—another memory to depress me. Trying to shake the thoughts of Quillan from my head, I pried myself from Bram’s embrace, and started for my apartment. “Have a good night, Bram.”
“I will call you soon,” he said, and I knew he meant it.
What I thought about it? I wasn't sure. Not something I had to worry about now, though.
I unlocked my door, walking into the house. When I went to close it behind me, I found him still standing in the same position, just watching me. I gave him a little wave and locked the door.
Throwing my purse onto the couch, I unzipped my boots and tossed them carelessly onto the floor. I plodded over to the computer and turned it on, deciding to check my email.
I had one new message. It was from Great Fiction Agency. My heart started jack hammering in my chest as I clicked the email open and dropped myself into the desk chair.
Dear Ms. O'Neil,
I would be happy to read the first three chapters of your paranormal romance, A Vampire and A Gentleman. Please send it as an email attachment.
Kind Regards,
Barbara Mandley
Great Fiction Agency
Finally, someone was showing interest...it was about goddamned time.
TWENTY TWO
It was seven p.m., and I wasn’t expecting any visitors so when a knock sounded on the door, I was understandably taken by surprise. Peering through the peephole, I found Knight standing on my doorstep.
With an exasperated sigh, I opened the door.
A smile lit up his face. If I’d thought our month’s separation would make him any less handsome, I was sorely mistaken. Holy Hades—the man should’ve been a model.
I eyed him suspiciously. “This is a surprise.” It was a surprise and even though I didn’t want to admit it to myself, it was a nice surprise. There was definitely a part of me that really liked Knight.
“I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d drop by and see how you’re doing,” he said with an embarrassed smile. Clearly he hadn’t been in the neighborhood.
“Is that so?” I arched a brow but opened the door wide and he stepped inside. He smelled of soap—a clean, fresh fragrance.
“How are you?” he asked, still acting a bit awkward. It was a role I’d never seen him assume and one I liked.
“I’m fine. How are you?”
He nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. “Good, I’m good.” He was quiet for a second as his gaze roamed my living room before settling back on me. “Are you busy tonight?”
I guess I felt sorry for him because I shook my head. Any nervousness in Knight fled as soon as I did so and was replaced with a beaming smile.
“I’ll be your entertainment for the evening then.” He clapped his hands together as if the entertainment had already begun.
“Entertainment?” I asked, sounding less than thrilled as I locked the door behind me.
“Have you had dinner yet?”
I shook my head. “Nope.”
“Great, can I take you to dinner?”
I laughed at the eagerness in his voice. “I thought I already told you I wasn’t interested in going on a date with you?”
“Well, this isn’t a date.”
“Oh, then what is it?”
He smiled that charming smile of his, and I knew something interesting was about to come out of his mouth. “Think of it as networking,” Knight continued as I started for the kitchen and he followed me. I poured myself a glass of water and watched him pull out a chair and straddle it.
“Networking?”
He laughed, and a stray tendril of hair that had a tendency to drop in front of his eyes, did exactly that. I had to suppress the nagging urge to secure it behind his ear.
“I have a job for you,” he said simply. Then standing up, eyed me from head to toe with a definite smirk.
“What?” I asked, nonplussed.
“Go change. I want to take you somewhere nice.”
Figuring I didn’t have a choice, I headed for my bedroom with a long and dramatic sigh. If Knight noticed, he didn’t comment. Closing the door behind me, I sorted through my less than impressive closet and settled on a short, flouncy black skirt and a long-sleeved red blouse. Not wanting to take the time to do my makeup, I just magicked myself some red lipstick, eye liner and mascara and throwing on my black leather jacket and high heels, headed for the living room.
A huge smile lit Knight’s lips upon seeing me, and I could feel my cheeks burning with a visible blush. So much for trying to act nonchalant.
“You look great.” He paused, as if not able to check me out and talk at the same time.
“Thanks,” I shrugged. “So, about this job?”
“Let’s talk about it in the car.”
I grinned and opened the door, immediately spotting the brand new, silver BMW parked in front of my apartment. It was the nicest car on the street.
“Yours?” I asked, motioning to the car with a tilt of my chin as I locked the front door behind us.
A boyish grin spread over his lips as he stood gazing at the vehicle. Men and their cars.
“Just got it last week. What do you think?”
“Pretty posh.” At the expression of pride on his face, I begrudgingly forced myself to show more interest. “What model?”
“BMW M3 Coupe.” He said it like a proud father.
He unlocked the BMW with his remote and hurried down the steps before me, showing me to the passenger seat with a great sweep of his arm. I was just waiting for him to break into song and dance.
“Yeah, I always wanted a BMW, and I figured I might be here for a while,” he finished as I pulled my legs into the passenger seat and buckled myself in.
His eyes lingered on my legs, and I self consciously smoothed my skirt down. Then he seemed to remember himself and started for his side of the car. He got in and settled himself comfortably into the driver’s seat.
“I thought you were just here until they find someone to replace you?” I asked as he put the car in drive and blasted loud techno music from the speakers. He turned i
t down with an apologetic smile. I’m not sure why, but I hadn’t expected Knight to be the techno sort.
He peeled into the street so fast, I felt as if I were in the midst of a tornado. He changed gears, double-clutching and revving the engine as he did so, a small grin on his lips. Hot Hades, he was such a kid.
“Well, according to the Chief, he wasn’t sure how long it would take to find a replacement, and in Chief talk, that could mean years.”
I nodded, silently pleased to hear it. Then I chided myself; I shouldn’t care where the hell he went or what the hell he did. “So, are you looking for a place to live, too? Or sticking it out at the Marriott?”
“No, looking for a place now, as a matter of fact. Looking in the heart of the city.”
I held onto my seat as Knight took the turn at the base of my hill a little too fast and the car’s tires screamed in protest. I should’ve figured him a speed demon. A speed Loki.
“So, where are you taking me?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
“Only the nicest restaurant in this area. The Chateaus.”
Again? Just my luck. I wasn’t sure if I was up for the Chateaus again but better to be polite, I guessed. “I was just there the other night. They have great food.”
Knight braked a little too abruptly at the stop sign. “You were already there?”
I shrugged. “Yeah, it was good—you’ll like it.”
He frowned. “With who?”
“That would be with whom,” I corrected him, then smiled and feigned interest in my fingernails for a few seconds. “Bram took me.”
Knight did an abrupt U-Turn. He was a ticket waiting to happen.
“What are you doing?”
His lips were tight, his jaw even tighter. “Going back to your place. We can order in.”
I laughed. So, I enjoyed his discomfiture—call me a sadist. “I liked the Chateaus.”
“Well, I’m not taking you there if the vampire did,” he snapped, driving up my hill faster than he’d driven down.
I frowned, still clutching the gray leather seat as if my life depended on it. I glanced at the dash to make sure there were air bags. There were. Phew. “So, I got all dressed up for no reason.”
Knight kept his attention trained on the road, a slight twitching in his jaw. “I’m not no reason.”
Ha, so he was jealous, the bastard! I’m not sure why, but provoking Knight was one of the few things in life that brought me great pleasure. “Why are you so bothered by Bram taking me out?”
“I’m not bothered,” he growled and came to an abrupt stop as the light turned red. He tapped his fingers against his lips impatiently and refused to look at me. His other hand massaged the gearshift, as if itching to resume his illegal speeds.
I cleared my throat. “Um, then what would you call it? Jealousy?” I shrugged. “That works too.”
“I’m not jealous.” He cast me a scowl, and put the car into gear as the light turned green, launching us forward. “I just don’t think you should be dating him.”
I laughed. “Who said I was dating him?”
“Well, you agreed to go out with him, so I just figured,” he snapped.
“I agreed to go out with you; am I dating you?”
The anger simmered out of his expression, and he turned to give me a big smirk. “Not yet.”
He pulled up to the curb and put the car in park, turning off the engine as he unbuckled his seatbelt and glanced over at me. “Why’d you agree to go out with Bram? I didn’t think he was your type?”
I sighed. “I finished my book, and he took me out in honor of it. That, and I owed him a favor so he chose that as his favor.”
Knight chuckled. “He couldn’t get you to go out with him any other way so he basically bribed you? That’s tasteful.”
“Well, it’s not like you gave me much of a choice in going out with you tonight either.”
He frowned but didn’t respond. Instead, he opened the door and stepped out of the car. I opened my door as he locked it behind me, offering his arm as we took the flight of stairs. When I refused it, he appeared embarrassed—clearing his throat and glancing in my opposite direction. “Congratulations on finishing your book,” he said.
“Thanks.” I fished inside my purse for my keys and unlocked the front door. “So, what’s this job you were talking about?”
Knight strode in behind me and eyeing the yellow pages sitting beneath the coffee table, started for it. He dropped himself onto the couch and opened the book, sorting through it for delivery options.
“Let’s decide what we want to eat first. How’s Italian sound?”
I locked the door behind me. “Fine. I like eggplant parmesan.”
I threw my jacket on the sofa arm and stepped out of my heels, leaving them beside the couch. I tossed my purse onto the kitchen table as Knight dialed and placed our order. When he finished, he returned the phone book and stretched his long legs out before him, crossing them at the ankles as he stretched his arms behind his head.
“There’s been a murder in Sanctity. We know it’s a werewolf, but we haven’t been able to track him down.”
I studied him and took a seat at the table. “Sounds pretty standard. Anyone at Headquarters should be able to solve that with their eyes closed.”
He leaned forward and shook his head. “Yeah, it’s not standard.” He paused. “Will you help me?”
The offer didn’t look so bad, and I needed the money. I’d already dipped into my savings to pay the rent for this month, and it wasn’t something I wanted to repeat. “It depends. What are the particulars?”
He leaned back against the couch smiling. “I’ll pay you whatever you think the job’s worth, and I’ll pay you weekly.” He paused. “If you can solve the case within a month, I’ll pay you an extra thirty percent commission on top.”
Hmm, that didn’t sound half bad. “I name my own price?”
“Yeah, whatever you want, it’s yours.”
“I was supposed to get my review sometime soon which would’ve been at least a ten percent increase.”
He shook his head. “I don’t care what your raise should’ve been. I could get the information on what you made, but I don’t care about it. Just decide what you think is fair and we’ll go from there.” That same cheeky smile returned to his lips. “And don’t short yourself. Now that you’re a consultant, the work won’t be reliable, so make it worth your while.”
“Sounds like you’re teaching me how to be a good businesswoman?” I laughed, appreciating the fact he wasn’t trying to screw me over.
“Well, if I had it my way, you’d be coming back to the force.”
I started to shake my head, still not at all okay with the fact that I’d let Quillan go. I didn’t imagine I ever would be. “I haven’t changed my mind about that.”
He nodded. “I didn’t think you would have.”
“Besides, Sam told me about all the women in the office chasing you. You wouldn’t want me in the way of that.” I threw him a smile.
He stood up with an elevated brow. “Who says you’d get in the way of that?”
I feigned indignation. Knight just chuckled as a knock sounded on the door, announcing the arrival of our food. Knight paid the delivery boy and carried the plastic bags to the kitchen. “Do you have anything to drink?”
“There’s beer in the fridge and I have a bottle of wine on the counter.” The wine had been a going away gift from Sam.
“Wine sounds great. You want a glass?”
“Sure.” I pointed to the glass cabinet and Knight reached for two dusty glasses, throwing me a rolled eye look as he rinsed them out.
“Looks like I just rinsed away a few resident spiders.”
“I forgive you.”
I watched him pour two glasses of red wine, and he handed one to me. Holding his own in the air, apparently he was going to make a toast. “To our new relationship,” he said with a lascivious smile and an equally lascivious wink.
He nodded and sat down while I started in on my eggplant. Knight had ordered stuffed shells. We were pretty quiet as we devoured our dinners and twenty minutes later, I’d had enough. I pushed the food away and downed my glass of wine.
“Good?” Knight asked.
“Great.”
Knight took his last bite, and I saran-wrapped the remainder of the eggplant, tossing it into the fridge as Knight gathered the rest of our mess and deposited it in the trashcan.
He refilled my wine glass.
“Okay, no more talking about work,” he started and extended his hand. I took it, and he led me into the living room, motioning for me to take a seat on the couch. I did so, and he dropped down beside me, resting his hand on my thigh. I didn’t move it.
“What do you want to talk about?” I asked, setting my wine glass on the coffee table.
He shrugged and taking another sip of his wine, set it beside mine. “Let’s talk about you.”
“Me?” I asked, as if talking about myself were the last thing I intended to do.
“Let’s talk about the fact that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since that night I kissed you.”
His hand massaged my thigh and nervousness agitated my stomach. I’d kissed and been kissed before—there was no reason for my anxiety.
“Oh, is that so?” I whispered. “I haven’t thought of it since.”
“Liar,” Knight said as his lips met mine.
His lips were full, and when he ran his hand through my hair, I opened my mouth and he thrust his tongue inside. He pushed me down against the couch and moved his body on top of mine as he continued kissing me, his body gyrating against mine just like he’d done when I’d tried to arrest him.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he continued undulating above me, making the blood in my veins burn. He pulled his mouth from mine and gave me a smirk as he tilted my head back and planted a few tender kisses down the length of my neck. I arched up against him as he dug his pelvis into me, and I could feel the obvious stirring of his attraction for me.
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