by A. C. James
“I meant are you okay about last night. It’s a lot for you to process.”
“It’s a lot for anyone to process.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Look, I’m working on it, but we have to work on some ground rules.”
“Like what?”
I narrowed my eyes, trying to resist the urge to smack him. It was irritating how he took pleasure out of making me jump. He looked gorgeous standing in the snow with that boyish grin. It turned his serious expression into a teasing one. Stop standing there blushing like an idiot. My stomach kept doing flip-flops as he grinned down at me.
“For starters you can stop sneaking up on me.”
“Anything else?”
“You can tell me why you’re watching me,” I demanded. I’d asked before and he said I reminded him of someone.
“It’s probably an electrical problem. A dragging starter motor, especially if this hasn’t been upgraded to a twelve-volt system.” He gestured to my car.
I knew little to nothing about cars except the bare minimum needed to keep them running. As long as it got me from point A to point B and I didn’t have to think about it. I inwardly cringed at Arie’s assessment and could almost see the dollar signs involved.
“Well it’s Greek to me, but you ignored my question. Is it fixable? And how do you know all that anyway? Is mechanical know-how some sort of strange vampire power I don’t know about?” I asked sarcastically.
“Holly, when you’ve been around as long as I have, learning new things is about the only thing to keep you from getting bored. And in your case… No. It isn’t fixable.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, perplexed. “I expect the parts to be expensive but nothing that can’t be fixed.”
“I mean this car is older than you. It’s built to 1950s safety standards at best. You can’t drive it anymore.”
“You can’t tell me not to drive my car.”
“The injuries you could sustain in an accident might leave permanent damage. There’s no real frame to speak of,” he said, waving his hand toward my car. “And right now it doesn’t look like you’ll be driving it anywhere.”
He looked as frustrated as I felt, and fucking hot. The combination didn’t help matters.
“Well unfortunately this is all I can afford on my salary,” I said, gesturing toward the Coffee Grind.
“I’ll buy you a new one. Come on. I’ll take you home.” Arie started to turn away as if he expected me to follow obediently.
I couldn’t believe his audacity, suggesting buying me a car as a solution to my problem as if it were nothing. Even if he weren’t a vampire, it would be completely inappropriate and not something I’d simply agree to. “No.”
Arie turned to glare at me. Then he took a few steps toward me, his gray eyes filled with challenge. I could feel some sort of persuasive magic focused in that one look. My lips parted slightly and I stepped away.
I slipped on snow-covered ice and started to fall backwards. Arie caught me, and I felt his arms wrap around my body, pulling me toward him. It seemed like every time he tried to dazzle me, it threw me off balance, and we ended up like this. I tried to pull away, but my eyes never left his as his lips started to lower toward mine. It took every ounce of my willpower to turn my head and look away.
Slowly, I looked up to meet his eyes in mounting confusion. My clairvoyance must have given me the strength to resist his kiss and made it difficult for him to influence me. I did want him to kiss me, but again I wondered how much of it was chemistry and how much was him dazzling me. A snowflake fell in my lashes as we stood there looking at one another. The electricity flowed between us in the looming silence, until finally I blinked.
“We need to make another ground rule.”
“What?”
“No more dazzling, no more influencing me—it makes me dizzy, gives me a headache, and one of these times if you can’t catch me, I’m going to crack my skull open.”
Arie laughed. “At least let me take you home.”
I sighed. It didn’t get past me that he never agreed to my last ground rule, but it wasn’t the best idea to walk, especially not alone. His penetrating eyes regarded me evenly as butterflies flitted through my stomach. It was hard to think when he looked at me that way, even when he wasn’t influencing me.
Submitting to his request, my eyes dropped to the snow. “Okay.”
Arie swept me into his arms, lifting me as if I were as light as a feather instead of weighing a hundred and twenty. Then we were standing in front of a black Hennessey Venom GT only a few blocks away. It all happened so fast that I didn’t have time to protest him swinging me into his arms. His body felt cold and hard against mine, but his firm masculine presence made me feel safe—despite the fact that my better judgment screamed that I should be more cautious.
“You can put me down.”
“What if I don’t want to?” He grinned. “You’re so beautiful.” His voice had turned husky, his smoke gray eyes filled with some unnamed emotion.
“Um, thank you.” I knew my cheeks must be the color of a stop sign, but I couldn’t help it. His compliment, which indicated he wanted me like I wanted him, regardless of how complicated it might be, had the butterflies in my stomach doing barrel rolls.
Arie set me gently on my feet next to the passenger door of his car, which he opened for me. Almost as soon as I slid into the seat and buckled, I heard him start the engine. In the blink of an eye he sat behind the wheel next to me. He grinned impishly at my annoyed expression following his exhibition of speed. It seemed like he enjoyed showing off his powers sometimes. I didn’t like that, or him showing up out of nowhere. All of this would take getting used to. We’d definitely need a lot more ground rules.
We drove in silence as he sped through the city streets. I watched the buildings flying by and tried hard not to look at him. Every time I did, my thoughts spun in conflicting directions. It seemed like he was aware of the effect he had on me and that he enjoyed it. His sometimes formal mannerisms combined with his modern speech appealed to me. Besides lust, there was something about him that I couldn’t name that made me want him in ways that had nothing to do with sex. We both enjoyed reading and a guy that read—er, a vampire that read—was kind of a turn-on. In the weeks that had passed at the Coffee Grind I’d felt it more and more. Some things didn’t need words or flowery speech. They just were. Without rhyme or reason or any regret—unless we never acted on it.
Watching the changing scenery, I realized we were going in the opposite direction of my apartment. I peeked at him, but his eyes were fixed on the road. I bit my lower lip, wondering where we were going and why he kept showing up in the first place. Last night he seemed intent on getting to know me. Every time I asked a question he turned the focus back to me, but I’d played just as evasive as he had. Finally, curiosity got the better of me.
“Where are you taking me? My place is in the other direction.”
“To dinner,” Arie said in a voice that oozed confidence.
“I guess I’m a bit peckish.”
Whenever I got nervous I forgot to eat. I should have scarfed a muffin or something for lunch at the Coffee Grind, but it had been nerve-wracking learning that Arie was a vampire. Dinner with him didn’t seem like the worst idea, but it didn’t seem like the best one either. Getting involved with him would be complicated. Yet I wanted to go to dinner and learn more about him. And if I was being honest, I wanted a lot more than that.
Arie drove toward Mid-North District along the scenic, tree-lined street of Lincoln Park West. He pulled into an open space on the right. Again, his parallel-parking speed impressed me. I’d never seen anyone maneuver that fast in my entire life.
Across the street sat a tall building that looked dignified and historic. I glanced over at Arie, but his expression gave nothing away. I looked down, glad I had decided on the slacks and gray sweater. Necessity dictated semi-dressiness, since I hadn’t done a stitch of laundry in two weeks. But dressiness for me
usually included slacks and a blouse at best. I practically lived in cargo pants.
We walked through an open lobby with modern furniture. A man sat reading a newspaper in an ultra-modern chair. The space felt both hip and comfortable.
“Is this a hotel?”
“It’s an upscale apartment building. Luxury living for those who can afford twenty-four hour desk service, dry cleaning, and valet parking. It has a fitness center and two restaurants. I used to have a place here.”
I couldn’t imagine why he’d ever want to move away from a place that hosted so many convenient amenities. We came to one of the restaurants on the ground level. I read a sign—WaterScapes—just above the entrance. A hostess with her hair piled into a French twist greeted us.
“Your name please?” the hostess said in a cheerful voice.
“Cush. Arie Cush.”
The hostess looked down at a reservation book, shaking her head.
“I’m sorry, I don’t have any reservations under that name. Did your lady place the reservation under her name?” she asked, looking in my direction.
Arie gave the hostess a charming smile while leaning toward her. I couldn’t see his eyes, but I didn’t need to. I knew all too well the tremendous ability he had to bend anyone to his will.
“I’m so sorry, but I didn’t get a chance to make reservations,” he said in a persuasive tone that sounded almost apologetic. “Could you make room for us? Somewhere with a little privacy, please.”
The hostess nearly swooned, and I rolled my eyes. But she didn’t hesitate, looking up at him with lust-filled eyes. I sighed in frustration. A twinge of jealousy coursed through me even though I had no right to feel that way. Arie handed the hostess a hundred-dollar bill, but I wondered why he even bothered since I suspected he’d dazzled his way into a reservation. He was probably just trying to be a gentleman. Arie had so many quirks. A small voice inside me secretly rejoiced that he hadn’t corrected her assumption that we were together.
“I believe you know the room I would like.”
“Sure. Right this way, sir.”
The hostess led us through a large dining room and up a short flight of stairs to a private room. She opened the sliding rice-paper doors, and I felt like I’d been transported to a Tokyo ryokan. We both sat on two wooden blocks and took off our shoes. She seated us on tatami mats at a low floor-level table made from yellow cedar. A woman dressed in a kimono came to take our drink order. Before I could say otherwise, Arie ordered for us both.
“I would like a bottle of Dom Perignon Oenotheque Brut champagne from 1982,” Arie said, handing over the drink menu to the server.
I checked my menu to note the six thousand dollar price tag and gulped. It was absurd that I sat there with a sexy as fuck but infuriating man that I knew almost nothing about. And I let him take me to a dinner that I would have to work almost half a year to afford. But Arie intrigued me more than anyone I’d ever known. Even before I knew he was a vampire, I’d wanted to know everything there was to know about him and then some. He seemed to hang on my every word, and he was polite in a way that I found hard to resist. It was hard for me to tell if he felt the same magnetic attraction that I did. It felt like he fought his attraction to me, but I didn’t know why.
“Your meal tonight will be a preselected Japanese kaiseki-inspired menu. I will explain each dish as it’s presented. Please enjoy, and let me know if I can get you anything.” The kimono-clad server took my menu and nodded as she left our table. I couldn’t help but notice the server’s flushed cheeks, which gave away that she’d been admiring Arie’s unearthly beauty. I found all the admiring attention a little annoying. He wasn’t mine. I had no claim to him, but I couldn’t help wanting him and feeling possessive anyway.
“I hope we’re not going to have to dine and dash or wash dishes,” I muttered.
Arie laughed. “You question my ability to pay for our meal?”
“I’m sorry…it’s just–”
“Relax,” he said, leaning across the table looking at me in a way that made me squirm in my seat. “Now tell me everything.”
His stormy eyes made me feel muddled and confused. Was he dazzling me? I couldn’t be sure. I didn’t think so, because his eyes didn’t shift to silver like they had before. But I couldn’t help but be honest when he gave me such a direct look. I shouldn’t have agreed to go with him. With a sudden pang I knew just how dangerous it was to be alone with him when he could dazzle me to do damned near anything if he wanted to. And it wouldn’t take very much when I wanted him as much as I did.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
CHAPTER 4
The kimono-wearing server returned with salmon and cucumber speckled with roe, along with an assortment of breads. I buttered a rosemary croissant while trying to decide how to evade his question, not really having a clue what he wanted to know in the first place. All I knew was that I reminded him of someone, and he seemed very intent on knowing all there was to know about me. Although I couldn’t figure out what he found so damned fascinating.
“This is really yummy,” I said around a mouthful of bread.
“Glad you like it, Holly.”
“I’ve always loved warm baked bread.”
“Their bread is baked twice per night to make sure it stays warm and fresh.”
“Well, whatever. It’s delicious.”
He kept staring at me like he expected me to spill my life story or something. And there was something else in his expression, too. For an instant I saw the same desire I felt reflected in his eyes, but then it was gone. Arie leaned toward me, patiently waiting for me to tell him everything, even though I had no clue what it was he wanted to know or where to start. My lips parted involuntarily.
“Why do you want to know about me?” I asked. “I’m not that interesting.”
“On the contrary, you see things and know things that others do not. I find you absolutely fascinating.”
He knows my secret… I thought he did, but how does he know?
Arie smiled. “I must say I’m impressed by how perceptive you are. It’s not so easy to dazzle you.”
“How did you know I have the Sight?”
“How about this: you get to ask a question and I’ll answer. But then I get to ask a question and you have to answer it.”
“Truthfully. You’ll answer me truthfully? Because I tried to get answers out of you last night but you weren’t exactly Mr. Forthcoming.”
He smiled. “Sorry, I thought that I’d shocked you enough for one night.”
“You did, but I can take it as long as you’re one hundred percent honest with me.”
“I’ll be as truthful as you are. And I’ll know if you’re lying. I can hear your heart beating from here,” Arie said with a grin.
“Fine. How did you know?” I asked, repeating my question.
“Your aura gives you away. It’s nearly translucent and shimmers gold around the edges. Most auras are a myriad of colors, all colors, but never gold. It’s very inviting to supernatural forces. Vampires in particular are very keen at scanning auras. I caught a glimmer of it when I first saw you. You’re like a beacon. My turn,” Arie said, wearing another toothy grin. “How long have you seen things?”
I sighed and shifted on my tatami mat, fidgeting with the edge of my sweater. But I stopped when Arie narrowed his eyes.
“For as long as I can remember. Now it’s my turn. Why do you really come to the Coffee Grind? And don’t tell me it’s for the fabulous coffee or the stunning atmosphere. You said before that I remind you of someone. Who do I remind you of, Arie?”
That same pained expression crossed his chiseled features. “You remind me of someone I used to care for a great deal. Actually, I was in love with her once. But that was a long time ago.” He paused. “How long have you lived in Chicago?”
I didn’t like that I reminded him of his ex.
“I’ve lived here my whole life. Not by choice; I don’t have any other option. I’d love to t
ravel. But I’ve never really been anywhere else.” I gestured at his plate with my fork. “I can see that you eat food. It just seems strange, given what you are. Do you actually enjoy it or need it?”
“If you want to waste your question on something trivial, I enjoy it as much as you do. Since we have heightened senses, food is nothing less than…extraordinary.” He looked at me seductively, like he’d rather sample me instead. And at that moment I really wanted him to. “We’re more human than you think. If you want to travel, what’s stopping you?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“No.”
“Clearly, you weren’t paying attention when you were at my apartment,” I said in a voice dripping with sarcasm from his ridiculous one-word response.
“If you want something, nothing should stop you from going after it, and I see nothing holding you back.”
“Except money.”
Our server approached the table, bringing a sashimi course that she said consisted of madai, salmon belly, and ahi tuna. Served with ginger miso sauce and shallots, it smelled delicious. She brought warm Nanbu Bijin Southern Beauty Junmai Gingo sake. I loved sashimi and sushi but barely noticed, feeling suddenly inadequate and underdressed.
Arie didn’t flinch at my perfunctory response. “Holly, things like money don’t matter. Not when you’ve been around for a century or more. You realize how many things are inconsequential.”
I sighed.
It would be hopeless trying to explain it to Arie. Someone who drove a Venom and could afford a restaurant like this wouldn’t understand my life. I sipped my sake, struggling not to show my annoyance. Arie dug into the sashimi ravenously. The server frowned at me and removed the untouched sashimi from the table. In its place she presented a blue crab en gelee made from fennel cream and basil with Ca’ del Solo Muscat from Bonny Doon Vineyard, which made my mouth water.