"I don't think I'll forget."
"A few guys saw me naked. That's all. I'm more worried about you. You're the one that beat the shit out of all of them. Are you okay?"
He shook his head, amazed at his wife's words. "How did I get so lucky?"
"It wasn't luck, really. You were getting beat up in kindergarten—"
"That's not how it happened."
She laughed and playfully slapped his ass. "Take a shower, and I'll make something to eat."
Cindy was nearly to the living room when he remembered one last important thing.
"Oh. Hey, baby, it won't be for a while, but I've got another case coming up."
"Okay. So, a few late nights."
"Yeah. Is that cool?"
"Of course. Just let me know when. You know, if you had a cell phone, it would be a lot easier."
*****
Kevin poked his head into Victoria's massive living room. The vampire was pacing in front of the muted TV, her cell phone to her ear. He didn't want to interrupt her, but only needed her attention for a second.
"Hey, Victoria?" he whispered.
She looked in his direction, easily hearing him from across the room.
He made a driving motion with his hands. "Can I borrow the Jeep?"
"I'll call you back," Victoria said, and hung up the phone. "What's going on?"
He joined her. "I'm meeting up with Leese in two hours. But, of course, I have no car."
"The Jeep is yours for however long you're here," she said, smiling. "Her address is already in the GPS. So, are you nervous?"
"No. I probably should be, but I'm not."
"Good. You'll be fine. Just relax, and have fun."
"I will. And I promise, this weekend I'll study."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Don't worry about it."
"I'm going out in this," he said, gesturing to his jeans and plain shirt. "Do I look alright?"
She batted her eyes and clasped her hands to her cheek. "If only I was three centuries younger."
The front door opened and slammed shut, and Jack stepped into the living room. Kevin did his best to hide the scowl from his face. With Jack's keen eye, he wasn't successful.
"Victoria. Glinda."
"Hey, Jack. Thanks for coming."
Kevin pointed back and forth. "What's up with you two?"
"You have plans tonight, and so do we."
"Plans?" Jack said. He crossed the living room and sat on the couch, kicking his feet up on the coffee table. "What's Glinda doing?"
"I'm not cutting anyone's tongue off, that's for sure."
"Obviously. You don't have the guts."
"Guys," Victoria said, taking a breath. "Kevin has a date."
"With the blonde?"
"With Leese, yeah," Kevin said. "She's more than just her hair color."
Jack looked him up and down. "And that's what you're wearing?"
Kevin frowned. "What's wrong with this?"
"Nothing," Victoria said quickly. "You look fine."
"Whatever," Jack said. "So, since you're going out on a date with the lovely Alicia Teague, that must mean you've come up with a cure for me."
"Nope."
"Ah. Well, Anatol Grigori, anything else on him?"
"Jack," Victoria said, danger in her voice. "Give it a rest."
"I'm just making sure I understand what's going on, that's all. My daughter is an ocean away, but Glinda has a date. I couldn't be happier."
Second thoughts swirled through Kevin's mind. Before they could completely form Victoria waved him away.
"Go. Ignore the asshole, and get out of here."
He turned to leave, but Jack called after him.
"Hey, Glinda. You want some advice?"
"No."
"You're gonna get it anyway. Don't try to make any crazy moves. But by the end of the night, hold her hand. She'll love it."
He frowned at what sounded like possibly good advice. Victoria merely shrugged and smiled.
"Oh, one more thing," Kevin said. "Listen, I can see Bradley isn't too happy with me right now, but I have no idea what I did. Is he mad about me selling potions? Him and me, are we cool? He's not gonna try to kill me, is he?"
Jack laughed. "The last thing you have to worry about is Bradley. You're completely safe from him."
Kevin saw anger flash across Victoria's face, but then she forced a smile.
"Jack's right. Don't worry."
"Okay, thanks."
He gave one final wave before leaving.
Kevin expected his nerves to get to him as he drove to Leese's house, but somehow remained calm. Perhaps it finally hit home that there were worse things than spending an evening with a beautiful woman, such as fighting demons, or holding a severed tongue to a man's mouth while forcing him to drink healing water.
He passed the vet's office, and wondered how King was doing. He'd have to subtly ask Leese for an update without giving himself away.
The clock on the Jeep's dashboard read seven o'clock when he parked outside her apartment building. He was a full hour early. Groaning, he ran his hands through his hair. There had to be something he could do in the surrounding neighborhood for an hour. Go for a walk, browse a few stores, drive and sight-see.
Or he could simply knock on her door early.
A smile touched his lips. "Why not?"
He left his coat in the Jeep and climbed the two flights of stairs to her apartment. A cute brunette with purple streaks in her hair, with a skin tone that could rival Victoria's, answered the door.
"Hi. Are you Kevin?"
"That's me."
"Come on in. Leese is in her bedroom, getting ready. I'm Tracy." Tracy glanced at the clock hanging in the kitchen. "Are you early?"
"I'm very early. Sorry."
"No biggie. You can hang out with me."
Tracy led him to the living room while he checked out the apartment. He could only see the kitchen and dining room, but everything was neat and tidy. The living room had a simple couch across from a TV, with a computer in the corner. Jealousy poked at him. Roommate or not, Leese was living in her own place. He was still stuck in the basement, working at the mall.
Tracy politely offered something to drink, and Kevin declined. They sat on opposite ends of the couch.
"There's a cat around here somewhere," she said. "But you won't see him. Clover doesn't like strangers—"
Clover, a gray tabby, ran from down the hall and jumped across Tracy. She let out a yelp as the cat bounded across the couch and sat in Kevin's lap.
"Holy shit, Clover!" Tracy said. "Well, so much for not liking strangers."
"Cats love me."
"I can see. My ex-boyfriend used to come over all the time. I don't think he saw Clover once."
"Hey, Tracy," Leese called. "What do you think?"
Kevin and Tracy turned to see Leese walking down the hall. She wasn't looking up at all. Her gaze was settled on a blouse in each hand, and she didn't notice Kevin.
He thought his heart stopped a moment.
Leese wore nothing but a lacy bra and a pair of black tights, which hugged her legs perfectly. Her hair was still wet from the shower, her blond locks not quite touching her shoulders. Her skin, which was definitely on display, was on the opposite end of the spectrum from Tracy, being bronzed from the sun.
"I really want Kevin to drool," she said. "Which top do you think? The blue one shows off the twins more, but the gray one…."
She stopped talking when she finally looked up. Her face turned a shade of white, then red, when her eyes fell on Kevin. Tracy covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. The silence stretched as Leese didn't move, still holding out the blouses.
Kevin cleared his throat. "Well, if you're wearing those tights, you won't have to worry about me drooling. But if you wear the blue one, my head might explode. So, I think the gray one is safer."
Leese said nothing. She simply turned around and disappeared down the hall. Kevin watched her until she turned into
a bedroom. Tracy finally uncovered her mouth, laughing loudly.
"I can hear you out there!" Leese shouted.
"That was great!" Tracy said, leaning over to touch his shoulder. "Did you see her face?"
He took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. "Yeah."
"You probably weren't checking out her face, were you?"
He smiled sheepishly. "Not every second."
"I like you, Kevin. You're okay."
They watched TV until Leese walked into the living room once again, this time fully clothed. She still wore the tights with a pair of boots that stopped above the ankle. She took mercy on Kevin, and wore the gray blouse. Smiling at him, she seemed to have recovered from her earlier embarrassment.
"I see you've made a friend." She leaned over the arm of the couch to pet Clover. She was so close he could smell her shampoo. "Clover usually hides when people come over."
"I wouldn't hide from him, either," Tracy said, giving an exaggerated wink. "He's hot, Leese."
"Thanks, Tracy. You know he's right there. He can hear you."
"I know. You two crazy kids have fun."
Kevin and Leese were nearly to the door when Tracy cursed behind them. They turned to see her clenching her fists, sitting at the computer.
"I told you," Leese said, laughing. "It's not working right."
"What's wrong with it?" Kevin asked.
Tracy spoke before Leese. "It's a piece of shit. That's what's wrong with it."
Leese smiled. "It just stays on for a few minutes. Then it either locks up or turns off."
"Hmm. Sounds like it might be overheating. I'm guessing if you wait a while, it stays on longer?"
Leese and Tracy traded looks as Kevin crossed the living room. He gestured to the computer on the floor.
"You mind if I get under there?"
Tracy smiled and stood up. He dropped to his hands and knees and crawled under the desk to unplug the power.
"You fix computers?" Leese asked.
"A little. If a CPU doesn't keep cool, it'll lock up, just like you're saying."
"Wow," Tracy said. "Cute, smart, and a nice ass. Where did you find him, Leese?"
Kevin was glad they couldn't see his face turn red. His suspicions were confirmed when he opened the computer and stared at the CPU fan.
"Whoa."
"What's the matter?"
"I think there's a second cat living in your computer."
It took a minute to pull out clump after clump of cat hair from the CPU fan. He plugged the cord back in and powered it on. The fan spun easily, and he heard the familiar sound of a computer booting up. He slid the side panel back on and stood up.
"Okay, I think you'll be good now. Let me know when we come back."
Tracy pointed back and forth between Kevin and Leese. "If you don't like him, I call dibs."
Leese grabbed his hand and pulled him to the front door. "Let's go, before Tracy falls in love over there."
They exited the building, and Kevin took a step toward the Jeep, but Leese pulled him toward her Civic.
"I invited you out," she said. "I'll drive."
"Sure. Just let me get my coat."
He slid in the car next to her, and she flashed him a smile.
"So, what do you want to do?"
"I'm at your mercy. I'm up for anything."
"Okay," she said. "Just to get this out of the way now, I'm very nervous."
Strangely, Kevin was not. "Really? Why?"
She shrugged. "I guess…I want to make a good impression."
"You've already done that." A smile slipped out. "Just no drool yet."
"Yeah," she said, driving out of the apartment complex. "That wasn't embarrassing at all. You'll have to take your shirt off, to make it even."
They laughed, and Kevin could see Leese relaxing. Still, the thought that he could make someone nervous was strange to him.
Leese took him to the harbor. She laughed when she saw the look in his eye. He'd never seen so many people in one place. They enjoyed each other's company as they walked, laughing and talking. She told him the story of how she met her roommate Tracy, bumping into her at the grocery store. He could listen to her talk and laugh all night. Leese did the little things that told him she felt the same way. Touching his arm. Laughing at his stupid jokes.
Her stomach growled as they passed a restaurant. She stopped in her tracks, putting a hand to her belly.
"Wow. I'm determined to humiliate myself tonight."
Kevin smiled. It didn't bother him at all.
"Hungry?"
"I guess so."
He gestured to the restaurant next to them. "Let's go."
He playfully extended his arm. Leese laughed as she hooked her arm in his, and they went inside.
Kevin carefully shrugged out of his coat as they were led to a booth. It would certainly change the evening if a vial spilled out and broke on the floor.
The restaurant wasn't very crowded, but Kevin took a moment to watch the people that were there. A few families and couples, along with a businessman in the corner eating alone.
"The three of us used to come here a lot," Leese said. "Cindy, Alex, and me."
"How are things going there?" he asked, hoping he wasn't being forward. "Is everything okay?"
"I think so. I know I'm probably being crazy. I just hope I don't end up being a fifth wheel."
"Well, if they're off doing married things, just give me a call."
"Kevin." He liked hearing her say his name. "You don't even live here."
"Yeah, but I'll visit. I like it here."
She gave him a smile, and they held eye contact just a moment longer than necessary.
Their food arrived. Kevin laughed as her stomach growled one more time. Her cheeks turned red under the mood lighting.
"It's okay. Let me see if I can make my stomach growl, too."
"And the shirt. Don't forget the shirt has to come off."
They shared another laugh, and a look of sadness flashed across Leese's face. She poked at her food a moment before asking a question without looking up.
"So, how long are you staying here?"
"I'm not sure yet. I'm kind of on vacation, and Victoria might need my help with some things. I think it'll be a while. I have to admit, she tricked me into going to your work today. I hope I didn't embarrass you or anything."
"No way. That was so awesome. I'm glad you came. Speaking of work, you wouldn't believe what happened. Remember that German shepherd that showed up?"
He clenched his fork, and had to force himself to relax. "Yeah."
"He got off his leash, and was hit by a truck. No one thought he'd make it. Broken ribs and a punctured lung."
"Oh, man. That's terrible."
"I know. We brought the family in to see him, and he's up and running around. Barking, wagging his tail, like nothing ever happened."
"Holy crap."
"Yeah. We x-rayed him again, and he was completely fine. No broken bones or bleeding at all."
"Now that's just weird. That's a good thing, though, right?"
"It's a great thing." She smiled at him. "So, how did you do it?"
He nearly choked on his food, and had to gulp down his soda, drawing a giggle from her.
"Uh, huh? Do what?"
"Heal the dog. What did you do?"
His mouth opened and closed several times in a false start to speak. "Leese, I don't know what you—"
"Don't let the hair fool you," she said. "I'm pretty smart. You know Victoria, and I'm sure you know about my brother. I know you're not just a normal good-looking guy hanging out with a vampire."
He looked around to make sure no one heard her, but it didn't matter. She could stand on the table and shout vampires are real, and no one would pay any attention. They'd probably only stop eating long enough to look at her figure.
"You think I'm good-looking?" he asked.
She rolled her eyes at the terrible attempt to change the subject. "You
're very sexy. Now, what are you?"
Kevin cringed, but she didn't say it in a nasty way. It was a simple question.
He sighed dejectedly as he forced a small smile. That moment he told Jack about, when being a witch ruined any chance with a woman, was upon him much quicker than he thought.
"I'm a witch."
Her reaction surprised him. She didn't scowl, or run from the restaurant.
"Seriously? A witch? That's just cool. What can a witch do?"
Her enthusiasm brought a smile to his face. "Magic."
"Like healing a dog?"
"Like healing pretty much anything."
She smiled and paused for a drink, totally at ease with what Kevin was telling her.
"So…magic," she said. "How does a girl impress you?"
"I don't know, but you're doing a great job."
"Well, I don't think I'm gonna be taking my shirt off every time I see you."
He feigned disappointment. "Damn."
They laughed, and something amazing happened. Magic was forgotten as they continued their meal. Kevin knew she probably had many more questions, but in one of the kindest things anyone ever did for him, she didn't push. They talked about the strange Maryland weather, different places she wanted to take him, the recent kidnapping in D.C.
She made him feel normal, without even trying.
*****
It was nearly eleven o'clock when Leese parked outside her apartment. She turned off the engine, but made no move to get out of the car. Kevin was confused, but was content to simply sit next to her. There was nowhere else he'd rather be, and the thought of the night ending was a sad one.
"I had a really great time," she said.
"Me, too. Listen, this will sound weird, but thanks for not freaking out about the witch thing."
She shrugged. "My brother flies around. One of my best friends has fangs. What's to freak out about?"
Leese smiled, and Kevin knew he had it bad. He had to see her again. The problem was figuring out how to do that without seeming too obvious.
She felt the same way, only she wasn't near as subtle.
"I'm not ready for this to be over yet."
He breathed a sigh of relief. "Glad I'm not the only one."
"There's a park just down the road. Want to go for a walk?"
"Definitely."
The streets around Leese's apartment were nearly empty, a sight much more familiar to Kevin. They passed only a single man walking his dog on the way to the park. They were halfway there when he decided to take a chance, and reached for her hand. She smiled and laced her fingers in his, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. She reached for the back of her neck with her free hand.
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