When he was asked the usual questions during the meal, he gave them his elevator pitch—the one that had changed and evolved over the years to fit into the human world.
Property investment was boring when you forgot to mention you were a vampire and owned castles on three continents, mansions in over one hundred and twenty global locations, commercial property, and an island.
“I hear you’re painting your house, Brianna.”
The swift change of topic had nervous eye darting around the table. Yeah, he knew he’d stirred up the hornet nest a little, but he wanted the attention off him.
“I am. Actually, I have some of the paint swatches with me if yo—”
“No.”
“Nooooo.”
“God, no, please.”
Willow’s friend took another bite of her fish tacos and shrugged. Brayden didn’t miss the way she squinted before masking her pain. Or that Willow had noticed.
“Just paint the damn house, Bri. You can always change it if you don’t like it,” Mark said. “I’ve redone mine three times in the past five years.”
“You’re a decorator and change your style more than your underwear,” Simon said, tossing his drink and waving for the waiter.
“It’s true, you do.” Willow laughed. “Anyway, change of topic please.”
Brayden watched Willow reach under the table to pat her friend’s hand. He wanted to help the girl, and when he got the chance, he would. She was clearly a good friend of his mate, and for that alone, he’d help her.
“Anyway, what gives with the Hawaiian shirts?” Willow asked.
“We’re starting early. Oh, you don’t know. We’re going to Hawaii on Monday.”
“So lucky. I love Hawaii,” she said dreamily. “Have you been, Bray?”
He shook his head.
Tropical islands weren’t an easy place for vampires to visit, which was why they’d purchased and set up their own island.
“You love the beach, though, right?” she asked.
Brayden made a mental note that the ocean was important to her. Just like his mother. Guiliana Moretti had often spoken of her love of the sun and sand. His blood chilled. If she was his mate, Willow would hate him for taking that away from her.
“Yes. My favorite time is at night, just after sunset.”
“I agree. Speaking of, how about we head down to the pier and get ice creams for dessert?” Mark proposed.
Willow grinned. “Yes!”
The cold around his heart melted as he watched her face lit up at the simple idea of ice cream at the beach.
Then she glanced at him, and the watery sparkle in her eyes sent a hint of unspoken emotions. Did she feel more than just a physical attraction for him? As his mate, she should. Like him, her feelings would be developing rapidly and be confusing.
The others walked ahead of them discussing flavors as he wrapped his arm around her. She tipped her head into his shoulder.
“Thank you for coming tonight.”
“Where you are, I am.”
“For another few days,” she said as they reached the ice cream parlor. It was full of people looking to quench their sweet tooth and stay cool in the warm Californian night air.
“I plan to kidnap you and bring you home with me.” He wasn’t entirely joking. Brayden’s smile widened as he watched her eyes sparkle with laughter.
“Do you now?”
He whispered against her lips. “Yes.”
The others took their ice creams and sat down, and Brayden stepped up to the counter to order. As he was about to speak, out the corner of his eye, he saw metal.
“Hands in the air!” a voice yelled. In stepped a mask-wearing man holding a pistol. He pointed it at the young man who had been serving. “Nobody move and there won’t be any trouble.”
He waved the gun around, and Brayden wanted to snap the moron’s neck. He pushed Willow behind him, her heart beat thundering in his ear. Sure, he could hear all the humans around him going into a state of shock—blood pumping, gasps, little cries. Yet it was Willow’s heart rate that was front and center.
“Oh God,” she exclaimed as she clenched the back of his shirt.
His eyes remained on the gunman, studying him.
“I said don’t move, asshole,” the guy yelled at him. Brayden nodded. If there was one thing a vampire did well, it was stillness.
The perp’s eyes were covered in gauze, so the option of manipulating his mind was off the table. Damn.
“No problem. How about you let my girl go?” he asked calmly.
Brayden did a quick scan of the room. Only one guy. One gun. Two exits. Security cameras. They wouldn’t be monitored.
A shitload of people.
He knew his vampire speed would allow him to reach the guy before he shot him, not that Brayden cared if he did. He’d heal. What he couldn’t guarantee was a stray bullet wouldn’t hit Willow. She was directly behind him, and would likely take the hit.
He wouldn’t take the risk. She was too important.
Brayden realized at that moment how his life had irrevocably changed. No longer was the king his priority. His mate was.
“She stays put. You all stay put. Move again, I shoot.”
Yeah, no, you won’t, you little fucker.
If Willow was hit, he could save her life with his blood, but that would turn her. So no. He wasn’t taking the risk. He’d made the promise to always give his mate the choice of becoming a vampire or not, and he was following through with it. No fucked-up junkie was going to change that.
“Just take the money and go,” the shaking server said.
The gunman waved the gun between the young guy and Brayden. He suspected this was his first robbery, or he could be on drugs. It didn’t matter either way—he simply wanted Willow safe.
The guy became fixated with him, his vampire size and presence likely intimidating the gunman. For once, his size wasn’t serving him.
Willow gripped his waistband and he slowly wound his hand behind him, rubbing her back. “S’okay, baby.”
“I said shut it.” More wavy, wavy of the gun.
He’d had enough. Another sweep of his eyes, and he had his strategy. He caught the eye of the ice cream server and locked on.
Put the money into the bag. Slowly. Do it now.
All he needed was a distraction of a few seconds.
Craig, need you to port to me right now. Guy with a gun. Secure the shop and prepare for some memory rearrange.
Roger that.
A second later, Craig appeared beside him. Head-to-toe black sweats, no shoes. He’d been working out.
“What the...!”
Ignoring the humans, Brayden gave his commander half a second to assess the situation before he gave him instructions.
He’s mine. Move Willow and get the door so nobody leaves.
The server began filling the bag with money, and as predicted, the gunman’s greedy eyes followed the green notes.
In three, two, and GO.
Brayden jumped the counter with vamp speed, whipped the gun out of his hand, and elbowed him in the face. He went down.
“Arrghh,” Willow cried as Craig whipped her across the room.
Brayden jumped back over the counter and took her arms while Craig flashed to the door. He hated the look of terror on her face. Grabbing her chin, he spoke, “I promise to explain all this one day, but for now, sleep, baby.”
She collapsed in his arms and he laid her gently on the ground. Craig had heard every word, despite the cries and screams going on around them. He’d have questions, but Brayden wasn’t going to answer them tonight. Right now, they needed to finish cleaning up.
“My God, how did you...?”
And cue the typical human questions.
“Are you special ops?”
“If special means I want to drain your blood, then yes, ma’am.” Craig smirked as the woman gasped. Brayden rolled his eyes.
“Stop fucking around.”
Craig grinned wider. “Hey, just having some fun while cleaning up your mess, my prince.”
He ignored the smartass comment. He wasn’t the prince right now, though technically that wasn’t possible. Craig was right; tonight, he was a friend helping him out of a mess.
“Just get on with it, Brad Pitt.”
The guy snorted at their private joke and began to whip around the shop. In a few short minutes, they had wiped everyone’s memories, and all fifteen of the humans were currently in a temporary trance.
Brayden grabbed the young server and raised him to his feet.
Forget any of this happened. When you wake, wipe the security tapes and carry on with your job.
Over his shoulder, Craig short-circuited the cameras. They’d done this a thousand times, and likely would a million more.
“You want me to clean this up?” Craig kicked the gunman. Brayden stared at the collapsed human. The sad reality was that the guy was probably desperate and hungry, trying to feed his family.
He knelt and shoved a hundred in his pocket. “Drop him a mile away.”
“Gotcha.” Craig looked around. “That it?”
Brayden nodded, then lifted Willow off the floor. “I need you to keep what you saw—”
“Don’t fucking say it, Jesus, Brayden.”
His jaw tightened. “I’m the prince, Craig. You know the repercussions for her.” He watched his commander and friend lower his eyes and take in the human lying in his arms. His eyes followed. “I’m still getting my head around it.”
Craig ran his hand over his short hair and let out a long breath. “Shit, man.”
He pressed his lips together and nodded.
“All right, I’m out of here. See you back at the pad.” Craig ported out, taking the gunman with him.
Brayden looked around at the sleeping humans. He eyed Brianna slumped in her seat, and with Willow still in his arms, he walked over and crouched down until he was level with her empty stare.
It’s time to heal your broken heart, Brianna. You still love your husband and honor his memory, but now you move forward and live your life. Paint the house, open your heart, and live.
Human life was so short. Over his lifetime, he’d seen so many people live and die in what felt like a blink of an eye. Even with his immortality, he recognized life was a gift. So many of them wasted their precious time dwelling on anger and pain. It did nothing more than extend their suffering. It made no sense to him.
Forgive and move on. Or kill the offender. But yeah, humans usually couldn’t do that.
He placed Willow on her feet, arm around her, then said, “Awaken.”
Around him, the room came to life. The server immediately swung into action and disappeared out the back to delete the footage. People resumed their all-important discussions about ice cream flavors, chatting away as if nothing had happened.
As he and Craig had dictated.
“What are you having?” Willow asked beside him. “I’m going crazy and getting double chocolate chip.”
“I’ll have the same.” He kissed her nose, enjoying the view of her perky bottom as she stepped up to the counter to place their orders.
Brayden turned to check on Brianna. She gave him a little smile. Beside her, the twins were sucking on their fingers. Ice creams were melting at a fast rate all around them, and there were some confused faces. Yeah, he had thought about it, but it hadn’t been a priority. Still, he smiled at the amount of high-speed licking going on.
He winked at Brianna and her smile widened.
“She looks happy,” she said, nodding at Willow.
He followed her eyes and found his human laughing, conversing with a handful of people. They were joking about upsizing their ice creams or some such thing. His heart swelled.
“She is. And I promise she always will.”
Something had passed between them when he’d healed her mind. Trust. A type of bond.
“That’s all I need to hear.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“Go to sleep, Willow.”
“I can’t.” She flipped over for the hundredth time. “Maybe it was all the sugar.”
“Maybe I need to wear you out some more.”
“Ah no, I am quite worn, thanks.”
Brayden had pulled her into the shower when they’d arrived home and taken his sweet time washing, kissing, and running his hands over her entire body. Only then had he slipped his fingers deep inside her core.
“Beautiful,” he’d whispered against her lips and she had melted.
It had felt more intimate than with anyone she had been with before. He’d lifted her leg and slid his extremely hard cock into her, one hand on the tiles above her, the other on her hips as his silver eyes burned into her. He took her breath away.
Then he had begun to pump, pulling her against his pelvis to deepen his reach. It had been as if he owned her body, mind, and soul.
“Braaaayden,” she had gasped, unable to look away from him.
“Come for me, baby.” His voice dark and masculine. And oh God, she did. Her orgasm had been long and had rolled out in waves of pleasure.
Curling her toes, she could still feel the echoes of it throughout her body. She nudged her bottom into Brayden and slid her fingers in between his where they rested on her stomach.
“Bray.”
“Yeah, baby.”
She could feel the words on her lips, and tried to hold them in, but they were like a prisoner facing an open door.
“I’m going to miss you. Like, really miss you.” She frowned at the emotion leaking into her voice. He half sat up and leaned over her, arms on either side of her head.
“Hey.”
“I’m sorry. I realize this wasn’t the deal, but I wanted to tell you. No biggie.”
She couldn’t see his face clearly, but she felt the possessive way his body covered hers, the feel of his thumb as it rubbed the side of her face, his cock hardening. She sensed he felt similarly, if not quite as deeply. Now she’d broken the silence, and it had suddenly become awkward.
Trust her to wreck everything. She squeezed her eyes shut.
“Willow...”
She stopped him. “Can you just tell me how you feel about me? Then I’ll stop talking. Promise.”
“Where?”
“What?”
“Where do you feel it?”
She frowned. “I, well...I’m not sure.” She didn’t know where he was going with his questioning, but if it got him sharing his feelings, she figured she’d run with it. “My heart. No, my body. No. Here, in my gut. Yes, like instinct, but it’s more than just a thought. It’s tangible.”
He kissed her lips gently.
“I feel everything you do, Willow. I feel a lot of things I never expected to.”
Oh. She smiled. “Thank you for telling me.”
She was grateful he had given her that gift. Soon he would leave to return to Maine, to continue running his family business weighted down by all his responsibilities. Her life was here.
It wasn’t impossible. They could try long distance for a while, but it wouldn’t be her that brought it up. It had to be him.
“How did you feel when you thought you wouldn’t see me?” he asked.
She remembered the ache in her chest, feeling hollow, and how it had surprised her. “Sad.”
He ran a finger down the arch of her neck. “How else?”
“I’m not sure what you mean,” she said.
He palmed her breast then suddenly got up and walked across the room, leaving her feeling abandoned and her body needy of his touch.
She sat up abruptly. “What are you doing?”
“That,” he said, pointing at her.
“What?” She looked down at her naked body, frowning.
Brayden stood on the other side of the moonlit room. The desire to climb out of bed and feel his touch was intense.
“That feeling. The one you’re feeling right now.” Willow closed her eyes. “Is tha
t how it felt?”
She chewed her lip. “Yes.”
He climbed back into bed, pulling her into his arms. The instant he did, she felt warm from the inside out. She sighed and snuggled into him. Great, he was her own personal drug.
“This can’t be good.”
“What if I told you I want...no, need you to want me more than anything else in your life?”
She knew he had a possessive streak, but the question still surprised her.
“I’d say it sounds like you want to take our relationship to another level.”
He kissed her lips.
“Yes.”
“Then we need to clarify what that is. I can’t get hurt by assuming something you don’t mean to back up.”
He ran a hand over her cheek. “We will. Tomorrow. Your body is very tense after...a late night. You need to relax and sleep.”
She snorted. It hadn’t been that late at night. She hadn’t figured him for a lightweight. “Fine. Tomorrow.”
Pushing Brayden never worked, but she would make sure they had that conversation. He was right, though. Her shoulders were tight, and her ankle felt sore and achy.
“Maybe I’m getting sick.”
“You’re not sick, baby.” Brayden’s hand ran down the side of her body, over the arch of her hips, and nudged her legs slightly apart. Gently, he massaged her inner thighs, fingers grazing over her pussy.
“Not sure that’s going to help.” She raised an eyebrow at him.
Ignoring her, Brayden slid under the sheets and positioned himself between her thighs, his tongue taking over. She groaned, her head tipping back.
“Relax, baby, let me pleasure you into sleep.”
Huh. No way she’d be falling asleep now, but who was she to argue with the talented man. His tongue lapped away, hands holding her thighs wide as he hit all the right spots.
All of a sudden, she felt something foreign. Cooler. The vibrating began next. He had her vibrator. She tensed.
“Relax.” He pressed it against her core as heat and anticipation flashed through her body. She’d never had a man use a vibrator on her before. His hand lay across her pelvic bone. “Open for me, Willow.”
She relaxed her muscles as he pressed the buzzing device in. She cried out. “That’s it, oh yes, good girl.”
The Vampire Prince Page 13