Chapter 21
I stumbled, feeling Luke’s hands on my biceps as I steadied myself. “I’m so sorry,” I said. “I wasn’t expecting anyone else to be out at this time of night.” I paused. “What are you doing here at this time of night?”
“I was hoping to catch you.” He grinned, flashing pearl-white teeth. “Though not quite so literally.” He gestured to the parking lot. “Can I walk you to your car?”
I nodded, and Luke fell into step right beside me. His blond hair wasn’t styled this time, instead hanging in his face in a perfectly disheveled manner. His green eyes sparkled in the moonlight as he looked at me, and I felt my heart speed up. “So, what’s up?”
He licked his lips, clearly nervous. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you, Ryder. I know Kian’s relationship with your daughter complicates things, but I owed it to myself to try again.”
I found myself smiling. “Luke, I’m flattered, really, but I just started something with someone.”
He eyed the bar. “James?”
I tried to come up with some witty remark, but I was still fighting off the aftershocks of that quickie in the office, and my silence was answer enough. Luke lowered his eyes, clearly disappointed. “I figured.”
I leaned against my car door, fidgeting with my keys. “How so?”
Luke leveled me with a single look. “We both heard the jealousy in his voice when he kicked me out of the bar.”
After everything the last few weeks, my heart fluttered at the memory. “Yeah, at the time I thought it was wishful thinking.”
Luke seemed to notice my appearance for the first time. Though I’d straightened up a little, there were still signs: my wild hair, the hickey on my neck, my rumpled clothes. “That good, huh?”
“After the orgasms he’s given me in the last twenty-four hours, I’m surprised I’m still standing.”
Luke choked. “Orgasms? Multiple?” He shook his head in disbelief. “I don’t know which one of you I’m more jealous of.”
James’s voice rang out behind Luke. “Yes, I’ve heard you’ve taken quite the interest in me.” Before I knew it, he’d crossed the parking lot and shouldered himself between us. “Are you okay?” he asked me.
“I’m fine,” I said, confused. “I’m not some damsel that needs saving.”
Luke jumped in. “I was just saying how happy I am for you two.”
“Thank you. Feel free to congratulate us during normal business hours,” James said coldly. The air grew warmer between us. Was James trying to melt Luke away from me?
Eventually—and after a long, awkward silence—it worked. Luke looked at James, then at me, forcing a smile through his discomfort. “Good night, then.”
I stayed silent until Luke was well out of earshot. James refused to look at me, instead pacing in front of me with his eyes on the ground. “What the hell was that all about?” I asked.
“I thought he was bothering you.”
I crossed my arms. “And if he was, I would’ve handled it.”
James sighed. “I know.”
“Then why did you run out here and chase him away like some white knight in a Taylor Swift music video?”
James stayed quiet, seeming to know he’d been caught.
“You’re jealous.” It wasn’t a question.
“No!” He expelled a breath. “Okay, maybe I don’t like to share.”
“No one’s asking you to.”
He still refused to look at me. “That’s not all. I-I’ve smelled that expensive cologne of his after hours. He hangs around here more than you realize.”
I reached out to halt his pacing, and though he let me, I hissed and pulled back the second my hand touched his bare skin. “You need to chill out; both literally and figuratively. I was just telling him I was off the market.”
That made him pause and look up at me. “You were?”
“I was—but pull a stunt like that again, and I may not be.”
James closed his eyes, seeming to center himself before opening them again and meeting my gaze. He stepped forward, and I noted that his body was significantly cooler. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I was out of line.”
I fought a shudder as he brushed my hair off my forehead. “That’s better.”
“Let me know the second you get home? You see Hannah on Sundays, right?”
“How did you know that?” I asked with a smile.
“I’m observant. Tell her I said hello.” James leaned in, giving me a slow, tender kiss that made my knees buckle.
“I will.”
I finally got into my car, and when I looked out the driver’s window, James was nowhere in sight.
I dropped my head back onto the headrest, closing my eyes and taking a few deep breaths.
I was twenty-four hours into this whole relationship thing and it already felt like it was too much.
That tight feeling in my chest returned.
I clenched the steering wheel to fight the shaking in my hands.
Nausea churned my stomach. Bile rose in the back of my throat, but I choked it down.
I wasn’t going to do this again—this wasn’t me.
I breathed through the burgeoning sense of panic, swallowing down the threat of vomiting.
I refused to give into the way my hands wanted to shake.
It took a while, longer than I cared to admit, but the feeling passed.
My breathing evened out, my stomach settled, and my hands steadied.
As my body temperature came down, I turned the car on and cranked up the heat to ward off the chill creeping into my veins.
It was nearing four in the morning by the time I got home, and I was desperate to crawl into bed. I went through my routine, forcing myself to shower off the events of the day before I collapsed onto the mattress. I pulled the blanket over me.
When I felt that familiar chill down my spine, I smiled. When James was with me, my fears seemed to melt away. I hadn’t even known his presence was what I needed. Was this what Raleigh and Angel were always going on about?
The bed dipped, and my vampire climbed in behind me. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, kissing the cleft of my ear.
“I know.”
I was too tired to turn over, but leaned back into his touch as he tightened his arm around me, easily drifting off to sleep.
I rolled over in his arms the next morning, teasing and taunting my way into him using his tongue to show me exactly how sorry he was—and I returned the favor.
Morning dragged on, but we didn’t care, barely moving for hours.
All I wanted was my lips and hands on any part of James I could cling to for just a little longer.
Later, as I drove to the restaurant where I was meeting Hannah for lunch, I couldn’t sit still. I was anxiously hoping she’d bring up the idea of spending the weekend with me. I wanted to broach the topic myself, but Erin was right—it needed to be Hannah’s idea.
I arrived first. Hannah appeared a few minutes later, covered head to toe in white fluff. Seriously, whoever chose black uniforms for a pet store needed help. As she neared, I realized her clothes were drenched too. “What happened to you?” I asked, both concerned and amused.
She glared at me, that classic Erin glare that used to make my blood run cold.
Coming from her—especially in her current state—I couldn’t keep from laughing, and eventually a smile split her lips.
“We have a litter of puppies at the store. We had to take pictures of them for an adoption event and that meant today was bath day.”
“Who got the bath?” That earned me another glare. “Do you want me to take you home to change clothes? We can always come back out.”
She waved me off, turning her attention to the menu. “I can’t be bothered with all that. Besides, they’re cute enough to get away with it.”
My mouth was moving before I could turn my brain off. “You know, I live alone. My place gets pretty lonely sometimes.”
Hannah’s eyes lit up. “You’d seriously consider adopting one of the puppies?”
I loved animals, and it wouldn’t hurt for me to have something to come home to at night—even if it was covered in fur. “Why not? I kept you alive for a night, didn’t I?”
She paused. “You know this is the parental equivalent of bribery, right?”
“Really? I’m new to this: does that mean it’s not working?”
“Not at all. In fact, it’s my favorite parenting style.”
“You just wanted to make sure I knew that I wasn’t slipping one past you.” I guessed.
She grinned. “It’s like you get me or something.”
The server took our orders, and after whisking away the menus and bringing our drinks, Hannah asked, “So, when can we pick one out?”
“How about next weekend?”
“Don’t you usually work all weekend?”
“I took it off.”
Hannah’s brows hit her hairline. “All weekend?” I nodded. “How’d you swing that?”
I shrugged. “It’s Thanksgiving weekend. People will be too busy karate chopping their way through Black Friday sales and recovering from food comas. Besides, my boss likes me.”
I froze as she speared me with a knowing look. She really was too smart for her own good. Well, for my own good, at least.
“Don’t think you’re getting out of this conversation,” she said, “but we’re putting a pin in that.”
“Okay,” I laughed. “What are we talking about instead?’
Hannah bit her lower lip. “Um, I don’t want to step on your toes, but if you do get one of the puppies next weekend, could… I don’t know, could I stay over the first few nights to help?”
“Don’t you work weekends?”
“There’s always someone asking for extra shifts. I can get out of it. If that’s okay with you, I mean.”
The server set down our food, and once Hannah was nervously pushing her salad around with a fork, I replied, “If it’s okay with your mom and dad, I’ll pick you up Friday after school?”
She lit up again, and I didn’t think I’d ever tire of seeing that. “Really?”
“We’ll make a whole weekend out of it. We’ll play with the puppy, get a bunch of junk food, and watch trashy shows on Netflix. Or are you more into horror movies?”
“Both,” she laughed, shooting out of her seat.
“I love both.” She darted around the table and threw her arms around me.
While I appreciated the sentiment, the move only filled my mouth with dog fur.
Well, I guess I’d just signed up for a lot of that in the near future.
“Thank you, Ryder,” she mumbled into my neck.
“Anytime, kid.”