Chapter 2 #2
Passing Kohl’s area, he glanced down the narrow tunnel that would eventually open into a small cave outside his room, more commonly known as the “foyer” between the two of them.
Kohl wasn’t there very often these days, as he and Devon preferred the privacy of the rooms beneath their favorite Irish restaurant while they waited for their house to be built.
But Hawke would still look for him every time he walked by.
They’d been friends and neighbors so long, it was a habit that was hard to break.
Nodding to a few male members of the coven just coming in, he came to the ramp that would take him aboveground.
The reinforced door at the top took him straight into The Caves.
Hawke breathed a sigh of relief as he left the confinement of the caverns and the door closed and locked behind him.
Even after all the years he’d lived there, and even though, logically, he knew it was the safest place for them all in this piece of hell they called Texas, he still experienced a touch of claustrophobia underground.
The heavy beat of the latest dance mix blasted his ears, and through the fog of the smoke machines and the flash of the disco lights, he saw Andrew behind the bar setting things up for the rush of patrons who were no doubt in line just outside the door waiting to get in.
Hawke checked his phone. They still had fifteen minutes before the club opened.
He took a deep breath, bracing himself for the rush of people, and froze. His gums burned as his fangs shot through in an instant, and a low growl reverberated deep in his suddenly parched throat.
Everly was already inside. He could smell her.
He spotted her in the middle of the dance floor with Devon and Frank—Devon’s pain in the ass, but nonetheless amusing, ex-neighbor and friend. As he watched, Everly threw her head back and laughed at something Frank said while Devon shouted over the music, “What? What did you say?”
The ability to read lips appeared to be nearly as beneficial as having supernatural hearing.
As if she sensed his presence at that precise moment, her head whipped around in his direction, red curls flying.
Tonight, she wore washed out jeans, a purple tank top, and gold Converse sneakers.
A long, thin, gold chain hung around her neck, hanging nearly to her navel, and more gold glinted on her fingers.
Her hair covered her ears, but Hawke would bet good money he’d find earrings to match if he could see them.
He hadn’t noticed her penchant for shiny things the night before.
But then again, he’d been caught unaware by the interesting mix of deceit and honesty in her clear, gray eyes, and by his own struggle not to throw her across the desk and sink his dick into her sweet heat while confessing all of his deepest and darkest secrets, just before he availed himself of her sweet blood.
The same urge he was fighting now. The woman…
did things to him. Unnatural things. And she did it seemingly without trying.
Hawke was determined to find out why.
Eyes locked on his, she raised her arms above her head and rolled her hips like a belly dancer, a smile teasing the corners of her mouth when he could do nothing but stare.
His upper lip twitched, baring the tip of one fang.
But he was saved from embarrassing himself when Devon finally noticed him standing there, staring like an idiot, and grabbed Everly’s hand, breaking the strange connection. Waving to Frank to follow them, she pulled her over to Hawke. “Did I miss the memo?”
Hawke felt the tension leave his shoulders as he smiled close-mouthed at his best friend’s female.
“Hey, beautiful.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Everly straighten at the compliment, a stab of jealousy shooting toward him.
It seemed he wasn’t the only affected one.
The thought did not make him feel better. “What memo is that?”
“The memo that today we wear purple, of course.” She grinned, specks of gold glinting in her brown eyes, looking between his dress shirt and Everly’s tank top.
She and the reporter appeared to be hitting it off. The way women could bond on a dance floor never ceased to fascinate him. Assuming she didn’t remember him, he allowed a look of mild curiosity to color his features as he asked, “Who’s this?” Only then did he turn to acknowledge Everly.
Small lines appeared between the reporter’s brows, and she looked up at him in confusion before her eyes dropped back to his mouth.
Hawke extended his hand. “My name is Hawke.”
She looked down at his hand but didn’t take it. “I know,” she said. “I remember.”
His heart beat hard within his chest, but only twice, before it settled into its natural rhythm. “You remember?”
“Yes. We met last night.” She recovered quickly from her confusion, smiling at him. “I’m Everly Taylor, from Capital Press? You told me to come back tonight.”
Frank spotted Andrew at the bar and excused himself with a loud, “Be right back, girls.”
The fact that he included Hawke in this statement didn’t elude the vampire, and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
Devon caught on, albeit a bit belatedly, and glanced pointedly at the reporter. “Should I not have let her in? I assumed it was okay. Hawke?” she prodded when he didn’t respond right away.
Raising his voice so she would hear him over the music, he said, “No, it’s fine. I just forgot for a minute. We had a busy night last night.”
Devon gave him a strange look, and he willed her not to say anything else. She knew as well as he did that he never forgot anything.
“It’s okay,” he reassured her. “I’ll deal with her.”
She cast a worried glance between the two of them. “Okay. I’m gonna go join Frank at the bar. Make sure he’s not harassing Andrew too much. Let me know if you need anything.”
This last was directed at the reporter. Hawke found it amusing that Devon thought she could protect her from him if the need arose. Still, he hadn’t meant to worry her. Tearing his eyes from the bewitching red head, he winked at Devon. “We’ll be fine. Tell Kohl to come find me later.”
“He’s back at the house, making sure the downstairs is sun proof, and probably banging some nails himself.
You know how he is. I needed to get away and came out for a girl’s night.
But I’ll tell him if he makes it over.” With a smile of reassurance at Everly, she wandered over to join Frank at the bar.
Hawke watched her leave, amazed at how well she was adapting to her new life with Kohl, even after everything that had happened to her at the club the night they’d met.
He turned back to Everly, and he found himself faced with one raised eyebrow, arms crossed over her chest. “You’ll deal with me?
Are you going to kick me out? I haven’t done anything wrong. ”
“I’m not going to kick you out.”
“Then how do you propose you’re going to deal with me?”
He decided to throw some honesty her way. “I’m going to find out the real reason you’re nosing around my club.”
She caught it like a pro. Didn’t even flinch. “What makes you think I have an ulterior motive?”
Mark, the bouncer, opened the front door and humans started flooding in. Hawke held out his hand. “Would you allow me to buy you dinner?” His performance last night proved he couldn’t be trusted to have her alone in the office again, but they did need to talk someplace a little less crowded.
He thought for a moment she was going to refuse, but then she said, “Okay. But I’m driving, and I get to pick the restaurant.” Ignoring his outstretched hand for the second time that night, she turned and walked toward the door.
He growled low in his throat. This woman had no fear.
It made him hard.
With a nod at Andrew, Hawke followed her out past the line of people clustering around the front door and to her car.
Business was picking up as the temperature rose, which also meant women’s outfits were getting scantier, but he barely glanced at the row of exposed flesh that normally would have been more than tempting.
This night, his eyes were glued to the graceful back, rounded ass, and shapely legs of the redhead strutting in front of him.
His attention—and his hard-on—diverted when they reached her car and she struggled to open the driver’s side door.
He saw the problem right away, in the form of a large dent toward the front.
Immediately, he broke into a cold sweat as he wondered who or what had caused it and if she had been injured.
With an internal shake, he composed himself.
This woman, and any injuries she may or may not have had, was none of his concern.
Brushing aside her hand with a “May I?”, he grasped the door handle and pulled it open easily, holding the door for her. “You don’t lock your car?”
“Don’t really see the need. Do you?” Then she pulled her keys from her front pocket and slid into the driver’s seat.
Hawke shut the door behind her and walked around the front of the car to get in on the passenger’s side. Other than a few pens and notebooks thrown onto the backseat, the car was surprisingly clean.
“I hope barbecue is okay,” she asked as she pulled out of the parking lot.
“Whatever you want is fine.”
“You might regret saying that when you see how much I can eat.” She smiled, but he knew she was dead serious.
“I can handle it.” Far be it from him to deny her the sustenance that kept her curves in such fine form.
The restaurant she picked was a little hole in the wall right off highway I-35, just a little south of The Caves. After she parked, he bid her to wait while he hurried around to help her with her door. She allowed him to play the gentleman, but he had the distinct feeling she was laughing at him.
Hawke shut her car door and followed her inside. Tonight, he would find out why she was snooping around his club and do what he needed to do to contain her.