“Wh— Why were you watching me?”
He squinted at me. “I wasn’t. I just came home from work.”
“Wait. What?” I was so confused that I didn’t follow what was going on. “Were you in my room?”
Diego jerked his head back. “No. I’d only been home maybe two minutes, doom scrolling on my phone, when I heard you rushing down the stairs. I stood to see what was up.”
I put my hand on my chest, and my heart pounded beneath my fingers. “You need to stop scaring me like this.”
He blinked. “How did I scare you? I was sitting in my living room when you ran in. You startled me.”
I bit my lip. He had a point. Maybe I was overreacting since I’d been so spooked.
“You’re trembling.” His voice turned gentle, and he touched my forearm. “Let’s get you to the couch.”
When I nodded and lifted my foot, he stopped me. “Watch out for the glass.” He raised a hand. “Can I carry you?”
“Why?” My eyes bulged wide.
“I don’t want you to cut your feet.” He raised his chin. “All right, here we go—three-two-one.”
Before I could protest, Diego scooped me up and carried me toward the sofa. The reality of my situation rumbled through me like an avalanche of mortification. Not only had I dashed over like a little girl scared of the dark, but I’d also shattered a glass, and had a vampire rescuing me from said broken glass. I glanced down at my Wonder Woman pajamas. Holy humiliation. I hadn’t expected anyone to see me in my fun pjs, let alone Diego.
He placed me down in front of the couch.
“Thanks.” I kept my gaze on the aged maroon rug.
“I’ll go clean that up and get you some water.” He handed me the remote. “Here, go nuts. Find something to distract you.”
After I took it, Diego returned to the kitchen. He grabbed a broom and swept the broken glass into a dustpan. After he dumped it, he filled a glass with ice and water.
Was this the same sullen guy who had been so quiet throughout dinner? He was being considerate. And I had to admit, he was kind of cute.
Actually, more than cute. Although his blue eyes were intense, they now appeared gentle.
When he glanced over at me, he caught me staring. I quickly lifted the remote and flipped through channels. When I saw Hugh Grant and Andie McDowell inFour Weddings and a Funeral, I stopped.
Diego walked back into the living room. “Good choice.” He handed me a glass of ice water.
“Thanks.” I sipped the cool liquid. Nothing had ever felt so refreshing. I gulped half of it down.
He sat beside me, leaving a respectable foot or so. “Tell me what happened, Nova,” he encouraged in a tender voice.
“I-I-uh, it’s difficult to explain.” I put the glass down on a Doctor Who coaster on the worn coffee table. “It was this feeling. A darkness that felt like it was smothering me. I couldn’t move and was terrified. But then it passed and was gone.” I faced him. “Maybe it was a nightmare—but I felt awake. No,” I insisted. “Iwasawake.”
The gentle expression in his eyes was comforting. “It sounds terrifying.” He patted my thigh. “Don’t worry, I’m nocturnal and will be up much of the night. You can hang out with me as long as you want.”
I glanced down at where his hand had touched my leg. A strange heat remained. “I appreciate it.” I still couldn’t figure him out and pulled my legs up to my chest, turning to focus on the movie.
As Hugh Grant made social blunders and made them worse when trying to fix them, my own awkwardness seemed to recede. Diego even laughed at a few of the scenes with me.
Maybe this vampire was moody, but not so broody after all.
Diego
Although Nova had been tense when I’d carried her over in her adorable pajamas, she appeared to relax as we watched the movie. With her so close, I breathed in her aroma and a pang of hunger stirred. Fortunately, I’d had a pouch of blood earlier so the urge to drink hers was muted.
After a few minutes of focusing on the movie, Nova turned to me. “It’s kind of weird what we’ve agreed to for the ball.”
