Withdrawing her hand, she half smiled. “Sam and I have screwed around.”
My head lolled backward, not expecting her to be such a straight shooter. “Okay.” An uncomfortable feeling washed over me, and I giggled.
She did too. “Sorry, I don’t beat around bushes.”
“I see that. And I like it. If you are laying things out on the table, is he…?” Fire singed a path straight to my clit. “Actually, don’t answer that.” I wasn’t going to screw him, and if I knew he was as good as her smile said he was, I would be tempted to go one round with him. Then that would lead to another and then another, and before long, I would be addicted.
“I do tell it like it is, but what happens between a couple in the bedroom is where I draw the line. However, Sam does have a thing for you. And I can see why. You’re stunning.”
My cheeks flushed. Aside from my parents, no one had ever told me that with so much emotion. “Ditto.” Her thick, shiny waves of blond hair draped down over her shoulders. Her navy-blue eyes sparkled as if someone had sprinkled gold dust in them, and her curves were carved out in the right places. “But as far as Sam goes, I’m guessing he’s drawn to my blood.”
She raised a sweater-clad shoulder. “True. But it’s more than that. As a vampire, I can detect these things. Look, Layla, I can see the war going on in your head. I get that vampires aren’t your cup of tea, but we have emotions too. Sadly, though, some of our kind can be evil. Just like some humans can be as well.”
She had a point, and one I hadn’t thought about in quite some time. Uncle Jack’s wife, Tab, had said something along those lines in a conversation several years ago. She had a soft spot for anyone with a beating heart, but her opinions about vampires were quickly silenced by Uncle Jack.
Harley pressed on. “We really do try to protect humanity. If it weren’t for Jo, humanity would look a lot different today.”
“Jo?”How could one person shape humanity?
She crossed one ankle over the other. “Yeah. She and Sam have been targeted ever since they became vampires. Their DNA is in high demand. But five years ago, she stopped Edmund Rain—Abbey’s dad, of all people—from building an army of vampires out of humans. Ben was caught in the craziness, and now he’s a half-breed. We know of one other human who made it through the experiments, and he ended up becoming a full-fledged vampire.”
“Abbey’s dad? Wow! What happened to him?”
“Edmund is now dead. So is Jo’s uncle Patrick, a well-known geneticist who turned on his brother, Steven Mason. The crazy thing, too, is that Edmund and Steven had been best friends at one time. Anyway, back to Patrick. He’d been the mastermind behind the experiments. Jo and Sam suffered greatly, almost dying in the process.”
My mouth was hanging open. I sat there, thinking of my own family drama, but it was nothing of that magnitude. “Speaking of Ben, who probably wants revenge on me for holding a dagger to his throat, he’s your date tonight?”
She hopped up. “Crap, I need to go. I have a few things to take care of before then.”
I didn’t want her to leave. Harley was a wealth of information, and I was right. Shewassuper nice and would be a great friend. I laughed.
She twirled her phone in her hand. “What is it?”
My stomach gurgled. “My family would be horrified if they knew I was here among vampires, but more than that, talking to a vampire like we’re best buds.”
“We can be. I could use a friend around here. Hanging with my brother, Sawyer, gets boring. And just to put you at ease around me and others here, we keep our bloodthirst sated pretty well. You don’t have to worry about a vampire attacking you.”
That was debatable, given how Sam wanted to sink his fangs into me.
“I’ve got to run,” she said.
“Harley, one more question. Where does Sam sleep?” I had to be sure he wouldn’t or couldn’t sneak into my room.
She pinched her perfectly manicured eyebrows together. “He won’t attack you if that’s what you’re worried about. Or maybe you don’t trust yourself.” Her red lips split into a slow smile.
Truth be told, my resolve to stay away from Sam was weakening by the minute. I was sure he would win our bet if I couldn’t get him out of my head. “It’s not what you think.”Liar.
She snorted. “Does it matter what I think?”
I lifted a shoulder. “I wouldn’t mind your advice.”
She clasped her hands in front of her. “I’m listening.”
I rubbed my lips together. “He bet me I would end up in his bed within two days.” Our heated encounter had happened several hours ago. That meant the clock was ticking down. I was hoping he would cave before me, and I would win, which meant I could do whatever I wanted to him. My first choice had been to drive a cobalt dagger through his heart, but the more I was around him, the more I was seeing a different side of him, namely his tender touch in the interrogation room and his caring attitude, though that had been fleeting. Maybe Harley was right. Maybe Sam had a big heart. Despite it all, I felt an overwhelming desire to bare my soul to him.
I sighed heavily. I was tired, my brain was overloaded, and I wasn’t thinking clearly. That was it. That was my excuse.
She hadn’t lost her blinding smile. “Interesting. He does love a game of cat and mouse. And before you ask, no, he and I never made a bet like that. So, knowing where he sleeps would do what for you?”
