J jerks back just before crashing into my arm.
She looks at my hand and then at me. Miffed, she takes two steps to the left.
I follow her, barring her way.
Two steps to the right.
I’m right there with her, shoulders loose, arms in my pockets.
She makes a sputtering sound of displeasure and tilts her head up. Moonlight falls across her face, sparkling in her blue-green eyes. With the rest of her in darkness, the incandescence of her eyes seems otherworldly.
“I didn’t say you could leave.” My voice is quiet but firm. The shooters could still be out there. I’m not letting her step foot outside of Redwood until I’m sure she won’t be gunned down on the street.
J scowls. “Bite me.”
Normally, I wouldn’t rise to the bait, but all of a sudden, sinking my teeth into her creamy neck doesn’t sound like a bad idea.
Maybe I really am a vampire.
I prowl forward, cutting through the distance between us.
The sass sputters out of her eyes, and her gaze darts around like prey searching for cover.
But there’s no escaping me.
She inches back until her entire body jolts against the desk. Measurement cups and glass vials rattle as the table rocks.
I loom over her, noticing the way she pulls her lips between her teeth. Her watch starts beeping to the cadence of each nervous chew.
My eyes linger on her mouth.
My pants tighten.
These feelings, I recognize. But, well, they’re not exactly of the heart.
“I’ve been curious.” I point to the watch. “What makes this thing go off?”
Her gaze cuts right into my face, slicing a new mark over the bruises that Kurosaki’s men left. “I’m allergic to jerks like you.”
I press closer, hovering over her body. Close enough to feel the heat on her skin. Close enough to cut her throat.
She senses the danger she’s in and admits, “I have a heart condition. If I get too angry or too stressed or?—”
“Turned on?” I whisper.
It finally happens. The watch changes colors. It’s so dark in the lab that the yellow screen burns a bright neon through the shadows.
“Calm down, J.” My eyes shift from the watch to her face. “I haven’t even touched you yet.”
A blush travels from her neck all the way to her cheeks. The pink flush makes her more alluring.
I don’t know how I feel about that.
“I gave you a chance to have me before we left the hospital. You’re the one who shut it down.”
She didn’t truly want to sleep with me. It was obvious, but that’s beside the point. I like this game.
“How aboutyoutake your pants off this time?” she whispers. “And I can look at you with the same disdain?”
