When she went for the hat the second time, I smiled. “Doesn’t look like she thinks your ass is worth holding.”
He made a closed fist with the hand pressed against the wall, his stance rigid.
Christian whispered in her ear.
Man, I’d love to be a fly on the wall.Why couldn’t my Vampire abilities have included superhearing? Once again, destiny screwed me over. I pointed at a pitcher of beer when the waitress went by, and she nodded.
The knuckles of his left hand brushed slowly down the opening of the blonde’s dress as he continued whispering in her ear. Her eyes hooded and lips parted, but this game wasn’t over yet. I refused to believe that Christian could have anything to say that would seduce a woman of that caliber.
Aaand… I might have said that last thought aloud.
Christian curved his arm around her midsection and turned so their shoulders were against the wall and I had a perfect view. He went in so slowly for the kiss that it held me in suspense. When he pressed his lips against hers, I was suddenly struck with an unfamiliar emotion. It wasn’t the same feeling of disgust or even curiosity like the time I’d caught him having sex.
Was thatjealousyI was feeling?
He kissed her as if she were a woman he revered, and a sharp pain lanced through my chest. What was going on? I was acting as if his lips belonged to me. Christian was handsome in a roguish way—the kind of dangerous man that women secretly admire. But looks weren’t enough to make me feel that way.
Incensed, I turned to the guy sitting behind me and mouthed the wordVampirewhile motioning toward Christian. Then I pointed at my eyes, suggesting that the woman had been charmed. One valuable lesson I’d learned in life was that drunk men loved to start fights. That was enough to get him out of his seat.
Some guys just needed a reason.
Whee!This was going to be fun. Especially since the guy looked like he might be a Shifter. He just had that alpha kind of personality, or maybe it was wishful thinking. Who else would have the balls to confront a Vampire?
When he touched Christian’s hat, I got so excited that I lurched out of my seat, bumped the table, and tipped over an empty glass. Christian quickly turned and then ducked out of the man’s reach.
Their voices increased in volume, and the woman quickly slipped away from the two men.
I tugged at the flaps hanging from my trapper hat. Christian could easily fight him off, being he was a Vampire with incredible strength, but he kept dodging the man so he couldn’t grab the hat.
“Dammit! Take off his hat!” I shouted excitedly, as if I were at a sporting event.
When a crowd gathered around, obstructing my view, I climbed on top of the table. The man took a swing at Christian, who caught his fist and pushed him back.
“Waitress! Can you bring me the most expensive bottle of alcohol you carry?” I shouted.
Christian snapped his gaze in my direction and gave me a baleful look. His hat was slightly askew and stuck out like a sore thumb with his all-black outfit. Vampires were impervious to temperature changes, but Christian liked wearing his long coat. He’d shaken out of it during our conversation, probably to show off his arms to some women who’d been walking past him to get his attention.
A brawl erupted between two Chitahs. Both had gone primal, their canines extended and golden eyes turned black. One man smashed a beer bottle over another guy’s head, people were shouting and cursing, and peanuts went scattering all over the wood floor.
Christian appeared and climbed on top of the table. “I suppose you’re having a delightful time.”
Someone bumped our table, and I gripped his shoulders to keep from falling off. “You’re not much of a fighter.”
He bent forward to eye level. “For your information, I’m not about to pay for all that Mexican food you shoved into your facehole earlier, nor am I paying for the bottle of Dom the waitress is searching for in the back. This bet’s going to go on all night if it has to, but your hat is coming off before mine.”
We couldn’t remove the other’s hat, but we hadn’t set rules beyond that. I didn’t have the money to pay for all this—not after my shopping spree—so I wasn’t about to give up.
A chair sailed by and clipped Christian on the back. He spat out a curse that was so buried in his Irish accent that I barely understood him. “Someone’s telling the manager that a Vampire’s dining on his customers.”
“I suppose you’re the Vampire?”
“Do me a favor and watch my back.”
He turned around, and I stared at his back. “You want me to look at your—”
“Jaysus wept! Turn your back and gird your loins. They’re coming for us.”
“Us?” I exclaimed. “I’m not the Vampire in this scenario.”
