Of course he could hear everything we were saying. I wondered if being able to hear everything all the time would get overwhelming.
“We would love your help, Hannah.”
My daughter’s blue eyes brightened. “Great! Now let’s talk about those nasty marks on your neck.”
Like a teenager caught sneaking through his bedroom window, my hand flew up to cover one of them—only to remember that there was another one to worry about. Hannah crooked a brow at me.
“You’re married now,” I reminded her. “Don’t act like you don’t know what a hickey looks like.”
She laughed. “Um, Ido. And those aren’t hickeys.” Hannah lunged across the table, pinching my chin and wrenching my head to the side. “Those look like something out of the latestPredatormovie.” I squirmed as she peered closer, thoroughly inspecting the first mark James had given me. “This one ispulsing.”
She could see that too?
I wriggled out of her grip, masking my concern over her ability to see the venom trapped beneath my skin. “It is not!”
She lowered her voice. “Eww, are those what vampire hickeys look like?”
Unsure of how to respond, I resulted to distractions… again. “Where do we need to start with the wedding?”
Skeptical, but accepting that I didn’t want to talk about it, Hannah sank back into her seat and withdrew her tablet from her bag. “Venues?”
With a sigh, I peered down into my empty glass. I was going to need another drink.
After the meal—andwith a list of venues for me and James to look over—I took a moment to slip into the office where my fiancé was hiding. He pretended not to notice me, which meant he was in the middle of something and didn’t want to be interrupted. So I collapsed against the closed office door and waited. A grin quirked his lips, one that let me know he was fully aware of my presence, but I stayed quiet until he finished his task.
Without looking, I knew his leg would be bouncing under the table. Despite his tendency to stick to paperwork rather than being out on the floor, he hated sitting still for long periods of time. As he worked, he gnawed on his inner cheek, which meant that he was working on a spreadsheet of some sort.
He hated spreadsheets.
He rubbed his temple. There was no way he was getting a headache, but the simple gesture meant he was getting tired—even if he was a vampire.
I couldn’t help the smile that curled my own mouth at knowing someone better than they knew themselves. Now that I had James in my life, in my bed, in myhead—I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“That thing auto-saves, right?” I asked, advancing into the office.
“Yes… why?”
In place of an answer, I straddled James’s chair and slid the laptop shut.
“What was that for?” he asked, rubbing his eyes before grabbing me by the hips.
“You’re tired.”
“I’m not human; I don’t get tired.”
“Says the guy rubbing his eyes like a toddler who missed nap time.”
“Why are you in here bothering me?” James asked, a teasing lilt to his voice. “I thought you were having dinner with your daughter.”
“I was…”
“But then she saw the venom,” he finished.
“I dodged it, and she’s gone to her parents until Kian’s finished.” I sighed. “So you know exactly why I’m in here bothering you.”
James nodded. “We’ll deal with it tomorrow. As soon as we get answers about you, we’ll have answers about Hannah.”
With a deep breath, I relented. “You’re right.”
