Though he fidgeted with his hands in his lap, he didn’t break his gaze away from me. “I’m a vampire.”
I didn’t respond, not knowing what to do next. So I returned to studying the bottles behind the bar.
James’s voice cut through the silence. “You want a drink?”
“I’m at work,” I said without thinking. “With my v-vampire boss.” The word felt weird coming out of my mouth.
James stood. “You’re not on the clock.” He ducked behind the bar and grabbed a few bottles off the shelf along with thebowl of dyed sugar. He was makingmydrink. I sat back and watched, finally understanding the appeal of the motions. The muscles in his arms rippled with each move. The way he slammed the lid onto the cocktail shaker with the heel of his hand made me squirm. “Tonight,” he continued, “I’m not your boss. I just dropped one hell of a bomb on you. It’s an age-old tradition for people to commiserate with the bartender, so tonight that’s all I am. I know there’s a lot on your mind right now.”
James finished and pushed the drink toward me, the crystals of the red-dyed sugar catching the light. I took it, focusing on the chill of the glass against my fingertips. Eyes closed, I took a deep breath, letting the cold ground me. I lifted the glass and drained half of it at once, feeling the alcohol burn its way through my system. By the time I set the drink back down, I was feeling more like my cocky self.
“I’ve got a crush on my vampire boss.”
My eyes were fixed on my drink, but I still saw James stumble and spill his pour. He bent down to grab a towel. “I… um, wow.”
I hadn’t known him for very long, but seeing James flustered was something I never imagined I’d experience. As he picked up the bottle to continue making his own drink, I noticed his hand trembling. A smirk pulled at the corner of my mouth. The ball was in my court, and I loved it.
“Nervous, boss?” I teased. I picked my glass up again, then paused. “Can vampires get nervous?”
He laughed into his drink. If there was ever a time for a vampire to blush, that would’ve been it.
“Is that a stupid question?”
He shook his head. “I won’t judge you for anything you ask me tonight.” He swirled his drink around, and I took another sip of mine as he spoke again. “My heart may not beat anymore, butthat doesn’t mean I can’t get nervous, or thatyoudon’t make me nervous. I think it’s a reflex. It’s been a long time since I’ve had feelings for someone. I’ve never had to mask it before.”
“Getting nervous is a reflex?” I polished off my drink, my head beginning to spin from the alcohol.
“More specifically, being nervous in the presence of someone so attractive.”
I warmed at the compliment, my smirk softening into a genuine smile. James retrieved my glass and began to mix another for me.
I traced over a scratch in the surface of the bar. I had so many questions, and I didn’t know where to begin. I’d walked in here intending to keep my head down and finish my shift as quickly as possible, so I could return to sulking in bed—my favorite activity since finding James and Dani together.
“Don’t get bashful on me now, Clark.”
“I don’t do bashful.”
“Mm-hmm.” The look on his face said he didn’t believe me for a second. “Just speak what’s on your mind.”
“What’s the first thing you’d expect someone to ask you?”
He gave me a wry chuckle. “Oh, let me count the ways. Am I part bat? Can I see my own reflection? And my favorite ever sinceTwilight:can I read minds?”
My eyes widened. “Holy shit,canyou?”
He broke into a laugh, his cheek dimpling in a way I hadn’t noticed before. “No. I have some advantages in reading people, but I’m hardly psychic.”
“What kind of advantages?”
James shuffled, recrossing his legs. “For one thing, I’m older than I appear, so I’ve had years and years of practice. For another, I have what my peers jokingly call selective supersonic hearing.”
“Okaaaaay.”
“So I can hear increased heart rates.”
I froze. “Oh?”
“It’s not an exact science. I can tell your pulse is elevated, but I don’t know whether you’re angry, upset,” his voice dipped, “or turned on.”
