Turning to Blake, I asked, "Who are David and Rose?"
He sighed, but wouldn't meet my eyes. "My parents. They're dead."
I wanted to touch him, put my hand on his or my arm around his waist, but his entire body seemed to scream that he didn't want me to touch him. Even with my shields up, the pain coming off him in waves, crashing over me and beating against my skin, was so great I couldn't keep it all out.
"I'm so sorry, Blake," I whispered.
My words never penetrated the trance he was in. I could sense his mind was somewhere else. He stared down into his drink, clearly not seeing anything in front of him.
"The week before Christmas, they were hit head on by a drunk driver," he mumbled, turning the bottle around in his hands over and over. "It was an ugly way to go." His eyes darted up to mine, desolate and deep. "Wolves don't die easily. We're hard as hell to kill, but that dumb motherfucker managed it when he got behind the wheel of his car hammered."
I took a second to give the bar a covert glance. Blake and I had been here a while and it had cleared out, except for Jimmy.
Sensing that I was worried about being overheard, Blake said, "Don't worry, Jimmy knows. He's one of us." Then he drained the rest of his beer.
That surprised me. I wondered why I hadn't felt the bartender's power.
"Every year I get drunk, try to forget. Never fucking works," he mumbled.
Unable to hold back any longer, I wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pressed my lips to his cheek. "I'm sorry, Blake. What can I do?"
Suddenly, the flirtatious tension that crackled between us all night intensified and snapped tight, the air vibrating with it. Slowly, Blake turned toward me. Our faces were so close that our lips almost brushed and I could feel his breath on my chin.
Every nerve in my body felt as though they were coming to life, just waiting for his touch. I watched as his pupils expanded and he dropped his eyes to my lips.
"Help me forget, Candy. At least for tonight."
I knew what he was asking. I'd never had a one-night stand before. I'd had opportunity, but it wasn't really my style. Until Blake. He was a bad boy and, for once, I was going to be a bad girl.
"I will," I whispered.
