When my hair was nice and fluffy, I did my makeup. I took my time with my eyes, drawing them into two sexy cat-eyed shapes. Since my eye makeup was heavy, I selected a light pink gloss for my lips. I knew I was going a little over-the-top for an at-home blood draw, but getting dolled up was making me feel better—or as close to feeling better as I could manage.
Also, though I couldn’t pinpoint why, I had a feeling all the way down to my toes that it would be beneficial for me to look attractive. I’d had similar premonitions previously, when I’d been running out to grab a coffee or return a book to the library, but at the last minute paused to throw on some lipstick and runa brush through my hair. Then, low and behold, I ran into someone I knew. I felt that way now, an inclination to look good.
I had some trouble deciding what to wear. Had I been Liz, I would have thrown on any old thing and still ended up looking disgustingly gorgeous. I reminded myself to give her a jingle later to catch her up on the events of the day. She was going to absolutely freak when I told her about my surprise at the bank.
I planned on giving her a little money to help get her back on her feet after separating from David. She had her job at Dignitary, of course, but starting over would still be expensive for her. With the cost of living in San Francisco being what it was, she, like me, hadn’t amassed much of a nest egg.
What Liz did have, however, was a lot of pride. I’d need to present the gift in a way that made her think she was doing me a favor by relieving me of some money.
In the closet, I placed a hand on the side of my face to shield my vision from Robert’s clothes. Looking at them made me ache for him so deeply that I felt as if my heart might split in two. I could do nothing about the scent of his cologne that lingered. I breathed through my mouth while I riffled through my clothes.
I selected a dark pair of skinny jeans, a tight caramel-colored sweater that made my breasts look a cup size larger, and a pair of black ankle boots with a small heel. It felt odd wearing the boots inside, but I figured it would be shoddy of me to wear house slippers to entertain the VGO, who were proper in nature and appearance. I threw on a simple gold chain with a tiny diamond O pendant to complete the look.
A few minutes later, the doorbell rang.
I nearly passed out when I saw who’d come.
“Hello, Olivia,” the vampire sang in a melodic Scottish brogue. “It’s so lovely to see you again.”
11
Iparted my lips to speak, but my mouth couldn’t seem to form any words.
Out of all the vampires the VGO could have sent, it was Joseph—last name unknown—who’d come. The organization had branches all over the world, but their headquarters in Edinburgh were especially revered amongst immortals. It was there that he was head honcho.
Still in shock, I blurted, “I was expecting one of your minions.”
He threw his head back and laughed.
Joseph was over a thousand years old and beautiful in every single way a man could be—something I used to think of Robert, until he broke my heart. His eyes and hair were dark and deep, his muscles plentiful. He towered above me, so I put him at four or five inches above six feet. And that Scottish accent of his? Crazy sexy.
To my great mortification, he was now staring at me like he suspected I was mentally unsound. Probably because I was gaping at him like I’d just had a pie thrown in my face. I bit theinside of my cheek, reminding myself of the vamp I was dealing with.
Joseph was so powerful that he could kill me with mere words. Literally. If he gave the order, dozens of ambitious vampires would eagerly slay me for the opportunity to prove themselves to the VGO.
I smiled sweetly. “Won’t you please come in?”
I offered to take his coat. Our hands touched when he handed it over, and I felt a zing pass between our skin. I suspected he’d felt it also. Joseph had sampled my blood not too long ago, and he was looking as if he wouldn’t mind sampling it again.
It was impossible not to notice how the vamp’s muscles rippled through his clothing as he moved. He was dressed more casually than what I would have expected of somebody so high-ranking, in dark fitted jeans and a black t-shirt. Expensive timepiece, of course—vampires loved their fancy watches, maybe because time was a novel concept to them—which he’d paired with a couple discreet leather and thick chain bracelets. On his feet, he sported the type of high-end distressed leather boots that are meant to look like they’re intended for construction but are far too swanky to dirty up.
I faltered for a beat. Should I opt for the coziness of the living room or the brightness of the kitchen?
“How about we go to the kitchen table?” I offered. “Unless it would be easier for you to draw my blood on the sofa?”
I was relieved when he said the kitchen would be best. It seemed less intimate.
Had Joseph not been a member of the VGO, and had I not been woefully heartbroken, I would have been tripping over myself to get to know him. At least, I liked tothinkso. In reality, I probably would have been far too intimidated to even say hello to a man so sexy.
Also, though Robert had betrayed me, it would be sleazy to seduce another man in his home. Particularly because Joseph was under the impression that Robert and I were engaged.
Plus, I reminded myself, I’d sworn off dating vampires for good.
As much as I was telling myself to stop being so ridiculous, a teeny, tiny part of me was still (yes,still) hoping for an alternate explanation for Robert’s disappearance. Uncertainty had once again become my middle name, despite my sureness after discovering the million dollars in my bank account. It was as if I’d rebooted during my nap, becoming pathetic all over again.
With every irrational point I made to myself I also made a rational counterargument. I didn’t have concrete evidence that Robert hadn’t been coerced into dumping me, though why anyone would make him do such a thing was beyond me. And the million dollars? I couldn’t conclusively say that he was the one who’d made the deposit, but who else could it be?
With all the writing on the damn wall, dwelling probably—definitely—made me a sad, sad chump. Unfortunately, there was no switch inside my head that I could flip and instantly change the way I felt. I couldn’t help that I was still in love with Robert.
