“That’s the strange thing, I couldn’t tell. Usually, I know immediately, but I couldn’t place him.”
“Weird. Well, he obviously didn’t know whoyouwere, or else he wouldn’t have even looked in my direction.”
“You can’t fault him for looking,” Joseph purred. “I couldn’t take my eyes off you all night, either.”
Flustered by his compliment and wanting to have something to do with my hands, I leaned forward and set my champagne glass on the coffee table. At that precise moment, Joseph did the same thing with his tumbler of blood, and our heads nearly butted.
We locked eyes. I cried out as he curled his cool fingers around my wrist and roughly pulled me into him.
I stiffened, frozen with indecision. Should I or shouldn’t I? I wasn’t that I didn’twantto?—
His grip slackened and he sat back. He began to apologize, but I didn’t want to hear it.
I pounced, cutting his apologies off with a kiss.
Moaning, he pulled me too him, and . . .
No. Just no.
It was the shortest kiss of my entire life. I guessed it was the same for Joseph. We didn’t even need to come up for air—it wasthatshort.
I wiped a hand across my mouth. He did the same.
I said, “Well, that was . . .”
“Weird.”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Do you maybe want to try again?”
“Sure. Okay.”
The kiss lasted longer this time, but the outcome was the same. Zero chemistry. I wouldn’t say that I wanted to shudder,but I could have been eating a burrito in my pajamas, for all the passion I felt. Which was none.
Joseph and I sat back and regarded each other.
“Okay, don’t take this the wrong way,” I began. “But that was . . .”
“Bloody awful.”
Suddenly, we were cracking up. We laughed so hard that tears sprang from our eyes like a dam had burst under our lids. I snorted like a little piggy as I wheezed for breath, making us laugh harder.
Joseph slapped a hand down on his thigh. “I’ve had more passionate kisses with goats!”
I swiped a tear from under my eye with a knuckle. My mascara was probably all over my face, but I didn’t care. “You’ve kissed goats?”
“I was a herder back in the day. They’re quite affectionate, like dogs.”
“Oh,” I said, and then we were off again.
“I don’t know why this is so funny!”
“Me, either!”
Joseph picked up our drinks, then handed me mine. He held his glass up and made a toast. “Here’s to us never, ever,everkissing again.”
I chinked his glass against mine. “Never again, as long as we both shall live.”
