She bit her bottom lip before replying,“Scotch.”
“That’s not what I would have pegged foryou.”
“And what would you have pegged for me? Ohthat’s right, Schnapps.”
He studied her for a minute. “Now I’mthinking more like a lemon drop.”
She glowered at him. “I’m not sour.”
“Oh no, you’re as sweet as a gumdrop.”
“You’d be sour too if you were aprisoner.”
Ian’s hand tightened around the glass soforcefully it shattered within his grasp making her jump in herseat. Her gaze flew to the blood dripping from his hand beforeshooting up to his face. He didn’t feel the bite of the glass inhis flesh as he focused on her.
“You’re not a prisoner,” he grated. “You’renot behind bars, you’ve only lost a bit of your freedom for a veryshort time, and as soon as everything is sorted out, youwillbe set free.”
He grabbed a towel from behind the bar andpulled out the pieces of glass embedded in his palm. Placing themon the bar, he hastily wiped his blood away and wrapped the towelaround his hand. He could feel the stretching of his flesh and atingling in the tissue knitting back together as the gashesrepaired themselves. Picking up the trashcan, he tossed the piecesof glass into it. When he was done, he grabbed two new glasses,poured each of them a drink and walked over to hand hers toher.
Paige glanced at the towel wrapped aroundhis hand. Specks of blood marred it, but she couldn’t tell theextent of the damage he’d done to himself. Maybe she should befrightened by what had happened, this was the first time she’d seenhim show any sign of frustration or annoyance, and she was alonewith him, but for some reason she didn’t think he would hurt her.It made absolutely no sense to her, she knew what he was. However,she couldn’t shake the feeling. When he handed her the glass, hewas in complete control again.
“Thank you,” she murmured as he walked backover to the bar. Pulling the bloody towel from his hand, he wipedaway the last of his blood and threw it in the trashcan. “Is yourhand ok?”
He held the cleaned and healed palm up forher to see. “Fine.”
Her mouth fell open before she could stopit. She’d known vampires healed fast, but holy cow that wasinsane! Trying to distract herself from the disconcertinghealing properties of the living dead, she decided on a change oftopic. “For all you know, a gumdrop could be sour. It’s not likehuman food is your thing.”
Ian grinned as he leaned on the bar,relieved to see she’d regained her antagonistic demeanor after theshock of seeing his hand. “I may have been born a vampire, but Ihave tried a gumdrop before in my time.”
“Really? Why?”
“Why not? Just as I suppose you’re curiousabout some vampire things, I was also curious about human things.I’ve tried most human foods and often ate at college in order tokeep up appearances.”
She’d never really considered that he wouldhave to do human things in order to fit in, but he’d successfullypulled off the charade his whole life. “What did you think ofit?”
“Not bad. Not something that satisfies me,or appeals to me more than blood does, but I did enjoy fudge.”
“Fudge?” she asked in disbelief.
“Preferably peanut butter.”
She laughed as she shook her head and staredinto the liquid in her glass. “You’re so strange.”
“So I’ve been told, mostly by mysiblings.”
“I don’t have any siblings.”
“What of your parents?”
“Dead.” Not entirely a lie, but she wasn’tabout to get into her screwed up family history with him. Sheswallowed the rest of her Scotch, made a face, and handed the glassout to him. “Another please.”
He took the glass from her. “I’m sorry tohear that. Do you mind if I asked what happened?”
Her eyes darkened. “My mom died four yearsago.”
“And your father?”
Paige turned to look at the flames leapingin the fireplace as memories danced through her mind. She didn’tshy away from them, they’d haunted her every day of the last fouryears; there was nowhere for her to hide from them. No, she metthem head on and let them fuel her in every thing she did. Theydrove her through every action of her life. Taking a deep breath,she turned toward Ian.
