He got out of the car, buttoned his jacket, and handed the valet the keys. He walked around to open her door and extended his hand. “Let’s go.”
Tonight he looked mouthwatering, and every inch the vampire dressed in a black, silk dress shirt with a matching suit jacket, slacks, and silver cuff links. He kept his dark hair slicked back off his face, accentuating cheekbones that looked like they’d been carved from stone, full, sensual lips, and a square jaw.
Gillian was so busy staring, she almost forgot the gift. She reached around for the box, then took his hand and stepped out of the car.
His gaze zeroed in on her legs and her stomach did a little flip. He rested his hand on the small of her back and guided her toward the restored brownstone. The heat from his touch sent licks of fire shooting across her skin.
“Are you ready for this?”
The concern in his voice warmed her almost as much his touch had. She took in a breath and let it out. She’d have to prepare herself for the endless amounts of questions. “No, not at all. I’ve already told Willow a fib, that Brooke had to go out of town on business.” She felt a pang of guilt enjoying a party when Brooke still wasn’t found.
“No need. By now Alex has probably given her a heads up. My guess is she’ll mention it to you at some point.”
A slice of moonlight lit up the sky, accentuating the dream-like quality of the night. They stopped on the curb, and she spotted a few familiar faces walking into the restaurant, but so far none of her friends yet. They tended to run fashionably late.
Garrett turned to face her. “There are a few things I wanted to go over with you before the party, but I didn’t get the chance. I haven’t seen much of you today,” he whispered close to her ear.
Why did those few simple words sound so intimate? Could this be his way of saying he’d missed her? Then again, she could be reading too much into it, which tended to be her default. It was a hard habit to break, especially for a psychic.
“You don’t think Saje said anything to the others?” he asked, looking tense.
“No, she understands how dangerous the situation is. I trust her with my life, and with Brooke’s for that matter.”
“Okay then. I know you hate to lie, just remember this is for everyone’s safety. Now that we got that out of the way, I need to tell you something. Frankly, I’m not supposed to reveal the details of an op, but you’ve earned the right to know. I went to the mayor’s office today to get his approval for a task force. With their help, we plan on rescuing all the victims who were subjugated into this blood ring once I get approved into the Brotherhood.”
Hearing the words filled her with tears of joy. She tried to stop herself from getting carried away on a floating cloud of hope, but it was hard not to when he was confiding in her like this. “Thank you,” she whispered, relief filling her chest.
“I couldn’t wait to tell you.” He sounded so sincere. Every nerve ending in her body was inclined to trust him, but then a pang of doubt reared up like an angry monster. Did he really give a shit about her or was he simply doing his job? The thought filled her with guilt.
“Gillian? What’s going on?” The deep rasp of his voice made her breath catch.
“It’s nothing.” Damn, she was a terrible liar.
His jaw visibly clenched. “We need to talk.” Garrett grabbed her hand and gently pulled her in the other direction.
“Hey, slow down.” Gillian had a hard time keeping up in her peep-toe sandals. “Where are we going?”
Ignoring her, he stopped for a moment and gestured to the gift. “May I?” When she nodded, he took the gift out of her arms and the envelope from his jacket pocket and handed both to the nearest valet. “Please make sure these get on the gift table.” Garrett pulled out a twenty and slipped it in his hand.
They headed in the opposite direction and ducked into the alley behind the restaurant. The smell of some kind of sizzling beef and freshly baked bread flared in her nostrils. Her stomach growled. She never did get a chance to eat today.
Garrett peered around the block to make sure they were alone and then waved to a hulking figure who stood guarding what looked like an employee entrance.
“Why aren’t we going in?”
“I think there are a few things we need to clear up first.” He stood inches away, his chest rising and falling with every breath, nearly touching hers.
“You want to do this now? Can’t we talk about this later?” Gillian didn’t relish the idea of being ordered around by him, but just in case it was some sort of safety issue, she was forced to agree.
He pressed his hand on the wall right above her head and bent closer. His warm breath fanned her cheek and sent her heart racing. “Clearly, this isn’t only about Brooke. What else is bothering you? I’ve always wanted to know why you seemed to hate me.”
“I don’t think this is the time or the place.” She looked away, refusing to meet his scrutinizing gaze. Somewhere along the way, the lines between fantasy and reality became blurred. She didn’t want him to see how much he affected her.
His thumb caressed her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. “Talk to me, Gillian.” The way he said her name made her breaths come out in short, little puffs.
Gillian tapped her foot, not wanting to get into all of this right now. “You don’t owe me anything, Garrett. This is a fake relationship. We barely tolerated each other up until a few days ago.” The moment the words fell from her lips, she could practically feel the past rise up thick and heavy like a thunder cloud at a picnic. She motioned between them. “Is this some kind of interrogation technique?” He must’ve heard the sound of her heart. It pounded so hard and fast.
“Not one I typically use. Why? Is it working?” He pinned her with a gaze so dark, she felt it down to her toes.
