“The usual: driver’s license, passport, burner phone, and we even got you a black Amex card. Try to go easy.” Teague smiled and reached for a handful of peanuts from a bowl on a table. “After we get confirmation on the bank wire, then we wait for you to get the go-ahead and get the location for the next house party. All we need is proof that Brooke is there. Once we get an exact location, we send an invisible drone over.”
“That’s where we come in, bust up the place, and save the girl. Well, that’s the plan anyway.” Smith glanced across the room at his date. “Now then, if you gentlemen will excuse me, I have a very attractive woman waiting for me.”
“Don’t let us stop you.” Garrett gave Smith a playful slap on the back.
He searched the room for Gillian. Every so often, he’d tune in to her and pick up on her conversation. So far, she was nailing the whole charade. It impressed him how she managed to handle herself and the other women. Her friends regarded her with genuine respect and affection.
Garrett turned his attention to Teague and held up his glass. “This sure as hell better work. It sounds like a long shot, and Brooke’s life is on the line, along with a lot of other women.”
“Keep the faith, man.” Teague took a swig from a pint glass. “I get that this has gotten personal for you, but you need to keep your perspective. How’s the whole pretend love thing going with Gillian? You two look pretty convincing.”
“So far so good.” Garrett tried to play it cool. “She hasn’t put any sort of hex on me, and we made it through the first few days without any bloodshed. I’d say that’s progress.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it’s a real drag pretending to be in love with a beautiful woman.” Teague smirked and angled his head in Gillian’s direction.
An image of Gillian’s long legs and shapely ass in her short, little cocktail dress flashed through his mind. A hot wave of lust crashed over him. “It’s not as easy as you might think.” Walking around his home in a constant state of arousal was a far cry from easy. And after their near kiss, he’d be forced to take another cold shower.
The lights dimmed and one of his favorite songsAt Lastbegan to play. Somehow Gillian must’ve sensed them talking about her because she turned, and those beautiful brown eyes found his in the crowd.
“Sorry, but duty calls,” he murmured to Teague and smiled wide.
He finished the rest of his scotch and set his glass on an empty table. Garrett crossed the room, passing Alex and Willow on the dance floor. They swayed to the music as they gazed into each other’s eyes. Seeing them, so clearly in love, warmed his heart and gave him hope for the world. It also made him more determined than ever to find Brooke and give her the same chance at happiness.
Once he made his way to where Gillian stood surrounded by her friends, he extended his hand to her. “May I have this dance?”
Color rose on her cheeks. “Of course.” She let him take her hand and lead her out to the dance floor.
When they were a safe distance away from the other girls, she leaned in close to him. “I don’t think this is such a great idea,” she whispered. “We’ve never danced together before and there are just some things you can’t fake.”
“I can guarantee that I’d never, under any circumstance, make you fake it, Gillian.” The quip made her blush even deeper, and he fought the urge to wrap her in his arms and kiss her right there. “Trust me, just follow my lead. Try and relax.” He gripped her waist possessively, and something raw and primal rose within. Even if this was all for show, the vampire inside of him wanted to brand her as his own, let everyone know she was his. But she wasn’t, not really. He had to remind himself of that simple fact.
“Do I have a choice in the matter?” Gillian asked with a grin and placed her hand on his shoulder.
Then he did what he’d been dying to all night long, he pressed her flush against his body. Her breasts crushed against him, and he wanted to groan, loving the feel of her curves. Amazed at how well they fit together, he glided them around the dance floor. Every eye in the room seemed to be watching them move to the soft beat of the music.
Her hips swayed, and from what he could glean from her body language, she wasn’t immune to him, not at all. A combination of relief and satisfaction gripped him hard.
“I’ve been picking up on some of your conversations, and you were amazing out there,” he whispered close to her ear, his lips brushing over her skin, earning him a shiver.
“I’m just trying to stick to the script. Did you hear the part about making a potion using the water from Sybil’s Cave to bring Brooke out of her blood bond?”
“I must’ve missed that part. There’s only one way I know of to break a blood bond and that’s to go cold turkey. Nowadays, certain drugs can numb the effects, but there’s nothing fool-proof I’m afraid.”
“Look, I get what you’re saying, but we need to try.” Maybe it was the flicker of desperation in her eyes, or the subtle catch of her breath. Either way, he couldn’t seem to say no to this woman.
“Vampires guard those caves twenty-four-seven. It’s going to take some finagling. Gaining access to the springs will be no easy task, but I’ll see what I can do.”
Her smile made his chest swell. “Thank you.” She glanced at their joined bodies. “You’re incredibly graceful for a man of your size. Where did you learn to dance like this?”
“In Vienna, back in the late 1800s, when I was a much younger man. The world was a different place then. Everyone danced. If you wanted to touch a woman in public, you had to dance with her.”
“I think it’s safe to say we were doing very different things in our youth,” she teased.
“I did hear something about you joyriding in Ellen’s car when you were underage. It seems you were quite the lawbreaker.”
Her lips curved into a genuine smile. “As I recall, some of the girls and I were playing Truth or Dare. It was a tradition of ours, and I never turn down a dare.”
“I’ve never played the game, but I’m familiar with how it works.” He ran his hand down her back.
