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Allie had to give herself a pass on that one. Hank’s father had never been her dream man. He’d just been her first adult male, ever.
And because of her experience with Peter, she definitely clung to the motto Once Bitten, Twice Shy. No matter how attractive the biter.
“Sorry, not in the market for a vampire.”
“Then you’d better not ask me to bite you.”
No problem, even if she could think of a few places on her body she’d like him to nibble.
With that sheen of mystery enhanced by an enigmatic half smile, he added, “And definitely don’t invite me into your bedroom. I think vampires have to be invited in, don’t they?”
“I’m not up on vampire lore,” she responded softly.
Who, she wondered, was that weak-voiced, sappy girl? Surely not her, who’d once bluffed her way aboard a Greyhound bus with a poodle disguised as a service dog. This guy truly did have some magic because he’d turned her into a brainless zombie.
“What’s your name?”
Gone. Outta here. That’s my name.
She opted for the truth. “Allie.”
He touched her arm, a fleeting scrape of his fingertips against her elbow, yet she felt completely overpowered. “Come on.” With just a slight tug, he led her to the center of the stage and stood facing her. Close. But not touching. “Let’s show Allie some support,” he said to the audience.
They began to clap. The whisper of her name raced through the crowd, and she heard Tessa’s voice call, “You go, girl!”
The warm response melted some of her inhibitions because she knew everyone in this tent would look out for her. Funny, after living here for only a brief time, she already felt so safe. She’d been completely accepted.
Maybe it was just because she was related by marriage to—and worked for—the town savior, Mr. Potts. Even so, the warmth she’d felt in Trouble for the past year had somehow eradicated all the dark memories of the judgmental criticism she’d grown up with in Ohio.
“Relax,” he murmured, his mouth so close to her ear, she felt his breath on her hair. “Everything’s going to be fine.”
Hmm. Hadn’t that been what Hank’s father had said right before he’d relieved her of her virginity and nearly ruined her life? Not that this guy in any way reminded her of Peter. He wasn’t a sniveling pretty boy. Oh, no. He was all sexy-pirate-or-vampire-in-a-romance-novel man.
“Now, Allie, do you want me to hypnotize you?”
She suspected he already had. Because though she tried to make her mouth say “No,” she couldn’t do it. Instead, she only managed to reply with a slow shake of her head.
“You don’t?” he asked, an amused half-smile saying he doubted that.
“I don’t believe in this stuff.”
“Then why are you here?” His eyes sparkled, which was appropriate. After all, his body seemed to emit some kind of electrical current that gave off incredible heat and had made her incapable of moving. “There must be some reason.”
“I was just…passing by,” she finally mumbled, wondering if her face was really candy-apple red or if the heat she felt in her cheeks was caused merely by the spotlights.
“Taking a shortcut through the back of my tent, hmm?”
Hearing the skepticism in his voice and chuckles from the audience helped her shake off some of the brainless lethargy. Tilting her head and cocking a brow in false bravado, she said, “Yeah. I mistook it for the animal tent, there’s so much crap being shoveled around in here.”
His dramatic eyes flared, and he barked a surprised laugh. So did several people sitting close enough to have heard her.
He recovered quickly. “You don’t believe in hypnosis?”
Regretting being quite so snarky, she lowered her eyes. “I guess it’s a cute trick for the fair, but that’s about it.”
The performer shook his head. “She doubts me. Shall I prove her wrong?”
The audience roared. “Do it!”
