Who the hell was she to him, and what the hell does that have to do with me?
“Look,” I start seriously, teetering on the edge of irritation and full-blown anger, “you don’t get to decide where I stick my nose, got it? I don’t need you to babysit me or cover my eyes. If you do that, then I can’t be helpful to you.”
“Good. I don’tneedyour help.” His tone is stringent and dismissive. “Not with this.”
Brr. That was fucking chilly.
“Fine, be like that.” Two can play at this game. “Let me remind you that we made a deal. You need me as much as I need you.”
His jaw ticks. He doesn’t like that at all, but doesn’t offer a rebuttal. For the moment of silence he’s granted me, I press on.
“Let’s get a few things straight.” My voice sounds harder than I intended, but I have to get my point across. “Chivalry is dead. Which means I’m not responsible for some vow you made toanother woman before I was even born. It’smylife that’s on the line now, got it? I’m not going to sit on the sidelines so you can play white knight. I’ll give as good as I get, and if I go out, then I’ll go out kicking and screaming if I have to.”
He doesn’t say a word.
“You two save room for dessert?” Our waitress returns, unaware of the apprehension stretched taut between the two of us. She simply refills Gray’s coffee and goes on, “We got plenty of pie. Key lime, pecan, apple, you name it.”
I’m the first to break eye contact as I plaster on my best smile. “No, thank you. Just the check and a box, please.”
“Alright. Be right back, sweetie.” She turns on her heel and leaves without a fuss. I wish it was that easy with Gray.
With a sigh so deep it shakes my ribs, I slump against the booth and pinch the bridge of my nose. This isn’t the time to be fighting. While I’m wholly terrified of both Dante and my undead stalker, I don’t want to be at odds with Gray. I would rather be kissing him and running my hands up his shirt, tracing the ridges along his chest and feeling the way I had in the bathroom while he rubbed circles on my naked back.
That feltgood. This, though? Not so much.
“Please let me help you, Gray,” I plead one more time. “If you have to teach me to fight a vampire, then do it. Drink my blood when you need it, whatever it takes, and when it’s all said and done, we can go our separate ways. You get to keep your promise, and I get to keep my head on my shoulders. Okay?”
The look he gives me is unreadable and just as empty as my words.
Right then, the waitress drops the check off and a box. It’s the longest minute of my life waiting for her to leave again. When she does, Gray finally breaks.
“Fine.” Short, terse, and to the point. It’s all I’m going to get, but at least it’s an answer.
With that out of the way, I drop a few of the bills I stashed in my coat pocket earlier and drop it on the table with the check. I pack up the cheeseburger and fries, fully intending on taking it back to my room when we get home. Gray, already standing, offers his hand again to help me out of the booth, and I take it. He doesn’t look at me, but I don’t need to see his face to guess at what he’s feeling.
Betrayed, annoyed, maybe a little admiring. It’s impossible to know his mind.
Me, on the other hand? I’m a mess. I know I said we could go our separate ways after this, but hearing it aloud? It was all hollow. Ever since my breakup, I’ve felt like I’ve been going through the motions, trying to build myself back up after crashing to the bottom. Life after her was anything but normal, but I knew it could never be. Now, though, it’s starting to feel like my skin finally fits again. I feel better than better—I feelalive. If a little dose of the strange and unusual was what I needed to light my fire again, then who was I to argue with the universe?
I like Gray. I like him a lot, and if any of what I’m feeling has even a fraction to do with him, then I’m going to hang on for as long as I possibly can.
After we made it home from the diner, I fell into bed and blacked out. Exhaustion hit me like a bullet train, and for the first time in a long time, I was dead to the world. No dreams, no nightmares, no getting up at three o’clock in the morning to use the restroom or get a drink of water. I was simply out of it.
So it’s no surprise that when I do finally wake up, I find that my phone is boasting several missed calls and ten to twenty text messages. A lot of them are Dax, clueless to the previous night’s attack, texting to ask if I wanted to come over after work. He sent several more messages, drunk texts I think, asking for photos and videos. I roll my eyes and scroll past them to the most recent message.
TYLER: Your car is all fixed up. You can come pick up whenever.
“Yes!” I shout, throwing my fists into the air.
My car is finally fixed, and all’s right with the world. No more Zippys, no more bumming rides off of Dax, or walking ten minutes down the road to treat myself to a latte at my favorite coffee shop. No, not after today. My last Zippy would be the onethat takes me to Tyler’s garage. There’s an extra pep in my step as I roll myself out of bed. All the cash I earned last night can go right into my bank account, too. A fixed car is one thing, but a fixed car with no debt? That’s music to my ears.
Thank the stars and the universe for Tyler!
Right from day one, Tyler was always a good friend to me. Even after high school graduation, we stayed on good terms. He was the first person I thought of when my car went to shit. Tyler gave me a decent rate, and I gave him a few private lap dances to agree on the terms of payment. He owns his own garage and sets his own schedule, so it wasn’t hard to get him to agree. For the discount, I promised him VIP treatment at the clubandfree bottle service for him and his crew post-op.
It’s gonna be one hell of a night.
Dressed for the weather, donning my black coat and a very cozy sweater, black jeans, and my favorite boots, I stuff my phone and my cash in a side pocket of my backpack. I’ve got a couple hours before work and Tyler’s garage is a bit of a drive. There’s no point in coming home before my shift, so I stuff a second bag with a sexy little number for tonight. Tyler’s tip, for being such a nice guy and a loyal friend.
