I didn’t have to hear him to know what he said. It was clear by the expression on her face that he’d invited her to a private show. He would take her cash—money that would be better spent on something like, oh,no sé, a basket full of voodoo dolls—and escort her into the back room, where she'd get an up close and personal private dance, lose about a pint or so of blood, and only remember that she'd had a really,reallygood time. I'd seen the other dancers do this a dozen times now. Although this was the first time since that first night that I'd seen Brogan take someone back there.
But again, I couldn't prove any of this.
As the woman rushed to their meeting place, I could feel the heady mix of fear, excitement, and lust that emanated from her, thick and cloying in the air.
I sighed, wishing I could warn her. But,Dios, even I wasn't immune to the allure of this particular vampire. His intoxicating blend of danger and seduction and copious amounts of charm drew men and women alike to offer themselves to him. The poor people here had no chance of fighting it. Besides, she was a grown woman. She could make her own decisions, and if my past observations were right, she'd come out of there none the worse for wear.
Still, there was a strange tightness in my chest, a feeling both foreign and disconcerting, when I watched Brogan stride off the stage practically naked, the defined muscles in his back and ass and legs both powerful and graceful. His hand went to the small of the woman's back as he gently led her to dinner.
Hisdinner.
My imagination went into overdrive as I envisioned the woman sitting on a couch with Brogan's large, nearly nude body draped over her, and I raised my palms to my suddenly overheated face. Despite knowing I should look away and stop drawing attention to myself, my eyes never left the closed curtain as I wondered what it felt like for her to have his fangs pierce her throat. Did she panic? Did he play some kind of mind tricks with her?
Or did she like the pain?
Less than ten minutes later, Brogan emerged from the back room and sent the grinning woman back to her group of friends with a slap to her ass and minus the beads she was wearing when she went in. They cheered and whistled as she hurried over to them, her skin a little paler than before, but her smile so bright her friends didn’t seem to notice under the dim lights.
Something bold and reckless suddenly surged through me, and I slid off my bar stool. For a moment, I was afraid he would just ignore me as he'd been doing all night, but to my immense satisfaction, Brogan's attention immediately zeroed in on me.
Avoiding his eyes, I walked past him, my shoulder brushing his in a deliberate, charged moment. Despite his recent meal, I felt his heated gaze following me from the back of my head all the way down to my four-inch red heels that matched my lipstick as I made way down the hall where the restrooms were located.
A feeling of relief rushed through me. He wasn't so disinterested, after all.
Out of sight, I paused for just a moment in front of the bathroom door and took a deep, steadying breath. I needed to get a grip on these unfamiliar emotions before they caused me to do something rash.
With a resolute shake of my head, I pushed open the door and stepped inside, locking it behind me. Turning, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror—cheeks flushed, dark eyes bright with excitement. I hardly recognized this person anymore. This wasn't the poised, confident woman I knew myself to be. This was someone...desperate. Unhinged, even. And it had nothing to do with the real reason I'd decided to stay in the city, hanging out at this club every chance I got, and everything to do with the red-hot jealousy burning like lava through my veins.
I pressed my palms against the cool, smooth surface of the vanity, gripping the edges tightly as I forced my thoughts to slow. I'd come here tonight with a purpose, a plan. I couldn't let my attraction to Brogan derail that. Not when I was so close to unraveling the mystery surrounding him and his kind.
Not when I was so close to being able to stop running.
Taking another deep breath, I schooled my features into an expression of cool indifference. It was time to put my plan into action. If that vapid little thing could garner Brogan's attention, then so could I. He was attracted to me. That wasn't hard to see. And I would use every feminine wile I had to get the answers I needed before it was too late and I was discovered here.
A newfound purpose filled me as I stared at someone a little more familiar in the reflection.
Squaring my shoulders and lifting my chin, I opened the bathroom door and marched out with a determination that was completely thrown off when I hit a hard, slick wall of muscle.
"Where are you goin', darlin'?"
The underlying tone of Brogan's deep voice sent shivers ghosting across my skin as I threw up my hands a moment too late. They slid down his hard abs as I took a quick step back, wiping body oil off my nose with the back of my hand. Then I stepped back once more, just for good measure. "Nowhere. I just needed to freshen up a bit. And now I'll have to do it again." I looked pointedly at my oily palms.
His green eyes searched my face, looking for the lie. And I couldn't say that I blamed him. I'd been lying to him since the first time we'd ever spoken.
Suddenly, he grabbed my wrist in a tight grip. "Come with me."
Not leaving me with any choice, I followed him down the hall back toward the main room of the club. I was about to dig in my four-inch, ruby red heels—I didn't want everyone in the club watching him manhandle me—when he veered down another dark hall I hadn't noticed before that ended at a heavy metal door. Pushing it open, he dragged me inside, not releasing me until he'd shut and locked the door behind us.
Lifting his chin, he inhaled deep as he scanned the room, then cocked his head like he was listening.
I followed his gaze, seeing nothing but a row of metal lockers and a doorway that led to what must be showers or toilets. Or maybe both.
When he seemed satisfied that we were alone, he nailed me with those green eyes once again. I resisted the urge to take another step back. That would only give me a better view of him, and he was still only wearing his G-string. As it was, I'd be lucky if I'd be able to have a coherent conversation with him so close, practically naked, and smelling so good with all those lean muscles on full display. So I stood there, blinking up at him, and waited for him to tell me why he'd dragged me in here.
His eyes dropped to the low neckline of my red blouse, lingering there for a moment before shooting back to my face. "I think it's time you and I stopped dancing around each other and had a truthful conversation."
I crossed my arms in front of me, knowing full well the position pushed up my breasts. "Can you put some clothes on first?"
A devilish grin slowly spread across his face until those little lines appeared in the corners of his eyes. "No."
