He hurried away to take care of the growingcrowd gathering around the bar. Judging by the fluid way he movedwhile filling orders, and the speed with which he did it, Zeke wasalso a vampire.
Tearing her attention away from him, sheglanced at her watch. It was almost nine. She felt as exhausted asif it were four in the morning, but it was only the time when manypeople were getting ready to start their Friday night.
Aiden emerged from the bathroom. Angerglinted in his eyes when they met hers across the crowd. She musthave annoyed him by not obeying his order, but then she didn’t obeyanyone who didn’t sign her checks, and sometimes she had a problemwith that. She lifted her glass and gave him a small salute with itbefore finishing off the whiskey and setting the glass aside.
She tried not to, but she couldn’t helpadmiring Aiden as he stalked toward her. Clean of dirt and blood,the skin of his face and chest were unblemished and the goldencolor of someone who spent a lot of time in the sun. His wet, shortblack hair had been shoved back from his face as if he’d beenrunning his hands through it.
His pushed back hair emphasized his broadcheekbones and square jaw. The green of his eyes brightened as theyremained focused on her. There were actors in Hollywood who didn’tlook anywhere near as alluring as this man, and she realized hecould entice her to sin in ways no other ever had.
Look away! Her mouth went dry as hergaze remained riveted on the etched muscles of his torso,shoulders, and arms.
This was a man who kept himself in shape.Not because he wanted to show off for his friends, like some of theguys she’d seen at the gym, and not because he was trying to pickup women. No, instinctively she knew Aiden had worked himself intothis condition because he was a hunter, a killer; it was what hedid, and he did it well. In the process of making himself ever morelethal, he’d carved himself into a six-foot-two mountain ofpredatory grace.
And right now, that mountain looked like itmight turn volcanic.
Maggie lifted her beer and gulped half of itdown. Every inch of this vampire exuded wrath and brutality, yether skin prickled at the memory of the way his kiss warmed her fromhead to toe, and she found herself craving more of him.
Twenty feet away from her, a voluptuous,black-haired woman stepped in Aiden’s way. A thunderous expressioncrossed his face. Maggie expected the woman to shrink away fromthat look, most would have, but the woman placed one hand on herrounded hip and stuck it out in a flirtatious way.
“Who is that?” she asked Zeke when he cameback to rest his elbow on the bar next to her.
“Carha, my boss.”
“Oh.”
Thiswas the woman who would be happyto see him again. Maggie’s hand clenched on her bottle as shestudied the woman with a far more critical eye. She would havepegged Carha as a vampire before she learned Carha owned thisplace. Carha moved with the same confidence and fluidity they alldid.
Carha was shorter than her and voluptuouswhere training for the marathon had honed Maggie into a runner’slean build. Even before she’d started running, Maggie hadn’tpossessed the curves this woman did. She forced herself not toglance at her chest. She’d been a C cup since she turned sixteenand was perfectly sized for her body. Easily a double D, Carha’sbreasts were thrust enticingly high by the form-fitting, red bodiceshe wore. Carha’s black, leather pants hugged an ass that wouldhave cartoon character’s tongues rolling out, and her thighs couldcrack a skull.
When Carha glanced over her shoulder, shediscovered Maggie staring at her. Maggie held her gaze; she’dalready been caught, glancing away was pointless. Smiling at Carha,Maggie took a swig of her beer. Malice flashed through Carha’sgreen eyes, and her exquisite face scrunched up. Then she smiled,turned back to Aiden, and rested her hand on his bare chest in agesture that screamed intimacy.
The impulse to tear Carha’s fingers off hitMaggie so hard that, for a second, she felt as if someone had takena sledgehammer of jealousy and bashed her with it. She looked awayfrom the two of them before she leapt off her barstool and smackedCarha with her bottle.
She’d had some violent encounters in herlife, knocked a few people out, but she’d never done it because shewasjealous. And certainly not because she was jealous overa guy who’d done nothing but put her in jeopardy since she’d hadthe misfortune of meeting him.
I’m losing my mind, or maybe it’s alreadygone.
She couldn’t stop herself from glancing backat Carha and Aiden. He’d told her Carha wasn’t his girlfriend orhis ex, yet there was obviously something between them. However,he'd just kissedherin the bathroom.
Yeah, like you’ve never been kissed by aguy who was only looking to get laid before.
But Aiden’s kiss had felt different. Therehad been a yearning in it she’d never experienced from anotherbefore.
Or did you want it to feel that waybecause of how badly you desire him?
She couldn’t deny that was possible. Andmaybe Aiden was only using her to make Carha jealous. Maybe therehadn’t been Savages outside and he’d only brought her here to getCarha’s attention. Her stomach knotted at the possibility.
Maggie turned back to find Zeke watchingher. She didn’t see pity in his gaze, but an understanding thatmade her like him more.
CHAPTER 18
“Thought you might like this, hon,” Zekesaid and nudged a fresh beer toward her.
“Thank you.”
“Would you like something else?”
“A foot massage; my feet are killingme.”
