Actually, they probably wouldn’t remember herat all, which was fine. There was a very good reason she’d chosento live her life that way, and it was what she preferred… untilnow.
Whatever this was between them could neverdevelop into anything, but there was no reason she couldn’t see himagain.
Who said it was going to develop intoanything? He might decide tomorrow he doesn’t want to see youagain. But for once, take a chance on something before all you haveis regrets.
“I’d like that,” she finally said.
She’d figure out a way to keep theconversation away from her past, her family, and her life. Itshould be easy. She mentally rolled her eyes, but she would figureout a way to do it.
Trying not to appear too eager, Kyle managedto keep himself from grinning at her like an idiot. She had doubtsabout this, and standing there, looking like the Cheshire Cat, wasnot the way to put those doubts at ease.
“How about tomorrow?” he asked. “I’m workingtomorrow night, but we could go to lunch.”
“Sure. There’s a pizza place down the streetthat isfantastic.”
“Pizza sounds good.”
The last time he ate human food was in highschool, and he’d done it so he didn’t draw any attention tohimself, but he could force down a slice of pizza.
“I’ll come by at twelve,” he said.
“I’m on the third floor. Apartment six.”
“I’ll see you then.”
Unable to stop himself, he leaned over andkissed her forehead. The refreshing, spring scent of her filled hisnose, and he closed his eyes as he relished the aroma. When shedidn’t pull away, he went to draw her into his arms, but theblaring of a horn caused her to step back.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Melanie said.
He watched as she walked away, climbed thethree steps to the front door, unlocked it, and slipped inside.Once she was safely inside, he shoved his hands back into hispockets and turned away.
He couldn’t stop smiling as he sauntered downthe street toward the busier area they’d walked through. Oncethere, he waved down a cab.
CHAPTER 6
It was ten o’clock inthe morning when Kyle left his room and wandered down the hall.Voices drifted to him, but still half asleep, he was in no rush togreet his siblings. Instead, he slipped into the bathroom,showered, shaved, brushed his teeth, and dressed.
Before leaving the room, he tossed his dirtyclothes into the bathroom hamper. He walked the rest of the waydown the hall and entered the living room, where he found hisbrother, Julian, playing a video game with Declan and Dante, two ofhis brothers-in-law.
They sat on the couch as they raptly watchedthe TV screen. It wasn’t so long ago that the couch was his bed,but when Cassidy moved in with Dante, he took her room. He wasextremely glad for that as he had no doubt the three of them wouldhave parked their asses on top of him to play the game.
Dante and Julian twisted their hands back andforth as buttons clicked. Declan stared at the screen like it heldall the secrets in the world. The three of them were a littletooinvolved in the game. But, like him, they were probablytrying to avoid the kitchen, and the women gathered there.
Kyle still hadn’t looked, but he couldfeelhis sisters in there… plotting.
Declan laughed, and Julian cheered when Dantecursed and an explosion sounded.
“Shit,” Dante said.
“My turn,” Declan said and waved his fingersfor the controller.
Dante tossed it to him and leaned back on thecouch before glancing at Kyle. “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” Kyle replied.
And then, bracing himself, he shifted hisattention to where Cassidy, Vicky, Aida, and Willow sat at thekitchen table. Magazines and books covered the surface of thetable, and a couple had spilled onto the floor.
He wanted to go in there about as much as agazelle wanted to enter a lion’s den, but he had to feed beforeseeing Melanie, and the blood was in the fridge less than five feetaway from them.
