“You have terrain advantage.” Harper’s voice was only alittleuneven. “If you didn’t, this would go very differently.”
“Don’t be so sure. Even if you put on your most seductive show, I doubt it would have an effect.”
Harper gaped. “As if! I say this with the utmost disrespect. If I cornered you in a professional setting, I would drain your wallet dry.”
“I disagree. I’ve seen your tricks. I know what to expect.”
“You haven’t seen shit. What I used on the floor of the Penny was basic, at best.” Harper scowled at the ceiling. “Wouldn’t have an effect… Unbelievable.”
“You’ll have to test me sometime. I can prove just how easy you are to handle.”
Harper changed her focus, scowling at Maya instead. “You wouldn’t last two minutes, smartass.”
Surprisingly, Maya just grinned. Though, it shouldn’t be surprising at all. No matter what Harper did, how much she prodded and poked, Maya took it all in stride. Without a hint of frustration.
Weird. A descriptor that was very hard to focus on when Maya closed the gap between them and kissed her again. When she sighed against her lips, a noise Harper couldn’t help but echo.
Unfortunately, Maya’s brand of meanness was very,verylovely.
Chapter 21
There was one good thing about being stuck at the Chains bar with nothing to do: Maya’s section always looked pristine.
These shifts followed the same steps. Tidy, clean, repeat. Boring work, with Angela being the only one who occasionally broke it up.
Angela and one other person now. Her regulars had doubled in number since she got back to Chicago, and despite neither of them being present, Maya wasn’t bored. In fact, she was tempted to whistle as she arranged the alcohol bottles, lining up the labels so they pointed straight out.
Since that night when Harper had appeared at the bar—all angry and beautiful—Maya had yet to fall asleep without having her in her arms. Had yet to wake up without her beautiful blue eyes waiting for her.
That evening would be the first time in a week she would be without it. When that was the case, indulging daydreams of Harper’s smile, her touch, her bright laugh, was more than justified.
If she didn’t do it, a muted ache would start in her chest.
An odd feeling. One she hadn’t realized was present until Harper’s proximity rendered it absent. A tugging, tightening sensation, as though a rubber band was pulling at her heart, the strength behind it growing with every hour Harper was away from her.
There was a strange sense of direction to the pull. As though if Maya started aimlessly walking, it wouldn’t be aimless at all.
It might just be how vampires missed other people. Like so many other things spawned by her new nature, it just happened to be painful.
Someone cleared their throat right behind her. Maya almost rolled her eyes. Since the witch had been busy, the only communication Maya had with Angela over the past few days was text-based, but that just meant she’d had plenty of time to practice the most condescending way to say, “I told you so.” The witch of Chains might not be arrogant, but she was smug.
“I know, I know. You’re a font of endless knowledge, and I should take your advice more often.” Maya scooped up some ice and dropped it into a glass. “I’m giving you exactly two minutes to gloat, so make the best of it and—”
Maya froze. She’d turned around, and instead of finding the cocky Chains witch, as expected, she was facing a woman with short dark hair, a streak of white at the front.
“Hey, uh…” Diana scratched the back of her neck. “Good to see you.”
Maya’s shock turned into a frown. She dumped out the ice and set down the glass. A little harder than necessary.
“Is it? From my perspective, the opposite seems to be the case.”
Diana clenched her jaw, staying quiet for long enough that tension crept into the air. Or awkwardness, based on her stiff posture and averted gaze.
A petty part of Maya didn’t exactly mind the reaction. Having someone you thought of as a friend break contact always sucked, but it hurt more when you had literally no one to fill the void they left.
“I heard it went well in St. Louis,” Diana said. “Even if the exit was a little dramatic. It’s a hell of a story. You’ve been the talk of the high-rise since you got back.”
“Really? I hadn’t noticed.”
