Page 18 of Blood Sugar

Sniffling, I shook my head. “Sorry, I’m just a mess. And I don’t want to fuck anything up, so that makes me more stressed. It sucks starting over in a new place, hence why I didn’t want to lose the job, and only being able to go out at night makes everything so much harder! Vampire limitations and all! But I shouldn’t be telling you any of this. I swear, I normally have my shit together—”

“Sadie,” he blurted, interrupting my monologue. “Are you hungry?”

My stomach leapt at his question. Hungry for food or blood? Because if he was offering, I’d take both. With the long work days, I still hadn’t had any time to find a hookup and feed. I’d also run out of granola bars in my motel room, so my stomach was entirely empty.

“Yeah, I really am,” I admitted.

“Then let’s go. We’re in good shape tonight. Our list is pretty short and easy. We should take a break.” He yanked his apron off and laid it across the counter.

“Seriously?” I stared at him with my jaw hanging open.

“Yeah, come on. Dinner is on me.” He didn’t even look at me, instead draping a towel over the mixer and muttering a quick spell.

“If you insist,” I said, untying my apron and setting it aside.

His throat worked when his eyes flicked back to my dress. “How does breakfast food sound? I’m guessing you still haven’t been to the diner?”

My cheeks warmed at the reminder of our conversation in the bar. The one right before I bit him and tasted that delicious blood. When I had his hands all over me and his skin against my lips. Shaking my head, I cleared the heat building in my stomach and the memories of that night, and followed him out of the bakery.

The street was quiet, but not entirely empty. It was a town of supernaturals, after all. I wasn’t the only vampire here, even if I hadn’t met any of the others yet.

The group of friends walking down the street going the other way could have been werewolves, or perhaps something more rare. I was too busy watching Rowen to study them.

He dragged his hand through his hair and let his breath out in an audible huff. The way his jaw worked and his throat bobbed, he was struggling with himself. I’d give anything to know what was happening in his clever brain.

“What?” he asked, catching me staring. No time like the present to find out.

“You seem deep in thought. I was wondering what great mysteries you were pondering.”

Rowen grunted, and I didn’t expect to get an answer.

The diner loomed ahead of us, chrome reflecting the neon “Open” sign. Rowen held the door open for me before surprising me with an actual answer.

“I was wondering why you dress all pinup style. Are you from the fifties?”

“Don’t you know, asking a lady’s age is rude?” I quipped. A flush rose up my neck. I didn’t want him to know how wrong he was, or how young and clueless I really was. I’d guess he was a few years older than me, but he didn’t know that.

“Sorry.” An adorable flush pinked his cheeks, making the magenta of his hair brighter.

I couldn’t help but think we made a perfect pair, with my formerly blue eyes now a warm red-purple since my vampiric transformation.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said, flashing him my most charming smile, now accented with a pair of fangs. “So how old are you?”

“Thirty-two,” he answered without hesitation, his eyes moving to the diner.

It was one of those vintage restaurants with pleather seats in vivid red, and bright white vinyl tabletops trimmed in metal. A middle-aged woman with long brown hair streaked with silver smiled at us from behind the counter.

“Good evening, Rowen. Sit wherever you like.”

Rowen strode directly to a booth a third of the way down the row. I slid into the bench across from him. The server appeared with plastic-covered menus a moment later. She smirked. “I should have known, you always pick the same booth.”

Rowen shrugged. “It’s my spot.”

“I should put up a little sign,” she said, chuckling. “Rowen’s booth.”

My mouth curved into a smile at their banter, but my chest ached at the way Rowen’s shoulders relaxed and how easy his grin came. He didn’t look at me like that. I got tension and grimaces, and suddenly I felt like an idiot for flirting with him. Clearly, I made him uncomfortable.

Folding my hands on the table, I decided I wouldn’t keep flirting. It wasn’t smart if I wanted to keep my job, and it wasn’t fair to Rowen.