Page 12 of Bleed

“Same reason everyone does,” I shrug, fingers absently trailing over the platinum bracelet on my wrist. “Money.”

He nods slowly, his grip tightening on the steering wheel.

I tilt my head, studying him in the mirror. “What about you? Did you always dream of becoming a chauffeur for walking blood bags?”

He winces, eyes flicking up. “Is that really what they call you?”

“Not to our faces,” I smirk.

Matt goes quiet again, his attention settling back on the road ahead. The glow from the passing streetlights cuts across his face every few seconds, illuminating the tension straining his jaw before plunging him back into shadow.

“You ever think about doing something else?” he asks quietly.

“Sure,” I reply lightly, settling deeper into the leather seat. “Nothing else I’ve found pays this good, though.” I pause as I study his reflection, then grin. “Honestly, you should consider signing up. You’re cute, I bet you’d rake in way more as a donor than you do as a driver.”

He lets out a low grunt, shaking his head. “No thanks.”

“Why not?” I press. “You got some moral objection to blood donation?”

“No, I just…” he trails off, jaw tightening. “I’d rather not interact with vampires.”

I huff out a laugh. “Trust me, they’re not that scary.”

He meets my eyes in the mirror again. “I don’t trust anything that drinks blood to survive.”

“Fair,” I chuckle.

Outside, the city rushes past in a blur of glowing storefronts, flickering signs, and cracked pavement. Matt navigates the streets with easy confidence, his grip shifting on the wheel as he glances back at me every few seconds.

“Does it hurt?” he finally asks.

“What, the bite?”

He jerks a nod.

“Only for a second,” I say, my fingers drifting unconsciously to the pulse point in my neck. “After that, it’s almost… nice.”

“Nice?” he repeats, arching a dubious brow.

I laugh under my breath, trying to figure out how the hell to explain it. “Yeah. It’s a rush, I guess. Your whole body just kinda melts into it.”

His eyes flick to mine again, curious but cautious. He doesn’t push for more details, which is probably for the best, because I still don’t fully understand it myself.

I probably shouldn’t enjoy it as much as I do.

Matt shifts the conversation away from vampires after that, and the rest of the drive passes easily. Before long, we’re pulling up in front of a familiar townhouse with low, golden light glowing through the tall windows. Matt shifts the car into park, the engine settling into a soft idle.

“See you in a bit!” I say as I reach for the door handle, already feeling that familiar spark of anticipation humming beneath my skin.

“Be safe,” he murmurs, glancing back at me over his shoulder.

I flash him a quick smile, then slip out into the night.

My heels click against the pavement as I start for the front steps of the townhouse, only making it halfway up before the front door swings open.

Henry’s got the whole silver fox thing mastered to an almost unfair degree. Perfectly combed salt-and-pepper hair, a charcoal suit tailored within an inch of its life, and a jawline that could cut glass.

Yes, daddy.