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“What? I thought vampires don’t eat.”
“We don’t, but it’s useful to keep to human social norms. Did you have dinner already?”
She was right. This was her chance. Dmitri must be dancing a jig. Still, she couldn’t make it too easy for Blackmore. Everything she’d read about keeping a man’s interest said they liked the chase.
Leah schooled her face to look neutral before saying, “Mr. Blackmore—”
“Call me Julian.” From anyone else, that would be a request. From him? A command.
“Fine. Julian.” The name was too intimate on her tongue. “Thank you for your offer, but I can’t accept.”
Leah was not fazed by the slight narrowing of the eyes. “Why?”
His cold voice sent shivers down her spine, but she refused to back down. “Have you forgotten what happened two weeks ago?” Just the thought made her temper flare. “You carted me into a vampire club like a piece of meat and then just left me there.”
“I also saved you from two hungry vampires who would’ve raped and killed you.”
“You could’ve done the same.”
He was inches from her before she could blink. Bristling, he bit out, “Do not compare me to those bastards.”
His nostrils flared, and his murderous gaze seared through her, yet there was no mistaking the desire in them.
“It didn’t give you the right to do what you did.”
“I saved you. And you enjoyed what happened between us. I don’t see the problem.”
His matter-of-fact tone grated on her nerves. “I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about the part where you forced me to stay in the club.”
“That was for your own safety. Unless you wanted to join in the activities there?”
Leah blushed before she could stop it. “No, I’m fine,” she mumbled. Realizing that she was losing, she glared at him. “That’s beside the point. I will not go to dinner with a vampire who will manhandle me.”
A vein ticked along his temple and his eyes flashed red. Power filled every corner of the room until she thought her heart might jump out of her chest. He would either roar at her or kiss her. She wasn’t sure which she wanted more, but her body already knew.
When he stepped back and lowered himself to the bed, the pressure lessened. Air rushed back into her lungs. His hand stroked the silk sheets, and her skin tingled with the need for his touch.
“Think of this as my appreciation for all the hard work you’ve done in the last few weeks.” It wasn’t fair how her body came alive at his low voice.
“Fine, but only if you promise to keep your distance and never enter my room without my permission again.”
He cocked his head. “Agreed.”
His agreement felt too easy. Had she made a mistake? No, she had a mission to accomplish, and time was running out.
Once they exited her room, Julian put a possessive arm on the curve of her back. She resisted the urge to lean into his strength and scowled up at him. “Where are we going?”
“We’ll head to the Equinox, unless you have some other preference?”
“Not really. I don’t know the restaurant.” She sent him a calculated look. “I thought you’d be busy with the diplomats arriving in just one day.”
“I am, but sometimes it’s nice to get away.”
They got in the elevator, and Blackmore—or should she think of him as Julian now?—ordered Tristan to take them to the lobby.
“Don’t you have better things to do in your free time?” Leah stepped away from Julian’s all-consuming maleness, even though they were stuck in an elevator together. She had to make it through dinner before jumping his bones.
Dimitri would be delighted at the progress. Was he listening right now? The thought bothered her. For some reason, she wanted privacy with Julian.
