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Brynn left me with a hug and a whisper to give him a chance, and I watched out one of our many windows as she hit the road. She texted me when she’d gotten home safely, which made me feel better.
I really wanted to sink into a bubble bath, but considering its location, and the snoring demon on the mattress, that wasn’t an option.
So, I just tucked myself into bed. It took thirty minutes of staring at the ceiling, but eventually, I managed to fall asleep.
A few hours later,my body’s inner clock woke me up, and I snuck out for yoga. Zander shuffled in thirty seconds before the class started, made a show of kissing my cheek, and plopped down on the open mat beside me.
There was a bouquet of red roses waiting on the kitchen counter when we got back from the class, and I stared at them for too long before reading the small card that had come with them.
My stomach clenched, expecting to see they were from Evan, but relaxed as I read the note.
Another beautiful nuisance to brighten your day
I couldn’t bite my lip fast enough to hide my smile.
We both spent the day working, and aside from Zander forcing me to down three more bags of blood that night, nothing eventful happened. When he left for the nightclub, I paced the living room until the garage opened. Then, I rushed into my bedroom and went right to bed, like I hadn’t been stressed, and warring with my possessiveness.
A few weekswent by without a hitch. There were way too many bouquets of roses, always with another beautiful nuisance note, but somehow they still made me smile every time.
I started feeling much better with all the blood in my system, and stopped feeling cold all the time.
But of course, a hitch occurred.
I was talking to Ella behind the counter at Coffee & Toffee, hearing about Zander’s latest insanely-large order, when the bell chimed above the door. It was a little after noon, so there wasn’t a crowd.
My gaze lifted to the door, then jerked back.
Charlie?
My eyes searched for the little scar above his eyebrow, but there wasn’t one.
Even without it, I would’ve known exactly who I was looking at.
“Excuse me.” I cut off my conversation with Ella, and strode out from behind the counter like my heart wasn’t beating a mile a minute. “What are you doing here, Evan?”
“Can’t I stop by to see my girlfriend at her shop?” he drawled, taking my elbow and leaning in for a kiss.
I ripped my arm out of his grasp and stepped away before his mouth made contact with my skin. “I’m not your anything. Get out of here.”
My bodyguard was already across the room, and his hand landed on Evan’s shoulder. “Do you really want to start a fight in a human-run coffee shop?” the man rumbled.
“I’m not here for a fight.” Evan studied me, making no move to shove my guard away. “I’ve got a message. A few of the vampires in town are staging a coup. You need to stay out of the nightclubs around here for a few weeks, for your safety.”
“If you were concerned about my safety, I wouldn’t have fangs right now,” I hissed back. “I have a mate. Hunting me down is a damn good way to get yourself killed, Evan.”
He smirked, revealing the obnoxious dimple in one of his cheeks. “If you had a mate, there’d be a mark to prove it. I’m the one who turned you—without a sealed bond, as far as I’m concerned, you’re mine.”
His fingers dragged down the length of a curl I’d left out of my bun, and I stumbled back quickly.
My bodyguard yanked him backward, and Evan let out a long, low chuckle. Lifting his hands in surrender, he made his way out of the shop.
The bell dinged again as he left, and I squeezed my eyes shut, stumbling back against the display case.
“Should we call the police?” Ella asked.
I didn’t answer.
Icouldn’tanswer.
