"There's a bar and restaurant in Port Aransas, are you hungry?" he asked, sliding into the driver's seat.
"No, not really," I said. "I'll just have a drink. You can eat if you want."
"Good enough," Tony said and off we went. The restaurant was called Victoria's. It had a nice bar and tables lined up along wide, plate glass windows overlooking the water. Boats were coming in and going out, although it was long past nightfall. Port Aransas is a sleepy fishing village most of the time; it just turns into a Mecca for college kids on summer weekends and during spring break. Tony ordered fish caught locally, along with a pile of coleslaw and French-fries. I asked for a bloody Mary while he had a beer.
"So, you do security?" he asked while he ate.
"Yeah. Patrol the building, secure the perimeter, boring stuff."
"Ever have any excitement?"
"Not since two guards got fired for having sex on the job."
Tony laughed again. "I don't think I've ever run into that one before. Have you ever gotten hurt, doing what you do?"
"Only when I was moonlighting," I said. I didn't want to go into detail with that. That was dangerous territory. "Where are you from, since this is vacation?"
"Virginia," he said. "I know, I'm a long way from home, but somebody told me Florida would be coast to coast college kids when I left and recommended this place as a little quieter."
"It is, unless you go down by the main beach," I said. "Are you staying in town or farther down the beach?"
"Staying at the Aransas Queen," he said. That was a condo about half a mile from Winkler's beach house. It was one of the nicer ones on the beach, too.
"Do you like it?" I asked.
"It's nice," he said. The waiter came by and Tony asked for a club soda. "Driving, you know," he told the young man, who asked if I wanted another bloody Mary.
"No, I'll take a club soda, too, with lime, please."
"I don't suppose you'd be interested in coming by my place for a while?" Tony asked as we walked out of the restaurant later.
"Not tonight," I said. I figured Gavin and Winkler would be having a cow as it was. I shouldn't have to answer to either one of them for every minute of my time, but that's how things were. Tony drove me back to the Cadillac. Barnes and Noble had been closed for nearly half an hour by that time and they stay open late.
"Nice car," he said when we pulled up.
"It's not mine, it's borrowed," I said.
"Can I get a kiss or do you not do that on a first date?" Tony was smiling as he opened my door.
"Is this a date? Good lord, I had no idea." I patted his cheek. "Maybe next time. I did enjoy it, though. I don't think I've laughed in a while," I told him. "Thanks."
"You're welcome," he said, leaning in faster than I expected and kissing me anyway. It wasn't forced, he only kissed me lightly, but I was still shocked. I hadn't kissed any man except Don (aside from the quick peck I'd gotten from Winkler at a basketball game) for more than twenty-three years and didn't really know what to do. Tony didn't push it; he just took my keys, opened the Cadillac for me and got me inside. "Here's my card and this is my cell number," he pulled a pen out of a pocket and wrote a number on the back of the card. "Now, I'll wait until you get away," he said, closing my door.
I started the car and pulled away, leaving him standing in the parking lot, staring after me. I didn't look at his card until I got back to the beach house and parked the Cadillac in the garage. The hair almost stood up on my head when I did look. It read Anthony Hancock, Director, Joint NSA and Homeland Security Departments, listing an address in Washington, D.C.
"Holy fuck," I muttered, shoving the card in my jeans pocket. Clutching my bag of books, I left the garage and trotted up the guesthouse stairs.
Chapter 11
The shower felt good. I felt guilty about washing Tony's scent off my body, but there wasn't any way I wanted a nosy werewolf asking if I'd been meeting somebody. And I liked Tony. Even if he might be bigger and badder than some of the werewolves I knew. Freaking NSA and Homeland Security. Crap. If he was the Director, who the hell was his boss? I was brushing my teeth when Gavin walked in.
"I just wanted to make sure you got back," he said. He could tell just by checking if the Cadillac was in the garage, but I wasn't going to point that out to him.
I wiped my mouth with a towel and looked at him instead. "I got some good books, I think. You might want to borrow one of them. It's by that author you like."
"Which one?"
"Conner Phelps."
"I'll borrow it," he nodded. "What did you do tonight, little vampire?"
"I had a drink with a man. I didn't bite him and he managed to kiss me once, despite my best efforts." I wasn't about to lie. Why should he care what I did? "And I don't know how I feel about being called little vampire. That hasn't been part of my life for very long. It doesn't define me, I don't think. Is that what you think? That's all I am? A bloodsucker?"
"It wasn't my intention to upset you," he said. "Did you enjoy your time with this man?" Gavin leaned his shoulder comfortably against my bathroom door.
"He made me laugh. I haven't done that in a long time," I said. "I'll likely never see him again. Is it wrong to want to feel normal, now and then? You know what I was afraid of, tonight, when I went out for drinks? That you and Winkler would ask for an accounting of my time. Is that any way to live? I used to have a life. I used to get to make decisions for myself." I tossed my hand towel onto the sink.
"I have tomorrow off. Perhaps you will come out with me," he said, shocking the hell out of me.
"Where were you thinking about going? I don't do tractor pulls or greyhound races." That seemed to encompass the local offerings. Besides movies and dinner, that is.
"Little girl, I do not do either of those things." Gavin actually smiled at me. That might have been as rare as a blue moon.
* * *
The pink top was sleeveless silk and fit like a glove. It was also one of those that came to the top of your pants or skirt, as long as you were standing upright and perfectly still. Otherwise, it showed the barest hint of midriff, now and then. I'd never worn it or the short, black skirt. I wore both for my outing with Gavin, thinking I must be out of my mind to accept his invitation. I also had low heels I hadn't worn before, bought in a moment of weakness at the mall in Oklahoma City. My feet didn't bother me anymore so I could wear heels as much as I liked. That in itself was a blessing.
My hair was French braided again, too. Still no jewelry, though. I didn't want to spend any money on it—who knew if I'd need the cash I had for something desperate someday?
Gavin wore a suit, something I hadn't seen him in until then and he wore it as if he were used to it. He looked really good in it, too. The white of his shirt contrasted with his skin color, which was several shades darker than mine—like he had European roots or something.
"You look quite nice," he said as we walked down the steps to the guesthouse together.
"You still haven't told me where we're going," I said.
"It will be a surprise," he said, handing me into the passenger seat of one of the SUVs.
It certainly was a surprise; Gavin took me to a wedding reception. "Do you know the couple?" I asked as we pulled into the parking lot of a nice hotel.
"I do not," he said. "You have no idea how difficult it is to find a place to dance in this city. That sort of thing doesn't exist as a regular venue. Therefore, we are attending a reception where there is a live band."
Gavin likes to dance. No way would I have ever guessed that in a million years. No way. I was glad I had heels on since he's so much taller than I am. He dances well and leads nicely. We toasted the bride and groom with champagne, just like everyone else and the last dance we danced before Gavin pulled me away was to The Dream, one of David Sanborn's best pieces. The band had a great saxophone player and he did a wonderful job. Gavin pulled me close against him as the music wound its way through the ballroom. When I stole a glance
at Gavin's face, his eyes were closed and my hand was held tightly inside his, snug against his chest.
Gavin loaded me into the SUV as the reception was breaking up, and took me driving. We ended up at a Park Ranger's station where we had to pay to drive onto Padre Island National Seashore. The truck went into four-wheel drive and we drove down the wild, natural beach for nearly an hour, leaving everyone and everything behind. Gavin parked the truck on the sand, slipped his suit coat off, rolled up his shirtsleeves and then removed his shoes and socks. We were getting out. I slipped my shoes off too and opened my door.
The water was beautiful—washing up there on the beach in the moonlight. The moon was close to full and cast a nice trail over the gulf.
"Come," he said and lifted me onto the hood of the SUV before hopping up to sit beside me.
"I only got to see the ocean a few times in my life," I said, "before now."
"Your husband was ill, wasn't he?"
"He was. He was born with a heart defect and had problems all his life. That's not what killed him, though," I said.
"I investigated that. He died of complications from a procedure."
"Yes, he did. I went to a bar to get drunk for the first time in my life when they turned off the machines. And here I am, a bloodsucking vampire."
"Lissa, as you told me quite eloquently last evening, that does not define what you are."
"I don't feel like that's what I am." I sighed. "I miss the sunlight, Gavin. Those bright, sunny days with fluffy clouds floating in a blue sky. I can only see that in movies and photographs, now. And food? I used to love to eat. That's why I'm a good cook. No way was I going to waste something by cooking it badly." I swung my legs out in front of me, over the side of the hood.
"You have beautiful ankles," Gavin said. That stopped me in my tracks. Nobody had ever looked at my ankles before.
"I think I'll take a walk, now," I said, slipping off the SUV.
"I made you uncomfortable," Gavin was beside me in seconds.
"Nobody ever found anything about me attractive, before," I said. "So it's just a shock, that's all."
There were a few jellyfish washed up on the beach, so we stepped around them. "Is there anything you like about being vampire?" Gavin asked as we walked. The sand was soft under my feet—I was digging my toes into it from time to time.
"I like not having to go to the bathroom," I said. That made him laugh.
"Of all things, to pick that one," he squeezed my shoulders.
"You have to admit that you never have to leave a movie in the middle, just to run down the hall," I said. "That's definitely a plus. I like the way I can smell things, now. Like Winkler's scent. That's what I was depending on when I went looking for him the night he was kidnapped. It was just a fluke that I found the Jaguar instead. I definitely smelled the decay around the truck those kidnappers used. I got the scent off the dead security guard. It was all over the truck. That's how I knew it was the right one. And then I recognized the scent of two of those men when they came out of the restaurant. Their smell was inside the Jaguar."
"You have a sensitive nose, then," Gavin said. He still had an arm draped loosely over my shoulder.
"If I'd known those schmucks were werewolves, I would have forced them to go with me when I went looking for Winkler that night. We might have found him sooner. But I was afraid to give myself away."
"You must always protect yourself, no matter what," Gavin said, his voice and his gaze gentle.
"Where were you and your good advice when I was wading into an angry pack of werewolves?" I asked.
"Doing what Winkler was doing and worrying over you," he said.
"Well, that doesn't make me uncomfortable or anything," I muttered.
"Lissa," Gavin stopped and turned me to face him, both hands on my shoulders. A finger went under my chin, tilting my head up so my eyes would meet his. "You have no control over how others may feel about you, most of the time. If they know what you are, they will either love you or despise you. That is the way of what you are. Unless you deliberately go out of your way to make enemies, that is, and that is not a part of you. Some believe that vampires are a darkness, but there is a light in you."
"I have so many vampire acquaintances to compare myself to," I grumbled, looking away.
"Lissa, do not regret that, I beg you." Gavin's hands moved to cup my face, bringing my gaze back to his. And then he leaned down to kiss me. I remember shivering from the intense pleasure of his mouth upon mine, but I have no idea what happened next because I fainted.
I woke later, buckled up in the passenger seat of the SUV while Gavin drove toward the beach house. "What happened?" I felt a little woozy.
"You fainted, little girl. I am driving you home now."
"Wow. I'm sorry." I rubbed my forehead.
"It was probably too soon and after a long night," Gavin said. "You are still recovering from your ordeal. We will not repeat this."
What was he saying? That we weren't ever going out again? I thought he'd had a good time. Maybe he didn't like his dates fainting on him or something, which brought me back to reality. This was Gavin we were talking about. Hot and cold Gavin. No surprise. I should have seen it coming. I didn't speak to him the rest of the way home.
* * *
Gavin cursed himself. Never. Never again. He'd drank from her. He couldn't deny the scent of her any longer and he'd held her tightly against him while her body shivered and convulsed in climax. He'd been forced to place compulsion when she woke after fainting. Sweet little Lissa. He was going to kill her at Wlodek's command when all was said and done and he was treating her like this. He hated himself at that moment.
* * *
"Whitney and Sam are coming to Dallas for the full moon. They'll run with my Pack," Winkler informed me. The full moon was on the sixteenth of April, and here it was the thirteenth. "We'll leave tomorrow and fly up. I have some business to take care of while I'm there anyway."
"Are we staying there or coming back here?" Gavin asked.
"We'll be coming back, so pack light."
We'd tentatively agreed that I would go back on duty the nineteenth. According to Winkler, we'd be back in Corpus Christi by then. Gavin had barely spoken two words to me after we'd come back from our date. All sorts of doubts gnawed at me, driving me crazy with worry. What had I done? I couldn't put my finger on any single thing, so I'd come to the conclusion that he hadn't enjoyed himself at all. Well, better to find out now, I guess. I was reading later while Gavin was out on patrol, when my cell phone rang. Thinking Winkler wanted something, I answered without checking the ID. "Hello?" I said.
"You're a hard woman to find." Somehow, Tony had found my cell phone number.
"What makes you say that?" I asked, mentally gulping. The man had tracked me down.
"When you didn't call me back, I had to try to find you."
"You know, I'm not even going to ask how you did that," I said. "I'm sure it involves aliens and a time machine."
"Now it's my turn to ask how you knew that," he laughed. "Lissa, I really want to see you again. I promise I'll leave the aliens at home."
After my failed experiment with Gavin, I thought seeing Tony again might be fun. "I might have the eighteenth open," I said. "That's a Saturday night. I'll be in Dallas until then."
"Work taking you there?"
"In a way."
"How about meeting me at the bookstore at eight?"
"Sounds good." I was going to suggest meeting there myself.
"See you there and please don't be late. I'll get an anxiety attack if you're not there on time."
"You get anxiety attacks?"
"Where you're concerned. Why do you think I tracked you down? I couldn't stand it anymore."
"You know, I may bring a therapist with me. I think you need help."
"I just need to see you. That'll do the trick, I promise."
"All right. Don't have an aneurysm. I'll do my best to be there on time."
&
nbsp; "I'm crossing aneurysm off my to-do list," Tony chuckled.
"See that you do," I said, and hung up.
The flight from Corpus Christi to Dallas didn't take very long and there were four security guards waiting at the airport when we arrived, herding us around and loading us into even more SUVs. Winkler must have gotten a substantial quantity discount on those things. The wall around the house had been fixed after the blast that knocked part of it down in early February, and painted to match the rest already. Gavin and I were in the same vehicle as Davis but it was Davis who was sitting next to me.
"You gonna make us dinner, or cookies?" He sounded wistful as we made the trip from the airport. Smiling at him, I shrugged a little at his question. I hadn't had that many conversations with Davis since I'd come back from North Dakota and I sort of missed those a little.
"I'll think about it," I said.
Gavin and I had the second story guesthouse again, but we weren't speaking to each other much. Whatever I'd done, it had been a doozy, or maybe he just didn't appreciate his dates passing out on him. I still couldn't explain that. I also had no plans to tell him that I had a date with Tony on Saturday night. If he wanted to play twenty questions when I got back, I might consider telling him to fuck off.
Whitney and Sam were already at the house when we arrived and Whitney ran out the front door of Winkler's mansion to hug me. Sam was a little slower to arrive, but he hugged me too and said his dad wanted to send some sort of thank you. He just didn't know how to go about it.
"Tell him that seeing you alive is the best thanks I could have," I told Sam, patting his shoulder. "Tell him he's welcome."
I also baked cookies for the people in the house that night. Oatmeal and chocolate chip, and both kinds were gone in two blinks. Gavin went straight to the guesthouse and didn't join the others. He wasn't expected to work until the following evening, so I figured he was reading or watching television. Whitney wanted to show off the ring Sam bought for her and talk about the problems they faced, going to different schools and not seeing much of each other. I just told her it was a temporary thing, that summer was coming up and neither one of them was going to be in school forever.
Blood Wager (Blood Destiny #1) Page 16
