She gave him a better look. “You’re serious.”
“Yep. I’ll be home by one a.m. at the latest, but if you need anything, just call. Or ask Lou downstairs. Like he said, he’ll be happy to help. There’s satellite television, all the movie channels, pay-per-view, or if you want something more active, there’s a pool and gym downstairs, too.”
He was leaving her. She had no right to be bothered by that, but she was. Not bothered, exactly, but…bummed. Which was another emotion that wasn’t hers to own when it came to Julian. She made herself smile even though she’d imagined them hanging out. “That sounds great. I’ll be fine.”
“Good. If you’re hungry, raid the fridge or order out. Again, Lou can help you with that. If you need something a little more substantial, check the wine cooler. There’s plenty of O positive, so don’t be shy.”
“Oh, nice, the good stuff.” She ran her tongue over her fangs. “I could eat.”
“Make yourself at home. I have to change. You need anything else?”
She looked around. It was so much nicer than her place. “Nope, I’m good.”
He started to leave.
“Um, say goodbye before you go?”
A curious expression crossed his face. “Sure.”
“Okay, great.” He left, and she went to work unpacking and hanging up her things. She’d definitely brought too much stuff, but she’d been in a rush and had no real idea what she’d need. Still, four wigs were probably excessive. As were the cocktail dresses, high heels, purses, and three jewelry rolls. Especially since it appeared she’d be spending most of her time in this penthouse. At least she’d packed leggings and T-shirts. And a couple bikinis.
Maybe a swim would do her good. Help her unwind a bit. Then she’d order a steak from wherever Lou the doorman suggested and watch some movies. She hadn’t had a night in since she didn’t know when. Her evenings mainly consisted of entertaining a packed house of tourists.
She hung the last dress, then sat on the bed to take in the room a little more. It really was a gorgeous space. She already felt more relaxed than she had in Vegas. Maybe this forced vacation wouldn’t be so awful.
If only Sam hadn’t been caught up in it all. Desi felt wretched about that. She pulled out her phone and was about to send a quick text to the woman when Julian walked back in.
“I’m headed out now, so—”
“Oh. My.” Desi’s brows shot up at the sight of his black leather pants, flouncy white shirt and black cape. A tangle of silver bracelets decorated each wrist, and she was pretty sure she detected some eyeliner that hadn’t been there before. And possibly glitter. He somehow managed to look hot and ridiculous at the same time. But hot was winning. “Is that seriously what you’re wearing?”
He spread his arms out. “Yes. What’s wrong with it?”
“Nothing if you’re in a local theater production of The Lost Boys.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m supposed to look like a regular guy playing a vampire.”
“Hmm. In that case, I think you nailed it.” His willingness to be so silly for the sake of his family’s business was kind of endearing. She wiggled a finger at him. “Do you get paid for dressing up like this?”
“In a way. I’m on a small salary. We all are, for the sake of the corporation.” He shrugged. “The town is how we make our living, so we each do our part.”
She held her hands up. “No judgment. It’s kind of sweet.” And sexier than she was going to tell him.
“Thanks. Are you going to be okay here by yourself?”
“I’m a grown woman. And nearly two hundred years old. I can handle a quiet night in. Kind of looking forward to it, actually.”
“All right. I should go.”
She waved her fingers at him. “Have a good evening.”
“You too.” He left.
She flopped back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. It would have been nice if he’d stayed. He was exceptional at cuddling, something she knew from a one-time experience. It had only happened once. Because she’d enjoyed it so much, she’d vowed never to let it happen again. That path led to more intimate moments, and intimate moments often led to love. With Julian, there was no doubt in her mind that going to bed with him would involve her heart.
But tonight, after the day she’d had and the realization that someone meant to do her harm, she thought about relenting. About the cuddling, not the full monty. A little snuggling on the couch during a movie would be heavenly.
But also probably disastrous. Especially if she was going to keep some distance between them. Which she was, because as much as she liked Julian, she knew how quickly men could change. How love could turn to hate without warning.
She sat up and pulled off her boots, putting them neatly into their individual shoe bags and stowing them in the closet with all the others. She stood there for a moment, looking at everything she’d unpacked. She really had gone overboard. Not that she’d ever admit that to Julian.
But her past had turned her into this person. Her need to have things and have them around her was something she’d long ago stopped trying to control. She had the money—not Julian’s level of money, clearly, but enough that she was very comfortable. So why not give in to that desire to never go without again? Why not indulge herself after the hell Alonso had caused her to endure?
It was ironic, really, considering why he’d done what he’d done to her. She laughed bitterly and shook her head. That was enough reminiscing.
She walked through the penthouse, turning lights on and having a look around. Didn’t take long to find Julian’s bedroom. It was the entire right side of the penthouse, and it was just as beautiful as the rest of his home, although not quite as sparse.
His dresser held a grouping of framed photos. The one in the center stuck out to her. A baby photo. The child was a chubby little thing with a shock of dark hair and sparkling eyes. He wore a button-down shirt with a little sweater vest and a plaid bowtie. The whole thing was so sweet it made her fangs ache. The sterling silver frame’s plaque was engraved with the name George.
Julian said his brother and sister-in-law had recently had a child. This had to be him. And he obviously held a place of importance in Julian’s life to have earned such a spot on the dresser. There was another picture, of an elegant older woman. She wore the kind of jewels that spoke of family money and had the kind of carriage that only good breeding and nobility achieved.
Another photo was a group shot, all the men in tuxedos and the women in evening gowns at some kind of event. In it, Julian seemed to be unaccompanied, whereas the other men all had dates. The older woman was at the center of the photo.
Family. Had to be. He’d spoken of his two brothers. This must be them. They were a handsome lot, but Julian was flawlessly beautiful. That kind of effortless magnificence combined with his kind eyes and warm smile set him apart from his brothers.
She studied the picture a second longer, then moved on to his closet. She couldn’t help herself. He was not quite the clothes horse she was, but he enjoyed designer goods as much as she did.
She flipped on the light and peeked inside. The closet was more than a walk-in. It could have been a guest room. Everything was organized by color and style. There was a wall of shoes behind glass doors. Rotating tie holders. A long row of suits in shades from black to white and everything in between. A rainbow of shirts.
And a small section of what must be his work clothes. A few more capes, ruffled shirts, frock coats, a top hat…all the trimmings for a vampire disguised as a human pretending to be a vampire. She ran her fingers over the fabrics. Silk, velvet, wool, cashmere. Even his dress-up clothes were high quality.
She turned to the center island and its drawers. She hesitated. This was trespassing. It was one thing to wander through his house, it was another to open drawers and snoop.
But then, technically, she was his wife. That changed things, didn’t it? Maybe a little, but it was still snooping. She recognized
the uncoolness of her actions, but was too weak to stop herself. She wanted to know more about him.
She pulled the top drawer open. Velvet-lined, it held rows of expensive watches all displayed on matching velvet stands.
The next drawer had cuff links, tuxedo studs, and tie clips. And a small velvet box that she recognized instantly. Interesting that the ring wasn’t in a safe somewhere. She shut that drawer quickly and opened the one below it.
The third drawer held sunglasses.
She stared at them as a little longing grew up in her heart. She hadn’t needed to shade her eyes from the sun in a long time. They wouldn’t be much protection anyway, unless they could cover her entire body.
She took a pair out and tried them on, glancing at herself in one of the full-length mirrors. Sunglasses weren’t a common accessory for vampires. Sure, they could still be worn at night for added concealment, but depending on where you were, that could actually make you stand out more.
Sunglasses were generally for people who went out in the sun. People who weren’t vampires.
She put them back in the same spot and shut the drawer. How Julian needed them, she had no idea. She knew he could daywalk. He hadn’t kept that from her. But how that was possible remained a mystery.
It was one of those subject they’d left alone. At least, she hadn’t asked and he hadn’t offered. Maybe something had happened at his turning. Somehow he’d been able to hold on to that part of his humanity. Didn’t seem possible, and she’d never heard of it happening to any other vampire, but how else could it be explained? Magic? Maybe. He had said his family employed a powerful witch.
Whatever made it possible, it wasn’t Desi’s business. If he wanted to share, he would. If he didn’t, no big deal.
She turned off the closet light and went out to the living room to watch a movie. The remote for the television was a tablet, and the touch screen made everything easy. She got the movie queued up, then went into the kitchen to dig around for something to snack on.
She opened the pantry and grinned. Apparently, Julian liked sweets. And not just any sweets, but soft, chewy ones. In fact, an entire pantry shelf was dedicated to them. There were industrial-sized buckets of gummy bears and Swedish Fish, bags of fruit slices, tubs of licorice of all sorts, and boxes of smaller individual packets of gummy cola bottles, Sour Patch Kids, and slightly gross gummy worms. There were some others she didn’t recognize because the writing was all in Japanese, plus a few more packages of cherry and strawberry licorice twists. The man liked his candy.
She laughed as she looked at them all, then realized they might not be his. He’d said the town did trick-or-treating every Friday night. Maybe all this candy had something to do with that…he could be standing on the street right now, handing some of it out.
Regardless, it was cute to think that he was either stocking all this candy for the tourist kids who stopped to see him when he was on duty, or he had a sweet tooth that was stuck in fourth grade. Slick, lady-killer Julian had a definite soft spot for youthful indulgences.
How could she not like a guy like that?
He’d said to make herself at home, and with all this sugary goodness in front of her, the steak no longer held any appeal. She grabbed a bag of gummy cola bottles, a bottle of water from the fridge and went back to the movie.
An hour and forty-five minutes later, the movie was over, and she was bored. She sent a quick text to Sam, but there was no response. Desi imagined the poor woman was probably sedated and sleeping.
She went over to the windows to take in the view. It wasn’t the Strip, but it was very pretty. In the distance, the lights of Main Street cast a soft glow on the night sky. Julian was down there somewhere. No doubt having a ball being the center of attention. She understood how fun that was, and in that way, they were very much alike. She could imagine how the female tourists reacted to him in that getup. He was already ridiculously good-looking, but in that costume, he was the vampire hero personified. Would he be flirting back? Yes. After all, it was part of the job.
How many selfies would he be in tonight? Her eyes narrowed as she pictured all that smiling and laughing and touching and—she frowned. She was jealous.
Wow. Where had that come from? She laughed. She wasn’t jealous. That was just plain silly. If anything, she was just bummed to be missing out on the fun going on down there. That was all.
She knew how freeing it was to be your true self, even though she only got to do that on stage. But to walk the streets without a care that someone might think you were a vampire? Amazing. Even more so to think that in this town, it was encouraged.
She huffed out a breath. Why should she stay in when she could go out there and see for herself? It was perfectly safe. People here weren’t likely to recognize a star from the Vegas stage, no matter how well known she was in that town. And no one knew she was here. Whoever was after her in Vegas thought she was laid up in the hospital with a broken leg.
Plus, she had brought all those wigs with her. She could change her look enough that not even Julian would recognize her.
Smiling, she headed back to her room to get dressed. Tonight wasn’t going to be nearly so quiet as she’d thought.
Maybe the women were extra clingy this evening, but Julian felt like he hadn’t had three minutes without one wrapped around him, holding out her phone for her friends to take a picture. If he had to pretend to bite one more neck, he might actually snap and do it.
He sighed. Internally. Because externally he was smiling and happy and flirting like it was his job, which it was.
He wouldn’t be biting anyone. He’d think about it an awful lot, but his fangs would not touch skin. That was rule number one for being the VOD. Fangs were never to touch skin because fangs were sharp and blood would most definitely be drawn. And that could cause lawsuits. Worse, younger vampires might not be able to control themselves around real, warm, available human throats.
So. No fangs on skin. No matter how tempting it might be.
“Say plasma!” The woman currently embracing him smiled as her friend took the picture. She let go of Julian immediately to reach for her phone. “Let me see. Oh, that is definitely going on Instagram.” She waved at Julian. “Thanks, you’re the best vampire I’ve seen all night.”
“You’re very kind,” he answered. He ought to be the best, considering he had been practicing for nearly four hundred years.
But his crankiness had nothing to do with the tourists and everything to do with the luscious vampiress in his penthouse. He’d much rather be with her than on this street, even if she didn’t feel about him the way he felt about her.
That part sucked. No pun intended. But they were going to be spending a lot of time together, and there was always the possibility that she might fall for him, something he knew he should let go of, but just couldn’t.
Or maybe he was just an optimistic lovesick fool. That was probably more likely.
The smiling and the flirting and the picture taking kept up at a pretty steady pace for the next hour or so, then he got a short reprieve as the crowd tapered off. He took the opportunity to check his phone. He hadn’t felt it vibrate, but he wanted to make sure he hadn’t missed Desi trying to get a hold of him.
He hadn’t. He put the phone away and looked up to see Hugh and Delaney coming toward him, pushing a pram. He grinned. Seeing George was always a treat. “Hello there, you handsome thing.”
Hugh smiled. “Hello to you too.”
Delaney laughed and Julian rolled his eyes. “You know very well I wasn’t talking to you.” He peered into the pram. “How’s my darling nephew?”
“A little fussy,” Delaney answered. “That’s why we decided to take a walk. Helps settle him down.”
Julian reached toward him but looked at Delaney. “May I?”
“Sure.” She pressed her foot down on the pram’s brake.
Julian lifted George into his arms. He smelled like powder and whatever that scent was that seemed to
surround all babies. Julian gave George’s fat cheek a big kiss. “Hello, Georgie, you handsome devil. How are you, little man?”
George put his hand on Julian’s cheek and cooed.
“Why thank you,” Julian said. “I think you’re quite the looker too.”
Delaney shook her head. “Why don’t you three boys hang out while I run into the ice cream shop for a second?”
Hugh laughed. “I knew you had an ulterior motive for coming out tonight.”
She gave him a coy look. “I don’t have any idea what you mean. Want a scoop?”
“No, I’m fine. You go ahead.”
“Julian?”
“Not while I’m on duty, thanks.”
“Okay, but you’re missing out. I heard the flavor of the month is chocolate bourbon toffee crunch.” She waved over her shoulder as she headed into I Scream.
Hugh took the brake off the pram, moved it to the side, then locked it down again before moving closer to Julian. “Everything all right?”
“Sure, why wouldn’t it be?”
He shrugged. “You sounded a little on edge when you called about the jet. And now you’re back home already. I expected to find Greyson doing VOD tonight.”
“Nope.” Julian bounced George on his hip, making him laugh. “It’s my shift, I’m working it.”
“So I see.” Hugh went silent a moment. “And I guess you’re not going to tell me what you were doing in Las Vegas? Again?”
Julian peered at his brother over the top of George’s head. “How do you know I was in Vegas?”
“Flight manifest.”
Julian sighed. It was impossible to keep anything private in a small town or a large family. “Personal business.”
Hugh nodded. “If you want to talk—”
“I don’t.” Julian forced himself to lighten up. Hugh wasn’t the enemy here. “But thank you for the offer.”
Delaney came back out carrying a large paper cup overflowing with ice cream, sprinkles, hot fudge and whipped cream. She pointed her spoon at the men. “Nocturne Falls should have an ice cream festival this summer.”
The Vampire's Accidental Wife (Nocturne Falls Book 8) Page 5
