She sighed and shook her head to pull herself out of her thoughts. When she glanced up again, Michael and Tori were standing.
“Drinks here or at Jonas’s?” Tori asked.
“Jonas’s.” Michael put a hand on the small of her back. “I’d prefer if you two were in a place where I can protect you when you’re drinking. I’m not sure I trust you two inebriated.”
Tori shrugged, and LeAnne laughed. Smart man.
Chapter Six
Dorian watched from his car in the parking lot of the strip club as Michael, Tori, and LeAnne got into theirs. He waited for Michael’s to pull out first, then followed LeAnne’s from a distance. As he suspected, the duo eventually parked at The Dungeon. Rather than blowing his cover and pulling in behind them, he circled the block a few times. Eventually, he parked and weighed his options. If he went inside, he would risk pissing off the padrone, who had forced him to drink his blood and said LeAnne was off limits. However, he was missing a night when he could be with her.
He shook his head and climbed out of his vehicle. How could he let himself get into a situation like this? His mark had full control over him, and a human had his attention. The world had gone to shit—and he was distracted by a woman.
Dorian pulled a pack of cigarettes from the chest pocket of his black leather jacket, then opened it and drew out one white stick. He lit the cigarette and leaned against the car, taking a long draw, wondering if the plan they had worked out would succeed. The Bureau had Grace, and they had said would kill her if he didn’t kill Michael and deliver Tori. They might do it even if he did, so killing the agent behind the plan might be a better solution. Since there was no chance the cosca could overtake a shitload of agents in an open war, he was out of options. Short of some miracle, Michael or the agent had to die.
“Hey.”
A familiar female voice pulled his attention toward the front of his car. Standing there in the darkness, LeAnne was beautiful. She was dressed in simple street clothes that hugged her curves. Her skin seemed more tanned, and her dark hair reflected the moonlight. Her eyes smiled as brightly as her lips. She was as clueless and innocent as a child was to what lurked in the real world, about creatures like him.
Guilt washed over him, and one word rang through his head: Asshole. “Hey,” he said back, and took another draw from his cigarette.
She moved closer. “Are you coming in?”
“Leaving.”
“Oh.” Her mouth turned down in the smallest frown. “I just got here. Forgot my phone in the car.”
She pouted, and it was too much. The hunger inside him reared its obnoxious head again. He could not drink from her until he earned the trust of the others. At least, they couldn’t know he did.
Dorian concentrated on that little bit of vampire magic in him that manipulated humans. When it blossomed up, filled him out to the fingertips, he tossed the cigarette and looked straight into her eyes. “Allow me to walk you to your car.”
She didn’t seem fazed by the blood magic, but she nodded. He took it and let her lead them to an ivory Sequoia. She opened the door, illuminating the dark, tan cab, and grabbed her phone. A breeze swirled past them, forcing her scent in his direction. It was as clean as before and even more tempting, but this time it was laced with the scent of something tropical. Coconut, maybe? He breathed it in and glided up close so that when LeAnne closed the door, Dorian had her trapped.
LeAnne looked up at him, her eyes searching his. A nervous smile turned up the corners of her mouth.
“You smell so…good,” he heard his voice say. Shut up, he thought with a cringe and backed her up against the SUV. That beast inside him growled when his hands slid up the soft skin of her arms. They moved to her shoulders and up onto her neck where her pulse fluttered beneath his thumb.
He leaned down to her and pressed his lips against hers. LeAnne didn’t struggle. Instead, her hands landed on his chest. Breathing in her scent, he struggled to keep control at first, but soon the man inside him dominated his body. She parted her lips, and Dorian slipped his tongue inside, stroking gently. LeAnne moaned against his mouth. It goaded the beast, and the man in him grew greedy, kissing her with more force.
She pulled at his shirt, her nails catching his skin lightly as he kissed his way down to that whooshing flutter in her neck. The sound of her blood called to him, begging for release, and when his lips found her pulse, the blood beat against the walls of her flesh. He opened his mouth and let his teeth scratch across the flesh. The sweet coppery flavor was there, just beneath the thinnest of human fabrics, and he could almost taste it. Free me, free me, it said in quick whispers.
Dorian threw himself back a step. “I’m sorry. I have to go.”
He turned and darted away before the monster in him could take her. Since no one was looking, he darted into the shadows and watched LeAnne lean against her vehicle, trying to catch her breath. She looked around, her eyebrows furrowed. She probably thought he was a freak, but he had to go. Dorian was too hungry to drink now. He would have to feed when there was time and he had control of his darker side. Here in the darkness, the monster wanted to open her vein and drink her dry while he fucked her against the SUV.
“Get a grip.” She pushed off the door and straightened herself. “Last thing you need right now is to bang a guy in a parking lot,” she muttered.
Dorian smiled. At least he wasn’t the only one thinking about sex in the parking lot.
LeAnne let out a long sigh and started toward the club. She wiped the corners of her mouth, reminding Dorian of how she tasted of liquor and cherries. His mouth watered for another sample.
Movement caught his attention. Tori turned the corner of the building, and when she spotted LeAnne, she stopped and rested a hand on her hip. “Everything okay?”
“Fine. Just had a call.”
He arched a brow at the lie. He didn’t tell her to lie, but he was glad she did.
“Always on that damned phone.” Tori laughed. “Let’s go, girl. Drinks are waiting!”
By the look of things, Tori had already had a few. In an hour, if they kept drinking, LeAnne’s blood alcohol level might be enough to get him drunk, too. He smiled at the idea and watched the two disappear into the building, then headed to his car. He climbed in and stuck keys in the ignition. Leaning back to buckle the seatbelt, he licked his lips and tasted a lingering bit of LeAnne, namely her alcohol, cherries, and something else sweet. Fruity. Pineapple, maybe? If it were not for Jonas, he’d march his ass inside and take a second taste.
A frazzled, somewhat mad-sounding chuckle rumbled up from his chest. Dorian shook his head and cranked the car. This was beyond dangerous. Loss of focus, distraction by a human, was beneath him. Tonight, he was going to bed her and get it out of his system so he could get on with not killing Michael. After all, he only had three nights left.
* * * *
LeAnne sat at the first table at the top of the stairs, where they’d sat down with Michael. She watched the wad of paper sail downward, right into the hair of Ewen, the uptight bouncer who stood at the bottom of the VIP section stairs. She cracked up and almost shot amaretto sour out of her nose. After choking the drink down, she yelled over the music, “Hit him in the ear!”
Tori nodded, which threw her so off balance that she had to grab the balcony railing keep sit upright. She righted herself and shot another spitball at Ewen.
Tori pegged him in the ear. They cackled and snorted.
Ewen did not. He turned and flipped Tori the bird.
She doubled it right back to him. He shook his head, fuming, and turned around.
Before LeAnne could catch her breath, Tori shot another spitball that whizzed right past him. Luckily, Tori’s aim sucked. She was drunk as a skunk, or at least as drunk as LeAnne was after celebrating her job with Michael, but it took about twice as many drinks to get Tori loaded tonight. Moreove
r, she was drinking straight tequila. Generally, she avoided that particular spirit since it made her a total bitch.
The only other time LeAnne had seen Tori drink like that was when Robert, her former fiancé, devastated her when by disappearing with another woman. Jose Cuervo was definitely a sign that Tori was troubled, and LeAnne was guessing the problem revolved around Jonas. After Dorian left her panting in the parking lot, LeAnne was feeling a bit troubled too. Jose was the perfect friend for those kinds of troubles.
“One more and I’m coming up there,” Ewen yelled up at them. Nothing in his demeanor said he found one iota of the harassment funny. He turned around, shoulders rigid and hands clenched.
It only made LeAnne laugh harder.
Tori stuck another piece of napkin in her mouth.
“Don’t,” LeAnne said with a giggle. “I think that might go too far.”
Tori pulled the wad from her mouth and crammed it into the straw. “Nah. He can’t hurt me.”
LeAnne reached for the straw. Just like in the movies, everything went into slow motion. The room tilted. She missed the straw and grabbed Tori’s shoulder.
Tori blew, shooting the spitball, but an extra strong blow caused by the shock of the shove made it whiz through the air.
She watched it fly over the railing and down the expanse of stairs at a painfully slow rate until it found its place, striking and sticking right on the back of Ewan’s ear.
LeAnne gasped.
“Yes!” Tori jumped up, arms over her head in triumph, and staggered until she fell into her seat.
He grabbed the spitball, looked at it, then turned to them. Ewen pointed a big finger at them. “That’s it!”
LeAnne knew as soon as he said it what her friend would say. She threw up her hand. “Tori, don—”
“Come on, big boy!” Tori crooked her finger at Ewen.
His face darkened, and he started up the stairs two at a time. “Shit.” Fear twisted LeAnne’s gut. She got out of her seat without thinking. “I don’t think he’s playing.”
Tori waved a dismissive hand and stood, holding onto the banister.
Ewen was in her space, suddenly staring down at her. His hands clenched in and out of fists. “Sit your ass down,” he said, accentuating each word. “Before you fall, you drunk.”
Tori leaned closer to him, as close to his face as the height difference would allow. “Make me,” she said with a giggle.
“It was just a joke,” LeAnne said, taking a step closer to them. “Let’s just have a drink and—”
Ewan’s eyes cut to LeAnne, then back to Tori. “Michael isn’t gonna like it if I’m the one to put you in your place. Sit the fuck down.”
LeAnne stepped closer. “Tori, come on!”
“Make—me,” she said, poking his chest with each word.
The bouncer grabbed Tori’s arms and lifted her straight up, feet off the floor. LeAnne started toward them but ran into someone a few feet from them. She blinked. No one had been there, she was almost sure of it. “Ewen.” Jonas’s voice was the first sign it was him. “Go back to your place.”
LeAnne stepped back to see his face and saw Tori looking at him with an arched-brow expression she could not quite decipher.
“Not until she apol—”
Jonas moved up to the man, up in his space, and put his hands on Tori’s shoulders. “Back off, Ewen. Do not force my hand.”
The tension in the air made the hair rise on LeAnne’s arm and her stomach ulcers ached. Slowly, Tori was lowered back to the ground. Even slower, Ewen took his hands off her. When it was just Jonas holding her, LeAnne could see Tori was glaring at Ewen. If she didn’t know better, she’d think Tori truly wanted him to hit her. When Jonas released her, LeAnne cringed, afraid she would bolt at him. LeAnne slid into a chair beside them, feeling her heart flutter from the heart palpitations that acted up when she was stressed, thanks to a case of mitral valve prolapse.
Ewen poked his finger at her. “Mind yourself, girl.”
“If you want to keep the finger…” Jonas didn’t need to finish the sentence.
Ewen turned and went back to his post, too. Tori started after him.
Jonas chuckled. “Cool it, hon.” He wrapped his arm around her waist. “You won’t win that one, and then I’ll have to rearrange his body for him.”
The words and body language seemed a little too comfortable to LeAnne. She averted her eyes, half afraid she would see something she would have to hide from Michael.
“Let’s move you two to the bar where I can keep an eye on you.”
She glanced up to see Jonas’s hand held out to her while the other was around Tori’s waist. LeAnne went along, negotiating the stairs one at a time. Even with Jonas’s hand to steady her, it wasn’t easy, but she managed. Then she let him lead her to the main bar, where they sat next to the little door that separated the public from the bartenders.
Tori slid onto her stool, but held onto Jonas’s arm. “Don’t leave me.”
“I can’t stay here.” His laugh sounded nervous, and he glanced at LeAnne. “You know that.”
“It’s okay, Tori.” LeAnne touched her hand, trying to help Jonas. “We’ll find someone to dance with.”
“Mm.” Jonas scratched the back of his neck with his free hand. “Not sure if that’s a good idea.”
“Why?” Tori demanded. “If Michael has dinner with other women, what’s wrong with a dance?”
“Tori.” His voice was higher and sounded stressed. “What is wrong with you tonight?”
She covered her eyes.
Oh, dear Lord, LeAnne thought. The downside of being drunk. Tori would be embarrassed tomorrow if she started crying tonight. There was obviously much more going on than she was telling, and this was not the place to spill it. LeAnne tried to think of some quick way to soothe her, but Jonas slipped an arm around her shoulder and pulled Tori to his chest. If he hadn’t been holding on, LeAnne was sure her friend would have slid off her stool.
He hugged her and whispered something in her ear that made Tori smile. LeAnne would have loved to know what, but she wasn’t going to ask. That was just none of her business.
“I’m gonna call Michael,” he said.
“No.” Tori pulled back, dabbing the corners of her eyes. “I’m fine. Don’t call him.”
“He needs to be here.”
“Nope. Just give me something else to drink.” She shook slightly, as if she were shaking off her depression. Then she plastered on a wide smile. “Thanks, Jonas. I needed to be reined in. Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.” He grabbed her head and pulled it to him, then kissed the top in a sweet gesture.
There was something sweet in their friendship (or whatever it was) that LeAnne had never experienced. It was always sex and ownership with the men she knew, but Tori had something else with Jonas. LeAnne realized she was staring, and looked away until she sensed movement beside her. She glanced over in time to see Tori stand and pull Jonas down to her. Her breath caught in her chest as her friend leaned closer. If Michael caught her kissing Jonas, he would kill them both.
Tori went right of his mouth, just on the corner of his lips, and planted a slow, soft kiss. There was wasn’t one chaste thing about the action, although LeAnne couldn’t quite put her finger on why. There was no opening of mouths. In fact, Jonas stood stone still, as if he were afraid to even breathe. To make it worse, Tori stayed there just a little too long.
When her brain kicked back into gear, LeAnne turned around and grabbed a glass of something pink the bartender slid in her direction. She eyed it for a moment and downed the liquid before she could talk herself out of it. She’d begun to like Michael, and wasn’t exactly sure what level of hell he was going to raise if he saw them together.
LeAnne sat her glass on the bar and slid it through the hole to the bartender. �
��One more,” she said and raised her finger. They were best friends. Family, really. She would stand by Tori no matter what happened, but if she was going to watch Tori do this tonight, she was going to need lots of liquor.
LeAnne took a sip, then sat her glass down. Just as fast, she was up off her stool, moving through the air. She landed in someone’s lap, facing the stool she had just been sitting on. LeAnne jerked her head up.
Dorian was smiling down at her. “Hi.”
“Hey.” LeAnne put an arm around his neck and giggled.
There was something appealing about Dorian’s confident, even cocky, approach that appealed to her. If anyone else had grabbed her up like this a year ago, she would have been mad. She would have felt an assumption had been made, regardless of how she felt about them. Now, she wasn’t going to deny the pleasure or her attraction to him. She’d spent too many years trying to keep up appearances, and now she was going to be happy. If people didn’t like it, they could kiss her ass.
He held her around the waist. “Had a little to drink tonight?”
“A few.”
Tori laughed. “A bunch.”
LeAnne looked up to see Tori holding tight around Jonas’s waist. His arm was around her shoulder.
“You two haven’t gotten into trouble, have you?” He glanced between them.
“Tori tried to pick a fight with the bouncer over there.” LeAnne thumbed in Ewen’s direction.
He chuckled. “I’d pick someone smaller if I were you.”
“I have an equalizer.” Tori winked and looked up at Jonas.
“He’s not here, though,” Jonas said, straightening his back.
Tori almost looked wilted at the subtle rebuff.
“Jonas came to our rescue.” LeAnne looked at Dorian, hoping for a change of subject. He said nothing, so she looked back up to see Tori sliding onto the seat beside her. Jonas was gone.
Dorian Page 7
