His frown deepened into a scowl. Wait. Had someone tattled to Reordon? Was the extra man coming along to ensure Cliff would keep his distance from Emma?
He grumbled inwardly. What a crock. He had already decided to keep his distance from her. He wasn’t sure how he would do that exactly. If she approached him and asked if she could sit with him, he knew he wouldn’t have the heart to say no.
But when Bastien and Melanie made their attraction known, things had gotten a little snippy for a while between Mr. Reordon and Melanie. Cliff didn’t want the same to happen with Emma, particularly since he wasn’t sure Reordon considered Emma as irreplaceable as Dr. Lipton.
Todd offered no explanation, and Cliff didn’t ask.
Dread pooled in his stomach. Irritation rose until he swore inwardly. Couldn’t he have one damn thing he could look forward to each day? Just one. Damn. Thing? Was that so much to ask? A nice meal with a beautiful woman who made him smile and laugh? Who made him feel like a man rather than a crazed vampire whose days were numbered?
A ding sounded shortly before the doors slid open.
Their boots clomped on the floor like a drumbeat as they strode forward. Every fascinated, curious, or nervous stare that met his made Cliff’s ire rise. Which one of them had run tattling to Reordon? Was it him? Or her? Or them?
“You okay there, Cliff?” Todd asked, sliding him a sidelong glance.
“Sure.” When anger continued to rise within him—something it did more often now—Cliff drew in a deep breath and forced his tight muscles to loosen. “What’s the extra man for?”
Todd shrugged. “I missed breakfast today.” As if on cue, his stomach rumbled. “I’m hungry as hell, so Simmons is going to take my watch while I eat lunch.”
Cliff looked at him in surprise. “Oh.”
“What’s wrong?” Mischief lit Todd’s green eyes as he smiled. “Did you think Simmons asked to come along so he could ogle you while you eat? You’re not that good-looking, you know.”
Cliff laughed.
The other guards laughed too as Simmons gave Todd a hard shove.
As they entered the cafeteria, Cliff wondered if the occupants would ever stop going silent and gaping when he entered.
Emma was nowhere to be seen, he noted with disappointment. Had she chosen not to come so the gossip would die down?
“I like this,” Todd murmured, nudging him with an elbow.
“What?”
“Everybody going quiet and staring.” He puffed out his chest and adopted an exaggerated swagger. “Makes me feel like a celebrity.”
Smiling, Cliff shook his head.
Once Mason happily provided them with lunch, they headed for Cliff’s usual table.
Cliff arched a brow when Todd pulled out the chair next to his, sat down, and began to inhale his lunch.
“What?” the other man asked around a mouthful of burger.
“Is there a reason you’re sitting beside me instead of across from me?
“Yep.”
If he thought sitting beside Cliff would make it easier to tranq him in a worst-case scenario, Todd was mistaken. “And that is?”
“Wait for iiiiiiiiit—”
“Hi, baby!” a cheerful feminine voice called.
Cliff looked toward the entrance.
A pretty Latina woman was grinning and waving. Beside her, Emma walked quietly, a slight smile curling her lips as her eyes met Cliff’s.
“Hi, gorgeous,” Todd replied with a grin as they approached.
This must be Cynthia.
“Give us a minute to get our lunch,” she said.
“Sure thing.”
Cliff forced himself not to turn and watch them as they continued on to the lunch counter. Heart lightening, he instead kept his expression impassive and focused his attention on consuming the gargantuan bowl of salad Mason had prepared for him.
Todd grimaced. “I don’t know how you can eat that shit without salad dressing.”
Cliff shrugged. “As long as it has lots of walnuts and raisins in it, I don’t need the dressing.” Although he still wasn’t a fan of celery. Mason must’ve caught on to that though, because he’d left the celery out this time.
Nice guy.
The women returned.
Cynthia paused long enough to give Todd a quick kiss, then set her tray down across from his.
Emma set her tray down beside her friend’s.
Cliff rose.
Todd glanced up at him, then hastily rose, too.
Both women smiled and took their seats.
Cynthia smiled at Cliff as he sat down once more. “You’re a good influence on him.” She extended her hand. “Hi. I’m Cynthia.”
He gave it a shake. “Nice to meet you. I’m Cliff.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt stupid.
“I know.” She grinned. “Sadie’s been singing your praises.”
“She has?”
Cynthia nodded. “Ever since I heard you were eating lunch up here, I’ve been wanting to join you, but work kept getting in the way.” Wrapping an arm around Emma, she drew her tight against her side in a hug. “Thank you for saving my bestie. And Sadie. I love them both to pieces.”
Smiling, Emma hugged her back.
Cliff didn’t know how to respond, so he just nodded. “I’m glad I was there to help.”
Cynthia gave him a teasing look. “So modest.” She jerked her chin toward Todd. “Unlike some people, who think I should be eternally grateful if they load the dishwasher.”
Todd laughed, as did the rest of them.
Cliff shifted his gaze to Emma as the couple bantered.
Her brown eyes met and held his, happiness brightening them.
She had done this. She had convinced her friends to eat with them to try to deflect any suspicion that they were interested in pursuing more than friendship.
And hell, if friendship was all he could ever have with Emma, he would take it. And appreciate it. And appreciate her.
The next day, Todd, Cynthia, and Emma joined Cliff for lunch again, as did Sadie. The day after that, a man named Miles joined the growing group at their table. Then a couple of brothers who were part of Reordon’s weapons development team. And so it went for weeks. Then months. Sometimes the table was full. Sometimes he only had a handful of companions. But Emma was always in the mix. And she always sat directly across from him, her eyes meeting his much more often than that of the others’.
Affection for her grew. And admiration. She had succeeding in finding a way for them to continue seeing each other five days a week without either of them facing negative repercussions. The whispers gradually stopped. The silence and staring that always greeted Cliff’s entrance gradually shortened until he hardly noticed it.
While he missed being able to spend time alone with Emma—or as alone as they could be in a room full of other people—he knew this would have to be enough.
His heart still lightened whenever he saw her. His pulse picked up. His lips stretched in a smile whenever hers did. And just the sound of her laughter made him happy.
How he wished he could touch her. Cover her soft hand with his. Cup her lovely face in his palms and brush her lips with a kiss.
Did she want the same? Did she dream of the two of them coming together, bare flesh against bare flesh, the way he did? Did she even think of him as more than a friend or work acquaintance?
Since she never gave any indication, he honestly couldn’t tell.
Until one day a few months later.
Chapter Eight
Cliff had to really fight to keep from quickening his pace. He and his guards were later than usual heading up to the cafeteria. Todd had delayed them while he checked on something. Cliff didn’t know what—he hadn’t really paid attention to Todd’s mutterings because he’d been too distracted eyeing the clock and counting every minute they wasted.
Minutes he could be spending with Emma.
/> But they were finally on their way.
As usual, Cliff’s attention shot straight to Emma when he entered the cafeteria.
She wore a colorful, casual shirt that hugged small breasts he spent far too much time thinking about and a narrow waist. Short sleeves bared slender arms that bore a little more muscle definition now than they had when he’d first met her. Arms he had on many occasions fantasized about stroking, wondering if her skin was as soft as it looked. Her hair was arranged in a half-up, half-down style, the front pulled back into a puff and the rest left down.
Every time he saw her, his heartbeat stuttered an instant before it began to beat harder.
It took a moment for him to realize that the table was packed today. Only one seat remained unoccupied. The one across from her and next to Cynthia.
His heart sank. Would he not be able to have lunch with Emma today?
Beside her, Sadie glanced up, met his gaze, then turned to smile at Emma. “Well, I’d better get back to work. That darn trainer is going to come get me in an hour for another torture session.”
His time at the network had vastly improved his ability to pick and choose which conversations—of the many that took place at once—that he wished to use his acute hearing to eavesdrop upon.
Emma smiled and patted the older woman’s hand. “Okay.”
“Give him hell, Sadie,” Cynthia called as the woman rose.
Sadie laughed. “Oh, I plan to.”
Apparently nearly every trainer at network headquarters was also a physical therapist. And one had been working with Sadie for some months now to help increase her mobility and strength.
Cliff strolled forward with Todd.
Sadie did seem to move more smoothly and with more confidence now as she approached them with a smile. One of those reusable cloth grocery bags dangled from one hand. “There’s my hero!” she called.
Several heads turned.
Stopping in front of him, she wrapped her skinny arms around him and gave him a squeeze.
Cliff smiled and hugged her back. Had she chosen that moment to leave on purpose so he could sit beside Emma? Or had it been a coincidence?
When she backed away a step, she held up the bag. “I baked you some more cookies.”
He took it when she thrust it toward him. “You don’t have to do that, Sadie.”
“I don’t have to work at my age either. But what the hell else am I going to do with my time now that my Henry’s gone?” She sent Todd a squinty-eyed look. “And don’t think I don’t see you, boy, already drooling over that bag.”
Todd assumed an exaggeratedly innocent expression. “Who, me?”
“Don’t you go pouncing on him as soon as I leave the room. Those cookies are his.” She gave Cliff a sweet smile. “But you can give him one if you want.”
“One!” Todd protested.
Laughing, Sadie left the cafeteria.
Todd and Cliff crossed the rest of the distance to the lunch counter.
“You are going to give me more than one, right?” Todd asked.
Cliff laughed. “Right.”
Todd kept up a rambling conversation as they collected their trays and headed for the table.
Relieved that no one had taken Sadie’s seat, Cliff slowed his steps as he waited to see where Todd would sit.
Yes! He sat beside Cynthia.
Cliff set his tray on the table and lowered himself to the last remaining chair—the one beside Emma.
“Hi,” she said, her greeting friendly but no more so than the one she offered Todd.
He set Sadie’s bag next to his tray. “Hi.”
“Hi, Cliff,” Cynthia said with a smile before she turned to Todd. “Hi, baby. How’s your day going?”
He pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “Better now that I’m with you.”
“Awww.” She ruffled his hair. “You’re such a sweetheart.”
Some of the others at the table greeted Cliff and Todd, then resumed what became an animated discussion of the latest Marvel movie.
Cliff barely heard it, too focused on the woman seated to his left. He drew in a subtle breath.
Emma smelled of coconuts and cucumbers.
As she reached for her glass of water, her elbow brushed his and sent a shock of awareness up his arm.
Did her heartbeat pick up? Or was that just his imagination?
He smiled and tossed in his opinion of the film, drawing both agreements and protests.
“You’re just saying that because you’re strong enough and fast enough to kick his ass,” Todd proclaimed with a grin.
Laughing, Cliff shook his head while under the table he slid his boots a little farther apart and splayed his knees comfortably until his thigh touched Emma’s. A seemingly innocent contact no one would notice, particularly since his attention remained on Todd.
But Cliff heard her breath catch. And her pulse picked up until it matched his, which now raced.
Time stood still while he bantered with Todd and awaited her response.
Would she pull away?
No. The pressure of her thigh against his increased, the simple reciprocation firing his blood so much it was all Cliff could do to keep his damn eyes from glowing as arousal shot through him. But a lot of employees watched them. A lot. And he could—would—do nothing to start tongues wagging again. Even though he wanted nothing more than to drag Emma onto his lap, bury his fingers in her soft hair, and devour her tempting lips.
The women left first. The others at the table straggled away shortly thereafter, leaving only Todd. Cliff finished his lunch slowly, needing time to bring his body back under control. Though sad to admit, it had been so long since he’d felt a woman’s touch—any touch beyond one of Melanie’s or Linda’s sisterly hugs—that he had a hell of a hard time tamping down the arousal that burned through him.
A brush of her arm. The press of her thigh.
Cliff closed his eyes.
He wanted so much more than that.
Chapter Nine
More months passed. Once a week, Emma managed to arrange things so Cliff could sit beside her. Twice some weeks. Those were Cliff’s favorites.
Fevered dreams of peeling her clothes off and exploring her beautiful body began to infiltrate his sleep. But in the cafeteria, he always restricted their talk to casual banter none could find fault with and their touches to simple things like his shoe nudging hers, or his thigh, or his elbow.
He really came to dislike weekends. Like this one. Because they kept him from seeing Emma.
Cliff settled himself on a barstool in his small kitchen, picked up the foot-long sandwich he’d just put together, and took a big bite.
Stuart spoke in a room down the hallway. “Hey, Cliff. You want to join us for a poker game later?”
“No, thanks,” he said. “I want to put some miles in on the treadmill.”
“Okay.” Some of the smile left Stuart’s voice, hinting that he’d guessed Cliff’s reasons.
Cliff had begun to hear voices. Voices that urged violence and anger and filled his mind with images that sickened him.
Those voices were louder today. Much louder. Something he’d begun to notice tended to happen on days he didn’t see Emma.
Damn, he wished she worked weekends.
As soon as the thought dawned, he swore and called himself a selfish bastard. She deserved some time off and no doubt needed it after the long workweeks.
How do you think she spends that time off? a sly voice sneered. Alone?
A gravelly laugh filled his head. Not hardly. You think she’s saving herself for you? A fucking vampire?
She’s probably out with another man right now. Letting him kiss her. Letting him touch her.
If it weren’t for the network, you could be that man. You could be with her right now.
You should kill them.
Kill them all.
Cliff clenched his fists, squishing the h
ell out of his sandwich as gruesome images filled his mind. Every muscle tensed as he closed his eyes and struggled to quiet the voices. To shut them out. To forget the things they showed him.
This is not who I am, he told himself mentally. This is not who I am.
He wasn’t a monster. He didn’t slaughter men and women who tried to help him.
He saved them. He protected them.
Every time a murderous vision leaped to the forefront of his mind, he superimposed one over it of him helping network employees the day the mercenaries attacked. Of him digging Sadie out of the rubble. Of Sadie hugging him and calling him her hero. Of rescuing Emma.
Emma.
So beautiful and so kind.
Emma smiling.
Emma laughing.
Emma touching his arm.
Her thigh pressing against his.
The violent images faded. The voices quieted.
Relief left him a little light-headed as Cliff opened his eyes. When he saw his mangled sandwich, he shook his head and tried to piece it together enough to eat without having to grab a spoon.
Yeah. He definitely needed to put in some time on the treadmill. Running himself ragged often helped ease some of the agitation that had begun to afflict him with more frequency and greater intensity. But he would have to wait for that. Bastien and Melanie were in the lab with the treadmills, and it sounded like things were turning amorous.
“The vampires will hear us,” Melanie protested softly in the other room.
Yep. Things had definitely turned amorous in there. He glanced around for his earbuds.
“What happens at the network,” Bastien murmured persuasively, “stays at the network.”
Melanie’s breath caught as fabric rustled.
“Um,” Cliff said with a grimace. He really wasn’t in the mood to listen to them engage in a quickie and wasn’t seeing his earbuds anywhere. “That doesn’t mean we want to hear it. It’d be too much like listening to our brother and sister do it.” Not quite, but close enough.
“Dude, speak for yourself,” Stuart said. “They won’t let me subscribe to the porn channels here.”
Laughing, Cliff shook his head.
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