by Devon, Cat
“Judging by the exhausted smile on your face, I’m guessing that your grand opening went well,” Cookie said.
“Yes, it did.”
“It was a busy day here at my store, too, but then weekends are always high-volume.”
“Thanks for telling me to bake more for the event,” Daniella said. “We ran out a few minutes before closing time.”
“It’s a tough balance. You don’t want to run out so early that you aggravate customers.”
“We sold out of absolutely everything. The Blood Red Velvets were a particular fave. Some customers sat at the tables we have so I got a chance to watch their faces as they bit into my cupcakes.”
“That’s a great feeling, isn’t it?”
Daniella nodded. “There was this little girl who put her entire fist in the frosting, grabbed a handful and shoved it straight into her mouth.”
“As you know, that’s my favorite part of what we do. Watching people enjoy what I create. I’m not a sweets person myself, which some people think is a little weird for a baker. But I like feeding people. That’s better than eating the goodies myself.”
“I like seeing people enjoy my cupcakes,” Daniella said. “But I have to test them myself, too. I have to think it tastes good before I can give it to someone else. Oh, I forgot to tell you that we got almost a dozen special orders today! Everything from a request for a caterpillar-themed kid’s birthday to Boston cream cupcakes for a bar mitzvah.”
“I love the special orders,” Cookie said. “This time of year we’ve got bat, black cat, and witch’s hat decorations coming out of our ears.”
“Don’t forget the vampire fangs,” Daniella said.
Cookie nodded. “Vampires are big business. Aside from the Halloween stuff, another trend I’m seeing here in the city is savory cupcakes with flavors like grilled onion.”
Daniella shook her head. “I can’t imagine that.”
“Or fig and goat cheese. Those cupcakes are more like scones.”
“Still having a hard time,” Daniella admitted.
“How about chocolate-covered potato chip, rimmed with crushed potato chips?” Cookie said.
“Now, that’s something I can relate to,” Daniella said. “Sweet and salty. I’m going to have to add that one to my must-try list.”
They talked awhile longer before signing off.
Knowing she’d be too beat to cook dinner, Daniella had stashed some homemade soups in the freezer for this opening week. She pulled out a container of potato leek soup and set it in the microwave before cutting a slice of tomato basil Parmesan artisan bread a baker friend had made for her. She watched an episode of Cupcake Wars she’d recorded on her DVR before deciding she was ready to call it a day.
She was heading for bed when the buzzer from her front door downstairs sounded.
“Who is it?” she demanded in a deliberately crabby voice.
“It’s me,” Nick said.
“Me, who?”
“Very funny,” he said. “I need to talk to you.”
“It’s late and I’m going to bed.”
“This won’t take long.”
She supposed she owed him for handling Tanya for her. Instead of replying, she buzzed him up. He was at her door a second later.
“That was fast,” she said.
He wore his customary black attire—only tonight he had a sweater under his black leather jacket.
“Have you ever thought about adding some color to your wardrobe?” she asked.
“No. I like black.”
“Yeah, I can tell,” she said.
“You wear a lot of black.”
“But I mix it up with other colors,” she said.
“I didn’t come here to talk to you about clothing issues.”
“What did you want to talk about?”
“Your brother,” he said.
“What about him?”
“Has he been acting strange?”
She eyed Nick suspiciously. “Why?”
“Just answer the question.”
“Not until you answer mine first,” she said.
“Why do you always have to be so stubborn?”
“Why do you always have to be so impossible?” she countered.
Instead of answering, Nick kissed her.
Chapter Ten
Instead of protesting, Daniella kissed him back. Seriously. Intensely. As if she meant it, which she did. She really, really did.
Her entire focus was on him, centering on his mouth as his tongue erotically tangled with hers. So many textures and tastes. So much hunger. Her appetite grew, as did her need for him.
He cupped her face with his lean hands and angled her head to intensify their oral lovemaking. Because that’s what it felt like. Like he was making love to her.
He’d kissed her before but each time his lips met hers, things got more out of control. She got more out of control.
Her body was pressed tightly against his. The black cotton of his sweater was soft beneath her fingers as she shoved his leather jacket aside to slide her arms around him. She could feel his arousal through the placket of his jeans. When he rubbed against her, she almost went over the deep end.
He shouldn’t be able to bring her to the brink of an orgasm with one kiss. Or even this series of sizzling-hot kisses. But that’s what was happening to her. Fireworks and shooting stars were soon to come.
Until Nick abruptly broke off their embrace to glare at her. “This is all your fault.”
She blinked at him, her mind and especially her body still swirling with need. Unable to form words yet, she gaped at him like a fish out of water.
“You mess up my mind,” he finally growled.
“So?” she growled back. “You mess up my mind, too, but you don’t see me blaming you.”
“I mess up your mind?” he said. “Because I kissed you?”
“Because you’re you.”
“What does that mean?”
“I can’t figure you out,” she said.
“Same here.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not hard to figure out. I don’t have any hidden agendas.”
“And I do?”
Daniella nodded. “I think you might.”
“What are these hidden agendas?”
“I’m still trying to figure that out. And I will,” she warned him. “I have total confidence that I will work it out in the end.” She may have been bluffing a bit. The truth was, she was hopeful she’d work it out but when dealing with Nick, she knew that it was better to be overconfident. “And until I do, I don’t think we should be kissing or making out.” Especially when he left her aching for more. Why had he broken things off? She should be grateful he had instead of irritated.
Daniella rapidly came up with several possible reasons for his behavior—but the one she liked best was that he kissed her to distract her and got more than he bargained for. Maybe she got to him as much as he got to her. She preferred that to the possibility that he just wasn’t that into her. His body had certainly communicated the fact that he wanted to have sex with her, but maybe he was like that with every woman he kissed.
“You kiss me instead of answering my questions,” she accused him. “And then you chicken out when I kiss you back.” She knew those were fighting words, which is why she said them. She could tell by the stormy anger in his gray eyes that she’d scored a direct hit. As he took a step closer to her, it belatedly occurred to her that he could also perceive her words to be a challenge. “No more kissing,” she reminded him, backing up.
“I never chicken out.” He reached out to trail his index finger from her temple to the edge of her mouth. “Never.”
She wanted to ask him why he’d broken off their embrace but was smart enough to keep her mouth shut. He brushed the ball of his thumb over her lower lip, which still throbbed from the intensity of their kiss. He used his other hand to cup the side of her neck where her pulse was pounding.
&nb
sp; Looking into his eyes was like looking into a swirling eddy pulling her into its dangerous undertow. His eyes got even darker before he once again abruptly stepped away.
“This isn’t over,” he warned her before walking out.
* * *
When Nick returned to the Vamp Cave, he found Bruce viewing the video from earlier in the day. “Why didn’t you tell me the camera adds ten pounds? And my face looks so pasty,” Bruce lamented. “Maybe I should get a spray tan like Tanya keeps telling me.”
“You were wearing clown makeup,” Pat reminded him. “And you’re a vampire. That’s a double whammy.”
“Clown vampires do have more than our fair share of issues,” Bruce agreed. “They make those horror movies about clowns and then about vampires. I boycott them all. Except for the Twilight saga. Those are romantic. But I have to close my eyes for some of the fight scenes.”
“Yet you watch and love the Fast and Furious movies,” Pat said.
Bruce nodded. “I do love great car crashes.”
“Which is why he’s also a NASCAR fan,” Pat told Nick.
“What movies do you like, Nick?” Bruce asked.
“I don’t have time for movies.”
“Nick, you’re growling again,” Pat said. “You must have just seen Daniella.”
“You probably watched me on the surveillance screens going to her apartment,” Nick said, only now belatedly realizing that possibility. He hadn’t been thinking clearly when he’d kissed Daniella. Which is why he’d stopped kissing her.
Vampires hooking up sexually with humans never ended well. Mostly for the human. The thought of Daniella getting hurt due to something he did was like a claw through his heart. Not that he was supposed to have a heart. Or feelings. They were a weakness that clouded both thinking and actions.
“We don’t actually have cameras placed inside Daniella’s apartment. Although I could arrange that if you think it’s necessary,” Neville said.
“No.” Nick focused his attention on the surrounding screens instead of the memory of her melting in his arms. “What about her brother?”
Neville frowned in confusion. “You want me to put cameras inside his place?”
“No,” Nick said impatiently. “I want you to check the video and see if he’s had any vamp visitors lately aside from me. Including Vamptown vamps.”
“Okay, but why?” Neville asked before seeing the menacing look on Nick’s face. “Never mind. Forget I asked that.”
Nick nodded his approval before saying, “Later.” He headed for the peace and quiet of his small office upstairs. He wasn’t alone for long, however, as Pat came to join him.
“Anything you care to talk about?” Pat asked, taking a seat across from Nick’s desk.
“No.” Nick’s voice was curt.
“You know, the fact that you’re investigating Daniella’s background made me realize I don’t know that much about your background. You never talk about it.”
“That’s right.”
“Why?”
“I’m not a chatty guy,” Nick said.
“Understood. But you’ve been here in Vamptown, what … five years now?”
“Six.”
“And before that you were in…?”
“Seattle and Boston. You know this already. You know the history of everyone in Vamptown. Human and vamp.”
Pat shrugged. “That doesn’t mean I remember it all. The other vamps have talked about how they were turned, but you never refer to it. I know about Neville’s boss and about Bruce’s circus owner. I even know more than I really want to about Tanya’s biker boyfriend who turned her so she’d stay forever young. But you…”
“It wasn’t exactly the highlight of my life,” Nick said.
“Yet it forever changed your life,” Pat noted quietly.
“It forever changed my afterlife.” Nick leaned back in his chair and fiddled with a gold letter opener showcasing a large bloodstone. “You know that wars are a big recruitment time for vamps. The Civil War here, the War of 1812 in Europe, the two world wars, Korea, Vietnam. The vamp population grew with each one.” He paused, keeping his eyes on the letter opener. “I was a British officer in the Battle of Waterloo under Wellington. It marked the end of Napoleon’s reign in France, and it was the end of me. I was hit in the back. The cannonball went clear through me. I don’t remember much after that beyond the stench of blood and the moans of the mortally wounded as we all lay dying on the battlefield. I heard a woman’s voice asking if I wanted to live and I said yes.” Nick could still remember that moment as if it were yesterday. He hadn’t realized the ramifications of his reply. “She was a vampire named Magdalene and she turned me.”
Pat gave him a thoughtful look. “Do you regret that?”
“I don’t do regrets,” Nick said curtly, dropping the letter opener onto his desk. “They are a waste of time. End of discussion.”
* * *
Daniella’s dreams that night were filled with sex and rejection. One was so real and detailed, it felt as if she was living it. She was offering herself to a man she cared deeply for. Removing her clothing as he sat before her, she was filled with nervous anticipation. Every movement shifted to slow motion. Each button of her shirt was undone with her trembling fingers while he watched.
The process seemed to take forever. She kept her bra on but removed her black skirt and stepped out of it. She was left wearing a matching lace set of tiny panties and bra.
Moving closer, she parted her legs and straddled him. She was so damn nervous as she reached out to unbutton the top button of his white shirt.
“Not now,” he said.
She sat there frozen for a moment, suddenly realizing they were alone in a classroom and the door wasn’t locked. Was he a fellow student or a teacher? She wasn’t sure. She only knew that she had to get out of there ASAP.
“You’re right.” She scrambled off his lap and grabbed her clothes. She didn’t even bother putting them on before heading for the door. She pushed it open and peered out to see if the coast was clear. She couldn’t let him see how much his rejection had hurt her. She’d burst into tears if she stayed a second longer.
“See ya,” she tossed over her shoulder before scurrying out into the hallway, terrified someone would see her in her underwear.
Daniella woke with tears streaming down her face. She had to get up and make a cup of hot chamomile tea to settle her nerves. While she was awake, she Googled the meaning of underwear dreams. Underclothes may represent your hidden attitudes and fears. If you dream of feeling ashamed at being seen in your underwear, this may indicate an unwillingness to reveal your feelings.
Reading on, she saw that the color of her underwear in the dream could also have meaning. She was sure it wasn’t white. She thought it was black, which could represent dark thoughts. No kidding. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out.
Since it was one in the morning, she went back to bed but didn’t get much sleep after that. It seemed like she’d barely closed her eyes when the alarm went off for her to go bake more cupcakes. She went on autopilot—shower, coffee, downstairs. In the shop she almost forgot to turn off the security system. By the time Xandra joined her, Daniella had the music cranked up. They were all edgy songs intended to keep her awake. “Radioactive” by Kings of Leon qualified.
“You okay?” Xandra asked.
Daniella just nodded and kept mixing the batter. She was too busy to think for several hours after that, which was fine by her. When she did have a moment, she brooded over the cupcake blogger instead of brooding about Nick.
What if Cupcake Q-tea hated Daniella’s cupcakes? She wasn’t even sure who she was or what she looked like. She only knew that the blogger had come to the opening yesterday and would be posting her review soon.
When Suz stopped by later in the afternoon, Daniella said, “I have a feeling something is up. I’ve just got all this pent-up anxious anticipation that I just can’t seem to get rid of.” She sho
ok her arms like a sheepdog shaking off water.
Xandra was in the front of the shop, taking care of customers, so it was just Suz and Daniella in the work area.
“It’s just nerves from the opening,” Suz said. “And about the blog. I should have checked with you about that first.”
“No, it’s more than that. This feels personal.”
“Like your store isn’t personal? It’s your baby.”
“I know,” Daniella said. “I can’t explain. It’s just this weird premonition I’ve got.”
“Does it have anything to do with Nick St. George?” Suz asked.
“There could be a connection, but it’s bigger than he is.”
“Really?” Suz’s perfectly arched eyebrows lifted over the edge of her multicolored glass frames. “So you already know how big he is?”
“I didn’t mean that literally,” Daniella said.
“So you two haven’t done the deed?”
“No! I haven’t even known him that long.”
“You’ve known him long enough to make out with him.”
“I am not discussing this here.”
“Fine. I’ll bring a bottle of wine and pizza to your apartment tonight and we’ll talk then.”
As promised, Suz showed up at Daniella’s apartment. Not only did she bring wine and pizza but she also brought a surprise. “Special delivery,” she called out the minute Daniella opened her apartment door. “Keep that open,” she told Daniella before calling over her shoulder. “You’re almost there, guys.”
Two buffed and burly Vin Diesel look-alikes came into her place. But it was what they were carrying that really got Daniella’s attention. “Your chair! The one I love from your office.”
“It’s yours now,” Suz said. “They don’t make it anymore or I would have gotten you a new one. Where do you want it?”
Daniella pointed to the reading alcove near the window. “There.” She jumped into the chair the moment the men set it down. “It’s like it was meant to be here all along.” She snuggled into it. “Mmm, perfect.”
“The chair or the men?” Suz murmured so only Daniella could hear.
Daniella just grinned and kept quiet.
“Anything else you need, ladies?” Vin number one asked.
