Saxon had tried to apologize at least a dozen times and in a dozen different ways since Josie Lynn had taken off, and while Drake appreciated that his friend regretted what happened, he couldn’t take any more acts of contrition. He felt shitty enough without worrying about Saxon feeling shitty, too.
“Listen, Saxon, it is what it is. I’ll get over it, but honestly I don’t want to talk about it or her. It isn’t helping.”
Saxon nodded, then his eyes widened and he opened his mouth, and Drake knew more words of regret were coming, despite what Drake had just said.
“Seriously, Saxon, I can’t take any more of your apologies. I know you are sorry. Enough said about it.”
“But—”
“No,” Drake said, shaking his head. “I don’t want to hear it. Please.”
“But really,” Saxon said, the woeful puppy-dog look gone. Now he was grinning. From ear to ear. “You’re gonna wanna hear this.”
Drake stared at him, wondering why he was even questioning his odd little friend’s behavior. Saxon was nothing if not odd.
“Really. You are going to want to hear what I have to say.”
Drake sighed. Clearly he was going to have to suffer through another explanation so he could finally just go get a shot and hopefully numb himself a little.
“Josie Lynn is here.”
Drake stared at Saxon, not understanding. How was this an apology? In fact, this was the worst—and perhaps cruelest—attempt to help yet.
“Alright, Saxon, thanks for trying to cheer me up. In your own weird way.”
“No, man, for real.” Saxon pointed past him.
Drake turned, still expecting this to be another of Saxon’s cockamamie ways of trying to help. But then he froze.
Josie Lynn stood near the doorway, looking a little nervous. Looking absolutely gorgeous.
He blinked, sure he must be imagining her. It had been almost three weeks. He’d given up on the idea of seeing her ever again. But there she was.
Her gaze met his and even through in the hazy, dimly lit bar, he could see how amazingly blue her eyes were. Her hair was loose, framing her face in waves of golden honey.
He didn’t realize he was walking down from the stage and going to her until he was only a foot away. Close enough to touch. To kiss.
“Hi,” was all he could think to say. His brain mush.
“Hi,” she said back.
“I—I’ve . . .”
What the hell did he say? He didn’t know. He considered himself a pretty clever, articulate guy, but nothing came to him. Nothing that would be good enough to make her stay.
“So rumor has it you’re a vampire. Is that true, or are you and your friends all nuts?”
He stared at her, then cleared his throat nervously. Neither answer was a good one. Neither answer was going to get her to stay. But he wasn’t going to lie to her. Not like the other men she’d been with.
“I’m a vampire.”
She nodded, not looking particularly surprised. Nor did she look like she planned to run.
“I thought that was probably the case.”
Wow, she was taking this way too well.
“So why aren’t you running in terror?”
She tilted her head, considering his question. “Because I’ve had time to think about it. And because you said I could trust you. And because I figured if you really wanted to hurt me, you had ample opportunity, both the night we blacked out and the night after.”
“True.”
She nodded, and he was afraid this was all she’d come for, to validate the truth, and he couldn’t let her leave.
“I’ve—I’ve missed you.” Okay, that sounded kind of lame, but it was out and he wasn’t stopping. He wasn’t giving her the opportunity to leave. Not yet. “I’ve thought about you every day—well, you know, every night. I’ve wanted to try to contact you.”
“But you did contact me,” she said, and reached into the purse and pulled out an envelope. He knew exactly what it was. He’d sent her an anonymous letter with cash in it. Because he knew she needed help with her business. Because he knew she wouldn’t accept his help unless she didn’t know it was from him.
But she did know.
“You figured out where I lived,” she said. “You could have come to see me anytime, yet you didn’t. Why?”
“Because I didn’t want to scare you,” he said simply.
She nodded again, and then to his utter shock, she stepped forward and kissed him. He wanted to pull her against him, he wanted to deepen the kiss and let her see all his longing for her. But he didn’t dare.
“I’ve missed you, too,” she said against his lips.
“Even though I’m a monster,” he whispered.