Love at Stake (Entangled Covet)(19)
“I’ve surprised you.”
“No human I’ve ever met truly understood what our mates mean to us.”
She drew back and he mourned the loss of her touch. “It always comes back to being human,” she said in disgust. “All you supernatural people run around thinking we can’t possibly understand the things you do. That we’re too inferior. But just because we’re human doesn’t mean we’re not looking for the exact same thing. If I ever find that man, I’ll marry him in a heartbeat.”
Lucky man, he thought despite himself.
Their drinks arrived before he could reply. Abbey took a healthy gulp of her beer before staring mutinously into its amber depths.
“Look,” she said to her beer. “Just tell me what you’re searching for and I’ll do my best to find it.”
“It would take far more than a month to find my mate.”
“Then give us more time. Our standard contracts offer one-, five-, and ten-year commitments. Sign up for a century and you’ll receive a sizable discount.”
He shook his head. “I just need to prove my point to Melissa.”
Abbey looked up at him then. “Why are you so determined to keep her away from Fated Match?”
“She’s still a child.”
“A hundred-plus-years-old child.”
“Still young by our terms,” he argued.
Abbey ran a finger along the rim of her glass. “You’re very protective of her.”
“She’s mine.”
He could almost see the train of thought running through her mind. When she spoke, he was prepared for her question.
“Why did you turn her?”
The words grated despite his prediction. “Vampires do not like to talk about turning. It is a very private process.”
She blushed again. “Sorry.”
Silence descended. Though it went against all his instincts to talk about Melissa’s transformation, he regretted snapping at Abbey. Humans didn’t know any better. He shouldn’t—
“How’d you get turned?”
A growl escaped his throat. Did the woman have no tact?
“If I understand you better, I can find more suitable candidates to introduce you to,” she said with an overly innocent smile.
If she was so determined to make him uncomfortable, two could play that game. He leaned closer so his words wouldn’t be overheard.
“If you want me to expose my deepest secrets to you, darling, then I demand quid pro quo. Strip away your defenses. Allow me to run my lips over your naked body and I promise to tell you whatever you want to know.”
…
Her swift inhale seemed to gratify him. Abbey pushed herself as far away from him as the booth would allow. She knew her cheeks were burning, but there was nothing she could do about it. And nowhere she could go to escape the dark satisfaction in his eyes.
“Not happening,” she said, wincing when her voice sounded like a breathy Marilyn Monroe.
He leaned back, a grin on his face. “Then my secrets shall remain my own.”
They sure as hell would. The very thought of his mouth on her body was enough to boil her down into a puddle of need. The real event would destroy her.
But what a way to go, the forbidden recesses of her mind whispered.
To buy herself time, she took another bracing gulp of beer. The alcohol took the edge off her nerves, but still, whenever she was close to Lucian she was wound tighter than a spring.
She thought about sitting at Celeste’s bar, staring at her watch. Janine was the perfect match for him. She’d been so sure she’d sit there like an idiot for thirty minutes before trying to slip away unobtrusively.
And then he’d been there, looking at her with lustful eyes instead of the succubus he should have spent the night with.
What did a girl do with that? It was a heady feeling. Perhaps all he was interested in was the chase, but she couldn’t deny she enjoyed the sensation of a man like Lucian pursuing her.
Bad, she scolded herself. She had a job to do and a company to save.
Rolling her shoulders back, she tried to regain her professional persona.
“Vivian will want a full report tomorrow. You have to give me something I can take back. Tell me why Janine didn’t work.”
He rested one hand on his wineglass. “She was perfect.”
Abbey refrained from rolling her eyes. So now she had to find better than perfect? That should be easy.
“Fine,” she said. “Let’s look at this another way. Why don’t you describe what you’re looking for?”
His eyes flickered up to hers. In the shadows of the bar, he looked more dangerous than usual. And more alluring.
Abbey shifted to ease the ache between her legs. He wasn’t making this easier on her.