Love at Stake (Entangled Covet)(25)

Abbey shivered at the heated vow she had no doubt he could fulfill.

“Not going to happen.” Even to her, the words sounded paper-thin.

With a knowing smile, he released her and stepped back.

Lucian made no move to stop her as she scooped up her purse and hurried past the barely touched wineglasses.

“Until tomorrow, Abbey,” he said when she reached the door.

She gave a shaky nod before ducking into the hall and practically sprinting for the elevator.

Abbey had wanted one taste of the forbidden and had succeeded.

Too bad now her only thought was how soon she could have it again.





Chapter Seven

If looks could kill, she’d be a goner. Well, she knew gorgon looks could kill but thankfully siren ones couldn’t.

Vivian appeared in Abbey’s office doorway ready to hide her body in the woods. And from what she knew of her boss, if the woman wanted her gone, no one would ever find any of her parts.

“Six nights in a row!” Vivian railed.

Abbey winced. “I know it looks bad.”

“Six!”

“But you told me to give Lucian whatever he asked for. Well, this is it.”

“We have bent over backward to set him up with the most talented, successful, beautiful women in our database and what does he do? He spends twenty minutes with them, if even, and then ends the night with you!”

Abbey tried to defend herself. “The selkie came close.”

“He barely made it ten minutes last night. Do you know how much groveling I’ve had to do, how many apologies I’ve had to make? At this rate, we’ll lose money comping all his rejects for free resubscriptions.”

“It’s not my fault.”

“It most certainly is. Make it plain to him that you are not up for candidacy here. He needs to focus on his own kind.”

She flinched at the reminder. “I don’t control him.”

Vivian smiled coldly. “Don’t you? You haven’t slept with him yet, have you?”

“None of your damn business,” Abbey declared, pushing from her seat.

“We have three more sure hits lined up for him, and if I hear you’ve replaced a single one, it will not end well for you.”

“Threatening me, Viv? Unwise given my company of late, don’t you think?”

Vivian’s eyes narrowed. “Redgrave is your only champion, and that will end as soon as he’s had his fill of you. Best remember that, Abbey.”

She stormed from the office without another word.

Slowly Abbey sank back in her seat. She knew better. Really she did. But having Lucian pass up cover models to hang out at a dive bar with her had been too tempting to miss. Every night it was the same. He’d spend a few minutes scrutinizing his date and then come looking for her, declaring that the perfect women lined up for him weren’t perfect enough. How was she supposed to turn down such a heady feeling?

She knew it worked counter to their purpose, but no man had ever showered her with the attention Lucian did. Hell, there were two messages in her in-box from Christian and she hadn’t even had time to think of the handsome wolf.

But she was living in someone else’s fairy tale and she knew it. Vivian was right. She was walking a fine line.

She needed to make it plain to Lucian they would never happen. The time was long past for that conversation.

It would put an end to the delicious flirting, the heated glances. The stolen kisses.

She closed her eyes. The vampire knew what he was doing, she’d give him that. Never in her life had she wanted anyone as much as she wanted him. Fangs or not, the man intoxicated her.

Just as he’d intended.

But Vivian was right. There was no such things as happily ever after with one of his kind, and she didn’t want to become one more name in a string of many. If they wound up in bed, she had no illusions. He would leave her with addicting memories, and she’d leave him with no memories at all. One human was much like the rest, after all.

She turned back to her computer, but work was the furthest thing from her mind. There were a couple of complaints to handle and a new client to meet, but they all paled in comparison to the person who filled her thoughts.

“Abbey?” Chloe stuck her head through the door. “Can I help?”

She snorted. “I doubt it.”

The witch crossed the threshold and planted herself in the chair opposite the desk. “Talk me through it.”

“Vivian wants me to sleep with Lucian so he’ll move on to women who are in his league.” As if the vampire needed that particular memo. He knew as well as Vivian did that he was only interested in the chase.

Chloe pulled on a long lock of hair as she considered Abbey’s words. “What do you want?”