“He seems nice,” Heather commented.
A groan sounded from the kitchen. “She called me nice,” Sheldon complained. “That’s the kiss of death to guys. Women want nice guys to be their friends, not their lovers.” A long moment passed. “I stand corrected,” he murmured, his voice deepening.
Lisette laughed, then raised her glass. “To one night of normalcy.”
They all toasted and sipped the sparkling juice.
And their double date began.
At first, Ethan and Zach seemed reticent around each other. But Lisette seemed to know just what to say to lure everyone out of their shells. Conversation soon flowed freely, as did laughter. Sheldon helped a lot with the latter, alternately assuming the personas of a stereotypically staid and somber butler and a comically inept waiter.
Ethan was charming and funny and so damned appealing. Heather learned more about his past, his transformation, the century he had spent since then . . . and liked him more with every tidbit he revealed.
As the meal progressed, the certainty that Ethan was the one, that he was everything she had been searching for, grew within her until she thought she might burst with the knowledge. She really did believe she could tell him anything. She felt so at ease with him—as though they had known each other since they were children—and thought they could spend every day for the rest of their lives just talking and would never grow bored or run out of things to say.
Sheldon and Tracy cleared the tables, then returned. Tracy transferred the candles to the fireplace mantel while Sheldon moved the tables to the outer edges of the room. Then Tracy picked up a small black remote and aimed it at the Bose speaker Heather hadn’t noticed on the mantel. Soft music swelled.
Tracy smiled as Sheldon stepped up beside her. “We’ll be upstairs if you need anything.”
Winking, Sheldon followed Tracy out of the room and up the stairs.
Heather turned to face Ethan as Etta James began to sing “At Last.”
Performing a gallant bow, he held his hand out to her. “May I have this dance?”
Her heart pounding at the warm affection reflected in his brown eyes, Heather nodded and placed her hand in his. “You may.”
He pressed a kiss to her knuckles. Drawing her close until their bodies brushed, he slid an arm around her waist as she placed her free hand on his shoulder. Then they began to sway.
“I don’t know how to dance,” Heather heard Zach murmur.
“It’s easy,” Lisette whispered. “Just take me in your arms and let the music guide you.”
Heather didn’t spare them a glance. She couldn’t tear her eyes from Ethan’s.
This had to be love, she thought, this unbelievably wonderful feeling that seemed to permeate every cell of her body as she stared up at him and met those beautiful brown eyes.
His arm tightened, urging her closer as brown gave way to luminescent amber. His body hardened against hers, but he made no move to whisk her away to the bedroom. No, he seemed to want nothing more than to hold her, sway to the music, and enjoy the moment.
How she wished she could read his mind and know what he was thinking just then. Know if he was as swept away as she was.
And how she wished this moment would never end.
Chapter Sixteen
Ethan closed his eyes and rested his cheek on Heather’s soft hair. He didn’t know how long they had been dancing, but Tracy’s mp3 player had cycled through several songs. All oldies she must have guessed he and Lisette would appreciate.
The current tune ended.
A big band song came on, drums thumping, trumpets blaring. “Sing, Sing, Sing.” Benny Goodman.
Opening his eyes, he lifted his chin. Heather leaned back and looked up at him, her full lips quirking in a smile. They glanced over at Zach and Lisette, who looked equally surprised.
Ethan grinned down at Heather. “May as well go with it.” Loosening his hold on her, he spun her away from him, then back again.
Heather laughed and stumbled against him. “This might be a good time to tell you I can’t dance.”
Tracy and Sheldon jogged into the room. “Sorry! Sorry!” Tracy called over the music. “I forgot that was on the playlist. Sheldon has been teaching me to swing dance.”
When she reached for the remote, Ethan stayed her. “No, leave it on. It’ll be fun.”
Heather arched a brow. “You can swing dance?”
Tracy laughed. “Hell yeah, he can swing dance. So can Lisette. They totally rock!”
Heather grinned and stepped back. “Show me.”
Ethan glanced at Lisette, not so sure that was a good idea. Heather didn’t know about his past relationship with Lisette. And Zach . . . offered Lisette a resigned smile and shook his head. “Go ahead. I can see you want to.”
Grinning, Lisette slipped her high-heeled shoes off and tossed them aside.
The next thing Ethan knew, they were dancing together like they had in the 40s. Ethan had been stationed in Harlem at the time, and Lisette would get Richart to teleport her there on weekends. They’d danced to music by some of the best. Had rubbed elbows with the greatest jazz musicians. And had had one hell of a time, night after night after night.
Lisette laughed as Ethan tossed her over his head, then swung her around his back and caught her on his other side. Sheldon and Tracy joined them and proved to be as schooled in the dance as Ethan and Lisette were.
Ethan spun Lisette away from him, then held his hand out to Heather.
Smiling, she shook her head. “I told you. I can’t dance. Not like that.”
“Sure you can,” he said, wanting her back in his arms. “Take off your shoes.”
Resting a hand on Zach’s arm, she bent to remove the uncomfortable pumps.
As soon as her feet were bare, Ethan grabbed her hand and drew her onto the makeshift dance floor. “It’s easy. Just follow my lead.”
From the corner of his eye, he saw Lisette do the same with Zach.
In what seemed a very short time, both Heather and Zach had learned enough of the moves to engage in lively dance. Ethan thought both were naturals, with a great sense of rhythm and a willingness to try anything. Heather shrieked as Ethan flipped her over his shoulder to land smoothly on her feet behind him. A moment later, he lifted her, swung her around his back, then caught her coming around his other side.
Laughter and smiles abounded as the couples danced, especially when Sheldon began to spontaneously shout out 1940s jargon. The temperature in the room rose. Skin began to glisten with perspiration. Ethan hadn’t had so much fun in decades.
A phone rang downstairs.
The immortals all stopped dancing.
“What’s wrong?” Tracy called over the music.
Ethan grabbed the remote and turned the volume down. “Heather’s phone is ringing.” He dashed down to the basement to retrieve it, then sped back upstairs.
Sheldon groaned. “Don’t answer it. We’re having too much fun.”
Ethan shook his head and handed it to Heather. “It’s probably her father, checking on her. I don’t want him to worry. We can crank the music up again in a minute.”
Heather took the phone and answered the call. “Hello?”
Ethan smiled. The dancing had left her breathless.
“Heather, baby, are you okay?” Her father’s frantic voice came over the line.
Heather’s brow furrowed. “Yeah, Dad. I’m fine. What’s wrong?”
Ethan heard her father mutter a quick prayer of thanks. “I was afraid . . .”
“Afraid what?” She lowered her voice. “That the immortals had harmed me? I told you, they’re good guys, Dad. They—”
“No. I was afraid you might have been attacked by vampires again.”
Ethan glanced at the window, surprised to see that the sun had set.
Heather shot him a concerned look. “Why would you think that?”
“Because you said you were attacked the same night vampires struck the base. And it’s happening again. I think vampires are attacking another base. No, I know they are. It has to be vampires.”
Ethan took the phone. “General Lane? It’s Ethan. What base? What can you tell us?”
Zach closed his eyes.
Seth appeared beside him a moment later.
“It’s a class-three prisoner detention facility,” the general spoke quickly. “Small. Isolated like the other one. It’s location classified. The bases have all been put on high alert, so we knew the moment the attack began.”
Seth took the phone from Ethan and addressed the general. “Where are you now?”
“In the building Heather questioned Nick Altomari in.”
“Are you alone?”
“Yes.”
“Are there surveillance cameras in the room with you?”
“No.”
Seth vanished.
Heather bit her lip. “What is he going to do?”
Ethan curled an arm around Heather. “See what he can learn, I guess.”
Zach nodded. “This is the break we were hoping for. If the attack is happening as we speak, Seth can learn its location and we can descend upon the vampires in force, take them out, and bring this to an end.”
Seth reappeared with the general.
“Dad!”
Some of the color drained from General Lane’s face. Teleporting for the first time tended to do that. But the tension that tightened his features relaxed a bit when he saw his daughter. “Heather!” Lunging forward, he drew her into a tight hug. “Are you okay?”