“Understandable.”
She sat up straighter and tipped her head. “Why aren’t you married? You said you were twenty-seven when you were turned. Isn’t that sort of old for a nobleman in the 1600s to be single?”
He went very still, his eyes focused on some spot on the cushion between them. “I was married.”
That was…unexpected. But sensing he had more to say, she stayed quiet and gave him the time to find the words.
After a long pause, Hugh spoke again. “She died.”
The cold, familiar bands of pain wrapped Hugh’s heart, but Delaney deserved to have her questions answered. He just hadn’t expected to breach this topic so soon.
“I’m so sorry, Hugh.”
He nodded, the muscles in his jaw tensing against the ache in his soul.
“Was it the plague too?”
And there it was. The one question he most dreaded to answer. Because the full truth would frighten her away more than anything else he might say. “No.”
Desperate to change the subject, he took her hand. “If you’re not sleepy, would you like to go into town?”
She frowned. “Won’t everything be closed?”
“Not everything.” He smiled. She was extraordinarily pretty. And open-minded enough to stay even after he’d confessed his true self. “Now that you know the secret of Nocturne Falls, there’s a whole other side I can show you.”
Intrigue danced in her eyes. “Like what?”
“There’s a place called Insomnia. Horrible name, I know, but it’s a members-only club, and the only members allowed are supernaturals. And guests of supernaturals.”
“Not Piper then?”
“Definitely not Piper.” In the name of all that was holy, please not Piper. He wasn’t sure he could take another minute of that woman right now.
Delaney bit her pinkie finger, giving him a glimpse of her tongue. He was going to kiss her again before the night was over, that much he knew. “So…will there be other vampires there?”
“Probably. And shifters and fae and witches, and who knows what else. Interested?”
“I don’t know.”
“If a visit to Insomnia doesn’t prove I’m telling you the truth, nothing will.”
“It’s not that. It’s just…”
“Scared?” He waggled his brows, knowing she’d take his assessment like he was daring her to back down.
Her eyes narrowed. His challenge seemed to have worked. “I’ll go get changed.”
It didn’t take much for Delaney to get ready. Her wardrobe was sparse thanks to packing on the run and having no real clue what lay ahead. Fortunately, she’d brought one club-appropriate outfit. Skinny jeans, high-heeled black boots and a black strapless peplum top in leather. It wasn’t something she’d ever have spent money on herself, but Mrs. Rastinelli occasionally brought hand-me-downs into the restaurant and let the girls pick through them. Mrs. Rastinelli was actually wife number two and dressed like she wasn’t about to let there be a number three.
Most of the stuff she brought in was over-the-top sexy and verging on tacky, but somehow also expensive. Selling Mrs. Rastinelli’s hand-me-downs on Ebay had become a nice little hobby for Delaney. Enough that she could afford to buy quality baking supplies.
Delaney had planned on selling the leather top on Ebay too. Until she’d tried it on. She’d never owned something so sexy and sophisticated. Clearly too sophisticated for Mrs. Rastinelli.
Delaney thanked whatever instinct had driven her to bring it along on this trip.
Hugh’s mouth fell open as she walked down the stairs to the foyer where he waited. He wore a simple black suit with a white dress shirt open at the neck, no tie and looked pretty close to edible. “You look, uh…” He nodded. “This is a side of you I hadn’t been expecting.”
She’d smoked out her eye makeup, but she was pretty sure that wasn’t what he was talking about. She stopped directly in front of him. “What side is that?”
“This, this…” He waved his hands at her outfit. “You look a little dangerous. In a good way.”
She laughed. “I’m pretty sure that’s not a word that’s ever been used to describe me.” But she liked it a lot. It made her feel powerful. And reckless.
Heady with his compliment, she did a little spin. “Is this okay for the club then?”
“Yeah. Yes. More than okay. Damn good.”
In her heels, she was only a couple inches shorter than he was. Close enough to see the tantalizing shadow of stubble darkening his square jaw. The powerful, reckless feeling went to her head. She stared at his mouth. “Show me your fangs again.”