The Vampire's Mail Order Bride(90)
“Yes, well, I don’t think that’s how it usually ends up.” He looked around. “Do whatever you need to fix the place up and make it exactly the way you want it. What are you going to name the place?”
She was about to respond when the shop door opened, and a stern-faced man walked in, his resemblance to Hugh uncanny.
Hugh nodded at him. “Delaney, this is my brother Sebastian.”
So this was Sebastian. He eyed her like she was a dangerous thing to be wary of. “Hmph. You’re the one my brother’s ruining his life for.”
“Sebastian.” Hugh’s voice held a warning.
“Just a joke.” But Sebastian’s tone was less than convincing. “Pleasure to meet you.”
“I can tell by the way you’re all smiles.” Delaney didn’t bother to offer to shake his hand. He didn’t look like he’d take her up on it anyway. She let it slide considering she knew he’d been part of the crew that had rescued her from Fat Eddie and his gang.
Hugh held a hand up. “You two need to find some common ground. You’re going to be working together. Delaney, Sebastian handles the finances for the family. I’ve already told him you’re to have our full resources at your disposal to get things started.”
Sebastian nodded. “Whatever you need.”
“Really? After all that ‘ruining his life’ business?”
Sebastian shrugged. “He’s a grown man. Who am I to stop him from making his own mistakes?”
“Love the vote of confidence,” she muttered in Hugh’s direction.
Sebastian made a noise in his throat. “You know I can hear you, right?”
She smiled, showing off her fangs. “Yes.”
She turned to Hugh. “There’s just one problem.”
“What’s that, sweetheart?”
“How am I going to run a shop like this when I can’t go out in the daylight?”
“You can always hire—”
“That reminds me,” Sebastian interrupted. He pulled a thick, ivory envelope from his inside jacket pocket and handed it to Hugh. “Didi sent these for you.”
Hugh opened the envelope, took out two tissue-covered bundles and unwrapped them. A matching set of amulets.
Delaney’s mouth fell open in surprise.
Sebastian put his hand on the door as if to leave. “She said there are no strings attached according to the deal she and Delaney made, whatever that means.”
Hugh stared at his brother. “How did she know I needed another one?”
Sebastian shrugged. “You really have to ask how Didi knows anything?” He looked at Delaney. “There’s seventy-five thousand dollars in an account in your name in the Nocturne Falls Credit union . When you need more, let me know.” With that, he left.
Even with that news, Delaney still couldn’t get over the amulets. “I can’t believe she gave these to us. She must really want grandchildren.”
Hugh handed one amulet to her, then tucked the other in his pocket before nuzzling her neck with a kiss. His arms wrapped around her and his voice was soft and breathy on her skin, spiraling a delicious shiver through her. “Then we really ought to go home and start working on that.”
A laugh trilled out of her, a mix of sheer pleasure, happiness and the overwhelming desire to have Hugh as immediately as possible. “Or…”
He looked at her, brows raised in question. “Or?”
She reached over and turned the lock. “We could christen the shop.”
His eyes took on the wicked glow she’d come to love. “Miss James, I like the way your mind works.”