Funny, she'd been thinking the very same thing about him. Dani struggled to choke out a reply. "You're not so bad either. What brings you to campus this morning?"
"This is the best coffee shop in town. They have a great baker also. You should try the scones."
"So you're a morning person?" she inquired curiously, eager for insight.
"I'm not usually, but I have a meeting with my father in an hour, and the espresso helps get my brain going." He wrinkled his nose, as if the idea of being up before noon actually had a bad smell.
"Oh. Well, I'll get going so you can get back to work." Feeling like she'd interrupted, she got up from the table and tried to leave before her pout became embarrassingly evident.
"May I walk you to your next class?" Chase grasped her hand, and the warmth of his touch burned straight through her body.
"Sure, if it won't make you late." She was way too elated at the offer and glad for the chance to talk with him a bit longer. Maybe he would be an idiot or a total jerk, and she would stop thinking about him.
Together, they left the coffee shop. He insisted on carrying Dani's bag, and as he held the door for her, she could feel his eyes making a circuit of her body. Her outfit was only slightly better than pajamas, and it clung to her in all the best places. The tank was low cut and too short to reach the top of her yoga pants. He said nothing as they meandered slowly across campus.
After a few moments, Dani nervously peeked up to find him staring at her. "What?" It came out sharper than she had intended.
"I apologize, Lovely. I was just admiring your hair. It's unique." The half smile he gave her was genuine, not sarcastic as she'd grown to expect, and it melted her a little more. He should have to register that smile and be licensed to carry it, like a weapon.
"I guess unique is one word for it. I was born this way, and it's been the source of many a tear-soaked pillowcase in my life," she admitted. "Have you forgotten my name already? Lovely isn't it, you know?" she teased to change the subject.
"Of course I know your name. Your nickname is what I don't care for, Danielle. You are far too lovely to be called by a boy's name. Therefore, I chose to call you Lovely. Does it offend you?"
"It might offend my mother, but I guess I don't mind." Arriving at her destination, Dani pointed at the building and smiled. "This is it."
He suddenly looked disgruntled. "You know you hurt my feelings the other night? Rejection isn't something I'm used to dealing with, Lovely."
"That's funny, because you didn't look hurt to me. You actually looked quite cozy." The memory of the sleazy blonde made her tone sharp again.
"I can assure you, I was quite wounded. You should come out with me on Wednesday and make it up to me." He took her hand and placed a kiss in the center of her palm. It was surprisingly sensual and caused her to pull back and think about Lucas.
"To be honest with you, Chase, I have a boyfriend at home, and I don't think an evening with you would be healthy for that relationship," she confessed, but everything inside her was screaming to accept his invitation.
He put a hand over his heart and whispered, as he handed back the bag, "She wounds me again." In a clearer voice he said, "Perhaps you will save me a dance the next time you visit the club?"
Not wanting to make any promises, she answered, "Perhaps."
He nodded and walked away swiftly, disappearing into the crowd.
Chase was on the way home after meeting with his father. He'd been enlisted to help organize the upcoming gala, and he knew he should be focused on those details as well as his other various house responsibilities, but he was distracted. The gala was a big deal for the council. It was an annual event that the three ruling houses rotated hosting, and it was their turn.
Pulling up to the building that housed his penthouse condo, Chase could only think about Danielle's rejection of him. She had told him she had a boyfriend at home. The thought of that caused a burning knot at his core. If she was a Vaughn, he should be able to get some intel on her quickly. Where exactly was home for her? He would be able to size up his competition if he just did some digging. He was running the list of potential suspects through his mind. It would have to be someone with good breeding and physical attributes to even be worthy of her attention. He couldn't come up with anyone who wasn't already dating or bonded to another.
He exited the Mercedes, tossed the keys to the valet, and dug out his cell to call Vince. Vince answered on the second ring.
"Good evening, Chase. Should Vince have your regular table ready for you?" Vince said in greeting.
"No. I have more pressing matters I need your assistance with, Vince." Chase was in no mood to go out tonight. "I need you to contact your people and see what information we can get on Danielle Vaughn. I need you to use the utmost discretion. I don't want her to know I'm checking up on her. The last Vaughn I tangled with caused me nothing but trouble. I don't want my reputation to precede me. Do you understand?"
"Sure thing, boss. Vince is on it. I'll call you as soon as I know anything."
"I need to know about her boyfriend also," he said, feeling awkward. This was new for him. He had never had to try to get a girl he wanted before her. Normally all the girls, human and vampire alike, flocked to him and gave him whatever he wanted without question, but not Danielle.
"Do you have a name for the boyfriend?"
"That's what I need you to find out," he snapped. Chase's face burned with the indignation of needing help to get what he wanted.
"Vince will get back to you as soon as he has any information." Vince disconnected.
In the elevator, he continued to mull over the situation. He was so distracted when he entered his condo, he didn't notice the red high heels by the door. He decided to go jump in the spa to relax his nerves. After changing into trunks and grabbing a towel, he was startled to find the spa out on his rooftop patio was not empty. He cursed when he noticed the long, platinum-blond curls hanging over the side of the bubbling spa.
"Samantha, what are you doing here?" he barked.
"Now, is that any way to greet a guest in your home?" She batted her eyes at him and stood to reveal her barely-there bikini. Samantha was the girlfriend who just wouldn't quit.
"Generally speaking, a guest is invited. You're more of an intruder. How did you get in, Samantha?" He really didn't have the patience for her theatrics.
"I used a key, of course." She smiled at him wryly.
"I took your keys back." He was annoyed and not charmed by the way she tried to look so innocent while bending over to display her thong.
"But not before I had copies made. Now, hop in with me. You look like you could use a soak. I'd be glad to rub your shoulders." She tried to distract him.
Samantha was a pain in the ass but he could handle her. She didn't do anything without a reason. He'd find out what she wanted and send her on her way. The soothing heat of the water was calling to his tense muscles. He hopped in and moved to the opposite side of the tub. "You just stay over there, and I won't have to put you out."
Samantha and Chase had started dating during his senior year of high school. Never exclusively, but it was the most serious and long-standing relationship either of them had ever had. The whole thing was a secret, due to their age difference and the tension between their families. Neither of their parents would have approved. The council families would never bond to each other. That would shift the balance of power between the houses, creating an alliance between two families and leaving the third at odds.
Samantha was a couple years younger, but she and her twin sister were advanced in school. They both graduated two years early without even trying. She didn't act like it, but Samantha had more than just great hair and a hot body going for her. She was very intelligent but preferred to receive attention for her bombshell beauty rather than her brains.
When Chase turned eighteen, his parents had gifted him with his condo. Vampire society had vast differences from the human society. By eighteen years of age, vampires had already been hunting on their own for years, and males roamed freely. A tighter leash was kept on females, because upper-class families didn't want their girls bonding to someone beneath themselves. Vampire bonding, or what humans would call marriage, was often arranged by the parents in powerful houses.
Samantha and Chase had a lot in common, both coming from ruling houses. They understood each other's limitations and obligations to their houses. They never knew when they'd have time to meet up, so Samantha had a key for convenience. She would come over when she could, and he never knew if he would be out hunting or home for the night. They would often not see or speak to each other for weeks. They broke up when Chase brought another female home with him and Samantha had been there waiting. She had made an awful mess that day. Apparently, the fact that they had never been exclusive didn't matter. She always assumed she was the only girl allowed in his home. That was their private sanctuary, in her mind. After her temper tantrum was over, Chase reclaimed her keys, and they parted ways. Not long after, she came back to make amends, but Chase was tired of running around in shadows. Something in the past had caused a rift between their families, and the Vaughns would not welcome his poaching of their daughter.