“No.” She scooted farther away in the booth.
His jaw shifted as he reached for his drink. “I’m not a monster, Miss Tucker. I won’t hurt you.”
She winced inwardly. If only she could think of him as a monster. It might help her squash this strange attraction she felt for him. Could he actually make a bite feel pleasurable?
She watched him drink the red liquid topped with pinkish foam. When he licked the foam off his lips, her heartbeat sped up. By George, that man can kiss. She slapped herself mentally. Don’t think about that! “What—what are you drinking?”
“It’s called Bleer. Half synthetic blood, half beer. It’s one of the more popular drinks in Vampire Fusion Cuisine.”
Her mouth dropped open. Vampire Fusion Cuisine? She looked at the foamy drink, then back at Gregori. “Are you kidding me?” She reached for the glass.
“Abigail.” He grabbed the glass, his hand covering hers. “Don’t drink it. It could make you ill.”
“I just want to smell it.” She glanced up.
He was leaning toward her, his face close to hers. “Okay.”
She inhaled deeply, then closed her eyes to concentrate on her other senses. The yeasty smell of beer and metallic scent of blood. And the warmth of his hand on hers.
She opened her eyes and found him studying her face. Her heartbeat screamed into overdrive. She set the glass down and pulled her hand away. “So you need blood to stay alive? You are alive, aren’t you?”
He nodded. “At the moment, yes. My heart is beating just like yours.” His mouth curled up, making his dimples show. “But not quite as fast.”
Her face grew warm. So he could actually hear her heartbeat. She motioned toward Josh, who was standing two booths down and talking quietly on his cell phone. “Can you hear him?”
Gregori tilted his head as he focused on Josh. “Sparkle’s still on the dance floor.” He turned to her with a questioning look.
“We all have code names. Madison is Sparkle.”
He smiled. “It suits her.” He leaned close to Abigail, his eyes twinkling. “So what’s your code name?”
She shrugged. “Not important.”
“That’s a lousy code name.”
“That’s not my—”
He chuckled. “Let me guess. Your sister is Sparkle, so you’re . . . Brilliant.”
“No.” Her cheeks grew hotter.
“But you are brilliant.”
Unfortunately, her face probably was a brilliant red.
“Well, if you refuse to talk, I have other ways of finding out.” He glanced at Josh, who had put away his cell phone and was now murmuring to Charles on his wrist communicator. “Sailor? Who’s that?”
“My dad.”
Gregori’s eyebrows lifted. “He didn’t want to be an Admiral?”
“All of our names start with s. And Dad likes being Sailor. He’s a Navy man, and he thinks it makes him sound humble.”
Gregori gave her a dubious look.
“I know. He doesn’t always appear very humble. But it’s hard to look modest when you’re trying to show a lot of confidence and competence as a leader.” She ran a finger around the rim of her glass. “He’s different when he’s with us. Especially when he’s with my mom. He loves her so much. When you’re watching someone you love slowly die, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it, it’s very humbling.”
Her hand stilled. What on earth was she doing? Opening up to a vampire? She glanced at Gregori. His eyes had a faraway look to them, a look of remembrance and pain.
She sipped some of her Diet Coke. He remained silent, and she wondered what sad place he had drifted off to.
She reached out to touch him, but changed her mind and lowered her hand to the table. “I’m sorry if I made you sad. I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s all right.” He smiled, but the sadness lingered in his eyes. “I’m really sorry about your mother.”
She blinked when tears threatened. It had been a long time since she’d talked to anyone about her mom. She usually kept her fears and anxieties bottled up. And when she was with her mom, she always tried to be cheerful. “Her code name is Serenity.”
“That’s an excellent name for her.”
“Yes.” Abigail clenched her fists, determined to keep her emotions in check.
Gregori rested his hand on top of hers. “It’ll be all right.”
She froze. His hand felt perfectly warm and human. And his touch was light and . . . tender. Her gaze darted to Josh, who was standing two booths to the right, and then Charles, two booths to the left. “I—”