She nodded. “And about your father. I’m very sorry.”
A sharp pang of remembrance jabbed at him, but he mentally shoved away the old pain. “I don’t have to deal with that anymore. Vamps can live for centuries.”
“Is that why you date Vamp women? Because they’re more . . . permanent?”
He scoffed. “There’s nothing permanent about Vamp females. They’re a bunch of butterflies, flitting here and there. They have so much time, it ceases to have any value to them.”
“So you don’t want anything permanent?”
No. He’d wanted to avoid falling in love. It hurt too much to lose someone you loved. So much safer to simply give and take pleasure. He glanced at Abigail. “Why all the questions?”
Her cheeks bloomed a brighter pink. “I’m just trying to get to know you better. So I can trust you.”
Trust me? The vampire playboy who had messed with her mind? “I have a reputation as a womanizer.” He scowled at her. “And I earned it. I spent my first few years as a vampire making Undead women happy.”
She frowned and was silent for a while. “You were coming out of a long period of grief and financial difficulty. I can see why you wanted to have some fun. Your mother said you tried very hard to fit in.”
He shrugged.
“Oh my gosh. You’re vice president of marketing.” She halted and stared at him. “You were marketing yourself.”
He flinched. Of all the ridiculous things to say. He opened his mouth to disagree, but paused.
It was true. He’d tried to always be charming and successful, the life of the party. Gregori, the gregarious. But after a few years, he’d grown tired of the game. He’d wondered why the sex wasn’t as pleasurable as it should be.
Because his heart wasn’t in it. He was pretending to be something he wasn’t.
He swallowed hard. “I woke up one night Undead. I couldn’t go back. I could never be mortal again.” Years later, Roman figured out how to transform a person back, but it had been too late for him. “I just wanted to fit in.”
She nodded. “So you tried to please everyone.”
He grimaced and looked away. Shit. All those years he’d thought he was being cool, he’d been an insecure idiot. He was like a school kid trying to get into the inner clique.
It was time to grow up. Figure out who he really was and what he really wanted.
He glanced at Abigail, and a wave of possessiveness flooded over him. He wanted her. He wanted her beauty. Her brains. Her bravery. Her insightfulness. Her kindness.
Her love.
He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her. But he couldn’t, not with Charles standing ten feet away, glaring at him.
“My office is this way.” He hurried down the hall.
“I found it!” Laszlo called out from down the hallway. “I have the plant you wanted.” He rushed toward them.
Abigail stopped with a confused look on her face.
Gregori stepped forward. “Laszlo.” He gave him a pointed look. “I don’t believe you have met Miss Tucker.” He turned to face her, smiling. “Abigail, this is Laszlo Veszto, one of our chemists here at Romatech.”
“Delighted to meet you.” She shook his hand. “I would love to see your lab if that’s possible.”
“Ah, yes, of course.” Laszlo fiddled with a button on his lab coat.
Gregori patted him on the back. “I was just telling Laszlo last night that you were interested in going to China. So we thought you might like this plant.”
“Yes.” Laszlo handed her a plastic container. “It’s a rare plant from the Yunnan province.”
She gasped. “That’s exactly where I want to go.” She took the container. “Thank you, Laszlo.”
“Glad to help.” He plucked at a button. “I think I’ll be going now.” He scurried back down the hallway to his lab.
“Is he all right?” Abigail asked.
“Sure.” Gregori opened the door to his office. “He’s just a little shy.”
Charles rushed forward to enter the office first. He pivoted, looking about, then motioned for Abigail to enter.
“It’s very ni—” She halted when Charles jumped back from the closet he had just opened.
“Please step out of the room,” he said quietly as he pulled a cell phone from his pocket. “I’m calling the police.”
“What?” Gregori asked.
Charles gave him a disgusted look. “There’s a female body in your closet.”
Gregori scoffed. “You mean VANNA? She’s not alive.”
Abigail gasped.
“I mean she was never alive!” Gregori strode toward the closet.