Pool of Crimson (9 page)

“So, you can’t sleep either?” Jade asked as she pushed a handful of dark hair from her face.

“Nope.” I wasn’t up for talking yet.

“Whatcha doin’?” she asked as she pulled up a chair next to me and squinted at the computer screen. She wasn’t awake yet either. It took her a few blinks and a hard rub at her eyes to really focus. “I should’ve taken my contacts out,” she chastised herself.

“Probably.”

“Why don’t you let me do this? You make us some breakfast.” She shoved me out of the way and took my chair. I raised my hands in surrender. I’d considered,
really considered
not letting her help but by the looks of it, I wasn’t going to be able to get rid of her. She was like a barnacle on the bottom of a ship, once she clung on to something, she wouldn’t let go.

“Coffee?” I asked, heading to the kitchen.

“Yes, please.” Even with the dream fresh in my mind, somehow I felt better knowing I wasn’t alone.

Chapter 6

What the hell am I going to wear? When was the last time I was this nervous? Other than the heart-pounding adrenaline rush of a fight?

I only had half an hour before my big DATE, and I still had to get dressed. I opted for a pair of dark wide leg jeans. They were easy to move in and were comfortable in case I had to chase something or someone. I put on a crisp white blouse with puffed capped sleeves and a deep eggplant scoop-necked sweater shell over it. The sweater hit my hips several inches above the bottom of the blouse. I slid several sterling silver bangle bracelets up my arm and sterling silver hoops in my ears, then moved to shoes. I opted once again for a pair of boots, hoping to hide my bowie knife. The knife would be easy to get to that way. It’s hard to explain away a knife with an eight-inch blade. Believe me, I’ve tried.

I was downstairs transferring the contents of my handbag to my black leather satchel, when someone knocked. My heart jumped in my chest at the sudden loud pounding on the front door as it echoed through my silent house. I checked my face in the mirror and put on some lipstick quickly with slightly trembling fingers. I took a few quick deep breaths to steady my racing pulse before I opened the door.
This is ridiculous.
I chastised myself as I grabbed the doorknob and yanked it open.

Danny was tall, a few inches taller than me, and I was in three-inch heels. His broad shoulders squared into an imposing natural expanse that would have brought less self-assured men to their knees in capitulation. His eyes sparkled with mischief but they darted around the room as if evaluating everything he saw and filing it away for future use. His body was a big brick wall of masculinity that oozed the potential to dominate. His hair was a dirty dishwater blond color with red highlights, like he spent most of his time in the sun. It was a little shaggy and tousled in a careless toss of hair. Danny’s tanned skin shimmered a golden brown in the soft light from overhead, highlighting the freckles across his nose and cheeks. He had soft, solid features and full lips that were so kissable I fought not to lean into his warmth. His rich hazel-gray eyes with green and yellow flecks focused on me in blatant unrestrained hunger. I smiled in approval. He radiated desire like some people radiate anger. I glanced over his long beautiful body, noticing each line of his muscular bulk. He tried to hide it behind a tailored shirt and jacket, but nothing could hide the bulk of his broad chest and shoulders. He definitely had my approval.

Danny was dressed in dark jeans, a blue button down shirt, and tie with a black corduroy blazer. It suited him. He looked uncomfortable, like it wasn’t his normal everyday wear. I got the impression he was trying really hard to be presentable. I smiled at him.

“You look great,” he said with a wide appreciative smile.

“You look good, too. I almost didn’t recognize you out of your uniform.” I teased, pulling the door shut behind me. I returned his warm smile. I couldn’t help myself. I couldn’t remember smiling that much. Ever. “So where are we off to?” I asked, hoping the stupid grin would wear off my face soon or maybe he wouldn’t notice.

God! This is embarrassing.

“Well,” he said, escorting me down my front walk. He stopped before a bright red Dodge Durango and opened the passenger side door for me. “I thought we could get some dinner, a movie, then maybe some coffee and dessert afterward. What do you think?” he said with a confident, expectant smile.

I hopped up into the Durango and he closed the door on me. I turned and got a quick look into the back of his SUV as he walked around the front. There were kayak oars in the back, but otherwise, the SUV was clean and tidy.

But, oh great, he’s outdoorsy.
I sank slightly down in my seat, suddenly apprehensive. Outdoorsy, I wasn’t.

“Sounds great to me,” I said, plastering a smile on my face. He hopped in on his side with an easy grace that left me staring at him open mouthed. He made me feel clunky and as far from graceful as one person could get. He closed his door with a soft thud then with an approving smile in my direction, he drove off.

“You can’t be serious!” Danny said in a huff as he threw up his hands in disbelief.

“I’m one hundred percent serious,” I said, trying to keep a straight face. It was hard. I couldn’t laugh if I was going to win the argument. “I think Luke Skywalker’s a little girl,” I said with a slight hint of laughter in my voice, but I don’t think he noticed. “All he did was whine the whole time.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. He saved the rebellion,” he said with eyes that flashed in amusement.

“All he did was whine.
I want to go with my friends and get some power converters
,” I said in my best whiny five-year-old voice, finally erupting in an all-out, full-throated laugh.

He joined in as the waitress approached.

“Can I refill your drink?” She addressed Danny, without even glancing my way. My blood boiled in my veins at her audacity.
Yep, evidently I’m the jealous type.

I glared at her.

She was petite and round in all the right places. She had thick chestnut hair that struggled to stay back even in a heavy-duty ponytail holder. She had a bright megawatt smile that was directed directly at Danny. An angry heat surged through me, and a voice roared in the back of my brain.

Mine!

“No, thanks,” he said quickly, then returned his attention to me. “So what you’re telling me is that blowing up the Death Star means nothing to you?” he asked, still laughing. He caught me off guard, and I couldn’t help but turn away from the waitress’s megawatt smile and look at him. His captivating hazel gray eyes were focused on me as he popped a fry from my plate into his mouth. He waited for my answer. I smiled back at him as I nudged my glass toward the edge of the table for the waitress. The voice in the back of my mind settled into a soft purr. I wouldn’t have to rip the poor waitress’s throat out.

Whoa! That wasn’t me. Where the hell did that come from?

“I could use a refill of iced tea,” I said casually as I looked up into her forgettable brown eyes. She snatched my glass from the table in disbelief. Her anger was palpable as she stalked back into the kitchen. I wasn’t about to drink anything she brought back. I turned back to Danny.

“Not one bit,” I said with a satisfied smile.

The movie was ordinary, and I pushed it from my mind as we left the theatre. Danny opened the car door for me and asked, “So, coffee? Dessert?”

I smiled broadly at him. “You bet.” He made his way around the SUV and jumped in the driver’s side. I was having a good time, even with the so-so movie. I felt comfortable with Danny. That didn’t happen to me very often. The only problem I had now was which was the real me; the vampire hunter that stalked her prey in the dark or this Dahlia, the light, laughing, and—
Christ on crutches
—was that flirting
woman who sat in the passenger seat with her hands folded neatly in her lap? I wasn’t sure.

“We can go to The Beanery in Grandview?” I suggested. It was close to my house and we could walk. I was ashamed to admit it, and I would never say it out loud, but I really wanted him to hold my hand. The walk to get coffee would give him that opportunity.

I feel like a God damned teenager. This is absolutely ridiculous,
I repeated over and over again in my head as he parked the car in front of my house.

He turned in his seat and looked at me with a bright welcoming smile on his face that lit up his hazel eyes in the darkness of his car. Silence filled the SUV. I saw that he wanted to say something, but he paused a brief, unrelentingly tense moment before he spoke.

“I thought we could walk, if that’s okay with you?” he asked with a sly smile.

My heart raced, and I couldn’t fight the returning smile that curved my lips.
Was that okay with me? Hell yeah, it was!

“Fine with me,” I said in a nonchalant tone that was harder to get out than it should have been. I shrugged my shoulders, but I could feel the flush of heat on my cheeks. I turned quickly and exited the car, hoping he hadn’t noticed the flush of pink on my skin or my fingers clasped firmly in my lap to keep them from trembling.

We walked the two blocks to Grandview Avenue and on a Saturday night, it was hoppin’. The restaurants were packed, the bars were crowded with people to see the live bands, and the street was filled with people walking in the brisk autumn night air. We crossed the street slowly, hand-in-hand. His palm was ridiculously warm in mine, strong and almost possessive. I bit my bottom lip to keep from hurtling myself into his arms. He motioned toward The Heights Ice Cream Parlor with his free hand. I smiled at him as he tugged me behind him through the mash of people coming toward us, blocking me from the masses.

I took a quick cleansing breath after I evaluated the lines at both places and tried to relax the tension that rippled through my body.

This doesn’t matter. You’re having a good time. Don’t let a little wait bother you.
I put a smile on my face as I looked up into his bewitching hazel eyes. A warmth like summer heat wrapped around me, filling me with a calm I didn’t usually feel. He watched me intently as his thumb caressed circles over the soft skin of my hand. I noticed that the fake smile I was so used to showing the world was gone and a real smile had finally fixed on my face. He winked at me, as if he could feel my tension leave.

“Why don’t you get the ice cream, and I’ll get the coffee? We can meet in the middle,” I said with as much enthusiasm in my voice as I could as I tried to be more efficient. He gave me a quick salute and made it look cool as he jumped in line.

“What flavor do you want?” he asked with an excited twinkle in his eyes, as if he knew it was killing me to be patient.

“Pistachio.”

“I thought you might be a little nutty,” he said, giving me his million-dollar smile, as if he hadn’t just made a horrible pun. He was a goofball, but he was cute and comfortable in his own skin. I liked that. He made me relax and feel comfortable with him. “Just get me a black coffee. Whatever they have for the dark roast is fine.”

After a fifteen minute wait behind two gabby teenage girls, I got Danny’s dark roast, along with my cappuccino, and set out to find a table in the outdoor seating area. A group of people stood and was leaving. I ran as quickly as I could with two steaming mugs of coffee in my hands and trampled another couple headed for the same table. On a Saturday night, you do what you have to do. I wasn’t ashamed.

I placed the coffees on the table, then turned to put my bag in the chair beside me and gave another woman a dirty look when she tried to snatch the extra chair.

I looked around to make sure that no one else was out to steal Danny’s chair when I was caught by two dark pools of intensity staring back at me.

Not again.

His face was as beautiful as chiseled marble and just as blank of emotion. A jolt of electricity shot through me from across the outdoor seating area. I froze where I sat. He watched me. His dark eyes evaluated me, sizing me up like a proper opponent and
that
sent a cold chill up my spine. Beneath my fear and his power, that prickled across my skin like a fine frost, was the pulsing heat of excitement that pulled low in my body.

Patrick sat nonchalantly with his legs crossed casually at one of the tables in the back row. His back was to the glass windows of the storefront and he had a copy of
The Count of Monte Cristo
in his hands, resting easily in his lap. The book was tattered with age and use, having obviously been read several times over.

Patrick nodded curtly at me as our eyes met. He didn’t even try to hide the fact that he was watching me. He sat patiently, like a cheetah in the grass, a cup of coffee on the table, and the book resting on his thigh. He looked comfortable and almost ... human.

I sat down slowly, realizing that my muscles were taut like a bowstring. I was ready to pounce at the slightest noise. My fight or flight instinct had kicked in, and my pulse picked up in preparation for a fight.

I tried to relax in the chair, pushing everything out of my mind and staying focused. I couldn’t leave without Danny, which meant I couldn’t leave without answering some very hard questions. I could ignore the heat surging through my body, and I could ignore the danger to myself. I couldn’t ignore the danger to Danny. If I left, Patrick could just follow me, or worse, Danny. I had to stay. I twisted in my seat ever so slightly so that the vampire was still in my peripheral vision. There was no way in hell I was going to take my eyes off of him, and I definitely wasn’t giving him my back.

I gave him the same curt nod he gave me. His appearance was no accident, and I knew that my precious anonymity was gone. The only thing I could do to guarantee my continued safety was to lure Patrick to a dark alley and stake him. A slight twinge in the back of my mind made me think that maybe this time I
would
hesitate, and maybe this time I would lose.

“Here you go,” Danny said, licking his cone as he handed me my cup. “Hey, you don’t look so good. Are you okay?” he asked quickly, sitting in the empty seat beside me. He took my wrist between his thumb and first two fingers as he felt for my pulse. His fingers were warm on my bare skin. I sighed softly at his touch. “Your heart is racing. What’s going on?”