Let him down?
Bryce was setting off all my inner alarms. I wished I could see the skin on her neck hidden by all that hair so I could tell if she had any cuts or bite marks.
Did he drug her? He’s obviously playing into the vampire fantasy. Is he a manipulative slimeball or something even worse?
‘I thought we made an agreement that you’d hold off on any blood-drinking activities until we talked about it first? What if Bryce has some kind of illness? Is he worth dying for?’
She scowled. ‘I think you’re making it a bigger deal than it is. I know I told you I’d wait, but we got so caught up in the moment. Bryce said that if I really loved him, I’d want to share everything with him. I know how that sounds, but at the time it made perfect sense. He just looked at me and I knew it was the right thing to do. Besides, Bryce said if I do decide to become a vampire, any diseases that I might have would go away.’
Shit. We’ve crossed the line now. I’m legally required to report harm to self or other, and even though Midnight isn’t a minor, she’s at risk. If I get the authorities involved in this, Midnight will never trust me again. But if I don’t . . .
I locked eyes with her. ‘Would you be willing to give this some time? Will you promise me – I mean really promise me – that you won’t make any decisions about becoming a vampire or drinking more blood without talking to me first? It’s a very big deal.’
I let the honest concern I felt show in my face, and I watched the suspicion in her eyes soften into possibility as she sensed my sincerity. I really didn’t want to bring in the police unless I absolutely had to, and I needed time to deepen our connection.
She heaved an exaggerated sigh. ‘Well, if I have to.’
Okay. I’ll take that. It’s better than nothing.
I persuaded her to put off the decision for a couple of weeks and we spent the rest of the session exploring some of her background. ‘Tell me more about your father,’ I asked, and she did. The hour flew by.
As she stood to leave she said, ‘I told some of the other kids about you and a few of them might want to come and talk. Would that be okay?’
‘Sure. That would be great.’ I gathered some business cards from my desk and handed them to her. ‘Just ask them to call to schedule an appointment.’
I walked her into the reception area where she stopped with her hand on the doorknob and turned towards me again. ‘Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you. I told Dev I was coming to see you that first time – that my parents were making me see a shrink – and he was very interested. Well, anyway, he was waiting for me at The Crypt that night, and he asked me lots of questions about you and our session. He asked me what you look like. I told him everything. He said he might drop in to meet you sometime, and that I should tell you.’
Why does he care about how I look? I’m obviously too old for his taste.
‘If he’d like to make an appointment, I’ll be happy to see him.’
‘It would have to be at night.’ She grinned mischievously.
‘That’s perfectly fine – I do see clients in the evenings.’ I didn’t add that it was one of my least favourite things to do and that I avoided it whenever possible. But if I was going to specialise in vampire wannabes, I guessed I’d have to get used to the nocturnal schedule.
She left and I went back into my office.
I met with a few more clients that afternoon and early evening and had just kicked off my shoes when I heard the door to the reception area open. I quickly scanned my appointment book to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anyone. Finding I hadn’t, I put my shoes back on and opened my office door.
Sitting in one of the chairs in the waiting room was the very same gorgeous, blond-haired, leather-clad man I’d seen outside my building and in Midnight’s drawing.
My stomach lurched and I think I gasped out loud.
He stood when I opened the door and it was fluid motion, as if he had simply willed himself vertical. His body was all lean muscle radiating some kind of primal power. He moved elegantly over to me and gave a slight bow of his head. He offered the kind of smile that made my Inner Nerd want to fan herself and hide in the closet.
Dressed in black, his snug leather trousers, form-fitting silk T-shirt and long leather ‘duster’ coat gave the impression of high fashion rather than Harley-Davidsons.
I froze in the doorway with my mouth hanging open, speechless, staring into the most amazing pair of turquoise eyes I’d ever seen.
He picked up my hand gently and kissed the back, his lips soft and silky. ‘I am Devereux. Is this a good time for an appointment?’
So many emotions slammed against each other inside me that I didn’t know which one to act on first. Fear decided to step to the front of the line and my mind began to weigh options in case the man physically attacked me. He didn’t seem menacing at the moment, but he was much bigger and stronger than me, and I hadn’t spent nearly enough time in the gym. Hell, I hadn’t spent any. Obviously, he had.
My heart raced and I still hadn’t formed a coherent sentence or done anything beyond stare at him like a zombie. What was happening to me? My eyelids felt as though they were coated with cement, my jaw sagged open, the air suddenly became thick, and a sumo wrestler was pounding on my chest. The normal background white noise acquired a sharp edge and turned into a persistent buzz, vibrating in my ears. I felt as if I was in some kind of trance.
‘I am very sorry.’ He took a step back from me and released my hand. ‘I have frightened you. That was never my intention – sometimes I forget how intense we can be. You must be a keenly sensitive individual. I will endeavour to control myself. Please accept my sincere apologies.’
You will endeavour to control yourself? I’m the one having the meltdown here.
He lowered his gaze for a moment, and when he met my eyes again, the tension drained from my muscles and I could breathe. It felt as though a switch had been thrown and I was once again in charge of my bodily functions. I could still hear the hum in my ears, but it had diminished in volume. I ran my tongue over my very dry lips.
‘You did startle me. I wasn’t expecting anyone this evening.’
‘Again, my sincere apologies.’
Both times I’d seen this man, he’d caused my anxiety levels to blast through the roof. I wanted to scream at him that it was absolutely not acceptable he’d come unannounced to my office, and that his habit of lurking around me was going to earn him a trip to the police station. He was altogether too sure of himself. I wanted him to know he couldn’t just stroll in and expect me to drop everything and attend to him. No matter how gorgeous he was.
Instead, I swallowed the irritation, opted for whatever remnants of professional demeanour I could summon, and said, ‘Well, Mr Devereux, why are you here?’
‘Just Devereux.’ He cocked his head and flashed that godlike smile again. ‘As I mentioned a moment ago, I had hoped this would be a good time for our appointment. I trust Midnight told you I wished to meet with you?’
His voice was unusually pleasant. The timbre of it flowed through me like a favourite song, as if I were listening to him with my entire body. He had a lilting European accent, sounding almost old-fashioned, like he’d stepped out of another century. Strange how a voice could be so enticing.
I closed my eyes and sniffed the air. What was that wonderful aroma? It seemed to hover around him like an olfactory aura. Maybe he used a special kind of soap or shampoo, something spicy and masculine and unusual.
He brushed a finger lightly along my arm. ‘Dr Knight?’
My eyes flew open and I realised I’d been standing there, blatantly revelling in his scent, making sniffing noises. How embarrassing. What the hell is wrong with me? Come on, Kismet. Talking has always been your strong suit. Just one word at a time. Concentrate.