“To lunch or breakfast. Whichever you prefer.”
“I'll have to get ready.”
He thought she looked amazing already but whatever. “Take your time.” Which really meant, I hope this doesn't take an hour. He wanted to feed her.
She came back in five wearing a pair of jeans that were neither too tight nor too loose and a plain white t-shirt.
“Why'd you change?” She still looked amazing. Just less witchy.
She shrugged and gathered up a black shoulder bag. “Something about wearing what I usually do makes me uncomfortable around normal people. They tend to stare.”
Kearnyn nodded though he didn't mention that what she wore probably had little to do with the attention she got. so much as how naturally beautiful she was. He led her outside and opened the passenger door for her. Her soft hand slid into his as he helped her up into the seat and he had to focus on not clasping their hands together like he wanted. He swore something passed between them with that touch—something warm and inviting.
His gut tightened. His cock started to throb with a dull pain from being semi-hard most of the morning. It made him feel like a creep around her. Maybe if he just got off once then it'd go away. Yeah, how many times have men tried that and failed?
He hopped into the driver's seat and turned the key in the ignition. He paused before pulling into drive and turned to her, one arm going to rest on the back of her head rest.
Eyes watched him, wary and shy.
“Before we go I need to tell you something.”
She scooted another inch against her seat. “Okay, what's that?”
He leaned in, keeping his eyes focused on hers. Damn, they were really pretty. Dark brown with flecks of gold and lighter browns. “I'm going to kiss you today.”
She gasped, her hand flying up to protect her neck like he'd just said he was going to kill her. “What? Why?”
He didn't move back, didn't give her the space her body screamed for. “Because I really, really want to.”
She practically trembled and while he could sit there and study her response to see if it was from excitement, fear or a mixture of both, he had a date to get her to.
They pulled up next to a cozy looking café in the city. Round tables with brown umbrellas sat under a wide red canopy from the building. People in business suits on their lunch break and groups of friends sat looking over their menus trying to decide what to order.
Rosa reached for her door handle, but Kearnyn's voice stopped her. “Let me get that.”
He hopped out the seat and opened her door for her. Again, her hand slid into his and it was like a spark shot between them. As soon as her feet hit the ground, she slid her hand out of his, disconcerted. Flashbacks from the vision she'd had still haunted her. Their bodies, naked and twining together while making love. Unlike her friend Lily Bellum's visions, hers were not hit or miss. They were always dead on.
She followed Kearnyn's big body into the café while her mind wandered off to her other recent vision—Lily dying. For once she hoped her visions were wrong, because the thought of losing her best friend made her want to vomit. Even the enchanted bracelet couldn't save Lily. When death chose you, there was no denying it.
She'd been through this before, too many times to count. Seeing close loved ones dying in a vision. A part of her had closed her feelings off to the matter; it was the only way she could cope with the grim knowledge she had. Lily's fate could possibly be changed, but that was up to her. Her own gift was merely an intermediary of sorts. She could see something but have no idea when, where, how, or why. So she dealt with the news as she did in the past—by pretending it didn't happen.
“What's wrong?” Kearnyn asked.
Rosa looked up from the table she'd been staring at. “I'm sorry, I was lost in thought.”
One reddish brown eyebrow shot up. “Want to talk about it? I'm a good listener.” She had no doubt he was.
She shook her head. “No, but thanks.” If she talked about her best friend dying then she might have a breakdown here and now. She had to keep herself detached from it, barricade her feelings from inside, or else she might not survive. She put on a smile. “So what's good here?”
He laughed a bit. “I have no clue. I don't eat food.”
Her lips pulled into a confused frown and then a light bulb went on inside. “Oh, I forgot for a moment that you're a...that you're a,” she glanced around the room for prying eyes then whispered, “Vampire.”
His green eyes lit up with laughter. “I am.”
Curiosity got the better of her. “So how do you, you know, eat?”
“Telal owns half a blood bank. He orders his own supply for me. It stays under the radar because I'm the only one who requires it on his staff.”
“Oh, the rest of his staff is human then?” He nodded.
The server came, a young woman with a bouncing blonde ponytail, and took her order. The waitress left with a promise to be back soon.
“You eat well.”
A flush warmed her cheeks. He stared straight at her and the look unnerved her so she pretended to study her hands. “Yes, well, I'm hungry.” She’d always had a voracious appetite.
He laughed, the sound very deep and masculine. “You don't have to sound sorry about it. I told you I wanted to feed you.”
Her lips twitched. “I don't recall you saying it quite like that.” Her eyes flicked up to meet his just in time to see his cheeks darken with color. She couldn't help but laugh and soon he laughed along with her, their eyes caught together.
After a moment the connection was too much and she broke it. She let out a long unsteady breath. I'm going to kiss you today.
The server came back and set a glass of tea on the table. Rosa sighed with relief at the much needed interruption. The café felt entirely too warm for her tastes. Maybe they should have chosen a table outside, she thought.
“How far along on you on the weapons?”
She took a sip of her tea. “I should be done in another two weeks. I could do it in one if you need them faster.” That would mean she'd get about two hours of sleep a night and she'd have to close her shop. She didn’t mind. Being on a deadline always gave her a rush that she liked.
“No, two weeks is great timing. So Rosa, are you going to tell me about the vision you had of us?” The way he asked it sounded erotic, husky. Caught off guard by the question, Rosa spit her tea onto the table.
Mortification quickly set it. Cheeks burning a deep red, she grabbed her measly white napkin and started patting at the mess. She’d never blushed so much in her damn life. It was getting to be irritated. He probably thought she was a simple-minded naïve fool.
“Here, let me.” He took the napkin from her and used his fresh one to clean the mess up. Still, she couldn't look at him. Instead she looked outside and watched cars driving by, people walking up and down the street with briefcases and purses all in a hurry to get someplace.
The server came back with her food and Rosa eagerly dug in if only to avoid answering his question or making a bigger fool out of herself. The man just rattled her so. From his large size to his kind eyes, the whole thing made her uncomfortable, nervous.
The silence stretched on as she ate. Eventually she had to look at him; they hadn't said a word to each other in at least five minutes. When she looked up, she found him watching her with a small smile on his face.
“What?” She couldn’t hide her defensive tone.
His smile turned into a smirk. “I just enjoy your company.”
She wanted to roll her eyes. “I doubt that.” I'm as boring as can be, she wanted to say.