I had invited Shaz into the shower, since getting clean was more fun with two. When we’d finally emerged from the shower, we were dripping wet and had goose bumps appearing in all the right places. After some aggressive bathroom sex, we had moved back to the bed and slowly, deliciously loved each other again.
I pried myself, reluctantly from the sanctity of his love. I wanted nothing more than to shut the world out and stay in bed enjoying him all night. I was stricken with fear that I may never get another moment like this one. Suddenly, Raoul and his mentally-ill daughter didn’t feel like my problem.
However, nobody else was going to clean up this mess.
So, when ten o’clock rolled around, Shaz and I were waiting at the Tim Horton’s coffee shop, a few blocks from Lucy’s Lounge. Kylarai arrived minutes after us, and we waited on Jez and Kale who had both graciously donated some of their evening to my pathetic little cause. Ky and Shaz each sat across from me at the small table. I watched traffic as I sipped the heavenly strong coffee.
I left a message for Arys but didn’t really expect him to show up. Part of me was downright terrified that he would. I’d be stuck in the awkward hell of having him, Shaz and me in close proximity.
I’d gotten lucky that evening, no pun intended. Jez hadn’t been free until last minute, when her latest flavor of the week girlfriend had cancelled on her. Since Kale now owed me for that little brush with the demon, he had no excuses.
While Shaz and Ky made small talk, I feigned ignorance to my and Shaz’s mingled scent. There was no fooling a werewolf’s sense of smell. Detecting our intimacy took barely a sniff, but knowing Kylarai, she was thinking that it was about damn time already.
“Don’t you think so, Alexa?” Kylarai asked with one eyebrow raised. I had a feeling the question had been repeated.
“Sorry.” I shook my head and took a swig of the perfectly brewed coffee. “Don’t I think so, what?”
“I knew you weren’t listening.” To Shaz, she added, “Maybe you guys should have stayed in bed. I think it’s all she can think about.”
My cheeks warmed instantly in a blush, but Shaz turned cherry red, which made me feel better. I kicked Ky lightly beneath the table, and she responded with a smirk.
“Anyway,” I said. “What were you asking me?”
“I was just commenting on how fast Raoul’s mental state will decline if you take out his kid. He’s going to freaking lose it.”
“If he ever had it.” I commented.
Actually, Raoul’s sanity was a nagging sore spot. He believed Zoey was savable despite her killing spree. I didn’t tell him about this little excursion.
“He’d kill me before he’d let me lay a fang on her.” I dug around in my purse and produced the photo of Zoey, with her haunting, sparkling eyes, and I passed it to Ky before I could feel guilty.
“She’s a pretty thing.” She forgot her coffee as she stared at the picture.
Shaz leaned over to get a good look. “She looks a lot like Raoul.”
His expression darkened as he glanced behind me. He pointed, as I felt the approach of the cool, undead presence that I knew so well.
Adrenaline surged through me, and my heart skipped a beat. I couldn’t hide anything from the vampire. He would know instantly about the romp with Shaz, and despite the fact that he had encouraged me, I was afraid that he would be less than enthused. Considering the timing of the flings, I was bordering on tramp territory, as far as my own personal standards went.
Those blue vampire eyes landed on me, and the look sent such a rush through me. I felt short of breath.
Across from me, Shaz reacted to my increased heart rate by brushing his leg against mine under the table. As wrong as it was, the urge to pull away from him was strong, and I fought to resist it.
Arys sat next to me, across from Kylarai and Shaz. I’d expected him to do something to embarrass me, but I was disappointed and thankfully so.
“Nice to see you, Kylarai.” He greeted her with a grin and the briefest flash of fang. She just nodded and smiled.
That small glimpse was enough to thrill me in places beyond physical touch. I quickly felt guilty and tried my best to hide behind my coffee cup.
He then nodded to Shaz, and I froze. “How’s it going?”
My jaw clenched, and my breath sucked in as I waited for Shaz’s response.
“Great,” he said with a smile that was more forced than Ky’s had been. “You?”
Their attempt at casual should have been normal, but it smacked of phony. I got a sick feeling that they’d discussed me at some point without my knowledge. Had they both just been waiting for this awkward moment, fully aware that it would arrive?
Arys turned to me and smiled like a hungry cat. His voice dropped low enough to soothe when he said, “I’ve got to warn you, I haven’t fed tonight. Let me know if it becomes too much for you.”
I had felt the slightest hint of bloodlust when I’d first opened my eyes at noon, but Shaz’s earthy Were energy had shifted the focus of my energy. Only now, within touching distance of that cool blue aura, did I feel that sickly twinge in the pit of my stomach.