He touched his head. His temples were throbbing like a bitch.
Someone bumped into him from behind. He realized he was just standing there, holding up the damn line. Muttering an apology, he turned to the man who’d nudged him. “Sorry…I just…” Roth gave a rough laugh. “I must have pulled one hell of an all-nighter.” A hangover, that’s what he had. That’s why he felt weird and couldn’t remember exactly what the hell he’d been doing. He’d had blackouts before, usually after he drank himself into a sweet oblivion. But…he hadn’t drank like that in a very, very long time. Not since he’d started his last job.
The man who’d bumped him smiled. “No problem. We’ve all been there.” It was a friendly smile. Easy going. “There’s a coffee shop around the corner. Some caffeine might help you out, and they’ve got great beignets there.”
“Right. Yeah, thanks, man.” Roth turned away, rubbing a hand over his jaw and feeling the faint sting of a five o’clock shadow. He hurried around the corner, and, sure enough, down the way just a little bit, there was a coffee shop waiting. It was about thirty feet away. His left hand shoved into his pocket. Did he have any money on him?
Footsteps tapped behind him. He looked back, and that guy was there. The friendly dude from the crosswalk. Roth blinked. Was the fellow following him?
No, no, he was just being paranoid. That happened after he drank too much, too. Another unwanted side effect.
Roth pushed open the door of the coffee shop. The bell above his head jingled. He spotted an empty booth in the far back and he bee-lined for it. He sat down on the broken seat cushion, exhaling in relief.
And then, two seconds later, that same damn guy slid into the booth with him. “What the hell…?” Roth began.
The man shoved a thick, brown envelope across the table. “Where’s Jane?”
Jane.
Roth started to sweat.
“I know you were following her today,” the guy continued. He leaned forward. “I paid you to follow Jane. So where the fuck is she now?”
Chapter Ten
Hell’s Gate was dead silent. Aidan marched across the club and went straight to the bar. Jane paced behind him, but stopped in the middle of the cavernous room. She watched as he grabbed a bottle of whiskey and poured it into a short, thick glass. He downed that whiskey in one gulp and then poured more. “Aidan…” Jane began, edging a bit closer. His mood was volatile—hell, that was a serious understatement. The whole bar felt heavy and tense, a tenseness that was emanating from Aidan.
He drained the second glass and set it back on the bar with a thunk. “That didn’t help.” His gaze locked on her. His eyes were so bright. “I’m still thirsty.”
Something was different about Aidan. Darker. His features seemed harder and when he looked at her, the expression in his eyes was almost desperate.
His gaze slid over her face. Down to her throat. And that stare of his seemed to burn even more.
“I need a taste, Jane,” Aidan whispered.
“A taste?” Her own voice came out too high pitched.
He put his hands down on the bar, then leapt right over it. He stalked toward her. Stalked. Definitely the right description for his slow, steady movements. “A taste of you.”
Jane shook her head. “Captain Harris will be coming soon. She’ll—”
“Not yet, she won’t. It’s just you and it’s me.” His hand rose and his fingers curled along the column of her neck. “I need a taste.” His words were growled. And when he spoke, she saw his fangs.
Vampire fangs.
He pulled her closer. Her breasts brushed against his chest. All kinds of warnings were going off in her head as she stared up at him. Handle with extreme care. At the cemetery, she’d been aware of just how fragile his control had been. If she hadn’t been with him, Jane feared he would have killed Roth. Sure, the guy was an asshole, but did Roth deserve to have his throat ripped out for that crime?
His fingers stroked her neck. “Let me taste you, Jane.”
“Aidan…”
His head bent. His lips brushed over hers. It was a careful kiss. She hadn’t expected that care. His mood was so volatile, his darkness so close to the surface, that she’d expected a rough claiming from his mouth. Hard. Domination.
Not seduction. But he was seducing her. With his mouth and his tongue. His kiss was so careful, so tender, and Jane found herself leaning toward him. This was Aidan. Her Aidan. Fate kept trying to tear them apart, but Jane wasn’t going to let that happen. He was the one thing that had always felt right in her messed-up world.
He was the one person who made her feel right.