With so many people around, the scent of perspiration was strong, but still nowhere near as strong as desire and lust. How he knew already what lust smelled like, he didn’t know; maybe he’d always known, even when he wasn’t consciously picking up on it. But now, that same scent was impossible to ignore, and his body was reacting to it in a way that made him very aware he was wearing thin hospital scrubs. At least the top was long enough to cover his crotch and keep him mostly decent.
A deep laugh brought his attention to Leo at his side. Leo grinned at Brett, that sexy, wicked grin that always caused blood to burn in Brett’s veins. He didn’t say anything, but his eyes flicked down ever so quickly: he knew what state Brett was in already, and unless Brett was mistaken, he intended to do something about it soon.
Without Brett realizing it, they’d crossed most of the club on their way to the back door that led to their apartment above. John stopped them before they could get there. The chief of security gave a start as he took in Brett’s appearance. His attire would have been a giveaway, but he knew he had scrapes or bruises on his face, too—he’d felt them, though he had no reflection anymore and didn’t know how bad it looked.
“Boss? You all right?”
Brett nodded. He supposed he’d have to tell the staff that he was a vampire now, not that it would change anything for them. Still, that could wait until later. Tomorrow, maybe, before the club opened.
“Fine,” he said, and he wasn’t lying. “How’s the night going?”
Lisa’s sigh told him exactly what she thought of him asking about work right now, but he was glad he’d asked when John said, “Well, we’re a bit short staffed. Ella is late and—”
“No,” Lisa cut in.
John looked at her, startled, but Brett thought he knew what it was about.
“Lisa, if there’s a problem—”
“No,” she repeated, squeezing his hand before letting go. “As far as you’re concerned, there is no problem. Leo, take him upstairs. I’ll deal with whatever is going on and join you two in a few minutes.”
John took it in stride and nodded at her. Brett usually took care of the daily minutia, but Lisa was his business partner, and she’d stepped in often enough over the years that the staff considered them interchangeable. The protest, strangely enough, came from Leo.
“No, I’ve got it. I can help at the bar and serving tables. Don’t let him worry about the club.”
Brett’s sputters that he was fine and didn’t need them treating him like an invalid went unanswered. Only when Lisa had dragged him upstairs and closed the door of their apartment behind them did she say, “Of course you’re not an invalid. What you are is a newly turned vampire. And what you need isn’t to worry about the club; it’s to drink more blood.”
Brett pursed his lips in a pout that went unnoticed as she toed off her shoes. He followed her to the kitchen and watched her pull blood from the fridge.
“I ate… I mean, I fed at the hospital,” he reminded her. “I’m not hungry.”
“Yes, you are,” she replied without looking at him, filling two mugs almost all the way up and popping them into the microwave oven. “If you weren’t, you wouldn’t have looked at the cab driver like he was a buffet laid out for you. And if you’d stayed downstairs, it wouldn’t have taken long before you started looking at every human like that.”
More than her words, it was her serious expression that gave him pause, and when she pulled the mugs from the oven and handed him one, he took it without thinking and started drinking. She nodded her approval and smiled.
“Not as good as blood from your Sire,” she commented, “but it does the job. More?”
He’d thought the second mug was for her, but she traded it for the one Brett had emptied much faster than he’d expected. He drank the second one slowly, taking in the taste and texture this time. He’d watched his lovers feed on blood for years, and even warmed it for them on occasion, but had never cared to look at it too closely, lest the sight turn his stomach. Drinking it already felt as natural as drinking water.
Except that his fangs itched to sink into something.
“I don’t feel hungry,” he said after licking his lips clean, “so why do I want more?”
Lisa’s smile turned a little wistful.
“Because you’re a new vampire. Your body is programmed to get blood by biting humans. Feeding from your Sire or from a mug helps, but it doesn’t feel completely right, does it?”
As Brett shook his head, she set both empty mugs aside and looped her arms around his neck.
“Lucky for you,” she whispered, “you have a very willing neck right there, ready for the taking. Two, once Leo comes up.”
She tilted her head to one side, exposing the elegant curve of her neck, pale and smooth except for two faded scars from her Sire. There was no heartbeat to hear, no pulsing of blood under her skin, but his fangs elongated as easily as they had in the cab.
“Can I? Really?” he whispered.
She laughed, her eyes sparkling.
“Of course.”
Her fingers slid up from the back of his neck to his head, weaving in his hair as she pushed him closer.
“Of course,” she said again, shuddering when he pressed a kiss to the crook of her neck. “You don’t have to ask.”