tall blonde here last night. I’m hoping she’ll be back tonight. Legs that could make a grown man grovel,” he said, watching Mina’s face.
She concentrated on her order pad, and he wasn’t even sure she was listening.
“And her ass.” He couldn’t help adding.
Mina flipped a page of the pad, maybe with more force than necessary, but otherwise she didn’t acknowledge him.
Bryce, however, chuckled as he set a scotch in front of him. “Sounds good.”
Sebastian studied Mina for a moment longer, wanting to see something other than her usual remoteness. But she continued to fiddle with her order pad.
Sebastian looked back to Bryce, only to find the bartender watching her too. A definite look of interest in the werebear’s brown eyes.
A flash of something possessive squeezed Sebastian’s chest. He frowned. What difference did it make to him if Mina and Bryce became Carfax Abbey’s newest cupid’s couple? Maybe a good lay from a wild werebear would loosen Mina up.
But even as he told himself that, his fangs distended, scraping the inside of his lips, agitating him.
What the hell was wrong with him? He’d never, never been interested in a woman, alive or undead, who wasn’t interested back. Eternity was too long to work that hard when there were thousands of women in the world, in this city alone, who wanted a good time.
He glanced at Mina as Bryce placed a drink on her tray. She smiled at the bartender. A small smile, definitely a reserved smile, but a smile nonetheless. A real smile. Something she’d never given Sebastian. Another wave of something that felt altogether too close to jealousy washed over him.
Without another word, Sebastian picked up his drink and left the bar, returning to his booth. He was obviously not getting enough female attention if he was feeling irritated by odd little Mina smiling at a coworker. After all, he might find her attractive in some weird way, but he didn’t want her. And she didn’t want him.
Wilhelmina watched Sebastian’s abrupt departure with a mixture of confusion and relief. She’d spent the past two days keeping her distance from him. He unnerved her, and made it difficult to keep focused on her plan. Not that she had a plan. In fact, she’d come up with nothing that could stop his dissolute ways.
She’d considered starting rumors in the club. Things like he was in the mob or he was married, but she didn’t think that would discourage women’s interest in him. He was too charming, too sensual, and far too beautiful for rumors to stop him. She had her doubts that anything would deter mortal women from being with him.
As if to punctuate her point, a tall blonde, probably the tall blonde, sashayed up to his booth smiling broadly at him. Mina’s gaze dropped quickly to her bottom. Yes, she was the woman.
Sebastian grinned up at the blonde, that lopsided smile of his making him look so charismatic, so charming, so harmless.
He gestured for the woman to join him, which she readily did, sliding her long legs under the round table as she scooted closer to him.
“Dang, that man is good,” Bryce said from beside Wilhelmina. She turned to see the long-haired, goateed bartender shaking his head with admiration.
Wilhelmina frowned, ready to disagree. He was despicable. But Greta cut her off, setting her tray on the bar. “Who’s good?”
Bryce jerked his head in Sebastian’s direction. “Our boss.”
Greta turned to look at him, a fond smile curving her full lips. “Oh. Why, yes, he is.”
Wilhelmina gaped at the tall, stunning vampiress as the meaning of her words sank in. “You…with him?” She looked back at the booth where Sebastian chatted with the mortal.
A rich, throaty laugh escaped Greta.
“Don’t be so shocked. It wasn’t a big deal. We just ended up getting together one night.” She fanned herself. “And what a night.”
Bryce shook his head as he left to take a drink order at the end of the bar.
Wilhelmina stared at Greta, stunned. She knew that mortals couldn’t defend themselves against Sebastian’s preternatural charms, but she hadn’t considered that other preternaturals would fall prey to him, too. Especially Greta, who was as dazzling as any vampiress she’d encountered.
“Why?” she finally managed to ask Greta.
Greta laughed at Wilhelmina’s disbelieving look.
“You have looked at the man, haven’t you?”
“Of course,” Wilhelmina said.
“Then you can’t deny that he’s beautiful.”
“No,” Wilhelmina said, begrudgingly. “If you like that type.”
It was Greta’s turn to give her an incredulous look. “Who doesn’t like that type?”
Wilhelmina started to say she didn’t, until she made the mistake of glancing in his direction. The blond mortal talked animatedly to Sebastian. Sebastian stared past her at Wilhelmina. His intense topaz eyes locked with hers, sizzling with an emotion she didn’t understand.
Wilhelmina’s breath caught in her throat. They stared at each other for a moment, then the blonde touched Sebastian’s hand, and the connection broke. Sebastian returned his attention to the woman beside him.
Wilhelmina pulled in another breath, trying to ignore the tingling in her limbs. Irritation filled her, irritation with herself, with Greta, with the stupid blonde who had no idea who or what she was flirting with.
“Doesn’t it bother you that you were just one of the…” Even in her annoyance, Wilhelmina couldn’t bring herself to finish her rude question.
But Greta laughed and finished it for her. “One of the many? No. Sebastian isn’t the type to settle down, and I never expected it. We had fun, and we’re friends. It’s all good.”
Greta picked up her drinks and glided away.
Wilhelmina watched her leave, an image of Greta and Sebastian flashing into her head, in full Technicolor. Their tall, lithe bodies intertwined. Golden skin to golden skin. Mouths and hands exploring…
The tingling, which had almost dissipated, sparked, searing over her skin. Even as nausea roiled in her stomach.
She let out a low growl, more anger filling her. How could Greta be so stupid as to be used by the likes of him? Mortals didn’t know what he was. But Greta? The idea disturbed her. Upset her.
Was no one immune to him? Not even…
She glanced back at him. He talked with the mortal, charming. Alluring. Deceiving her with his feigned interest. When in truth he was only interested in one thing. Biting her. Hurting her.
She didn’t know how to stop him, but she couldn’t let another vampire hurt her. She frowned at her thoughts. No, not her. Humans. He couldn’t hurt more humans. He wouldn’t hurt this one.
Before
