“Well, that does it for the kitchen.”
“Glad to hear it. May I?” Damian lounged in the doorway. He nodded toward the Bloody Merry and I handed him one. We both popped tops then he held out his.
“A toast. To new beginnings.” He had a wicked smile but I couldn't read his mind. Didn't matter. Whatever he was interested in beginning, was definitely interesting to me.
“To new beginnings.” We both drank and I sighed. I was getting really sick of canned jugular juice.
“What do you think of your new place?” Damian followed me into the living room. The chairs were full of clothes so he sat next to me on the love seat.
“Love it.” His thigh was right up against mine. Not that there was any danger of him being overcome with lust. I looked a fright, my hair a tangle and my faded “What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas” T-shirt clung in all the wrong places.
“You look great.” He met my gaze and I felt his power. But I'd lived most of my life with a powerful vamp. I shrugged and looked away.
“Save the sweet talk, Damian. I'm not ready to rebound just yet.”
“Blade.” Damian put his can down on the marble-topped coffee table and took my hand. “I'm not going to tell you that he's not good enough for you. He's my friend. I know what kind of man he is. But maybe he's not the
right
man for you.”
“And maybe you are?” I looked down at my hand resting in his. He was big, strong and masculine in a smooth sophisticated way. Very different from my Highlander who had broken men's necks with his bare hands. Damian seemed more slice and dice than rip and roar. Though Blade sliced and diced too, actually.
“Give me a chance. That's all I'm asking.”
“Why? No other female vamps in Austin?” I couldn't believe this. I'm okay, but I'm no beauty queen. And I had two handsome men who wanted me? Pinch me.
“There are others. Right here in this building as a matter of fact.” Damian dropped my hand and picked up his can to take a sip.
“That's handy. So why me?”
“Why not?” Damian smiled and looked deep into my eyes. I felt the pull and had to look away, fussing with my drink to avoid coming under his spell.
“Stop that. If you're serious about starting anything with me, never, ever try that mind control crap again.”
Damian put down his can and touched his chest over his heart. “Would I do that?” He laughed at my expression. “Of course I would.”
“Play fair with me, Damian, or there will be no play at all.”
Damian leaned back, stretched his arm along the back of the couch and began to toy with my hair.
“Relax, Gloriana, of course I'll respect your wishes. I am yours to command.”
Did I believe him? Maybe, maybe not, but he was my landlord so I backed off for the time being.
“Can we go down and see the shop now?” Time for a change of venue. I
did
want to see the place.
“Of course.” He stood and walked to the door. “Get your keys.”
Valdez stuck his head out of the bedroom.
“You going somewhere, Blondie?”
“Just downstairs. I'll be okay with Damian.”
Valdez snorted.
“You sure?”
“Ask Blade if you don't believe me.” I pulled open the door. Valdez just gave me a look and let us go.
“You don't have to listen to that dog, Gloriana.” Damian had his hand on my elbow as we headed down the stairs.
“He makes me feel safe.” I stopped and looked back at Damian. I decided to throw him a bone. Hunk. Interested. My landlord. Why not? “So do you.”
Damian grinned. “Excellent. I'm making progress.”
“Maybe.” I started down the stairs again. “Tell me about this building and its occupants.”
“My tenants are all special. Some nocturnals like us, others like your neighbor, shape-shifters who have a life during the day.”
I stopped at the bottom of the stairs. “Your rent is ridiculously cheap. Blade isn't subsidizing me, is he?” I wouldn't put it past him. He always had his fingers in my pies. Look how he'd saddled me with Valdez.
“You pay the same rent as Lacy and everyone else here.” Damian brushed my hair back behind my ear and ran his finger down my neck to touch the artery pulsing there.
“I'd hate to leave then. It's a good deal.” I removed his hand and pulled open the entry door. “As long as rent is all I pay.”
“Of course. Didn't I promise to behave?” He stepped aside to let me unlock the bright red door on the right side of the resident's entrance to the building.
“Not exactly.” The door squeaked when I pushed it open.
“I'm sorry it's so dirty. I tried to get in a cleaning crew, but they got spooked and refused to work here.”
“Spooked?”
“It's one of the reasons I got the building cheap. Years ago. It had a reputation. Some people claim it's haunted. And I've sensed a few things.” He winked. “You're lucky mortals are freaked out by it. That's why your new shop location was available.”
“So how am I going to get customers in here?” Spirits. No problem for me. I had radar about such things. It would take a really malevolent spirit to scare me away. But if it was going to drive away my customers . . .
“Give it a chance. Even the cleaning crew said nothing really terrible happened while they were here. Just a few surprises. Make your shop interesting enough and customers will come. A lot of people look for haunted places. It can be a draw.”
True. I stood in the middle of the shop and liked what I saw. Sure it was dirty, you could write your name on every surface in there, but it had good bones. The place had great picture windows, with discreet burglar bars behind the glass. Those were typical on a street full of warehouses that had once been part of a rough neighborhood. Now it had become trendy to refurbish the aging buildings close to downtown.
“And if this doesn't work out?”
“Full refund. I promise.” Damian smiled. “I want us to stick together, we're safer that way. You'll be well protected here. Just like all my friends are.”
He's hot.
The words in beautiful flowing script appeared, written on the dirty glass behind Damian's head. I blinked and they were gone. Imagination gone wild.
“It's a great space, perfect for the kind of shop I want. And Freddy says there are cameras at the entrance with alarms and a panic button in every apartment.” I walked around, touching the few pieces of furniture scattered around the room.
“We must be careful.” Damian just watched me, a gleam in his emerald eyes. I looked down and saw that my well-worn T-shirt hugged breasts that said “Look at us, we think you're hot, too, Damian.”
“Careful. Right. A hunter with a vamp detector and a cross-wielding nut job are out to get us. I plan to be careful.”
“Your shop is wired too. As is the coffee bar next door. It's run by one of the other female vampires who live here, Diana Marchand. I think you'll like her.”
He used to like her. Another notch on his belt.
Different handwriting this time. Crabbed printing. The words vanished. Someone here was trying to tell me something.
I shook my head. “Diana. Fine. I'll stop by tomorrow night and introduce myself.” Damian had moved closer. “A building full of vamps and . . . others. You're really into that hide in plain sight thing, aren't you?”
Honey, there ain't nothin' plain about that hunk of burning love.
I grinned. Flowing handwriting again. Obviously there were at least two spirits in here. This message didn't so much disappear as get obliterated by angry slashes.
“I believe you call it blending. We're more alike than you realize, Gloriana.” Damian smiled and took my arm. “Shall we go back upstairs? I want to make sure Derek set up your television. You have cable with HBO, you know.”
Watch his hands, lady.
I nodded and waved goodbye behind Damian's back before following him outside and relocking the door. Spirits. At least they definitely seemed to be on my side. I'd deal with them later.
“HBO. Great. First rule of blending is keeping up with the universe. TV is my method of choice.” I headed up the stairs, sure Damian was checking out the fit of my jeans. Maybe he was a butt man. If so, he was getting an eyeful.
I unlocked my door, then stuck my head into the bedroom to let Valdez see that I was still in one piece. He lay on my bed, looking miffed. Tough. Sure, he kept me safe, but I had to have a certain amount of freedom. He turned his head away and closed his eyes.
Damian roamed around my living room, his hands in his pockets, straining the fabric over tight buns. He had a really nice build. Not muscle bound, but just powerful enough.
“Two bedrooms. One for you, one for your dog?”
“No, darling. One is for me.” Florence breezed through the door and kissed Damian on both cheeks. “Did you bring us a housewarming present?”
Five
Florence and Damian. I sensed a vibe between these two. Lovers? Former lovers?
“Gloriana, you must have sex on the brain. Damian is my brother.” Flo dropped her black lizard tote onto the floor. “But that is our little secret. A few other vampires know, but not many. I share this now because we are to be roomies, no?”
“Brother. Wow.” I looked from one to the other. Yes, there was a resemblance. Black hair, bedroom eyes, though Damian's were a more intense green. “Why the secrecy? Most of us would love to have family still alive. Like Freddy and his mom.”
“We love each other, but long ago agreed that we must have our own lives, right,
caro
?”
Damian grimaced. “You decided. I never agreed, but”â he bowed toward herâ“out of respect for your strength, I gave up.”
Flo clapped her hands. “A compliment. I think.” She pulled off her shawl and dropped it on her tote. “You will be kind to my roomie, Damian. She's had her heart broken enough.”
Damian winked at me. “Not by me. I think every person should experience a Sabatini lover at least once.”
“And you've made it your mission to pleasure as many women as eternity allows.” Flo had her hands on her hips.
“And you have not? Men, that is. I could name two hundred off the top of my head. And then there were the women. Lock your bedroom door, Gloriana.”
“
Basta
! There were no women. But I heard a rumor about you and a very young composer in Vienna.” They were toe-to -toe, eyes blazing.
“No,
cara,
that was you. What was he? Thirteen?”
“Children.” I stepped between them. Now this was a new kind of sibling rivalry. It made me kind of misty-eyed. Like I was part of a family.
“I plan to love both of you.”
Damian grinned.
“No, not that way, you satyr.” But he was awfully cute with that wicked twinkle in his eyes.
“We'll see.” He took my hand and kissed the palm, doing that fang thing again. I shivered because, sue me, it was a really erotic feeling and hit me right where I lived.
Flo smacked him on the back of his head and spat something in Italian. He got in her face and said something that must have been the worst kind of insult, because she tossed her head, gave him the Italian bird and headed for her bedroom.
“This is going to be fun.” I saw Valdez poke his head out of my bedroom and give Damian the once over.
“You ready for me to run this vampire out of here?”
My dog looked like he really wanted to have a go at it.
“I'd like to see you try.” Damian showed his fangs and clenched his fists. His run-in with his sister had obviously gotten his juices flowing.
“Stop it. He's my friend, Valdez. And my dog is off limits, Damian. Hurt him and we're out of here.”
Damian gave Valdez one more menacing look then seemed to remember that he'd come here to seduce me. Maybe ripping my pet apart wouldn't exactly advance his cause.
“Pardon me, Gloriana. You are kind to take in my sister. If she drives you insane, please don't hesitate to throw her butt out of here.”
“That's what I like to hear, brotherly love.” I hooked my arm through his and tugged him toward the door. “Just a few hours until dawn. I've got some unpacking to do before I can even clear my bed enough to sleep on it. I'm sure you have people or things to do.”
“You think me a savage.” He speared a grim glance toward Valdez and at Flo's closed bedroom door. When he turned back to me, he was all charm again. “I can be. But”â he picked up my hand againâ“I can also be a lover like you've never imagined.” He pulled me out into the hall and closed the door, then leaned me against it.
I'm easy, I admit it. A little over a week ago, Blade had rocked my world and yet I was feeling some serious lust here. “Are you using the vamp whammy on me again?”
“I don't need to, do I?” He put his arms around me and pulled me against him.
Whoa. He had a growing interest in his gray pants.
“We'll be good together, Gloriana. As lovers.” He leaned down and licked my neck, just over the vein that pulsed with the primal need all vamps feel when the urge is on them. And, yeah, the urge was definitely in the room. My personal basement anyway. He pressed his lips to that vein and I felt it to my toes.
One thing I'll say for him, he didn't speak inside my mind like Blade did. Forget Blade. I moved my head just enough to let Damian know the biting thing was not going to happen. Not tonight anyway. He raised his head and looked at me, his green eyes glowing in the dim light from the stairwell at the end of the hall.