“Thanks. You did always know how to make me feel better,” I grumbled.

  Shawn chuckled, “I do. You just have to let me.”

  “Shawn...” I started.

  His hand shot up, silencing me. “No, Gaby. We are going out tonight. You look like hell. You need this,” he emphasized. “You’ll come stay with me tonight. Give you a little change of scenery instead of staring at the same four walls of your bedroom.”

  He came around behind my desk, pulled my chair back, he gestured for me to get up. “I’ll even call your mother to arrange it. Grab your purse and let’s go.”

  Not having the strength to argue, I did what he asked.

  Half an hour later, Shawn and I were standing outside my closet, looking for something to wear. Well, Shawn was looking, I couldn’t care either way. “Gaby, why don’t you go grab a couple bags of blood. You’ll need to feed today and tomorrow as well. Actually,” he turned, eyeing me up and down, “go ahead and grab at least four. You need some extra.” With that, I left Shawn to rummage my closet for the perfect outfit to snap me out of my breakup coma. But I was doubtful that an outfit would do it. I knew being in Grayson’s arms was the only thing that would help, but I let Shawn play it his way.

  We were back in a taxi on our way to Shawn’s apartment. He carried my bag full of clothes. He hadn’t been able to decide which outfit, so he brought several, along with clothes for tomorrow. In fact, he brought me a choice of outfits for that as well. I wasn’t sure why and I didn’t bother to ask. I carried a large lunch pack full of chilled O negative.

  True to his word, when the sun went down, Shawn made the phone call to my mother. “Ms. Carmichael, this is Shawn, Gaby’s friend... Yes, the gay werewolf.” I rolled my eyes almost finding humor in my mother’s bluntness. “I was calling because Gaby’s been having a hard week at work and I’m going to take her out to take her mind off of things. I just wanted to let you know that I’m keeping her here tonight.” There was a pause. “Uh huh... Oh...” Shawn’s eyes locked on me. “I see. Alright then. Thanks.”

  “What was that about?” I didn’t have the strength to use my vampire hearing to listen in on my mother’s side of the conversation. It’s what happened when there was a lack of feeding.

  Shawn ran his fingers through his dark hair, his eyebrows raised almost touching his hairline. I suddenly had a feeling that he was going to tell me that the plan was a no go with my mother. “She said she appreciated the heads up, but that it was not necessary. Apparently when Anton named you an adult, you no longer have to report in your whereabouts.”

  Well, where was that a few weeks ago, when I was sneaking back and forth between home and Grayson’s like a teenager.

  Shawn dressed me in a black, strapless dress. The only thing holding it up was a thing string tied around my neck. It stopped mid-thigh. It wasn’t as tight as most of my party dresses. I didn’t own a half bra, so I went braless. He chose black boots that came up to my knee. They had killer heels adding a few inches to my height. He did my makeup, creating a smoky eye and plumping my lips with a deep red gloss. I felt like his personal Barbie. I had no say in how he dressed me, my makeup or my hair, which he pinned up, letting my ebony locks drape down my neck in soft dark curls. Shawn loaded us into a taxi, which carried us to one of our favorite clubs. It held happy memories from when we first met a few years ago. I knew he was trying to trigger happier times and thought the choice of venue would help.

  “Come on, Gabs.” Shawn dragged me to the front of the line. The bouncer didn’t hesitate letting us cross. Even if I didn’t feel great, we apparently looked good. Shawn tugged me along to a table even though we normally sat at the bar when we were there. I let the thought go, not caring one way or the other. Shawn was examining our surroundings. He kept glancing around like he was looking for something.

  “What are you doing?” I finally asked when I could no longer take him staring everywhere other than at me. Not that I needed his attention. It just seemed like something was amiss.

  “Um...” he hesitated, “I’m just looking for a waitress to take our drinks. I don’t see one so I’ll just go the bar to order.” Shawn was making his way to the bar and passed right by a waitress on his way. Weird. I wonder where his mind was. I looked around. The place was packed. People were swarming the dance floor. I looked over to Shawn who was busy texting away on his phone. The bartender came over to him delivering our drinks to him.

  “You wanna dance?” A deep husky voice said to my right.

  Still cruising on auto pilot, without even turning to acknowledge the person, “no thanks,” slipped out effortlessly.

  “Come on, baby.”

  “There a problem here?” Shawn set my drink down in front of me. He eyed the man who wasn’t taking the hint. Shawn wasn’t scary looking, but he seemed to put off an animalistic vibe that told you, if you fucked with him, you’d be in deep shit. Looking at him, you knew he could handle himself. He relaxed when the guy walked away.

  “Thanks.” I took a sip of my watermelon mojito. Shawn smiled, taking a sip of his drink. “I think I may need something stronger,” I said holding up my glass then I downed it. I felt the warmth spread through my chest. The slight burn was a welcome change to the ache I felt. “Yup definitely need something stronger.” I flagged down a waitress. “Bring me a liquid cocaine.” I slid her a fifty, “and keep ‘em coming.”

  “You sure about that, Gabs?” His voice dripped with concern.

  “Shawn, you’re the one that told me I needed to get out of my funk.”

  Three liquid cocaines later found Shawn and I on the dance floor. I was bouncing around not caring the least bit if I looked ridiculous. The alcohol enhanced the numbness and it felt extraordinary. The pain I felt since leaving Grayson seemed to be minimized, courtesy of the alcohol. I closed my eyes feeling the music dance across my skin, almost enjoying myself.

  “I’m gonna go get some water. You want anything?” Shawn shouted. I shook my head, giving him a thumbs up and continued to sway with the beat until a cold chill ran up my neck, causing me to freeze instantly. My hair stood on end. What the hell? I thought to myself. That only happened to me when... I felt my heart plummet into my stomach. My body, so in tuned with his, turned in the direction where I knew he’d be. And there he sat, Grayson Alexander, at the bar. My stomach flipped when I noticed he wasn’t alone.

  It was like watching a train wreck; I couldn’t force myself to turn my gaze away. She had silky blond hair. Her low cut shirt gave Grayson an amazing view of her cleavage as she ran her hand casually up his arm, like she did it all the time. I don’t know if it was just the sight of them together or if the alcohol had any play in it but suddenly I felt like I was going to be sick.

  Breaking my gaze away, I rushed towards the restroom, which inconveniently was right next to the bar. My eyes burned and my vision began to blur with tears threatening to shed the closer I got to my destination.

  My arm was grabbed and I was spun around. “Gaby, what’s wrong?” Shawn’s face molded to concern when he took in my tear stained cheeks. A sob broke loose from my throat. I shook my head, shoved past Shawn, and rushed to the restroom.

  It was surprisingly empty. I made my way to the handicapped stall and sank down to the floor, bringing my knees to my chest as I let my tears flow. Of course he was moving on. That’s what I wanted, him safe from Anton and happy, even if I couldn’t be. But how could it be so easy for him. Just a few days ago he was talking about how he found the person he wanted to marry. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. He never specified anything. What if I just misinterpreted what he said? Maybe this girl was the one he had those thoughts about, when I thought it was me. How self-absorbed was I? Now I really felt sick to my stomach.

  My face was buried in my knees when I heard a knock on my stall. Seriously? They couldn’t just use one of the others.

  “I’m in here,” I shouted. They knocked again. I slammed my hands down on the floor. “There is someone in here!” I screamed. Immediately they knocked again. I stood, opening the door. “What the hell is your...” I trailed off. Grayson stood outside my stall, in the women’s bathroom, looking as sexy as always. He was in dark loose fitting jeans and a gray button down shirt that enhanced the smokiness of his eyes. He leaned against the wall, wearing a serious expression. “What are you doing here? You shouldn’t be in here,” I whispered. God was he really here? Where the hell was his blond friend?

  He smiled, “I own this club. If I want to go inside the women’s restroom, I can.” He stepped into me forcing me back, lest I touch him. He shut the door and slid the lock in place. “You want to tell me why you’ve been crying?” Focusing my eyes down, hoping if I didn’t look at him he wouldn’t be able to see the sadness visible in my eyes. “Fine. Let me tell you what I think.” He leaned against the door blocking my exit. “I think that all your lies about not having feelings for me and wanting nothing to do with me were just that. Lies. I think you’re in love with me and I think you saw me out there with that annoying woman and it hurt you, which brings us here.”

  I sighed heavily turning my blazing blue gaze to him, “What do you want me to say, Grayson?”

  “It’s Grayson now. What happened to Mr. Alexander?” He paused, giving me a moment to absorb his annoyance. I winced like he had slapped me. “How about the truth, Gabriella?”

  I bit my lip thinking if the truth was really the best option. I shook my head clearing it. No one lies. “Yes. Ok. You’re right. I love you.”

  “That’s a start,” he mumbled leaning his shoulder against the stall door.

  “What does it matter? Whether I admitted it or not, you’ve already found someone else. Someone you hope to marry.”

  Grayson’s brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?”

  “The interview,” I huffed. “You said you found the person you wanted to marry.”

  Grayson was struck dumbfounded for a moment then he began to chuckle. “You’re kidding me right?” When he realized I wasn’t seeing the humor, he continued. “It’s you, Gaby. You’re the one.” He closed the distance between us. His finger gently cupped my face. I stifled the desire to lean into him. “Please tell me, what was the reason for all this craziness? Why did you break up with me?” he whispered.

  I stepped away from Grayson trying to clear my head. “I’ll tell you the same thing I told Shawn.” I spun to face him. Grayson nodded with acknowledgement. “It was easier for me to tell you those lies then to tell you the truth and risk you leaving me anyways. This way, I just thought it would hurt me less.” I dropped my eyes to my feet, pushing a small piece of paper across the hard linoleum floor.

  “Gaby, that’s really not explaining anything. I know you’re scared to get hurt but can it really be as bad as the hell we are both already in?”

  I felt the tears begin to flow again, slower this time. I don’t know why, but I felt a tiny bit happy that he included himself in the hell I was in. I took a deep breath trying to steady my nerves. “The head of my nest has threatened to kill you.” I spit the words out as fast as I could with them still being audible. Grayson’s eyes widened with shock and realization.

  “So you broke up with me to save my life?” He asked, but more to himself. He was trying to process everything out loud. I nodded anyways another sob slipping out. “Why does he want to kill me?” This question was aimed towards me.

  “He desires me,” I huffed, rolling my eyes. “He wants me as his queen.”

  “Being queen doesn’t sound like a bad gig, Gaby.”

  I glared at Grayson. My expression showed how ridiculous his comment was. “He also said he would kill anyone who touches me.” I emphasized the last few words.

  Grayson caught on. “Baby, it kinda sounds like my fate is already sealed. We can’t undo all of our ‘touching.’” He air quoted with a hint of amusement.

  I shook my head at both his comment and the fact he was finding any of this funny. “He doesn’t know who you are or the fact that we’ve been together.”

  Grayson’s brow furrowed and he began talking with his hands. “Let me see if I understand this correctly. You broke up with me because some crazy ass vampire with control issues wants you for himself, which you don’t want.” I nodded. “He has threatened, in the vaguest sense of the word, anyone who ever touches you, but he has no idea that you’ve already been touched, much less by me.” Well, when he put it like that, I understood why Shawn had been on my case the last two weeks. Grayson exhaled in frustration, “Gaby...” He raked his finger through his hair trying to hide his irritation. Quickly he grabbed me pinning my body against the stall wall. The moment his lips crashed on mine, everything else was forgotten; where we were, what we were talking about. All I knew was I never wanted his lips to leave mine again. As quickly as it happened, his mouth was gone again. Grayson’s body still kept me pinned. “Do you know how completely ridiculous that sounds?”

  “You don’t understand.” I pushed him away from me, walking to the other end of the stall, which didn’t put much distance between us. “If he ever finds out...”

  “He’ll kill me.” I could feel him standing behind me, so close that I felt the heat radiating from his body. “I understand perfectly,” his voice was barely a whisper. Warm fingers glided up my back over my bare skin. This time I did lean into him. “I could die tomorrow walking down the street. I’m not going to change the way I live because of a fear of death and that means not letting you go either.” His lips were softly placing feather light kisses up the side of my neck. Grayson’s hand found my hip and pressing against it; he spun me to face him. “If I’m going to die anyway, I’m gonna go out doing what I love.” His finger pulled on the tie of my dress.

  “I can’t bear the thought of anything happening to you,” I moaned as the ties fell free from my neck, but I did nothing to stop him.

  “I know, baby,” he pushed a piece of hair away from my face. “Life is full of what ifs and I want to be happy during whatever time I have left. Whether I die tomorrow or in forty years. The only way I can do that is by spending as much time with you as possible.” His lips were on mine in an instant, allowing me to let go of all the residual uncertainty. His warm mouth moved to my neck while his finger tugged on my dress, pulling it down, revealing my breasts. The moment the air touched them, my nipples began to harden. Grayson brushed over the hardened peaks with the pad of his thumb then replaced it with his mouth. My head fell back against the wall while I moaned from the sensation. I felt his hand grasp my thigh, pulling it around his hip. Placing my hands on his shoulders to steady myself, I lifted myself wrapping both legs around his middle. I wanted him inside me so bad. I didn’t care that anyone could walk in any moment.

  Sensing my desire and lack of resistance Grayson pulled back. “Do you love me?”

  A soft smile spread across my face. “More than what I can contain in this body.”

  He smiled too. “Good. Then stop this whole protecting me thing and come home with me. I’ve missed you and I want to show you how much, properly, in a bed. As much fun as it would be in here,” he looked around at our surroundings, “I wouldn’t be satisfied with it being quick. I want you over,” he kissed my cheek, “and over again,” he kissed my other cheek. “All night.” His lips pressed against mine.

  “I would love nothing more,” I whispered against his mouth. He beamed at me before pulling me back to his lips.

  Once my dress was back in place, the ties secure, and my feet safely on the ground, Grayson and I headed out of the restroom. I stopped when I saw the large man standing just outside the restroom. Had he been out here the whole time? Was he waiting for us? Grayson smiled seeing my shock. He handed the man some money, I couldn’t see how much, then grabbed me pulling me toward the exit. That was why no one came in after Grayson. He paid the bouncer to watch the door. I guess there was a benefit to owning the club.

  John stood outside on the curb, with the door to the black sedan open. He smiled at me, seeming genuinely happy to see me. Once in the car I sent a quick text to Shawn. I hated abandoning him like that, but I knew he’d understand.

  Me: G & I made up. Headed 2 his place 2 “makeup”

  My phone jingled instantly getting a reply.

  Shawn: Ewww... TMI. Glad U2 made up.

  I laughed, throwing my phone back in my clutch. I cuddled next to Grayson, trying my best not to make out with him in the back of a car like a horny teenager.

  Grayson had weakened my fragile resolve. I still felt selfish for risking his life for my happiness but, as he explained, he was the one willing to risk his life for his own happiness. I couldn’t help it, part of me felt a little thrilled. I was surrendering to our desire to be together. It had been hard enough fighting it before he knew my reasons why. Now, I stood no chance against his resolve. I just hoped I didn’t live to regret the decision.

  ***

  The moment Grayson and I hit the elevator, his mouth was on mine. Shoving me against the wall, his hands slid up my body. Grabbing my thigh he wrapped it around his hip. I could feel his arousal rubbing against my sensitive flesh. The elevator doors slid open too quickly. Grayson broke away for a moment to check and make sure we were on the right floor, then his lips were back on mine again. He walked me backwards while his tongue invaded my mouth, until I was flush against a door. I slid my hands up his chest, not paying attention to where we were. I trusted Grayson to get us where we needed to be. His lips broke away as he fumbled with his keys. I quickly began unbuttoning his dress shirt, pressing kisses to each inch of exposed skin, until I undid the last button. I ran my tongue up his abdomen.

  “Shit!” he gasped, dropping his keys. He crouched down in front of me to retrieve them. Grayson nibbled lightly on my outer thigh while his finger ran up my inner thigh. I gasped, my head falling against the door with a thud. His fingers pulled my panties to the side rubbing vigorously against my damp folds. I placed my hands against the door frame needing something to anchor myself to.