“Me too,” I whispered curling into myself. I wanted to spend every night with him, it just wasn’t possible. I still had to keep his safety in mind.

  “I wish I could see you tomorrow, but I have a late business dinner. How about a double date Friday? Lunch and dinner, where you spend the night and possibly the weekend with me?”

  I still hadn’t told Grayson about my plans with Anton. The longer I put it off, the harder it was to tell him. It would seem like I had been keeping it from him. Which wasn’t entirely the case, I just wanted to tell him the right way and I just hadn’t found my moment, but now I was running out of time. “Sounds perfect.” I needed to tell him now. I had to see Anton tomorrow. Anton had already made a point of stopping by my room to remind me. “Grayson...” I started, but the words wouldn’t form past the lump in my throat.

  “Oh shit!” He seemed oblivious to the fact I had been trying to say something. “I forgot I have something Saturday. I have to go to brunch with some fancy restaurant people and I’m looking at buying their chain across the state, but after that, I’m all yours. Hang on.” I could hear the rustling noise of him covering the phone. “Hey baby, I gotta go, but I’ll see you Friday, just meet me at the office. I’ll try to call you later. Bye Gaby.”

  “Grayson!” Too late. He hung up. Telling him after the fact was not going to be a good thing. I didn’t want him to feel like I was betraying him, even though I knew that is exactly what it would look like. If it quacks like a duck, kind of thing. I just need to make him understand.

  I threw my head back, aggravated at the situation I found myself in. If my life was normal I wouldn’t have found myself being forced to date a man 400 years my senior.

  I decided to head down to the kitchen to get a drink. Most of the vampires fed early in the night and would feed again a few hours before sunrise. I figured this would be the perfect time to feed without running into Anton or my mother. Neither were people I was particularly fond of lately.

  As I opened my door, I was met with a shock.

  “Who’s Grayson?” Ava asked.

  I stared at her wide eyed, mouth hanging open, before I realized that I was throwing myself under the bus by my expressions, which Ava was reading.

  “I… ah…I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I stuttered.

  She smiled wickedly at me. “Of course you don’t.” She turned and walked away without a backwards glance. With a sudden change of heart, I shut the door deciding against feeding and opting for sleep instead. With how fast everything happened, I hoped I had just hallucinated it because otherwise, I was in serious trouble.

  Thursday morning my desk phone rang shortly after I made it to work.

  “So how’s married life treating you?” Shawn teased.

  “Shut up, Shawn,” I huffed.

  “Well aren’t we in a feisty mood? Grayson not doing the job right?” I was quiet, choosing to shuffle papers around on my desk rather than answer him.

  “Oh, come on, Gabs. I’m only joking. I haven’t seen you all week. I just figured you and Grayson had spent all that time getting...” He paused choosing his word, “reacquainted.”

  “It’s Thursday,” I stated, ignoring his comment.

  There was a long pause. “How did he take it?” Shawn’s voice suddenly turned serious. I didn’t respond. Shawn knew me well enough to know why. “Gaby?” he sighed.

  “I tried Shawn, but every time something came up.”

  “You have to tell him, Gabs.”

  “What do you want me to do, Shawn? Call him at work and tell him ‘Oh sorry, Grayson but I have to go on a date with that evil vampire that wants to kill you’?”

  “I wouldn’t use those words,” he mumbled.

  I sighed deeply, “I’m having lunch with him tomorrow. I’m going to make a point to tell him, I just can’t do it now. He’s got a business meeting tonight and I don’t want him worrying over me when there is nothing to worry about. He doesn’t understand how much I truly despise Anton.”

  “Just make sure you tell him, Gaby. I don’t want to see you guys get ruined again over something stupid, again,” he emphasized.

  “I know, but there is something else,” I said, remembering my late night visitor.

  “Oh God, I can hear it in your voice. This isn’t going to be good, is it?”

  “No,” I shook my head even though I was on the phone. “I think Ava knows”

  “Knows? You mean like knows-knows?” he questioned. “How?”

  I groaned. “I don’t even know for sure. I was talking to Grayson on the phone last night and when we hung up, she was outside my door when I opened it.”

  He sighed. “That doesn’t mean anything Gabs.”

  “She asked who Grayson is, Shawn.”

  It was silent for a moment. “Well, shit.”

  ***

  When Anton arrived at my door, I was dressed pretty similar to the last time, jeans and a T-shirt. I was surprised to see Anton dress the same. I was fearful of his arrival. I had been worried that with the information Ava had discovered, that she might have shared it with Anton, but judging by his demeanor I didn’t believe she had.

  “So I’m guessing we’re not doing dinner and a movie?” I asked sarcastically.

  “I am not a traditional male, Gabriella. I will not win you over by doing the expected. I want you to know there is more to me than the master vampire you despise.” I guess I had been pretty transparent with my feelings.

  “So are you going to tell me where we are going?”

  Anton shot me a look, that said ‘of course not.’ He led me from the apartment building. We walked a few blocks, the whole time I didn’t utter a word. Anton stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

  I furrowed my brow at his abrupt stop. “I want to show you that I can have fun. Will you trust me?” He held his hand out to me.

  I shook my head. “No,” I laughed.

  “Well then that is something I am going to have to remedy.” He grabbed my arm pulling me into the nearest building. I looked around thinking he had made a mistake. There were people all around us. Several groups of kids and teens all strapped with what looked like a plastic shield on their chests. What the hell? I looked at Anton and he noticed my confusion.

  “Last week you beat me on our date. Tonight I think we both have a fair chance,” he gestured forward. “We are going to play laser tag.”

  After we were strapped in with our sensors and handed our laser guns, Anton and I entered into the arena. We had decided to play as a team instead of against each other. Two vampires against several humans? I liked our odds.

  Anton was a natural, which was surprising, considering. We started by hiding behind a black foam wall. Black lights glowed throughout the area, illuminating the neon paint that was splashed on everything with designs painted here and there. Dance lights hung from the ceiling casting random twinkling movements that showed across everything beneath them. In a flash, Anton left my side blurring to the wall opposite me that was separated by a large opening. Red lights glimmered across his face creating a satanic glow, which I saw as ironic.

  Anton whispered, knowing that I would still hear him, “There is a group of five, hiding three walls in front of you.” I nodded. It was like we had our own personal headsets. Using vampiric speed, with both moved towards the wall. Not sure who shot what, but we knocked all five out before any of them could lift a gun. I heard someone take a deep breath from behind us. Before I could move, Anton turned taking the person out. He tumbled in a summersault across the opening to the other side in an impressive acrobatic move.

  Together, we maneuvered throughout the arena taking out players. Anton never missed the chest sensor, his aim was always perfect. I was a bit amazed. After how bad he had been at miniature golf, I had just assumed this would be the same way. Well, I honestly figured anything modern he’d be bad at. He sped across the clearing shooting this person and that person, until only he and I remained. I felt a grin pull up my lips. When Anton blurred back to me, without hesitation, I aimed my gun and shot him directly in his chest, hitting his sensor, theatrically killing him.

  The look of shock that passed over his features was priceless. It was almost worth being forced to spend time with him, almost. I laughed hysterically.

  “I win!” I shouted in victory.

  It had been a little over an hour since we had arrived when we headed to the front together to collect our scores. Anton almost had a perfect game. I laughed as he glared sideway at me.

  We were leaving the building when he turned to me.

  “I cannot believe you shot me,” he complained.

  “Hey, you force me into dating you and you’re surprised I’d shoot you?”

  He grabbed my arm, turning me to face him. “Come now, Gabriella. You cannot tell me that tonight you did not enjoy yourself.”

  I rolled my eyes, sighing. “I might have had a little fun, but Anton...” I studied him for a moment. His gaze was no longer focused on me. In fact he didn’t seem to be paying any attention to me what so ever. Normally I wouldn’t mind, but the way he was focused it looked like the hunter was coming out in him. I followed his line of sight to see what had grasped his attention. And what I saw had my heart lurched into my throat. Oh, god! Across the street, surrounded by several men in suits stood Grayson. Panic began to overtake me.

  My eyes shot back to Anton but he was already slowly trying to make his way across the street. There was no way that he could know about Grayson, I told myself. Taking a deep breath to regain my control, I caught a small hint of Grayson’s scent. It was almost impossible to separate it from the other hundreds scents surrounding it. I only could because I knew his scent better than almost my own. Then, like a light bulb going off in my head, I realized what was going on. Anton didn’t recognize Grayson, he recognized Grayson’s scent. Anton had smelled me at the oddest moments over the past several weeks. He knew I had another scent clinging to me, he just didn’t know why. I understood there was no way that he could differentiate which person the scent was coming from, not from this distance, but he could follow it until he found it’s source. And I couldn’t let that happen.

  I needed to sever his hunter compulsion by distracting him with something, anything else. Before I could even process what I was doing, I grabbed Anton’s hand, spinning him to face me, which was only turning him ninety degrees. I throw my hands around his neck, pulling him down to my lips. He resisted for a moment, then his arms encompassed me. His lips moved against mine, trying to coax a reaction from me, but he didn’t get much. His tongue beckoned entrance, which I denied. I held on for a few moments before breaking away. I stood there in shock realizing what I had just done. Had I really just kissed Anton? There wasn’t enough mouthwash in the world to wash away the disgusted feelings that were coursing through me. I looked across the street noticing Grayson was no longer there and I sighed with relief. At least it had been worth it.

  Anton rubbed his thumb down my cheek. “I have wondered what that would feel like for a while,” he pulled back, “Thank you.” I nodded not having any words.

  ***

  That night I couldn’t sleep. I hadn’t heard from Grayson all day and after what happened with Anton, I didn’t have the nerve to call him. Guilt was my companion that night and it showed no sympathy for my lack of sleep.

  The next afternoon, I rode up the elevator to the top floor of Alexander Holding Incorporation. My guilt was still a present companion but it had diminished some. Every time it tried to show its ugly head, I reminded myself that it was for Grayson’s safety not for my own selfish desires. The doors opened, revealing the reception’s desk. There was a different girl behind it then normal. She smiled as I approached.

  “Hi, how can I help you?”

  I smiled in return. “Yes, I’m here to see Grayson Alexander.”

  “Oh?” I could see she wasn’t expecting me. “And you are?”

  “Gabriella Carmichael.”

  “Let me let him know your here. You can take a seat, Ms. Carmichael.” She said gesturing to the chairs. She picked up her phone, trying to keep her voice low. I’m sure with the distance she didn’t think I could hear her. “Mr. Alexander?” she said when he answered.

  “Yes?” Grayson replied.

  “There is a young woman here to see you. I don’t have her down. A Ms. Carmichael.”

  Grayson sighed. “Forward my calls to Mr. Carter’s secretary. Ask her to hold them. Then Betty I want you to take your lunch, away from your desk. Give me five minutes then send her back.”

  “Yes, sir,” she replied. Plastering her smile back on she let me know Grayson would be with me in a moment.

  Five minutes exactly, Miss Betty sent me back. I walked to his door. It was shut. I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should knock. But then I realized he was expecting me. So I opened the door and walked in.

  Grayson sat behind his large mahogany desk. His head was down busy writing something. I stood there for a moment, not sure if he heard me enter. Sometimes the vampire part of me can take over and my movements can become stealthy without me even aware that I’m doing it. After a few seconds, I slowly made my way in and sat in a chair in front of his desk. Five minutes of silence I sat there and watched Grayson work, never lifting his head, never acknowledging me in anyway and I could take no more.

  “Would you like me to come back some other time, Grayson, perhaps when it’s more convenient?” I couldn’t hide the agitation in my voice. I had made it across town, on time for our lunch date and all Grayson had done was keep me waiting.

  Grayson sighed. He set down his pen. Grabbing all the papers sprawled across his desk, he stacked them and set them in a black plastic tray on the corner of his desk.

  He looked up at me, his expression dark. His mouth set in a firm line. “What are you doing here, Gabriella?”

  My brows knitted in confusion. “I was under the impression we had a lunch date.”

  Grayson nodded slightly. “We made those plans before last night.” He stated more than asked.

  “Yes...” I dragged out, not sure where he was going.

  “What were you doing last night when I was working?” There was an undertone to his voice that told me his question wasn’t random.

  Everything in me froze, except my heart which leapt into overtime and I knew. Guilt reared its ugly head and washed over me, covering every surface of my body. “You saw?” I whispered closing my eyes briefly.

  “Saw what, Gabriella?” Grayson asked tilting his head to the side, anger seeping from him.

  “Please don’t make me say it,” I begged, my eyes glistening with tears.

  Grayson slammed his fist on his desk, making me jump, and he stood so abruptly that he almost knocked his desk chair over. The noise rang throughout the room. “Damn it, Gabriella!” He shouted, running his fingers through his hair. “We just got back together!”

  “It’s not what you think.” I sputtered as the first of my tears streaked down my face.

  “Not what I think?” he said with disgust. “Tell me what it is then, when a man sees his girlfriend with another man’s tongue shoved down her throat?” he bellowed.

  My body shook with sobs. “It was Anton!” I spouted like it should mean something.

  “Who the fuck is Anton?” His voice rang loud which made the silence that followed seem even louder.

  “He is the head of my vampire nest,” I said barely above a whisper.

  “The one who wants to kill me?” he said through clenched teeth.

  I nodded.

  “So what? Did you make some kind of deal with him? You’d fuck him if he left me alone?”

  His words were like a slap in the face. In fact, a physical slap might have hurt less. Gripping the arms of the chair to steady my emotions I rushed through the next part, unsure of how much time I had before Grayson kicked me out of his office and his life. “Please, Grayson, I promise it’s not what you think. I can explain it all. Please just give me a chance.” I pleaded. Grayson closed his eyes. He rolled his lips over his teeth. Inhaling deeply, he gave me a single nod.

  I told him everything, from my mother interfering, to Anton’s and my first date, Anton being the one to make the threats against Grayson. Everything.

  “That doesn’t explain why you were kissing him,” he spoke low, all in one tone.

  I bowed my head letting a sob escape. “He smelled you,” I whispered. “He picked up your scent from me. The psycho has smelled me at every opportunity he’s had. He recognized you but he couldn’t pinpoint who you were. He started making his way across the street and I panicked.”

  “So you kissed him?”

  I nodded. “I am so sorry, Grayson. I didn’t think. I swear I felt nothing. Except disgust. But you have to believe me. I only did it to distract him and keep you safe.” I buried my face in my hands. I didn’t hold back anymore. I gave myself over to my despair.

  I gasped in surprise when I was jerked to my feet by my elbow. Grayson pressed his lips against mine with some force. I hadn’t even heard him move. His tongue pushed past my teeth and slowly he walked me back until the edge of his desk was pressed against my backside. His hands slid down my body. My emotions were being replaced with lust and want. Sinking into a crouch, he let his hand trail all the way down my body. They paused at the hem of my skirt and my body wanted to writhe with anticipation, but I kept myself still unsure of what Grayson’s intentions were. He slid his fingers up, under the fabric. With his provocative gaze never leaving mine, he grasped my panties effortlessly, sliding them down past my ankles. Tucking them into his pocket, his hands glided back up my thighs, pushing my skirt high above my hips.

  “Lean back and spread your legs.” A shiver ran down my spine at his command as I did what he asked. Resting my palm on his desk, I eased my legs apart as much as was comfortable. My fangs slipped out while I moaned in surprise, almost losing my balance when Grayson’s tongue slid over my sensitive sex. He sucked and pulled my flesh, creating a frenzy in me. Fast flicks of his tongue were pushing me closer and closer to the edge. I felt my body racing, chasing what Grayson was offering. All too sudden, the pleasure stopped.