Part 25 (1/2)
”You're pacing.”
”So?”
Oh great. He was going to make this harder than necessary. ”You said Tat is all right now and you're all right.”
”Tat is...yes, she's all right now-unless you count her ridiculous fascination for that weak, half-human, half-latent male who nearly got her killed.”
”I thought you said Mike was dead?” She swallowed hard, remembering the smiling, handsome photographer she had introduced Tat to several years earlier.
”He is. She was foolish enough to fall for someone equally as useless. There's another concern.”
”What other concern?”
He shook his head. ”There's no need to burden you with what is my problem.”
”You can feel free to share anything that troubles you with me without feeling as if you're placing a burden on me, Andrei.”
He smiled. ”That's sweet, but this is something I'll have to work out for myself.”
”Why?”
”This is not something I'm willing to involve you in.”
Why not? Because she wasn't important enough to him? She shrugged. ”Tell me, Andrei, what do you have against humans?”
”They're weak.”
Charming. ”You didn't seem to mind my humanity while we were at the cabin.”
He stared at her in silence. She knew what he was thinking. That she had been- was -just a casual f.u.c.k. s.e.x with her didn't touch him in any way beyond the purely physical. He'd probably come for more meaningless s.e.x, as soon as he got past what was bothering him.
”Are you going to tell me what's bothering you? Or don't you confide in humans?”
”Why do you insist that anything is bothering me?”
”Because I know it is-just as I knew you were in the clearing with me and Evan and I knew you'd been with another woman. There's a connection between us, Andrei. I don' t know how, but there's a special bond between us.”
He shrugged. ”I believe it's called s.e.x.”
”It's more than that.”
”Is it?”
She sighed. ”Okay. Supposing it is just s.e.x, you've been here an hour and you haven 't so much as kissed me.”
A small smile played around the corners of his mouth. ”And you think you're so irresistible that if I haven't kissed you in an hour, something must be seriously wrong with me?”
Her cheeks burned, but she maintained his gaze. Just when she thought he was sweet and romantic, he reminded her just how mercurial a vampire could be. ”If you're going to be unpleasant, Andrei, you can show yourself out.”
He shrugged. ”As it happens, I came to pick up the keys to the SUV. Do you have them handy?”
He certainly knew how to ensure she didn't get too c.o.c.ky or too sure of him. She rose and left the room. She half expected him to follow her to her bedroom. But she retrieved the keys from her dresser and returned to the living room. He stood where she' d left him.
She slapped the keys in his palm. She extended a hand toward the apartment door. ”The exit is that way.”
”Exit? Are you asking me to leave?”
Hearing the amus.e.m.e.nt in his voice brought home to her just how unimportant she was to him. He must know how uncertain she felt and there he stood, all but laughing in her face.
”Asking? No. Telling? Yes. Get out.”
He crossed the room to look down at her. ”What's the matter, Dacoda? Disappointed because I'm not ready to throw myself at your feet after a few f.u.c.ks?”
She slapped his face. ”You b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Get out!”
He stared at her, his gaze narrowed. ”You're rather fond of slapping, aren't you?”
”Not particularly, but I've never met anyone who deserved to be slapped as much as you do. Now will you kindly get out?”
”Fine. I'm going... if you're sure that's what you want.”
She couldn't decipher his gaze, but there was no mistaking the amus.e.m.e.nt in his voice. ”You get what you want and then you laugh at me? Charming, Andrei.”
He shook his head, all traces of a smile disappearing from his handsome face. ”You know d.a.m.n well that's not what happened.”
She sighed and shook her head. ”You know what? I don't give a f.u.c.k. I just want you to take your sorry a.s.s out of my apartment.”
He shrugged. ”One sorry-a.s.s vampire departing.” He bent to kiss her cheek.
She shoved him away.
He straightened and stared down at her. ”Do you really want it to end this way?”
She walked over to the window. ”Lock the door on your way out, will you?”
”Fine. Goodnight.”
”Goodbye, Andrei.”
”That sounds very permanent.”
She took a deep breath and turned to face him. She managed a smile. ”It is. I enjoyed our little fling, but it's time to get back to reality now.”
”Really?”
”Yes. It's not as if I'm interested in getting serious with you, of all people.” She laughed. ”But then you're not technically a person, are you?”
His lips tightened. ”What the h.e.l.l do you think I am?”