Page 15 of The Vampire's Mate

They flushed. Stammering, they skirted around me and into the bathroom. I glanced at their retreating back, but even I knew when not to pry.

“What do you think?” James asked when I returned to the table.

“I like them,” I told him. I knew he must’ve overheard the conversation they were having, too. “Are you concerned about whatever’s going on at home?”

James looked amused. “If I worried about my employees’ home lives, I never would’ve hired you a year ago.”

“Ha, ha.” I was still staring in the direction of the restrooms. Shi opened the door, and I pulled my eyes away, turning to my drink. “Something’s off, though.”

Shi returned to their seat and glanced at me from across the table, silently begging me not to ask any questions about what I’d overheard. “What’d I miss?”

“We were just talking about when you’d be able to start,” James said. “How’s tomorrow sound?”

“Tomorrow? Really?”

James nodded. “You really impressed me in your interview, Shiloh, and I know you’ll be a fine addition to the team. So what do you say? I’ll be here, and Ryder will be behind the bar with you the whole time. I’m convinced you’ll give him a run for his money.”

“Hey!”

Shi chewed their cheek, glancing down at their phone again. “Let’s do it.”

Skeptical, I asked, “You sure? You can talk it over with your… family… if you need to.”

Shi didn’t take the bait. “No need. I will be here.” Their phone vibrated again and they groaned, scrubbing a hand over their face. “I should go deal with this. Thank you for the food and drinks.”

“Drink,” I corrected. At their startled glance, I grinned. “But there’s always next time.”

As they stood, James gave me a suspicious look out of the corner of his eye. “Do you need a ride home?” he asked them.

“Thank you, but my partner is picking me up. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I’m not even joking!The police said they would payusto keep Ryder out of their sight!”

“All right,” I said, hiding my shame behind a sip of my drink, “did we need to tellthatstory?”

“Of course we did,” Raleigh said, a shit-eating grin on his face. “We’re your best friends. We have to embarrass you in front of the boyfriend.”

I didn’t get bashful very often, but the fact that Raleigh caught the whole incident on video made my cheeks light up like one of my signature flaming cocktails.

James kicked my foot and I looked up at him. His brown eyes sparkled and a heart-melting smile graced his mouth. The tension in my body eased, and I let my leg curl around his. After our afternoon at the bar, we’d brought dinner home so the guys could get to know James. They’d put Evie to bed and we were sprawled out on the living room floor, takeout containers littering the space between us. Carlos laid nearby, pretending that he wasn’t hoping for someone to drop something. Raleigh took the idea of “getting to know James” and ran with it like an Olympic sprinter. Angel was… Angel. It didn’t offend either of us that he didn’t speak much because he was always present in the conversation. He sat to Raleigh’s side, quietly smiling to himself.

Even if it was at my expense, I was glad that the three of them were getting along. Angel caught my eye, waving his empty glass and indicating the kitchen. I gave James a kiss on the cheek. “Refill?”

“Please.” He downed the rest of his drink and handed his glass to me.

Raleigh slid over to my vacated spot as Angel and I went into the kitchen.

“Is everything okay after this morning?” he asked.

My brow furrowed. “Nothing happened,” I deflected.

When I was met with silence, I turned to see Angel giving me one of his “cut the shit, Ryder” looks. His icy glare never failed to make me falter.

“Everything’s fine,” I amended. “Hand me that whiskey?”

“I’m glad,” Angel said as he passed the bottle. “It can’t be easy for a human to date a vampire.”

The bottle of Jack clattered to the counter, though thankfully it didn’t shatter. I righted the bottle and stared at him. He was watching me with one brow raised.

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