Page 46 of Blood Mosaic

“You’re wearing some fragrance. I like it.”

“I didn’t put on perfume before dinner.”

“This morning then? Maybe your shampoo.” He shrugged. “Whatever it is, it’s lovely.”

She looked around the restaurant. “Is the food coming? Soon?”

Oleg snapped his fingers and a few moments later, a waiter brought out the first course. “Now that we’ve had a chance to enjoy the wine, we can eat.”

Tatyana stared at his hand. “The snapping thing is going to annoy me.”

“I’m not going to snap atyou.” He used a thin fork to pick up an oily black olive from his plate. “You’ll find I have much better things I can do with my fingers.”

Oleg reached out and caught the olive that went flying from Tatyana’s plate, placing it on the edge the table without a word.

Her entire face was the color of a ripe red pepper.

“No.”Tatyana was trying not to laugh and only halfway succeeding. “You think you’ve charmed her, but I promise you have not.”

Oleg was feeling surprisingly relaxed. He and Tatyana had enjoyed a delectable meal of Spanish food, which she had never had before, and he’d guided the conversation back toward less… stimulating topics.

He’d suggested walking off some of the rich food with a leisurely stroll along the waterfront. It was before midnight and humans were walking in couples and groups, perusing the white-fronted restaurants popular with tourists.

The scents of humanity surrounded him, and Oleg realized it had been years since he’d spent time among this many humans who didn’t know who and what he was.

It was not unpleasant.

Now that Oleg had determined to seduce Tatyana, he’d also decided he could be patient. She was young and he had eternity. If she wanted to finish her current job for him before they took their relationship to the obvious next level, that was fine.

But he’d try to convince her not to be so hesitant.

“I may not have charmed your mother completely,” he said, “but she liked the smetannik.”

“You did help yourself with the smetannik,” Tatyana admitted. “But don’t try to charm her. That won’t work at all. She’ll be very suspicious.”

“No? What about with you?”

Tatyana laughed, and it was the first time he’d heard her laugh with her whole chest.

It was a riveting sound. The light in her eyes and the red flush on her cheeks. Tatyana Vorona laughed with her whole body.

Enticing. Delicious.

Oleg could grow addicted to the sound. There was no madness in it, no mania or dark edge. Just the full-throated laughter of a woman who’d drunk a little too much wine and heard something that amused her.

“Is that what this is?” She lifted her chin to meet his eyes. “This is you being charming? You have the charm of a bulldozer, Oleg Sokolov.” She blinked, and her eyes cleared when their gazes met. “Why don’t I remember what happened after we went to dinner in Odesa?”

Damn it. Her mind was fighting his amnis. “I don’t know. You didn’t drink that much. Stress maybe?” He’d avoided touching her skin, wondering if direct contact was the catalyst for her preternatural perception.

She smiled again. “So you admit that you’re stressful?”

“Not at all. I am trying to reduce your stress.” He touched the handle of her handbag. “See? I even replaced your briefcase for you.”

“This?” She held out the smooth Italian leather satchel. “This isn’t because you’re trying to reduce my stress. This is you showing off.”

“Is it working?”

Her laugh turned rueful. “I can’t tell you that—it will only encourage you.”

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