Page 58 of My Boyfriend Bites

“And? You don’t seem to realize that when I say I’m rich, I am ridiculously so. I could give you millions and never notice.”

She snorted. “Not helping. I’m a girl who buys her clothes on sale, remember?”

“I guess the question is, do you want us to stay together once the cruise ends?”

“Yes.”

“Then we’ll make it work. It would be nice to have a lover who will accompany me on my travels, who can aid me in my investigations.”

“Don’t you have Renard?”

“I don’t want Renard sharing my bed.”

Her laughter warmed. “Good point.” She snuggled her face against his chest. “Guess I should be more worried about how I’m going to present you to my family and explain we’ll be going off together.”

“They’ll object?” He held in the part where he wanted to shout they’d better not.

“I don’t know what they’ll do. I mean, Mom did tell me to find someone on the cruise. So, technically, I am obeying.”

“And your siblings?”

“I think Athena will be happy for me. But my brother… I expect he’ll pee on something of yours to prove he’s the bigger man.”

“Um…”

She chuckled. “Just kidding. He’ll probably pull some ‘don’t hurt my sister shit,’ but I know he wants to see me happy.”

“We will visit your family often,” he promised.

“And what of yours?”

“My mother will be ecstatic to see me finally in love.”

She stilled. “Love?”

“What else would you call it? Two strangers who meet by chance, who are drawn to each other, who fit together as if they were always meant to be.”

She sighed. “Someone should put that in a card because that was beautiful.”

She was beautiful. And smart. And funny. Also wickedly pleasing in bed.

Out of bed.

In the shower.

A good thing Renard found another place for the night, as they spent the next few hours making love until they fell asleep together.

Around midday, his beautiful Selene placed a kiss on his lips and whispered, “I’ll be back in a bit. I want to see what’s happening.”

Renard returned not long after her absence with a report that had Dante looking grim in moments.

“People can’t stop talking about the events of yesterday,” Rennie stated from where he’d flopped in the chair across from Dante. “Lots of chatter about the rabid dog on board. A couple of passengers are swearing up and down the captain was a vampire. Apparently, the soucouyant wasn’t being careful toward the end about hiding her activities. In better news, your name hasn’t come up, nor has Selene’s. No one’s seemed to have made the connection between her and the wolf.”

“Their stories will be hard to prove without the bodies.” A good thing he’d had Renard dump them.

“Couldn’t do much about the blood left behind, though,” Rennie commented. “Although the red wine I dumped all over the place will help mask it.”

“Brilliant thinking.” Dante paused then added, “Selene might be joining us after we leave the ship. But that won’t change our arrangement.”