Page 10 of Stripped

“Roxy and Alice had to go to their day jobs. Carly is making breakfast.”

“And she trusted you enough to let you be in here with me alone?”

“Guess she figured if I wanted to hurt you, I could have done it while you were sleeping.” The glowing eyes blinked out of sight and reappeared. “She's worried about you. They all are. They really care about you.”

“They're good people,” I said with a yawn.

“Go back to sleep. The doctor said you need all the rest you can get.”

“Can't. I got word the vamps are going to try to vandalize my club before a health inspection they scheduled…” I sighed, remembering how badly they'd messed up The Booty Carousel the night before. “I guess they've already done a good job of destroying it. I need to get in there and get it cleaned up.”

Zane's glowing eyes rose as he stood. “Fine. I'll leave so you can get dressed.”

He left my room without another word. I flicked on the lamp on my nightstand and climbed out of bed. The room spun as I gained altitude and I wanted nothing more than to crawl back under the covers and stay there for a while. Instead, I grabbed some clothes and headed across the hall to the bathroom. After my shower, I had to rest by sitting on the toilet before I could pull clothes on.

Once I was finally dressed, I walked into the kitchen, shoulders back, head high. I felt amazing and I would convey that lie through body language and a wide smile. My kitchen smelled like bacon and eggs and my stomach rumbled with hunger.

Carly smiled from her spot next to the stove, but she looked worried. “How are you feeling?”

“I'm great,” I said. “Really. Thank you for staying.”

“Of course.” She lifted a pan and spooned some grits into a bowl. “Vegetarian, right?”

“That's right.” Honestly, I was surprised she'd remembered. I'd only ever eaten a few meals with her.

Zane looked up from his phone. He was sitting at the dining room table, expression surly. “Have a seat,” he said. “We don't need you falling over and hitting your head again.”

My first instinct was to argue, but I was dizzy and falling over would be way more embarrassing than giving in. I sat next to him and Carly placed a bowl of grits and a glass of orange juice in front of me. “I figured you wouldn't be up for anything that would be too hard on your stomach.”

“Thanks.”

“Zane,” she said. “I've got eggs and sausages and hash browns if you want some.”

He looked up at her, surprise lighting his eyes. “That sounds amazing. Thank you.”

She smiled and returned a moment later with a plate for herself and for Zane. “So,” she said as she sat and slid Zane's plate over to him. “How did you and Abby meet?”

Zane cleared his throat and looked at me, eyes wide. I smiled and took a bite of grits. I immediately spit it back out and gulped my OJ to cool my mouth. Darn that was hot.

Carly hadn't taken her eyes off Zane. She ignored my burned mouth and Zane's silent plea for help. “It's a simple question,” she said, calm but insistent. I'd never seen Carly so aggressive and sure. It was kind of hot.

“The truth is,” Zane said. “Abigail just drew me in as soon as I saw her at the… Coffee shop. I couldn't take my eyes off her and her smile… I'm sure she's got a line of guys after her.”

Carly grinned and then laughed. “Oh, wow, you're really bad at this, and you clearly don't know Abby at all. I've known her for five years and seen her date two guys that whole time. I—”

“Carly,” I said. “You make me sound like I can't attract anyone.”

Carly gave me a disapproving look. “And you don't ever buy coffee. You always say it's a waste of good money when you've got instant coffee and a machine at home.”

“I was there for a muffin,” I said. “They have good muffins.”

She glared at me. “What's really going on, Abby? And no more lies or I'm going to… Well, it will be something bad and you won't like it.”

I glanced at Zane, who nodded slightly, his bacon, eggs, and hash browns cooling as he ignored them to focus on our conversation. “You can't tell anyone, but Axel asked Zane to stay with me to protect me from Leopold. Apparently, I pissed him off when I refused to be his blood groupie.”

Carly's eyes widened and her entire demeanor changed. “Really? That is so sweet.” She patted Zane's hand as he finally dug into the food. “My boyfriend is a —” She glanced at me, worrying her bottom lip.

I rolled my eyes. “Sweetie, everyone knows about you and Zed.”

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