Page 10 of Midnight Enchantment

Inside, he gestured at the concession stand. “Would you like something?”

“Not right now, thanks.”

The theater was crowded but they found two seats together on the end of the last row.

Lily was acutely aware of Raedan’s presence when he settled into the seat beside hers. She was used to being around men who radiated power, but nothing quite like this. She flushed when he caught her staring, felt a shaft of heat go straight to the very heart of her when his gaze met hers.

A moment later, the lights dimmed and the first trailer came on.

Lily stared at the screen, wondering what had just happened. She felt that same warmth when he reached for her hand, his fingers twining with hers.

He smiled at her, his teeth very white in the darkness.

She wondered, suddenly, if she should have listened when Ava warned her to stay away.

She was only vaguely aware of what transpired on the screen, but acutely conscious of the man beside her, each breath he took, the press of his knee against her own, the way she found it suddenly hard to breathe whenever he glanced in her direction.

“Would you like to go out for a drink?” Raedan asked as they left the theater.

Lily hesitated a moment, then nodded.

There was a small tavern on the next block. Raedan guided her toward a booth. She slid onto the seat, hoping he wouldn’t sit beside her, relieved and disappointed when he didn’t.

“Did you enjoy the movie?” he asked.

“Very much,” she said, although for the life of her, she couldn’t remember what it had been about. She had been all too aware of the man beside her, the way her heart skipped a beat whenever they touched. Even though the auditorium had been crowded, she had felt like they were alone, just the two of them in the dark. Time and again, she had wondered if he would steal a kiss, not knowing if she was sorry or relieved when he didn’t.

“You are afraid of me, aren’t you?”

“Of course not.”

The look in his eyes told her he knew she was lying. “What did your great-grandmother tell you about me?”

“She said you were a dangerous man. Are you? Dangerous?”

“I can be.” His gaze caressed her. “But not to you, sweet Liliana.”

He ordered a glass of red wine from the waiter. Lily asked for white.

“What shall we drink to?” Raedan asked when their drinks arrived.

“Truth?”

He smiled wryly. “Do you think I am lying when I say you are in no danger from me?”

“I don’t know. Youarea vampire, after all.”

“And yet you still agreed to meet me.”

She shrugged. “I know a lot of vampires.”

“Indeed?”

“My father comes from an ancient line of Hungarian vampires.”

His dark eyes widened in surprise. “How can that be? They sire only males.”

“It’s a family mystery. My twin brother is a vampire.”

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