Page 44 of First Bite
“The guys are still working on this nest of vamps. Seems they’re a lot more reclusive than the ones you encountered on the streets.” I heard him clear his throat. “I’m sorry you had to spend the day alone. I’m not good company when I’m trying to get to the bottom of something. All I’m finding are dead ends, and I’ve finally given up for the day.”
I turned back and gulped when I saw Cole standing there, his hair slicked back, making the chiseled perfection of his face stand out more than ever before. Damn, he was so sexy it hurt.
I eyed the white, long-sleeved button-down shirt he wore with distressed blue jeans. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbow, and his shirt was buttoned except for the top two. His biceps tried to bulge out again, and his chest was even more defined while concealed by the shirt.
“Seriously?” I said in frustration.
“What?” He looked at me in confusion, sliding both hands into his pockets. “I just wanted to know if you’d like to get out of here and go get something to eat. I’m not really in the mood to cook.”
I stood, knowing that getting out of this house was exactly what I needed. “Promise we can at least enjoy dinner together? I’m not in the mood to bicker.”
A smile drew up in the corner of his lips.Sweet Jesus.He couldn’t have ever looked sexier than he did right now. “Promise. So long as we keep the conversation light, I have a feeling I won’t be a dick,” he teased.
“Good.” I lifted my chin, holding my own, “I’ll throw something on, and we can go get a bite.”
“Are you in the mood for anything in particular?”
“Surprise me,” I said, brushing past him, ignoring his masculine and intoxicating cologne and went to change into another new outfit.
I had every intention of wearing a boring outfit, but these damn bond emotions were driving me. I felt like Cole needed me more than I needed him, and no matter how annoyed and hurt I was feeling because of him, my instinct to seduce him was irresistibly strong.
I threw the jeans across the room and jerked off my black tee. I turned back to my closet.Fine!I tugged on a tight yellow dress, pulled my bra off, and let the soft spaghetti-strapped mini dress hold my breasts up. I glanced in the mirror while tugging on my flowing, wavy hair. I usually was much more reserved and conservative with my clothing, but after being with my three vampires and the way they woke up this new sexual energy inside of me, I didn’t mind showing some skin.
I was glad I didn’t fight the bond emotions because Cole’s serious expression changed instantly when he saw me.
We walked down the beach toward an outdoor patio with a live band and large bulb lights swaying in the ocean breeze. As we got closer to civilization, people filled the once empty walkway, and that’s when Cole took my hand in his. I felt a jolt of electricity surge up through my hand and directly into my heart. I inhaled, calming myself while I watched Cole study the people we were passing.
“Everything okay?” I asked him. I finally decided to break the silence of our walk.
“Everything is fine.” He nodded toward a group who looked over at us like they’d seen us before. “Just making sure we’re not going to run into any parasites tonight,” he looked down at me and grinned, “if you know what I mean?”
I smiled in return and felt a warmth cover my heart. “Gotcha. So are there any parasites around?”
“No,” he chuckled. He leaned down to bring his lips to my ear, “Just a lot of assholes I’m going to fuck up if they keep staring at your tits.”
His cool breath was exhilarating, and my heart rate picked up instantly.
“Well, keep it in check, Banner,” I teased when he leaned back up and walked toward the door of a beachfront restaurant. “We can’t have any psychopaths finding out we’re down here.”
“I’ll just take them out later when they’re too drunk to feel anything.” He opened the large wooden door and smiled at me. “Kidding,” he said, holding a hand out for me to enter in front of him.
We walked up to a group of girls who stood behind a wooden counter. Their friendly eyes shifted from me to Cole. I smiled when their jaws dropped and eyes widened at the sight of the insanely hot vampire in front of them. His emerald eyes were dancing with friendliness, and I could swear one girl had to duck her head just to regain her composure.
“Do you want the patio or inside?” the blonde who had managed to keep eye contact with Cole asked.
Cole looked at me, “You want a booth inside, or do you want to sit out where the band is?”
“We’ll be opening up the club upstairs soon too if you two want to spend your honeymoon dancing on the roof overlooking the ocean,” the blonde said.
“We’ll consider that after we eat,” Cole said. “Elle? Inside or out?” he arched a brow, waiting for my answer.
“A booth is fine.”
Cole ordered a bourbon for himself and a margarita for me. Tequila was my best friend when I was stressed, though it was a bitchy best friend that left me feeling like hot garbage the next morning if I trusted it too much.
I hardly ever drank because I hated feeling like shit no matter how great it made me feel the night before. I also didn’t want to end up like my mom, but tonight was different, and it probably wouldn’t hurt if I got the tequila flowing in my veins anyway. Masking the scent of my lifeblood when there was a possibility of rogue vamps around seemed like the smart thing to do.
“Damn!” Cole said with a beaming look. “You want another margarita? Looks like I’ve driven you to drink with my asshole attitude these days.”
