Page 68 of Blood and Bonbons

“Anchor, let me know if you need any help working the shower. I’d be happy to show you.” With that, she sauntered to her room.

Her bedroom door closed softly behind her, and Anchor let out a big, long breath.

I was about to apologize for her when Anchor looked at me.

“Do you think there’s any chance she’d want something more than too-fast-to-last?”

I chuckled. “Maybe. You’d have to wear her down with awkward silences when she hits on you and sweet compliments when she’s least expecting it. Blushing is her catnip. Oh, and plan to sleep with one eye open, or you might wake up pregnant.”

He groaned and let his head fall back to the couch.

“I wasn’t planning on sleeping anyway.”

“Night, Anchor.”

I left him in the living room and kept my door open a crack in case he needed anything, like a bodyguard, in the middle of the night.

* * *

The sun was barely making itself known to the world when the persistent buzzing of my phone woke me just past six. Groggily, I looked at the caller, saw it was the guy from the pawn shop, and tossed my phone back onto the nightstand with a groan.

A light tap sounded on my door.

“Hey, Everly?” Anchor called softly.

“Yeah?”

“I’m going to take off now. Shepard said to call him if you need anything and to come a little earlier for your shift if it’s possible. He wants to talk.”

I let out a second groan, and Anchor chuckled.

“I’ll tell him to text you in a few hours to remind you.”

I mumbled something about overbearing bosses as the front door closed.

Knowing I couldn’t ignore the call I’d missed, I rolled out of bed. I needed caffeine and a wake-up shower. After that, I would figure out what to tell the pawnbroker.

Used to Vena being up before me, I fumbled my way through starting the coffee then shuffled to the shower. I was reaching for the conditioner when I heard the door latch snick closed.

“Vena, I’m barely functioning. No drama until after coffee.”

“This place reeks of wolves,” came the low voice outside the shower curtain.

I squeaked and ripped the curtain aside enough to be sure I heard right.

Dressed in the same atrocious leisure suit as the day before, Cross stood in my bathroom, a sexy smirk tugging at his lips. His light brown gaze swept over my wet face and down to where I clutched the curtain to my chest.

“What the hell, Cross!”

I chucked the bottle at him without thinking.

He easily caught it and smirked.

CHAPTERTWELVE

I couldn’t believeI’d just thrown a bottle of conditioner at a vampire. Did I think that throwing it would do anything other than piss him off? No. I did not. Yet, as my brain registered my own potential-death stupidity, it also registered Cross’ growing humor.

As I’d realized the day before, he wasn’t what I’d thought a vampire would be. Good looking. Sense of humor. Gorgeous eyes…when they weren’t black with hunger.

---