“I think I know more about you than you think I do.”
Unable to fight her curiosity, she began to see what the laptop could do. Her fingers moved over the keyboard, her eyes searching the screen. “Yeah? Like what?”
“You have at least a high school education, although I would guess even more than that. Some college, certainly. You’ve spent a good deal of time in libraries while growing up. You respect authority figures and have had some experience caring for an ill person.”
Alice slowly looked up to find he seemed to revel in the way blood drained from her face at his declarations.
“And that’s just the tip of the iceberg about what I know. You intrigue me, Alice. I can’t wait to find out more.”
“How could you know all that?”
“It’s not difficult if one’s paying attention. Your ease with a computer before. Your need to call for help last night and to take me to the hospital. The way you managed to physically move my body when men twice your size would struggle.” Bast put his hand atop hers, giving it a little squeeze. “You’re almost an open book, except for the things you wish to hold close to your chest. Like your brother, for example, although even there I’m starting to understand him and your relationship to him a little better.”
Waves of emotion rolled through her, and she didn’t know whether to be excited or apprehensive. If he could discern all that from their brief time together, what else had he figured out?
Did he know about how sick she was? About the potential tumor slowly growing larger day by day—the one that could eventually end her life?
It was supposed to be her secret because she didn’t want anyone’s pity. If her own brother couldn’t handle it, she would not accept it from someone who wasn’t blood.
“I think I should get dressed now,” Alice said to change the topic. Her voice wavered as she made the suggestion and she hoped he didn’t notice any of it.
“I wish I had clothing for you,” he said. “Would you prefer to wear more of what I have here, or should we shop for more appropriate attire?”
“Shopping would be nice.” Clothes of her own. Clothes that fit. The very thought was enough to make her throat tighten. God, she was falling apart because someone chose to be a little nice to her, after all this time. “But wait. Where are we going?”
“I need to check on some of my clients’ interests. I’d like you to come with me.”
She frowned a bit. “Why?”
“Are you my nurse or aren’t you?”
She weighed the question, trying to determine the hidden agenda behind his meaning. The clock in the bathroom said a full day had passed. What made him shift positions about her all of a sudden? A job, money, clothing. She didn’t know what to think. These changes certainly hadn’t come from the goodness of his heart, assuming vampires even had hearts.
Vampire. God, it was hard to believe she accepted their existence so easily. Then again, after everything she’d seen, there really wasn’t any reason not to.
“Where are you going?” Alice asked, still suspicious.
“The entire trip will only take about three or four hours.”
She quirked an eyebrow. “That’s not what I asked you. Where are you going?”
“Charleston.”
Her expression reverted back to a frown. “Charleston...Charl—wait. As in the city? In South Carolina?”
“The same.”
“That isn’t a three-hour trip! That’s how long the drive’ll take, one way.”
“After we stop to get some clothes for you, one hour there, two hours of business, one hour back. If things are looking good, I might be able to cut down the business stuff to just an hour.” He shrugged a single shoulder. “Like I said, three or four hours.” Bast crossed the room, opening and shutting drawers. Watching him move, and especially clothe himself, was a feast for the senses.
“How is that even possible?”
Bast straightened after brushing off the tip of one gleaming black boot. A slow smile spread across his features, and damn if her belly didn’t cartwheel at the sight. “Alice, how do you feel about flying?”