One
“Would you quit walking around here naked?” I’d tolerated the smell of coffee and—much, much worse—baking cinnamon rolls, but I’d be damned if I’d watch my new roommate eat and drink wearing nothing more than a damp towel.
“Why, Glory? Is the sight of my bare chest getting to you?” Rafael Valdez licked white icing off one fingertip, and my fangs stabbed through my gums.
“Listen. I’ve put up with your marathon showers until there’s no hot water left for mine. And your cooking smells.” Oh, great. Tears. But was it fair? Rafe’s a shape-shifter with a shifter’s insatiable appetite. He’d spent nearly five years stuck in dog body acting as my bodyguard. Now he was staying in hunky human form and was no longer at my mercy for his menu. Who knew he was a gourmet cook? Maybe popping open a can of sweet rolls wasn’t gourmet in some books, but I knew nirvana when I smelled it.
He polished off roll number six—yes, I’d been counting—then stood. I would not notice the towel flapping open. He strolled over—flap, flap—to lay a gentle hand on my shoulder. Someone in this apartment was making a trip to the nearest discount store to get jumbo beach towels tonight. Since Rafe obviously didn’t care who ogled his family jewels, that someone would have to be me. Serve him right if I bought hot pink Hello Kitty. Let him strut his stuff in that.
“I’m sorry, Glory.” He smiled, his dimples showing.
It was still a shock to see Valdez as a human hottie. He’d been a cute dog, usually a Labradoodle with wavy black hair. Still had the thick curly locks, with dark eyes to match, but now there was a whole Latin-lover thing going on, complete with those teasing dimples that were an absolute killer where the ladies were concerned.
Not me, of course. We were friends. That’s it. V knew way too much about me. He’d been an up close and personal witness to my love life, a tangled mess at the moment. And he’d listened to me wail ad nauseam about my issues. Which were numerous. I’m even afraid he knows my deepest, darkest secret—the number when I step on a bathroom scale. I’d been through a weight-loss experiment recently and had a feeling he’d peeked. I mean, wouldn’t you if your best friend weighed in mere feet away?
“Forget it, V. I’m a mess. Doesn’t take much to set me off these days.” My voice cracked. Oops. Was another meltdown coming? Personally, I was sick of myself. Made some tough decisions lately, and regretted at least one of them almost instantly.
“No, Glory, I’ve been an ass. I get it. Vampires can’t eat. I know what it’s like to crave what you can’t have.” He pulled me into his arms, and I felt weepy enough to actually lean into him. Damn those cinnamon rolls. Out of a can, but still.
“It’s just that they smell so good.” And he looked so fine. And felt so warm and strong and . . . I sucked it up and pushed back. “We need to get some things straight here.” I didn’t have to glance down to know that, hello, part of him was already headed in that direction under the stupid skimpy towel. Nice to know Mr. Tall, Dark and Shifty wasn’t immune to my dubious charms.
Oh, who was I kidding? I still had on my shapeless Snoopy nightshirt and hadn’t combed my hair since yesterday. It was probably his breakfast Rafe was excited about.
“Yeah, well. It’s your place. But I’ve got to eat.” His dimples were showing again as he headed back to sit at the kitchen table. “I’ll scarf these down, then spray some air freshener. Will that make you feel better?”
I sighed and collapsed on the couch. “It would make me feel better if you put on some clothes. And, excuse me for noticing, bought some underwear.”
“Whoa. Guess I am getting to you.” He laughed. “Cut me a break. I spent years naked inside a dog body. No wardrobe necessary.” He dragged a finger through a puddle of icing and licked it clean. Tormentor. “And I’ve never been too crazy about underwear. But for you, I’ll deal. Shopping’s just low on my priorities right now. I’ve been trying to get this nightclub off the ground.”
“Yeah, how’s that going?” I picked up my bottle of synthetic blood. Yawn. Not even my favorite type. Because my fave is expensive. And Glory St. Clair is always on a budget.
“Not great. Everything costs more than I thought it would. So today I finally caved and called an old friend. She has plenty of money and likes the club scene. Unfortunately, knowing Nadia, she won’t be a silent partner.” Rafe picked up his empty plate, rinsed it off and set it in the sink.
“Nadia? Is she a shifter too?” Even the name sounded exotic.
“Vampire. I worked for her back in the seventies. She’s got bars and nightclubs all over the world. Austin, Texas, in general, will be a new scene for her so she’s coming tomorrow to scope it out. If she likes what she sees, we’ll strike a deal.” Rafe plopped into a chair across from me.
Oh, he did not just flash me. I stood and stalked into the kitchen to rinse out my glass bottle. We recycle.