Don't Bite the Bridesmaid (8 page)

He laughed, and the sound warmed her far more than it should have. The man had one heck of a laugh. And kind eyes—when they weren’t so guarded. She risked a look at them. So dark, and such a color of blue she could get lost in them. And in the intensity behind them. He noticed her gaze, and like a wall, guarded amusement replaced the true feeling she’d seen there. The man was a contradiction.

“All right, guess I’d better get out of your way.” He stepped out of the bathroom and made his way to the pullout couch. The television clicked to life, and the familiar hum of it hit her, breaking the surreal moment. She reached into her bag, grabbed a random outfit, and then stepped into the bathroom.

Her history with men should have made her assume there was something off about Noah. But he’d seemed so nice. So normal. So unlike Brent.

And she’d sworn she’d never fall for a man like Brent again. Or any man at all. Especially not one who drank shampoo.

She could forgive herself for Brent. They’d started dating when she was young. She hadn’t known what to look for. Hadn’t realized why he’d asked about her family. He’d noticed her, lavished attention on her, told her she was beautiful.

Heady stuff for an eighteen-year-old.

She ran a brush through her hair, and then tugged off her clothes and folded them before piling them neatly.

And when he’d started acting a little controlling, he’d explained away the behavior with reasons she
wanted
to hear. He loved her so much, of course he was jealous when she talked to other guys. He needed her so much, that’s why he’d wanted her by his side all the time.

Bull.

When she’d finally started to realize he was interested in her because of her family’s money—in her potential inheritance—she’d been in so far she hadn’t wanted to admit her mistake. Digging deeply within herself, she’d finally found the courage to call him on it. To ask the questions she didn’t want the answers to.

To push him away.

She’d gone back to make up with him after their fight. After she’d accused him of being more interested in her family’s money than in her. Of course she had. She’d been with him for several years by then. They were going to get married. Start a family. And he was so good at playing the part of the nice guy when he put his mind to it.

Even as the niggling of doubt about him grew within her, she hadn’t really been ready for it to be over. She’d gone to his apartment without calling to make up. To tell him she believed him. To lie to herself and him, and say that she knew he wasn’t interested in her because of her family’s money.

And walked in on him and Kristen.

After Kristen had run out of the apartment in tears, he’d been angry. It was the first time he’d willingly revealed the monster lurking under his charming surface to her. The things he’d said. About Alice. About how cold she was. About how she’d never find anyone who would love her like he did. The words had stuck with her. Even as her feelings for Brent had faded.

She shook her head. It didn’t matter now. She was better off without Brent, that was obvious, even before this trip—her need to show him she was over him notwithstanding. But she’d thought Noah was a good one. And maybe he was. He wasn’t a jerk at least. Just crazy enough to drink shampoo.

A nervous giggle caught in her throat. She opened the cabinet below the sink. The shampoo bottle stood out. The rest of his toiletries were still in the bag below the sink, but he hadn’t had time to do more than shove the shampoo bottle next to it. She ignored it and turned the shower on. Only after she undressed and was ready to step under the steady stream of water did she risk picking it up. She took it with her into the shower, in the unlikely chance he could actually distinguish the sound of his shampoo bottle opening from outside the bathroom door.

Come on, Noah. Don’t be a crazy man. I can’t be wrong about you.

Taking a deep breath, she thumbed the bottle lid open.

Nothing sprang out, and she laughed nervously under her breath. What had she expected? It wasn’t a trick can of nuts. She sniffed at the open bottle, and the smell that touched her nose wasn’t chemical, or heavily scented like shampoo would be. Almost metallic, the scent was familiar, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it smelled like.

Body tense despite the steaming water pouring over her back, she turned the bottle over and squeezed it into her hand. Red liquid filled her palm, and the bottle slipped from her fingers, clattering to the floor of the shower.

Blood.

Chapter Five

“T
hanks for doing this,” Cindy said. “I know how you hate these things.”

“What’s the Maid of Honor for, if not to endure what she must for the bride? Even if she has to look like a goblin to do it.” Alice forced a smile, wishing even the sight of her sister’s green face could distract her from her thoughts. “I’m just teasing you, you know. I love spending time with you.”

Cindy grinned at her through the beauty mask cream that had been spread over both their faces, looking quite garish for a bride. “I can’t believe the wedding is almost here. I mean, this whole year of planning passed by so fast.”

Alice wiggled her toes. The water felt good on her feet after the rough surface of the pool. Soon, she’d have bright, flashy toes to match her newly resurfaced face. “Well, you’re marrying the man of your dreams. Time flies when you’re having fun.”

“True.” Cindy’s smile faded, and her expression turned serious. “But I actually wanted to talk to you about something not wedding-related.”

“Oh?” Alice said, keeping her voice light. But her stomach dropped.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Alice. The way he moved. The
allergy
to sunlight. It’s pretty obvious.”

Alice winced. “Well, it wasn’t obvious to me. Not until I saw the blood. Do you think anyone else noticed?”

“Blood? Andrew would have noticed if he was here, I’m sure. But as far as I know, we’re the only other ones who know about Olivia.” She glanced around, but they were still very alone in the small, private room that had been reserved for their spa treatments. “I don’t think he did anything that would scream vampire.”

Alice let out a breath she didn’t even realize she was holding. Her brother probably would have known, but being engaged to a vampire gave him an edge she didn’t have. She’d barely spent any time around Olivia.

“At least, not that would be apparent to anyone who didn’t already know vampires are real,” Cindy continued. “Honestly, if I didn’t already kind of suspect, I think it would have looked more like he was just playing with Brent for the first half of the game.” Her smile widened. “Brent must be pissed.”

“His sun allergy gave him away with you, huh?” Alice asked.

“Yep. Also, there’s sort of an aura about him. Not sure how to describe it, exactly. Like a power. Olivia had that, too, but to a lesser extent than Noah.” Cindy nibbled on her lip, a gesture that revealed her worry no matter how hard she tried to hide it.

Alice opened her mouth to reply, but a woman stepped into the room. White teeth flashing, she wasn’t the one who’d applied their masks, but she wore the same collared shirt that declared her a spa employee. “How are we doing back here?”

“We’re good, thanks,” Alice said. Had the woman overheard?

“Another ten minutes and we’ll be back to remove the masks and start the pedicures. Can I get you anything? Coffee? A magazine?” she asked.

“No, thanks,” Alice replied, wishing the woman was a little worse at her job.

She nodded and disappeared back the way she’d come, leaving the door only partially shut.

“So you found blood?” Cindy asked, pitching her voice even lower.

Alice groaned. “I walked in and saw him drinking from his shampoo bottle,” she muttered as quietly as she could manage.

“Gross!”

“Right? He didn’t see me see him. But I checked it when I took a shower. I knew he smelled like my shampoo. He’s probably been using mine. And I snuck a peek in his bag. He brought a ton of product with him. Cologne, hair gel, stuff like that.”

“The man doesn’t seem to use any of it.”

“Exactly. I guess I should have suspected it sooner.” And maybe she should have. But the idea of vampires being real was something she still struggled with. Granted, Olivia had proven her powers and showed off her fangs to her, Cindy, and Andrew. But now, months removed from her demonstration, it all seemed too surreal.

Cindy shrugged and examined her freshly manicured nails. “Why would you? Olivia was very clear on that. Vampires are really rare. Meeting one in a lifetime is a
statistical improbability
, she said. And running into another one who is totally unrelated to the first? I’m sure she’d have something to say about those odds.”

Alice sighed. “I miss her. The way she talked. Who would have guessed we’d meet a vampire and she’d be such a—”

“Nerd?”

“Cindy,” she said, suppressing a laugh.

“What? She’s a total nerd.”

Cindy was right. But somehow, the smart little vampire had seemed like such a perfect match for their athletic, outgoing brother. “How is Andrew doing?” Alice asked, good humor draining from her as she remembered the last time she’d seen her big brother. “I knew he’d have a hard time with the wedding, but I can’t believe he didn’t show up.”

Cindy leaned back in her chair and fanned herself with the spa’s brochure. “He said he’s fine. And he claimed he had to work. I say he’s full of it. Getting left at the altar…” She shook her head. “That’s not something you get over quickly. And it’s only been six months.”

Alice shook her head, not sure what to say. Andrew had always been closer to Cindy, and if he wouldn’t open up to her, he certainly wasn’t likely to open up to anyone else. Olivia had hurt him deeply, even if he refused to admit it. Nothing else would have kept him from his younger sister’s wedding.

“So how do you feel about the whole vampire thing?” Cindy asked.

Alice shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me. Why should it? We’re just neighbors.”

Cindy’s eyebrows flew up. “Oh, really?”

“Yes. I thought maybe we could be friends, but I’m not even sure we can be that.” And she wasn’t. Not after that kiss.

“Uh-huh. That man doesn’t look at you like a friend, and you practically have to wipe the drool off your chin around him.”

Alice gasped. “That’s not true! I mean, sure. He’s not bad to look at—”

Cindy snickered.

“But that doesn’t mean I’m drooling over him. And even if I was interested in him—which I’m not—he’s out of my league.” That Noah was a vampire made the fact even clearer. Noah, the man, was quite a catch; Noah, the vampire, had to send all women’s hearts aflutter.

“He is not! You don’t give yourself enough credit.” Cindy’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t follow it with a strike at Brent like she would have a year ago. The whole situation had to be awkward for her. She had disliked Brent intensely, even before he’d hurt Alice. But he was her soon-to-be husband’s brother. Robert was a good man, too good. And he saw only the good in other people; he didn’t see the selfishness in Brent Cindy saw.

“Regardless, I’m not ready for anything like that yet.” She wasn’t ready for something serious. And no matter how cool she played it with Cindy, she couldn’t contemplate a simple short-term thing with Noah, no matter how tempting the idea was. And contemplating letting anyone close enough to use her again turned her stomach.

“Well, maybe it’s for the best.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because if a vampire as nice as Olivia could leave Andrew at the altar, maybe they’re all a bunch of heartless bastards,” Cindy said.

Cindy’s worried movements suddenly made sense, and Alice forced down the urge to defend Noah. Cindy was right to be concerned. She didn’t know Noah well enough—not really—to declare his motives pure. Even though, strangely, she felt like she did.

“Are you going to tell him you know what he is?”

She shrugged. “Why bring it up?”

“You should ask about his family, for your genealogy hobby. Just to see him fumble around for an excuse.”

Alice snickered. “It’s his secret. If he doesn’t want me to know about it, well, then I guess I’ll pretend I don’t.”

“I guess that’s fair.” Cindy took a deep breath. “I tried to get Robert to leave Brent off the guest list.”

Alice started at the change in subject. “Cindy! You shouldn’t have done that.”

Cindy scratched at the corner of her mask and avoided meeting Alice’s gaze. “I can’t stand him—and it kills me that you have to see him again after what he did to you.”

“But he’s Robert’s brother.” Her heart swelled and she blinked back tears. The mask would be a dead giveaway. But her sister, her tough little sister, had fought for her. It meant a lot.

“Yeah. That’s what Robert said. And I know he’s a little…blind to Brent’s faults.”

“Well, don’t try to step between them for me. I’m just fine. But—thank you.”

They finished their beautifying and Alice headed back to her shared room. Not much time remained to get ready for dinner, and she wanted to make sure she was as close to a knock out as she could get tonight. If she wasn’t, Brent and Kristen were sure to show up. And despite all the feelings Noah stirred in her, she still cared about showing Brent what he was missing. Annoyance flashed through her at that realization, but it didn’t change the fact that she cared.

She opened the door as quietly as she could, but Noah sat up on the loveseat as she entered the room. His hair was smooshed and ruffled in a very enticing way, and he stared at her in confusion before his features settled into their normal polite smoothness.

She tugged on her fingers, suppressing the urge to run them through his mussed hair. His lips were parted slightly, and she knew a very clever tongue waited behind them. As if sensing her desire to smooth his hair, he ran his own hand over it. His hands were so strong, large, and a little rough, as if he actually worked with them occasionally. Maybe he did.

She really didn’t know him all that well. For all she knew, he was a master craftsman. Heck, he could dig ditches for fun and she’d have no idea. But she knew what those hands felt like on her arms, against her back. And she could almost feel them on her stomach, and teasing her breasts.

He opened his mouth to say something, then cocked his head to the side. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” she said, and heat rushed over her cheeks. She spun quickly to avoid his knowing eyes, and hit her own suitcase with her big toe.

“Shit!” she said. Noah appeared at her side, his arm already under hers. She tried to hobble away, not sure if she could resist tearing his clothes off if he kept touching her. But he ignored her meager efforts to escape—if he noticed them at all—and he half-carried her to the bed and helped her sit.

“That sounded like it hurt,” he said, kneeling in front of her and taking her foot into his hand.

“It’s fine. I’m just a klutz.” Her toe throbbed slightly, calling her a liar with every beat of her pulse.

He grinned at her red toe. “You didn’t seem like a klutz on the volleyball court today. I think you were trying to hide your blush. No doubt, terribly perverse thoughts about me were flying through your head.”

She gaped at him.

“Your toe is fine,” he announced, but he didn’t release her foot. He looked up and met her eyes, and the intensity of his gaze swept over her. Desire hit her like a bag of bricks, a swift blow that robbed her of her breath and made her whole body ache.

“I was thinking no such things,” she said, wishing her breathlessness didn’t give her away.

“Liar.”

“We aren’t right for each other. And what happened last night isn’t happening again.” It wasn’t. It couldn’t. There was no way she’d be able to stop things again like she did the night before. Not if he kept looking at her like that. And he was a vampire, just like Olivia. And she’d run off after swearing to love her brother forever. What would stop Noah from doing the same? Vampires weren’t normal people. She had to remember that.

“You’re right. We aren’t right for each other.”

Anger flashed through her, fanning her desire in a most annoying way. The greatest defense is a good offense. “We’re not. In fact, I can’t think of anyone less suitable for me.”

“Oh?” He quirked an eyebrow at her and she ignored it. How could he look so scrumptious and be so annoying at the same time?

“No. Besides, I’m not looking to be tied down.”

A feral grin blossomed on his face. “Don’t worry, Miss Shepard, if I tied you down I’d be sure to untie you in the morning.”

She opened her mouth but she was unable to summon even a word to argue with him. She managed a squeak as images ran through her mind, unbidden and most unwelcome. Noah, tying her wrists with something soft. His mouth, trailing its way down her body, leaving flecks of fire behind. Her, writhing against him, unable to seek what she most wanted from him until he chose to give it to her. Her belly clenched with desire.

Crap.

She shook her head rapidly and then yanked her foot from his grasp.

“You will do no such thing, and I’ll thank you to keep your silly flirtations to yourself. We are not anything more than neighbors, and that’s exactly what we’re going to stay.” She pushed up from the bed in a huff, grimacing at a flash of pain from her toe.

“I’m not the one imagining us otherwise.” He got up from the floor and looked at her calmly, but passion still lit his eyes, she could see it. She wasn’t the only one in the room imagining her tied up, she would bet her house on it.

She steeled her spine. Nothing could happen between her and Noah. He might be mad at her for a while, but he’d cool off. And they might at least be able to be civil again. Maybe be friends. That was better than what would undoubtedly happen if they tried to be anything else. Brent had proven that. So had Olivia.

A niggling doubt touched her. Noah was nothing like Brent, maybe she wouldn’t end up hating herself for months if things didn’t work out with him. Unlike her ex, he didn’t have ulterior motives for touching her. Didn’t want anything from her. Did he? She shoved the paranoid thoughts away.

Heck, the man was immortal—or as close to it as a person could get. What could he possibly want to use her for? No. It didn’t matter. Noah wasn’t a risk she could afford to take.

“Besides, I’ve seen a few of your dates the last few years. Even if you were my type, they would be enough to deter me,” she added. She was trying to convince him. Not herself. And if she repeated that three times, maybe she’d believe it.

“Oh really?”

“Yes, really.” Her eyes met his, and the challenge in them goaded her. They were all beautiful. Model-perfect from what she could see. But she couldn’t say that, it would reveal too much. Give him the chance to see through her defenses.