Wicked Sunset (Sunset Vampire Series, Book 4) (30 page)

She laughed and her hands darted to my ribs. I nearly went crazy as she tickled me, flailing around and vainly trying to push her away.

“Stop it!” I yelled.

In a last ditch effort before losing my breath entirely, I flipped her body with one arm and tried to pin her body against the couch cushions.

She abruptly stopped tickling me, our faces only inches apart, and she stared at me in a penetrating fashion.

Her blue eyes were beautiful.

In that moment, I felt drawn to her, and I smelled the scent of bubblegum as I felt her warm breath against my face.

Maybe it was the adrenaline, but a wave of desire rushed through my body as I stared into her eyes. I felt one of her hands slowly creep up my back while the other encircled the back of my head.

That’s when her face started moving closer to mine.

Danger!

I lurched backward out of her grasp, even as she rolled off the couch away from me.

“Yeah, uh, better get this mess cleaned up,” she stammered, looking anywhere around the room except at me.

“Yep, I’ll get a trash bag,” I said, quickly retreating to the kitchen.

I paused long enough to send a quick text message to Ethan.
Hey, Ethan. Paige misses you 2 much. Try a surprise visit soon. Take care.

I took a deep breath and a few swigs from a fresh cold beer out of the fridge before returning to the living room with the trash bag.

As I walked into the room, I noticed her slipping her phone into her back pocket.

We both avoided looking at each other while picking up popcorn from the floor.

What the hell was I thinking?

Sheesh, I miss Kat.

* * *

While on campus that Friday morning, I ran into Chance, well, by chance. Just as I was enjoying a nice chat with her in the commons outside, I was interrupted by a text message from Roman.

Two targets nearby. Enter nearest bldg and wait.

I diplomatically told her that I had to get going.

I didn’t want any innocents getting hurt on my account.

“No problem. Hey, how would you like to get together at a place called Carlucci’s Restaurant?” she asked. “It’s over on Wooster Street.”

I shrugged. “Sure, sounds like fun.”

“Great, be there around 8 p.m.,” she said. “See you then.”

“Later,” I said as I walked away.

“Oh, and ask for Chance’s table,” she said.

I nodded and quickly entered the nearest building; the Yale University Art Gallery.

Within ten minutes, Roman appeared with a concerned expression on his face.

“What happened?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Both those guys took off in different directions as soon as you entered the building.”

“Did you get a good look at them?”

“Just a glimpse,” he said. “Couple of pasty-faced thugs.”

“Pasty-faced?” I asked.

“Yeah, well, they’re not vampires, being outside in the daylight like they were,” he said. “But they were mighty white.”

“Maybe the two guys we saw outside the bar that night?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Could’ve been, but I can’t say for certain.”

That evening, I went to Carlucci’s, though not without Paige for an escort.

“You want to be my plus-one?” I asked.

“Are you kidding? What sister wants to hang around with his brother and all his nerdy friends?” she asked.

“Angelina Jolie did with her brother,” I said.

She adopted a sour expression. “Ew, let’s not go there. I’ll wait around out here. Text me if something suspicious happens. I’ll text you now and again, just to check in.”

I went inside and asked for Chance’s table, and I was a little surprised when I was led to a candlelit table for two.

Chance looked up with a smile. “You made it.”

I sat down and looked around. “I thought we were meeting the gang here.”

“Nope, just you and me tonight,” she said.

Warning bells went off in my head all at once.

“You know, Chance, I should tell you I’m in a committed relationship,” I said. “Katrina and I are a couple.”

“Oh sure,” she said. “No pressure. I just thought it’d be cool to get to know each other better.”

I nodded. “Sure, no problem.”

I didn’t want to sound rude, but I wasn’t on the market, so to speak. At least I’d made my relationship with Kat clear to her.

At first, we visited about typical things, such as her college classes and professors. Then the topic of family came up, and I told her that my parents had both passed away; carefully avoiding any details.

“So, what about your family? Do you have any brothers or sisters?” I asked.

She shook her head. “I’m an only child,” she said. “My mom’s a former fashion model who’s now a full-time shopaholic. She even posed for Vogue for a time.”

“And your dad?” I asked.

She shrugged as she picked at her salad. “Dad’s always on the go; business ventures and deal-making are his thing.”

“When we first met, you said something about your dad being the gambler in the family,” I said.

“Oh, yeah,” she said. “Well, when he’s not turning a business deal, he likes a good horse race or casino.”

“Is that how you got the name Chance?”

“Actually, Chance was my mom’s idea,” she said. “She said she wasn’t sure if she could conceive children due to an operation she had when she was younger. I was the ‘chance’ they had to have a baby.”

“Cute,” I said. “So, your dad’s not a bookie or anything, then?”

“Dad? Nah, he just likes the thrill of gambling,” she said. “I mean, he’s not in any debt or anything. In fact, he comes out on top more often than not. No, he’s all about building the company or investing in the next new venture. But, much like his gambling hobby, he’s been pretty successful overall.”

Enviable.

“I’m not much of a gambler, myself,” she added.

“Me either,” I said. “Although I won a hundred dollars once playing the Georgia Lottery.”

“Ha! I bet the IRS was knocking on your door,” she said.

“Yeah, well, that’s my only big win,” I said. “So, I bet your parents are really proud to have a daughter who’s going to Yale.”

She appeared reflective. “Mom’s very proud, but dad wanted me to go to the University of Pennsylvania instead. We’re from Philly and he wanted me closer to home. He’s so overprotective. Mom’s more of a ‘go see the world’ kind of person.”

“I guess that makes sense. You’re their only child, after all,” I said.

I almost made the mistake of telling her I was an only child too, but I caught myself.

“Sometimes I wished I had a brother or sister,” she said. “At least you have a sister.”

“Yep, Paige and I are quite a pair,” I said.

If you only knew.

“And your girlfriend, you mentioned she’s in Europe?” she asked.

“Kat’s doing some corporate consulting over there,” I said.

“What kind of consulting?” she asked.

“Um, strategic planning and restructuring,” I said. “Stuff like that.”

“I’m sure you miss her very much,” she said with a penetrating look on her face.

“Oh, absolutely,” I said. “I can’t wait until we’re able to see each other again. Hopefully, sometime soon.”

Fortunately, the conversation turned to less sensitive topics after that.

In the end, the food was great and we had a good time talking. Chance seemed really sweet, in fact.

We said goodbye outside the restaurant, and she offered to give me a ride home, but I politely declined, which must’ve seemed strange given the cold dampness and a brisk northerly breeze that evening.

“Nice night for a walk,” I said.

“Yeah, if you’re a vampire,” she said.

My eyes locked onto hers and I tried my best to sound clever. “Or a werewolf?”

“Exactly,” she said. “Zombies don’t care, either.”

I watched her walk to her car, no less than a silver Lexus sport coupe that looked almost new.

I whistled. “Whoa, what a car.”

After making my way through the parking lot and out onto the sidewalk, I heard rapid footsteps behind me.

I turned just in time to see Paige fall in step beside me.

“You sure the car is all you were whistling at?” she asked with an edge to her voice.

“What? You’re kidding, right?”

“I’m just askin’,” she said.

“Yeah, right,” I said. “As if she’s any comparison to Kat.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve got my eye on her,” she cautioned. “And hey, what’s with the cozy little table for two? I thought you said you were meeting ‘some people’ here.”

I gave her a cross sidelong glance. “Hey, don’t make this about me. I thought I was meeting a group, too, you know. She said it was a get together.”

“Mm-hm,” she said.

I scoffed aloud. “Come on, I wasn’t going to be rude. And I told her right off that I was in a committed relationship.”

“You want to know what I think?” she asked.

“No,” I said.

She flicked at the edge of my ear with her finger.

“Ow!”

“I think spoiled little rich girl doesn’t care about that,” she said.

“She never said she was rich,” I said.

I don’t know why I suddenly felt so defensive.

“A jobless freshman driving a
Lexus sports car
?” she asked.

I gave her a sharp look. “I’m pretty sure I never told you she was jobless. Are you spying on me
and
my friends now?”

“I’m your surrogate vampire, kiddo,” she said. “Of course I
spy
on you…and around you…and on those around you. You have a tendency to get into a lot of trouble on your own, you know.”

I shrugged. “Whatever.”

“Now,
you
; you’re a freakin’ full-time job,” she said. “I don’t even have time to study.”

“Yeah, right,” I said. “As if you study anyway.”

“Good point, professor nerdo,” she said. “Speaking of which, would you mind writing a short history essay for me? Nothing fancy; I don’t use a lot of big words.”

“Oh, sure,” I said.
“Not!”

“Well, snarkety-snark-snark-snarkety-snark,” she chimed.

“Way too many snarks in there,” I said.

“Nah,” she disagreed. “I’m a vision of perfect snarkiness.”

“Stop saying snark!” I complained. “What’s with all the snarking lately?”

“People love my snarking,” she said. “And pick up the pace, slowpoke, I’ve got a stupid history paper to write when we get home.”

Holy crap, Paige drives me crazy sometimes.

Then I smiled.

But I adore her.

As we walked home, I tried not to think too hard about Chance. Still, she’d surprised me a little bit with the impromptu dinner for two.

Damn, between Roman and vampires, they’re making me paranoid.

* * *

By late Saturday afternoon, I felt worn out from a long day of writing papers for classes and engaging in an extra session of combat training with both Paige and Roman. However, my mood improved somewhat following a long video chat with Kat.

On Saturday evening, I met a group of my friends at Prime Time, a popular pub with the college crowd over on Temple Street. It felt soothing just to unwind over a few beers.

Following some early challenging weeks at Yale, I grew more comfortable immersing myself into the college scene again, though I had to admit I felt a lot older than I’d remembered from my days at Georgia State.

Felt? Hell, I am a lot older.

Yet, despite my age differences, for perhaps the first time since my arrival I was finally starting to feel settled about being in New Haven.

Even Roman had grown on me.

I glanced up to see Paige confidently striding through the pub, acting like she owned the place.

In the short time we’d been hanging out there, she’d managed to catch the eye of most men, and some women, who frequented the place.

She was a social creature of historic proportions.

“Hey, there’s a hot piece,” Joshua said to Anthony with a grin as Paige caught his eye.

I noticed Paige’s telltale smirk as she glanced over at our table while swaying to Django Django’s “Default.”

“Serve me up for some of that,” responded Anthony.

Trey shook his head at me. “You gonna’ tell ’em about her, or should I?”

I shrugged.

“
Hello
, and thanks for talking about women like we’re menu items,” Lillian said to Joshua.

“Yeah, you two are such pigs,” Olivia added, giving both Joshua and Anthony a sour look. “What’re you, like fifteen?”

Olivia was a fellow grad student and a regular in our group. I admired her boldness in never hesitating to call us out when she felt the need.

Despite that, everyone at our table watched as Paige danced over to our table in alluring fashion.

Wow, I’ve seen professional dancers perform with a helluva’ lot less skill than Paige does.

Then I recalled that she’d been a dancer before she became a vampire.

In the 1920s, no less; a flapper girl.

“Howdy, study hounds,” Paige said, flashing a Hollywood worthy smile.

“Hey there,” Joshua said with a self-assured grin. “I’m Joshua.”

Lillian and Olivia both groaned, resulting in a massive blush from the young man.

“Everyone, this is my sister, Paige,” I said.

The resulting shocked faces around the table were priceless.

“No way,” Olivia said. “We’ve seen her in here like a dozen times, Taylor, and you’ve never thought to mention that before?”

“She’s a
freshman
over at Gateway Community College,” I said.

Paige gave me a withering look.

However, I was more interested in the wide-eyed looks that continued around our table.

Unlike the others, Chance frowned. “
You’re
Paige?”

“In the flesh, little chicky,” Paige said with an elaborate flourish of her hand.

“Seriously, Caleb? She’s your
sister
?” Anthony asked.

Paige winked at him before focusing her full attention upon me. “Brother, are you ever in trouble,” she said with a wicked-looking expression.