“Shouldn’t you be saving this seat for her husband?” I asked, concerned that some jealous, possessive daywalker was going to go for my throat when he saw me sitting next to his consort.
Marshall and Everleigh laughed, then he shook his head. “Amaia isn’t mated. Though she is destined to be a consort.”
Everleigh’s face brightened, and she sat up straighter. “Maybe you and—”
“No, my love, leave it alone,” Marshall requested softly. He was well aware of my history, and I appreciated him stepping in. However, my cousins...those men I was going to beat the shit out of.
Learning about this Amaia’s presence had me glancing around the room and spotting a whole lot of faces I didn’t recognize who all bore the mark of an unmated consort. Oh, yes. Definitely going to kill my cousins.
“Oh, hello.”
A beautiful voice tinkled in my ear like a bell, and I turned my head to discover the source of the enchanting sound. I was completely stunned by the beauty taking the seat next to me.
A man didn’t have to have working sex organs or a libido to appreciate the breathtaking woman beside me. She reminded me of the paintings in museums that you could stare at for hours.
She was average height, with long, silky brown hair that fell over bare shoulders and onto the pretty white peasant blouse she wore with a long taffeta skirt. It was a lovely ensemble, especially because it was unique, like her. And it enhanced her very curvy assets.
Her face was oval-shaped with a delicate mouth, a slightly upturned nose, and the most incredible violet eyes I’d ever seen in my entire lifetime.
“You’re exquisite,” I blurted.
The beauty blushed and smiled at me. “Thank you.” Her eyes roamed my face, then dropped to my hands resting on the table, and they lost a little bit of their sparkle.
I was used to this reaction, of course, but it bothered me a little more than usual this time.
Marshall introduced her as his sister-in-law, Amaia. I nodded in greeting and went back to looking around the room, avoiding the woman seated next to me.
When dinner was served, my manners kicked in because you couldn’t be as old as I was, living through the eras I did, without having them carved into your brain. So I removed my gloves and set them next to my plate.
“How’s business?” Marshall asked.
“Great. We developed two new recipes to roll out this year, and I’m confident they’re going to be bestsellers.”
“Recipes?” The question came from Amaia and—again, manners—I looked at her to answer her question.
“I own a company that develops, produces, and distributes high-end whiskey.”
“Really?” Her face lit up, and I was taken aback by the genuine interest I saw in her expression. “I’m a bartender at The Old Haunt, and they’ve converted me to a whiskey fan. The owner is brilliant, and he’s been teaching me all about the process and how to choose the best ones. It’s fascinating. I missed their event last year, but I made sure I’ll be able to come this year. I heard the winning bottle was unbelievable.”
I didn’t know if she realized she was rambling, but I thought it was enchanting, so I just kept listening. Also, I’d never met a woman so passionate about what I did for a living.
“It was a single malt. I’m trying to remember the name of the company. You’d probably recognize it.” She turned to her brother-in-law, who was grinning, his eyes dancing with mirth. “Do you remember?”
“Bancroft Barrels and Tap,” he answered before shoving a bite of food in his mouth to keep from laughing.
“Right! Bancroft—oh…” Recognition slowly dawned on her face, and I couldn’t help it. I burst into laughter.
“You must think I’m such an idiot.” She sighed, her cheeks flushing bright crimson.
“Enchanting,” I responded through my chuckles.
She gave me a half-smile and reached for her drink but accidentally knocked it over, spilling the dark liquid on her skirt. “Oh, good heavens!” she exclaimed as she shoved away from the table.
“Are you alright?” I asked as she stood up and used a napkin to dab at the wet spots.
“Yes, thank you. I think I’ll go to the ladies’ room and see if I can keep it from staining.” She chuckled and shook her head. “And maybe wash off my mortification while I’m at it.”
Standing, I pulled her seat back to give her more room to move since her skirt was so voluminous. She smiled and started to scoot out, but I must have accidentally stepped on the hem of her dress because as she took her next step, she lost her balance and began to fall backward toward me. I quickly put my hands on her shoulders to help steady her and…
The world exploded in shades of purple while white-hot streaks of desire raced through me, down to my cock, which had instantly hardened.