Joining me in the breakroom, Maisy took the seat opposite me and twisted off the cap of her cola-flavoured NST. “Just so we’re clear, are we pretending Damien’s not eye-fucking you?”
I chugged down more water. “Yes, we are.”
She gave me a curt nod. “Got it.” She took a swig of her own drink and then pointed a finger at me. “But don’t think I’m buying that you didn’t kiss him last night. You came out of this room with your eyes all glassy and your face all flushed. And your mouth was swollen, so you definitely kissed him.”
“Or maybe I sucked him off.”
She almost choked on her NST. “You did that on purpose.”
I smiled. “Of course I did.”
Setting her bottle on the table, she leaned forward, her eyes dancing. “You kissed him. We both know you did. And he must have enjoyed it, because it would seem he’s back for more.”
“Or he’s here to have a drink with his friends.”
“Nope. He isn’t really talking to them much, and he waves off any women who try flirting with him, which I’m sure you’ve noticed.”
I had noticed, and I could admit that I liked it.
“Face it, Lexi, he’s here for you. And I am loving it. You need to get laid, and I need to hear how he is in the sack, so this will work for both of us.”
I could only snicker.
“He also found a seat in your area tonight.”
He had, which was new. It was also one of the reasons why putting him out of my mind wasn’t working. I’d been going back and forth from his table all night. Each time I approached, he was sure to smile or greet me or toss out some compliment.
“So,” I began, “has Harvey been turning on the charm again?”
“Changing the subject are we? Fine. It’s probably best that you’re not thinking too much about sex while you’re working anyway. Damien will scent it if you’re turned on. As for Harvey, well, he did ask me out again. I told him I was still thinking about it, but after the bastard followed me around the club for fifteen minutes straight while singing some weird-ass song that I’m pretty sure he made up, I said okay.”
I grinned. “Best news I’ve heard all night.”
“Hmm, I have a feeling it’ll become second best once Damien declares he intends to fuck your brains out, but we won’t talk about that.”
I snickered again. “Well, thanks.”
Our break seemed to end all too soon. We went back to the club floor, and I headed off to take orders and collect empty glasses and bottles. When I arrived at Damien’s table, his mouth curved into a sexy as shit smile.
“Hello again, Lexi,” he said.
I felt my lips tip up. “Hey yourself.” I didn’t miss the way his gaze honed in on my ass when I bent over to grab the empties. One of his squad members, Stuart, helped me set them on my tray, all graciousness. He held up his hands in a gesture of innocence as his eyes—now lit with amusement—slid to Damien, who was now glaring at him. And I realised Stuart was just poking at him.
Shaking my head, I walked to the next table. And on and on it went, until my shift was finally over. By then, all the patrons had left, including Damien. Dion had been one of the last to leave, so I’d thought he might try to get me alone to continue his little rant, but he thankfully didn’t.
Ready to head home, I stepped outside … and almost staggered to a halt. “What are you doing out here?” I asked Damien, who was leaning against the lamppost.
“Waiting for you,” he replied. “Salem told me that Dion spoke to you earlier but that the conversation didn’t seem to be pretty. I didn’t trust that Dion wouldn’t try to get you alone after work.” Pushing away from the lamppost, Damien glanced around. “He didn’t linger, so it doesn’t look like he intends to. Still, I’d prefer to walk you home.”
I felt my brows rise. “Oh. Okay.” But I wasn’t buying that was the entire reason he wanted to walk me home, I wasn’t naïve. “I don’t think he’s hiding in the shadows or anything,” I said as we began to walk. “He left with Maeve. She spends a lot of time with him. I think she’s hoping he’ll Turn her. Though it may just be that she’s a … well, that she’s fond of being a blood donor.”
“A vampire groupie, you mean. And yes, I suppose she is.”
“I heard that some humans get addicted to being fed from.” It came out sounding like a question.
Damien twisted his lips. “I don’t know if it’s really an addiction in the truest sense of the word. But those humans like Maeve are constantly chasing that first high and never quite finding it, so maybe.” He cast me a sideways glance as we reached the bridge. “I’ve heard you haven’t allowed any vampires to feed from you. You’re not curious about what it’s like?”