Payne inclined her head. “It is lovely to meet with you as well.”
There was an awkward silence as she straightened. The human man was absolutely struck by her, his mouth slightly parted, his eyes wide . . . and very appreciative.
“Easy there, big guy,” Manuel said darkly. “You can resume blinking at any time . . . like, as in, now. Really. Truly.”
Manuel put himself in between the two of them, and took her hand at the same time, both blocking the view and establishing dominion over her. And that wasn’t all: Dark spices wafted up from him, the scent a warning to the other man that the female being admired was available only over Manuel’s cold, dead body.
And didn’t that make her feel like there was a blazing sun in the center of her chest.
“Come on, Pay—Pamela.” As Manuel tugged at her and the pair of them started walking, he added in a mutter, “Before John-boy’s jaw drops off his face and lands on the sports section.”
Payne skipped once. And then did it again.
Manuel looked over. “That poor guard back there almost has a near-death experience with his badge being shoved down his throat and you’re happy?”
Payne kissed Manuel’s cheek quickly, seeing behind the faux grim on his handsome face. “You like me.”
Manuel rolled his eyes and pulled her over by the neck, returning the kiss. “Duh.”
“Duh,” she mimicked—
Someone tripped over someone’s foot, hard to say who it was, and Manuel was the one who caught them from falling.
“We’d better pay attention,” her male said. “Before we’re the ones who need resuscitating.”
She elbowed him. “A wise extrapolation.”
“Are you smacking my ass.”
Payne glanced over his shoulder. And then slapped his butt—hard. As he yelped, she winked at him. “Indeed. Verily. I am.” Dropping her lids and her voice, she hammed, “Would you like me to do it again, Manuel. Perhaps . . . on the other side?”
As she joggled her eyebrows at him, the sound of his laughter broke out and filled the empty hallway, ringing far and wide. And when they bumped into each other again, he pulled her to a stop.
“Wait, we need to do this better.” He tucked her under his arm, kissed her forehead, and lined himself up with her. “On three, lead with the right. Ready? One . . . two . . . three.”
On cue, they both stretched out their long right legs, and then it was left . . . and right . . . and left . . .
Perfectly in step.
Side by side.
They went down the corridor. Together.
It had never dawned on Manny that his sexy vampire might have a sense of humor. And didn’t that round out her package perfectly.
Ah, hell, it wasn’t just that. It was her wonder and her joy and the sense that she was up for anything. She was absolutely nothing like those fragile, brittle socialites or the pretzel-thin models he’d dated.
“Payne?”
“Yes?”
“If I told you I wanted to climb a mountain tonight—”
“Oh! I would love to! I should love to see a long view from . . .”
Bingo. Although, God, he had to wonder at the cruelty of finally finding his perfect match . . . in someone so fundamentally incompatible.
When they came up to the second set of double doors that led into the clinical part of the horse-pital, he pushed one half wide, and without missing a beat, they turned sideways and shuffled through . . . and that was when it happened.