“That’s alright.”
“If you’re sure—”
“I’m more than sure,” Tabby said firmly. “Help my uncle out. Anything comes up, you guys will be the first to know.”
Maybe.
After she finally got Eddie off the phone, Tabby traded her hunting clothes for a sleep tee and some comfy shorts. The rain she expected started around midnight. That, plus her renewed frustrations following the conversation with her uncle had her deciding to say fuck it and just go to bed already.
After the least twenty-four hours, she deserved some rest.
At the unexpected knock a few hours later, Tabby’s hand immediately slipped under her pillow. It was instinct. So what if she was half-awake? Years of training had her grabbing for her weapon before she even had her eyes open.
As her fingers closed around Venice’s hilt, Tabby woke the rest of the way up. She sighed, hoping that she dreamed the knock. The room was dark. It was way too late for visitors. It had to be a dream—
Knock. Knock.
Nope.
With a groan, she climbed out of bed. Her bare feet slapped against the wooden floor. She immediately went up on the edge of her feet, moving silently. Tabby rolled her head on her shoulders, shaking her wrists loose as she tiptoed out of her bedroom.
The apartment wasn’t warded. No point. It was a temporary rental, the witches charged through the nose for their ward spells, and, most importantly, Tabby was a slayer. If a paranormal threat snuck up on her while she was sleeping, her family would mourn her, but they’d still agree that she’d had it coming.
Apart from Eddie and Adam, no one else had approached her apartment while she was in town. She doubted she’d be seeing the Nightwalker anytime soon, and if Eddie got off the phone only to leave HQ and drive into Grayson again, he would totally earn a stab from Venice.
So, moving carefully, she approached the door.
Through the wood, he heard her soft groan and knew that she was up. The creak of her bed shifting carried all of the way from the bedroom, the quick slap of skin against the floor before it stopped just as suddenly.
Adam let out a nervous exhale. He couldn’t believe he was doing this. It was about half an hour before sunrise and he was taking a huge risk, going to Tabby’s place instead of retreating to his basement.
Of course, he did it on purpose, didn’t he? Whether she invited him into her bed again or not, he was banking on her kindness. No way Tabby would throw him out of her apartment so close to dawn, right?
He really hoped so.
After a few more seconds, the door pulled open. And there she was. Wearing an oversized shirt that fell past her ass, almost hiding the tiny cotton shorts that revealed her strong, shapely legs… oh, and the way she wore her hair down while she slept. Whoa. It must have been damp when she went to bed because the normally straight strands had a bit of a wave to it.
She looked like a fucking angel.
Adam sucked in a breath.
This might be a mistake, but it would be the best mistake he ever made.
“Adam?” Her voice, scratchy from sleep, shot straight to his cock. He was already semi-hard as he rode the elevator up to her place. Just the way she said his name had him finishing the job. “What are you doing here? And if you give me some bullshit about being in the area, you can stay out there. You won’t get an invitation into my place out of me.”
“That’s just a legend.” Another way both myth and pop culture got vampires wrong. “I don’t need to be invited in before I can cross your threshold.”
“I didn’t say that because you’re a Nightwalker.” Tabby let out a snort. “Para or human, you’re still a good guy. If I told you no, you’d stay out there. I’d put money on it.”
She’d win that bet, too. No point in agreeing, though, when she gave him the perfect opening.
With a sly smile, he braced one arm against her doorjamb. She could try slamming the door shut but, even if she actually did, his stocky upper body would only block her from closing it all the way. Adam was still outside—purposely so—though he shifted closer to her.
“Oh, yeah? But what if you said yes?”
“And why would I do that?”
“Because… and you can tell me to fuck off if I’m out of line, Tabby, but… because I think you made it pretty clear that you want this as much as I do.”