The Vampire Bracelet: Erotic Paranormal Romance ( # 2: Blood Genies series) (5 page)

Keith, however, dashed forward and approached Marie with a shining smile. He was tall, blond, and clean cut. A big, bright cowboy. Too bright? Nicholas noticed he was tripping all over himself to accommodate Marie.

He even went out of his way to be friendly to Nicholas, pumping his hand vigorously as they were introduced. But none of it seemed natural. Something was drastically wrong.

Nicholas glanced at Randi. She retreated deeper into the magazine, hiding within its glossy pages, and it became clear as day. Clear as fuck. Nicholas cursed in his mind.

Déjà vu.

He needed to get the hell out of this cramped space. He told Marie that he would meet her at their table. He said goodbye to Keith and passed the silent redhead on his way out.

Later, Marie joined him, and they waited for the band to start their set.

“See why I want to share my life with Keith?” she said. “He’s warm and easygoing. And he wasn’t even jealous that I came here with you. Not that he should be. But you know what I mean.”

Yeah, he knew. Keith hadn’t seemed threatened by Nicholas’s sudden appearance as an old family friend. But that was because Keith’s was on a guilt trip. “Didn’t you notice how jumpy he was?”

“Jumpy?”

“Nervous. Whatever.”

“He always gets a little nervous before a gig.”

Nicholas hated being the bearer of bad news, but he couldn’t waylay his observation, either. “I’m sorry if this is going to hurt you, but I have to say it.”

“You still think he’s a wuss?”

“Yes, but not for the reason you think. He’s sleeping with Randi. He’s two-timing you.”

“How could you possibly think...?” She shot him a poisonous glare. “He would never do that to me, and she would never do that to her husband. Keith and Randi aren’t even attracted to each other.”

“Yes, they are. The air was filled with an adulterous vibe. I’m telling you, they had an affair.”

“And you’re an authority on these things because your parents slept around?” Her voice remained harsh.

“That’s right, I am. The first time I realized what was going on with my parents was when my dad was sleeping with a neighbor lady. Every time she came over, something seemed off. I was just a kid, but I felt it. The same feeling I got in the green room with Keith and Randi.”

“He isn’t cheating.”

“I’d bet my immortal life that he is.”

She shoved her fist against his shoulder. “Get away from me. Go sit somewhere else.”

“I’m not leaving you alone.” He felt protective of her, especially given the circumstances.

“I don’t want you anywhere near me, Nicholas.”

“Too bad. I’m staying.”

She gestured to a group of women at a nearby table. “See the busty blonde in the middle? She’s been ogling you since we got here. So, why don’t you go over there, like the womanizer you are, and buy her a drink?”

“I’m the womanizer? Me? When that asshole boyfriend of yours has been fucking his hot little band mate?”

“I really hate you right now.”

“You’d do well to hate him. And if you were smart, you’d confront him after the show and demand for him to come clean.”

“Based on your parents? Now there’s a logical reason for me to ruin what I have.” She took an angry sip of her wine.

Nicholas wished that he were mortal so he could belt back his favorite brand of whiskey and get rip-roaring drunk. But his stupid body wouldn’t tolerate anything but blood. “I’m still feeding from you tonight. You have to let me feed.”

“Only so I can get engaged to Keith.”

“Sure. Fine. Marry a cheater. What the fuck do I care?”

The lights went low and Scarlet Kitten came on stage. Randi strutted up to the microphone in her catnip clothes. Keith stood in the background with the rest of the band.

Once they started their set, other club goers got up to dance. Marie and Nicholas stared straight ahead. The music was original, tough and tangy, and Randi had a husky voice, as seductive as the rest of her. Later, during a song that required Keith to lean into the mic and harmonize with her, Nicholas glanced over at Marie and saw her troubled reaction.

Was she becoming aware of the disturbing vibe? To Nicholas, it was painfully obvious how the couple on stage was trying not to get too close and how when their shoulders accidentally brushed, they tensed and he moved quickly away.

Scarlett Kitten played for about an hour, but it seemed like forever.

During the break and before the next band came on, Marie drank another glass of wine. She’d had four so far. Nicholas was counting.

“I’m going to have to drive home,” he said. “You’re not going to be in any condition to get behind the wheel.”

“Can’t you just wave your hand and beam us back home?”

Actually, he could. He could place her car in the garage that way, too. “However we get home, you need to talk to Keith first.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “You felt it, too, didn’t you? What’s going on between them?”

“I felt what you insisted that I should feel.” Her voice turned quiet, fear and worry evident in her ragged tone. “You planted the seed, and now you’ve got me scared that it could be true.”

“I’m sorry. But I had to tell you.”

She got up, teetering on her feet. “I’m going backstage. I’m going to say something to him. But I hope to God that I’m not blowing the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

“By accusing him of something he didn’t do?” Nicholas stood, too. “He’s guilty, Marie. I know he is.” He escorted her to her destination and waited outside the dressing room door. “If you need me, I’ll be right here.”

Marie wanted to run as far away from this situation as possible. But she approached Keith instead, and when he smiled, she noticed that it seemed forced. Why hadn’t she been aware of it earlier? Because up until now, she’d trusted him?

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“What do you mean?”

“With you and Randi.”

He stared at her, like a cowboy caught in the headlights.

Her heart dropped to her stomach, the wine she’d consumed turning sour. “You’re sleeping with her, aren’t you?”

He moistened his lips, as if his mouth had gone unbearably dry. He fussed with a piece of lint on his shirt, too.

“Damn it, Keith. Answer me.”

The lint landed on the floor. “Yes, I’ve been sleeping with her.”

Marie squeezed the back of a chair. “For how long?”

He cleared his throat, stammering. “About two years. But it’s been on and off.” Another stammer. “Every time it ends, we vow to never do it again, but somehow we end up back where we started. It’s a vicious cycle and it’s making me sick.”

“It’s making
you
sick?” She felt positively nauseated.

“I thought it was over for good. Then last week she got in a fight with Paul. One thing led to another, and...”

Her nausea worsened. She envisioned Randi splayed across his lap, bouncing up and down, with her head tipped back, her phony-red hair flying. “How could you do this? And for two years?”

“We never meant to. It was an accident.”

“You just keep colliding into each other? Like Mac trucks?” That created another visual, only it was even louder and raunchier. Crash fucking.

“We wanted to tell you and Paul, so many times, but we couldn’t seem to find the words.”

She ignored his feeble excuses. “Do you sleep with her at your house? In the bed you sometimes share with me?”

He winced. “Yes.”

“Have you been with her at her house, too? In the bed she shares with Paul?”

He winced again. “Sometimes.”

She clutched her middle. And here I’ve been fantasizing about marrying you.”

“You have? Oh, God, baby, I’m so sorry. If you want to get married, we will.” He dropped down on bended knee. “Forgive me, Marie. Forgive me and marry me. I swear I’ll never be with her again.”

Stunned, she stood there like a statue. This was not the proposal she’d imagined. This was not how her wish was supposed to come to fruition.

He persisted. “Please. If we get married, I’ll be faithful.”

“The way Randi has been faithful to Paul? I need to go home.” Dizzy and confused, she backed away from him.

He got up off his knees. “I’ll go with you.”

“I’m leaving with Nicholas.”

Keith squinted. “Who is he? I mean, really. You show up with a guy who looks like a gigolo, and I’m supposed to feel badly about what I did? You’ve probably been fucking him.”

“No, you prick, I haven’t been. But I could if I wanted to. He’d be more than happy to handcuff me to my bed and give me the orgasm of my life.”

He stared at her as if she’d gone certifiable. And she probably had. She was shaking something fierce.

He said, “That’s disgusting, Marie. You’re disgusting.”

Her emotions roiled. How quickly he was making this out to be her fault.

Turning on her heel, she slammed out of the dressing room and straight into Nicholas’s waiting arms, where she burst into tears.

While she bawled against his broad shoulder, he rocked her back and forth. Then he waved his hand, sweeping her into a mystical blur and taking her home.

Nicholas placed Marie on her bed, determined to give her the tenderness she deserved. “Lie down and try to relax.”

“I need to get my pajamas on.”

“I can take care of that.” He used his magic, putting her in a soft and flowing nightgown, without even having to undress her.

“This is pretty.” She sniffed through her tears.

“Glad you like it.” He conjured a box of tissues and handed her one. “I’m sorry Keith hurt you.”

She dabbed at her runny nose. “He proposed tonight. Can you believe it? I got my wish, right after he admitted that he’d slept with Randi.” She relayed the details of the affair. “How could I have trusted him the way I did? Or believed that he was my best friend?”

He didn’t know what to say except for, “Humans are notorious for hurting each other.”

She frowned. “Then why do you want to become human again?”

“Because I was born a man and I want to die a man.”

“Love isn’t worth it. You should just be happy being a gen-vamp.”

“It’s tough to be happy when I gave you such a rotten wish.”

She heaved a life-sucks sigh. “You didn’t have any control over that.”

He noticed that her nose was running again. He handed her another tissue.

She gazed at him through red-rimmed eyes. “You would have been proud of me. The way I talked to Keith. I even told him that I could fuck you if I wanted to. That you would be more than happy to handcuff me to my bed and give me an orgasm.”

Nicholas’s cock jumped in his pants. “I shouldn’t have let you drink all that chardonnay.”

She shrugged through her sniffles. “You should have seen his expression.”

“I can imagine. And just so you know: you just gave me a boner.”

“I did?” She glanced down at his fly. “How big of one?”

“Huge. And quit encouraging it to get bigger. It’s painful enough.”

“Maybe we really should mess around.”

“Tonight? Like this? Are you serious? I’m not going to take advantage of you.”

“I don’t care. Besides, what’s wrong with rebound sex?”

“Nothing. If you were sober and weren’t blubbering like a baby.”

“I’m not blubbering anymore. Come on, restrain me and make me beg.”

“Don’t tempt me.” Not while his cock was straining like a viper. “You don’t know what the hell you’re saying.” Between the jilting and the wine, she was a mess. A beautiful mess. But still.

“My wish was a bust, but you still have to feed. So at least gorge on my blood. Take it until I pass out.”

“I’ll take only as much as I need.”

“Of all times for you to be a gentleman.”

No, shit. He’d just turned down his dream lay: fucking, gluttony, and handcuffs. Maybe even a blindfold for good measure. Cripes. What a fool he was, saying no to her. But he stuck to his guns and fed lightly.

While he drank, she moaned, getting high on the sensation.

The bracelet reappeared on her wrist, and she said, “You don’t have to make it disappear again. It doesn’t matter now that I’m not with Keith anymore. But I don’t want to talk about him.” She closed her eyes, then whispered, “Thank you, Nicholas.”

As to what she was thanking him for, he wasn’t sure. Telling her about Keith? Comforting her? Refusing to take advantage? Getting her stoned while he fed?

Whatever the case, he softly replied, “You’re welcome.”

She cuddled closer. “Maybe tomorrow you can chain me to the bed.”

He wrapped her in his arms. “Maybe, I can.”

Maybe. Absolutely. He would.