">"Jessi!" Ashley exclaimed, darting around the towering vampire. She flung her arms around Jessi. "Are you okay?"
">"Yeah," Jessi managed, hugging her cousin. "Why didn't you go home?"
">"I couldn't leave you! I got Xander."
">Jessi glimpsed Xander's eyes as they flared red. She wasn't certain a vampire was exactly what she needed right now.
">"You hurt?" he asked in a gravelly growl.
">"No," she replied. She continued to avoid his gaze and hugged Ashley tighter, afraid to face the glowering creature. She didn't know what to say or why the tension between them felt so … charged.
">Ashley pulled away, distracting her. "He's not an asshole," she said a little too loudly.
">"Oh, yes he is," Jessi said with a laugh that carried a hysterical edge.
">"You got a driver's license?" Xander asked Ashley.
">"Yeah," Ashley said in a dreamy voice that made Jessi want to lecture her. She pried away from Jessi, who didn't want to let her go.
">"My car's behind the bookstore." He tossed her the keys. "Pick us up."
">Ashley was as enamored as every other woman. She caught the keys and gazed up at him, lost, until he indicated the bookstore with a nod of his head. Jessi almost begged her cousin not to leave her alone with Xander, whose direct gaze hadn't left her.
">Ashley hurried away, and Jessi hugged herself.
">"For once, you're quiet," Xander said. He was still bristling with stormy energy. He approached, closing the distance between them with a few slow strides.
">She looked up at him at last. She backed away, too aware of the heat of his body and the strength it took to do what he'd done to the three thugs.
">Xander stopped and assessed her for a long moment then reached out to her. She shook her head and danced away.
">"This isn't a game, Jessi."
">She wasn't certain what he meant: the dangerous edge to him or the fact someone sent three goons after her. When Xander moved closer once more, she braced herself but stayed still. His large hands rested on her upper arms, and she flinched. His touch was gentler than she expected.
">He drew her into his body. Her hands were clenched in front of her, just in case she had to shove him and run. Her shaky insides grew warm, her heart racing from fear and his nearness. She found herself leaning into him, soothed by his size and the heat of the skin of his chest against her cheek. She nestled her face between the rough edges of the leather vest. His masculine scent calmed her. Jessi breathed him in deeply. She dropped the hands acting as a barrier between them, wanting to feel the comfort he offered, and rested her hands against his chest.