The audience sat at small, linen-covered tables; female wait staff in skimpy black-and-white costumes moved quickly, serving drinks and appetizers. Each of the tables had a single candle, giving the club a romantic appearance.
The hostess greeted Lucian with a broad smile. “So glad to have you back, boss.” Everyone seemed to call him by that name.
Yet again, she wondered about him.
The hostess was ready to take them to VIP seating, but he quietly asked for one of the more private booths near the back. “My friend here is rather shy and I’m trying to keep a low profile.”
She nodded knowingly. “Of course.” She led them down a short flight of stairs. Carved out of a shelf of rock was a row of relatively private booths. Scooting to the center, Claire realized that the design created a layer of privacy that she really appreciated.
Once more, she was grateful. And again, the man was considerate.
* * *
Lucian ordered Glenlivet neat, while Claire chose a mojito with sage and honey, her favorite drink.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d done something like this—and not just because he’d been in a prison for over a year.
He didn’t date. Ever. He hooked up occasionally, but only for sex.
He sipped his drink and let Claire take in the club. More than once her gaze was drawn to couples who were getting affectionate. For himself, he looked away.
From the moment he’d first engaged with Claire at the Dark Cave, he’d been attracted to her, and from beginning to end this idea of Rumy’s to take her to see the band wasn’t helping.
His stomach cramped slightly, a faint signal that eventually his blood-madness would come roaring back. Because he’d been through it before, however, he knew he had time. He just wasn’t sure how much.
Claire shifted toward him slightly. “I have an idea.”
She was so close, and the booth afforded a very private environment. Even the immediate acoustics would allow for conversation.
His gaze shifted to her full lips. He had an idea as well, but he was pretty sure hers was different. “And what’s that?”
“Well, these chains have thrown us together in an unexpected way. So, how about we tell each other something, and not necessarily of a serious nature, that we’ve never told anyone else.”
His lips curved. “Only if you go first.”
She nodded. “I think that would be fair.” She glanced around the club, no doubt thinking.
The music from the band shifted to a quicker beat, livelier. He sipped his whiskey, waiting.
Finally she turned back to him and smiled. “I once dreamed of becoming an astronaut.”
He sputtered over his drink. “Seriously?”
She set her elbow on the table and settled her cheek in her palm. “Well, not exactly. I was ten, I think, and had gotten a book with all these incredible pictures of our galaxy. But when I learned that all I’d ever do as an astronaut was travel in a circle around the earth, I gave up my quest then and there.”
He set his tumbler down. “I think I know exactly what you mean. The reality simply did not live up to the fantasy.”
“Very true. One of the hardest lessons about life, I think.”
He held her gaze for a long moment. Claire wasn’t a simple woman. She had thoughts behind her thoughts. He liked that about her.
Maybe it was the whiskey easing through his veins, or maybe the trusting light in Claire’s eye, but he decided to offer his own never-before-mentioned experience, something no one knew about him. “I have a thing for puppies.”
“What?”
“No judgment please. I just do. I’ve never had a pet, but once when I was young and Daniel had left the compound for a few days, one of the servants had brought in a puppy, maybe ten weeks old. I’d never seen one before—Daniel hated everything that resembled normalcy—and I used to sneak away to play with him. I made up a braided cloth toy and I must have thrown that thing a thousand times, all in secret, of course.”
“Why in secret?”
He turned his tumbler in his hand. “Because if Daniel knew that I cared about the dog…” He didn’t finish the sentence.
“That bastard,” she muttered, sipping her mojito. But she met his gaze again. “What kind of puppy was it?”
“A golden retriever.”
“Does your kind keep pets, generally?”
“Sure, just not in a place like The Erotic Passage.”
She laughed. “No, I suppose not. So what happened to the puppy?”
“He lived deep in the cavern system until he died of old age.”
“Daniel never found out?”
“It wasn’t that. I chose to ignore the dog, to keep him safe. I think it might have been one of the hardest things I’d ever done.”
Claire drew close and put her hand on his back. “I’m glad I’m here, Lucian. And I really do hope that I can help in a meaningful way.”
“You already have.”
She was so close and she smelled so good. Her blood tempted him; her eyes, her lips, the swell of her br**sts.
When she didn’t pull away, but instead continued to stare into his eyes, he didn’t mistake the invitation, but he debated for a moment what he should do.
Finally he leaned toward her and met her lips with his own, offering a soft kiss that had her moving into him just little, returning the pressure.
When he drew back, she lifted her glass. “Here’s to puppies everywhere.”
He lifted his tumbler. “And to the universe waiting to be discovered by young girls.”
He clinked her glass and they both drank.
Then his phone rang. After he fished it from his pocket, Rumy’s voice came on the line. “You need to get back here. I’ve got news.”
“We’ll be right there.”
After paying the bill, he took Claire back to their room where Rumy waited for them, pacing once more.
Lucian could feel that he was revved up. “What’s going on?”
“I’ve just received top-notch information that there’s an extinction weapon hidden somewhere here in the Como system.”
* * *
Back at the beige room, Claire found it difficult to process what Rumy was saying, in part because only a few moments before she’d been listening to music, enjoying a drink, and kissing a vampire.
But apparently, the agitation cycle had decided to start up again. She worked to refocus her thoughts away from Lucian, puppies, and her almost-date to once more pursuing the extinction weapon. “And you’re sure this isn’t some kind of prank?”