Page 16 of The Devil and the Dancer
“Either. Cormac allows me in this city because we have an arrangement that suits us both. As for you and me—”
“We’re more than friends.” Vivian sipped her drink. “I know.”
“You know nothing,” Gavin growled. “And you’re not being honest with me. And I’m losing patience.”
She shrugged. “You’re always cross when I visit. You should have stayed in Ireland with Deirdre. She made you… Well, not happy, but less cross.”
The mention of Deirdre stung, just like Vivian had intended. “Deirdre and I weren’t meant to be. Drop it.”
“But I liked her.” Vivian leaned her chin on her perfectly manicured hand. “The two of you had very volatile chemistry. Was the sex good? I’m guessing it was.”
“Be quiet, Vivi.” Gavin set his glass down on the bar to keep from strangling her. “Deirdre lost her mate. You don’t get over that in a few years.”
She curled her lip. “And that is why our kind should never mate. Such a foolish practice.”
I’m sure it is for you.“Why are you here?”
“For bourbon casks.”
“You’re lying.” He stood. “And I’ve lost my patience. I have things to do that don’t involve you. Veronica will settle you in your rooms at the penthouse. Time for you to go.” He gestured to the door.
Vivian stood and picked up her fur wrap. “I thought we were going out to dinner.”
“Do whatever you want to do.” Gavin ushered her toward the door. “I’ve lost my appetite.”
Chloe stared at her phone,trying to process what she was supposed to do next.
Should she call someone? It was two thirty in the morning. She couldn’t call anyone she wanted to talk to. She nearly called Tenzin, knowing that the vampire didn’t sleep at all, but then she decided against it. Tenzin was on a job. And she was out of the country. It wasn’t her job to fix Chloe’s problems.
Sleep? She couldn’t sleep. She didn’t even want to change her clothes. She kept remembering the last time she’d worn the shirt she was wearing tonight. It was the week before, and Gavin had made a point to run his fingers across her shoulders and arms because he liked the velvet softness of the material so much. Or maybe he just liked touching her.
She thought he had liked touching her.
Tonight he hadn’t touched her. He hadn’t even looked at her. He’d lookedthroughher.
Can I help you?
So cold. So distant.
It was past two in the morning and Chloe was soaked to the skin, but she liked the numbness. She had this horrible fear that the minute she got into the shower and warmed up, she would start hurting again. The pain in her chest had receded the farther she’d walked in the cold. She’d caught a cab near the playground where Ben practiced parkour and paid too much for the old man in the cab to just get her back to SoHo.
And now she was home, staring at her phone, and she didn’t know what she was supposed to do.
The phone buzzed, and Gavin’s name and picture flashed on the screen.
Chloe dropped it, and the device fell between her feet and onto the hardwood floor of the loft. She heard something crack.
Shit.
The phone kept buzzing, but she didn’t touch it.
Water pooled on the ground, seeping from her soaked shoes. She stood, walked to the door, and left her boots on the rack Tenzin insisted on. Tenzin hated for anyone to wear shoes in the loft. Chloe took off her jacket and hung it on the hooks. It was dripping too.
The phone buzzed in the background.
Again. Someone was calling again.
Who was the vampire at the bar? A lover? A business associate?
