Page 34 of Blood and Magic
That piqued my interest. “You nearly died?”
He nodded and explained how he’d been helping the MC with a raid, but things went wrong. He’d been clinically dead for five minutes.
“Me too,” I said. “Some strange heart condition.” I pointed to the spot on the floor where it’d happened. “Right there, in fact. About six months ago.”
“Me too,” he said. “So you’re a day walker.”
I chuckled. “A day walker?”
“You died and came back to life.” He laughed, and a chill shot through me at the sound. “Did you see any white light? Any long-dead ancestors welcoming you into the great beyond?”
“Sadly, no,” I admitted, taking another drink of wine.
“Yeah, same here. It’s disappointing, isn’t it?”
“Quite.” I tried to ignore the contemplative way he looked at me, as if revealing the worst thing that had ever happened to me had changed the way he saw me.
“What about you?” He spun his empty wineglass around. “Any boyfriends?”
“Oh, tons,” I said facetiously. “Yes, they’re constantly blowing up my phone. I can hardly keep the men off me.”
“Why say it like that?” He leaned forward on his elbows, studying me. “You’re a beautiful woman. I would have thought you’d have them lining up around the block.”
“I don’t trust people,” I said. “Especially men.” I’d been brokenhearted too many times to count, and after a while, the risks didn’t outweigh the benefits. “You think I’m beautiful?”
His cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink that echoed up to his ears and down his throat. “All of you Vanderbilts are.”
The rush of cool, humiliating rejection splashed through my veins, calming down any hope that he might return my affections.
Then, he gulped the rest of his wine and stood. “I should go to bed. Thank you for dinner, Maeve.”
“You’re welcome,” I said. “Will you join me for breakfast tomorrow?”
He nodded. “And another ride, if you’re feeling up to it.”
I waited for his footsteps to ascend the stairs before I grinned to myself, finished my wine, and retired to my own room.
This went on for three more days. In the mornings, we ate breakfast and talked about our plans. He updated me on the Bloody Scorpion sightings, pointing out where it was safe to go and where I should avoid. Anything within the bounds of the security perimeter was okay, but I should always have an escort. We took Molly and Rusty on rides, and I fell even more in love with his eyes in the sunshine. They were the kind of brown that had flecks of glistening gold, and when he smiled (which he rarely did), it lit up his entire face. I’d do anything to make him smile.
I told jokes and talked about my sisters, and we reminisced about his time on the ranch and what stupid kids we were. It was nice to have him around, to be in his company, and when he went to work during the day, I texted him every thirty minutes like he wanted.
On Friday, he finally took me out on his bike. It was a beautiful Harley, painted a deep red with sparkling flecks.
“It’s Vermillion,” he corrected when I pointed it out.
“Oh, like your name,” I said, putting the helmet over my head and latching it under my chin.
“Uh-huh.” He nodded and swung a leg over the seat, balancing it between his thighs as he fiddled with the buttons on the handlebars. Excitement bubbled in my stomach. Despite all my reckless behavior, I’d never been on a motorcycle before. My father would never have allowed me to surround myself with people who rode them. If he could only see me now. I couldn’t contain my rebellious laughter.
“Now, listen,” he said. “When we get going, you hold on tight, okay?”
The idea of wrapping my arms around his midsection and never letting go made my inner nine-year-old want to scream with both joy and mortification.
“Okay,” I said with a grin as big as my entire face.
I climbed on the bike behind him, my knees on either side of his hips, and I put my hands on his waist.
“No. Like this, sweetheart.” He grabbed my wrists and pulled them around his torso, forcing me closer to him, smushing my boobs up against his back. Completely embarrassing myself, I trembled at the contact, and I thought I heard him chuckle before he kicked the bike to life.
