Page 12 of Santa's Wish
"Every vampire in this bar can hear him rantingabout his group projects. No wonder the empress snatched him up."
I tried not to make it obvious as I glanced around the room. Jameson was right. Several vampires were listening to Boz's story with far more understanding than I could give him.
"Do you think we'll have any trouble?" I made my way to the bridge and swung it open, the correct way to enter and leave the bar instead of hopping over it the way I'd done earlier. Mr. Caynik, my boss, would probably give me a stern talking-to later.
"I don't see anyone that foolhardy in here, but you never know." Jameson shrugged. "Everyone saw him with Colette." He winked. "Not to mention the way you handled that jerk from the other night."
I sidled up to Boz and almost swooned from his scent. I hadn't drank any blood yet tonight, which meant another trip to Blood Drive before I took him apartment hunting.
"What jerk?" Boz asked, tuning in at the last moment.
"He didn't want to pay for his drink," I lied. "Are you ready to see the apartment?"
"What? No. I should catch the train back to the dorms."
He slid off the bar stool and his knees gave. To steady him and guide him toward the door, I grabbed him by the shoulder and slid my arm around his waist.
"I told you not to worry about the trains," I whispered in his ear. "I'll show you the apartment, and then I'll drive you home."
I wanted him and his delicious scent to stay the night, but I didn't trust myself. Boz was in no state to give consent, and the longer I was in his presence, the harder it was to behave.
CHAPTER 4
BOZ
Oh,damn. The throbbing in my head meant I'd gone way over my drink limit this time. I'd hoped it was enough to drown my embarrassment from last night, but no.
I still remembered everything that happened before I puked on Santa's shoes outside the egress window of his first-floor apartment. Why the vampire had allowed me to walk through the available apartment on the third floor, and then to puke in the toilet and sleep on the furnished couch, was beyond me.
Gods. Santa. I'd made a complete fool of myself. After puking, I'd tried to kiss him. Vampire speed was everything the movies said it was. One moment, I was falling toward him. The next, he yanked me backward onto the couch before I could connect with his lips.
"You're sleeping here."
I didn't have enough strength to argue. The last thing I remembered was the weight of a heated blanket being draped over me.
Against my better judgment, I opened my eyes. There was no light in the room to shock me, thank everything. It took what felt like an hour but was probably only a few minutes to pull myself up to sit. After another hour, I found the strength to turn on the end table's mock Tiffany lamp.
The blanket was burgundy, and there were two tiny dark dots near the hem. I swallowed hard and patted both sides of my neck. Nothing stung, but I knew nothing about vampire bites. Would it hurt if he bit me?
I didn't know. Didn't know much of anything, really. I sank back to the couch cushions and my headache dulled enough for me to fall into a fitful sleep.
The sound of the door opening and the aroma of chicken soup brought me back to my seated position in a flash. Fuck, my head still wasn't ready for that.
I was relieved to find Santa at the door, not some day-walking vampire assistant. But that meant …
"I'm glad to find you here," Santa said. He fished the soup, a chunk of bread, and plastic utensils from a paper bag. The stamp on the bag was for the deli just down the street. "There was a train accident near campus."
"Shit," I said. I tried to stand, but Santa planted his hands on the blanket on either side of me, pinning me down.
"You don't have anywhere to be today, remember? Graduation isn't until tomorrow. Relax, eat, and then I'll drive you to the dorm before my shift starts."
I must have blabbed more than I remembered, after all. I blanked on any graduation conversation.
"Are you going to walk the stage?" he asked.
He didn't know everything, at least. Maybe we hadn't talked about it. "No. Not worth it."
"I have a cargo van, if you want help with moving. It would need to be this evening, though. I'm working open to close tomorrow."
