Page 87 of The Mech Who Loved Me
BREAKFAST WAS ANordeal.
"Pass the butter?" the baroness asked politely, and Ava shoved it down the table toward Isabella Rouchard, trying not to look anyone in the eye. Jack was absorbed in the newspaper, the baroness lifted the lid off the tureen to examine the coddled eggs, and there was no sign of Gemma, Charlie orMalloryn.
Probably a good thing. Not much bypassed the duke, and she was almost certain last night's escapades were written across her forehead in a big scarletletter.
Ava cleared her throat. "Can someone passthejam?"
Kincaid plucked up the small pot of strawberry jam. "What doyousay?"
"Please," she added, then met his eyes, and knew he wasn't talking about jam. Everything inside her flushed with heat.Damnhim.
"I like hearing that word on your lips," he said, and the inside joke made her squirm. He slid the little pot across the table toward her, as if he knew it was her favorite. "Sleep well?" he asked, sitting back in his chair and watching her with an entirely amusedexpression.
You know the answer to that, you devil.After all, he'd been there when she woke up, his body still curled around hers and his fingers toying with her nipple, until he slowly worked them down her abdomen, sinking them inside her and bringing her to another obliteration of the senses. He probably still had her teeth marks on his shoulder, where she'd bitten him to stifle hercries.
"Yes." Ava blushed, and swallowed far too much of her tea in a move that left hersputtering.
Skirts swished and then Gemma was there, elegant in green ruffles as she circled the table. "Feeling better?" Gemma murmured, leaning over her to press a kiss to hercheek.
It was almost exactly the same thing he'd asked her last night, afterhe'd...he'd....
"Much better," she croaked, her throat still convulsing with the need tocough.
And the bloody bastard simply watched her with amused blue eyes as Gemma patted her on the back and made cooing sounds ofconcern.
"Where's Malloryn?" Gemma asked, circling thetable.
"Rotting in hell for all I care," came a mutter fromIsabella.
Ava blinked, and so did Gemma, but the baroness merely pasted a smile on her face, lifting her teacup in both hands with dainty precision. She was usually cool and commanding, but watching the man she loved marry another woman had to be difficultforher.
Or perhaps Ava had missed some argumentbetweenthem.
"So," said the baroness, pretending she'd never spoken. "Malloryn tells me we've had our first official sighting of thedhampir."
Everyone was suddenly allattention.
Kincaid scowled. "One of them tried to kill Ava yesterday." He swiftly filled the baroness and Jack in on events. Gemma already knew, as she'd been to see Ava the night before, and she simply stirred blood into her tea, her eyesshuttered.
"I survived," Avapointedout.
"But it was close," Kincaid said, and when he looked into her eyes he was no longersmiling.
Gemma cleared her throat. "What did Malloryn do withthebody?"
"Which.... Thedhampirwhoattackedme?"
Gemmanodded.
"He sent it to the guild," Kincaid replied. "I didn't think Ava would want to be the one who performed that particular autopsy, and Mallorynagreed."
That was thoughtful. "Did you tell Dr. Gibson aboutBlackVein?"
Kincaid scraped his hand over his newly shaven jaw. "I think Malloryn did. He needed to know what he'slookingat."
Silence settled over the room. Ava buttered her toast, though a sudden flash of heat went through her as she added jam. She wanted blood. Not toast. Her fingers curled over theknife.
"Are you sure you're all right?" Gemma murmured, and Ava looked up to find the other woman watching her with narrowed eyes over the rim of ateacup.
