brought that up,” I said, trying to appear relaxed as the pheromones he was giving off began tripping red flag after red flag. “Before you get all excited about evicting me, check with your lawyer. The Hollows has laws on the books protecting so-called squatters when a past relationship is involved.”
“Really . . .”
“Yes, really.” I shifted my grip on my keys, making sure he saw the little cross charm hanging from them. “Who are you?” I added as my libido began making little bubbles of memory pop against the top of my brain, memories of Kisten, of Ivy, of the stupid things I’d done before I wrote vampire sex out of my Little Book of Rachel. This guy was clearly someone’s scion. Damn it, why do I always like the dangerous ones?
Again he smiled, pulling something through me to make my knees feel like water. “My name is Pike,” he said as he came forward a step, hand extended. “Let’s start over. You must be Ms. Morgan.” His eyes flicked to Jenks when the pixy hummed a warning, but he didn’t take his hand back, and I slowly reached out to meet it. His fingers were tan, slimmer than Trent’s, and he wore tiny cuff links in the shape of skulls and crossbones. Cute.
“Like the fish?” Jenks said snidely. “Cold, ugly, and lots of sharp teeth.”
“You forgot mean,” Pike said with what looked like a real smile as my hand fitted briefly into his. His touch was warm and callused, and I knew how his fingers would feel lightly running down my body. Damn vamp pheromones.
“Rachel,” I said, then stifled a quiver when our fingers parted and the vampire incense swamped me with the gusto of a Sunday school song.
“Rache . . . ,” Jenks said in warning, and I took a step back. The thought of throwing him overboard trickled through me, but I was smarter than I had been three years ago. I think.
“I, ah, take it you’re here with the DC delegation checking out Cincy’s master vampire situation.” I backed up again, starting when I hit the seats.
Pike nodded. “Constance Corson would like to meet with you.” He took in my sudden alarm and smiled. “Ivy and Nina are with her as well.”
Oh good. One skilled, manipulative undead and her scion, one iffy-control undead, and a highly protective, possibly overreacting living vampire. What could go wrong?
“Not today. Sorry,” I said, then let out a breath I hadn’t known I’d been holding. That Cincy’s new master vampire was a woman had me worried. I’d rather deal with a dead man than a dead woman any day or night.
“She’s downstairs. Waiting.” Pike tried to smile over his frown as he gestured to Piscary’s back loading dock. “We leave tonight, and she’d like to use the time to meet you.”
“I bet she would,” Jenks muttered, now perched in the ceiling supports.
“Sorry.” Pike was between me and my door, and I wished he’d move. “I can’t fit another appointment in today.”
“Make time,” Pike almost growled, and I jerked, too slow as he stepped forward and took my arm. “As a personal favor to me,” he said as Jenks’s wings rasped a warning. “I’m not going back down there without you. It will only take a moment.”
My fingers fisting my keys tightened, but scratching him would have only made things more awkward. Besides, if he was yanking me to the dock, then he was moving away from the door.
“Sorry about this,” I said, even as a rush of good feeling spread through me when Pike flooded the air with pheromones to soothe and befuddle.
Jenks knew what was going to happen and flew clear. Pike didn’t have a clue, oblivious that me tripping on my feet was really to pull his head down so my rising knee would hit his scarred, ugly chin even harder.
Pain raced through my knee as it hit him with a resounding crack. Pike grunted, his grip on me loosening in surprise. I ducked into him, arm twisting to lever him over to crash back first onto the teak floorboards, where he lay, legs askew.
I dropped down, pixy dust wreathing me as I put my leg across Pike’s neck, my fingers twined in his surprisingly silky hair. It would have been a shame to pull it out, but I would. “Now you can tell her I hit you,” I said. “She can’t get mad if you tell her I hit you.”