just my way of looking out for you. I’ve got a suitcase full of my own issues, so I’m hardly in a position to tell anyone what they should do with their life.”
When I leaned back, Christian reached under the table and held my hand.
“I’ll be regretting the chili later,” he said. “But you were right. It’s not half bad.”
Crush pushed the salt away. “I don’t need that stuff anyhow. They already salt it before it gets to the table.”
When Christian squeezed my hand again, I cautiously looked into his insightful eyes. He studied me for a beat, and by his perplexed gaze, he couldn’t read me. Perhaps my furrowed brow and slowing heart rate signaled something was amiss, or maybe it was when I averted my eyes.
Had I pressured him into this too quickly? Even my own father hadn’t been ready for the love of his life despite his tattoo and even my mom’s pregnancy. They’d had an amicable relationship, but it wasn’t what it should have been. Crush had demons he wasn’t able to shake.
What worried me most was that Christian and I had a few of our own.
Chapter 2
After parking my pickup truck in our underground garage, Christian and I strolled up the driveway.
“That went well,” I said, reflecting on our evening with Crush.
“You mean the part where he pointed a steak knife at me when I suggested that Ducatis are superior to Harleys?”
“He didn’t stab you with it, did he? Like I said, it went well.”
“Your da is a real piece of work.”
“It’s not personal. I don’t think he’d give anyone a fair shot of winning him over. He’s not just doing it because he’s hardheaded.” I stopped to face Christian, and a lightning bug flashed between us. “He’s got doubts because of his own past. The only woman he’s ever been completely devoted to is me. He gave up alcohol so he wouldn’t lose me. He couldn’t even do that for my mother.”
Christian swept a lock of my hair aside and gingerly held my necklace between his fingers. “He’s afraid if I take you, he’ll have to let go.”
“It’s not one or the other.”
“Aye. But that’s not how a father sees it.”
“And how would you know what a father sees, Mr. Poe?”
“Because long ago I was human, and I imagined a family life.” He released the ruby from his grasp. “The foolish dreams of a young lad.”
It was hard to imagine Christian as anything but a Vampire. He offered me glimpses of his past—a dashing young man with blue eyes and a pocketful of dreams. But connecting that image with the man in front of me proved impossible. It was as if they were different people. Christian had chosen a life where children weren’t an option, and now neither of us was fit to raise a child even if we wanted to.
When we reached the front door, Christian fell back a step.
I glanced over my shoulder, wondering if he’d left something in the truck. “Are you coming?”
Christian moved swiftly past me and opened the door. “My lady,” he said, holding it open like a gentleman.
“Why are you acting strange?” I kept my eyes locked on his as I moved inside the house.
Christian closed the door and held his reply. He could be moody sometimes, so I shrugged it off.
Damn, he looked good. The tank top wasn’t a typical sleeveless but had narrow straps and a U-shaped neckline that showed off his pecs and defined muscles. I wanted to lick his clavicles. I flashed him a wicked smile.
“What’s on your mind, lass?”
“I just might have room for dessert after all.”
He headed toward the dining room, and I didn’t mind following. Christian had a commanding walk—squared shoulders, straight back, and an aura about him as if he were about to destroy a city.
“Where are you going?”
Christian didn’t look back. “We have guests.”
It wasn’t unusual for Viktor to invite guests over for a drink, but we didn’t crash those parties. Not unless he summoned us. I pulled my phone out of my back pocket to check my messages, but I didn’t see anything from Viktor.
I strutted into the dining room, my black boot heels knocking against the stone floor. The gathering room beyond the open archways was dark and empty. Viktor normally invited people for a drink by the fire, but to my surprise, he and his guest were sitting at the dining table to our left. A ring of candles on the iron chandelier cast a warm