Carlos grinned. "How badly do you want to know?"
"Enough to rip yer arms off if ye continue to play cat and mouse with me."
"You can't blame me for acting like a cat." Carlos feinted to the right, then danced to the left. "I heard the grandmother favors Spiro. He's a goat herder."
"A goat herder?"
"A very good-looking one. I've seen him."
Robby couldn't imagine Olivia being content to live out the rest of her days on an island with a goat herder. Even though he was undead, he could show her the world. He could help her with her work at the FBI. Thanks to Roman's scientific breakthrough, he could even father children. Surely he was better suited for her than a goat herder.
But a goat herder could be with her during the day. Or maybe not. Didn't he have to be with his goats? The more Robby considered it, the more he decided he had a fighting chance.
"I saw her, too." Carlos snuck behind Robby.
He pivoted. "Ye saw Olivia?"
"Oh, yeah. I can see why you have the hots for her." Carlos made sizzling sounds while he wiped his hands on his hips.
Robby's hands curled into fists.
"I saw her and her grandmother coming out of the butcher's shop. Man, what a rack!"
With a growl, Robby lunged forward at vampire speed and seized Carlos by the neck.
"Rack of lamb," Carlos squeaked. "That's what they bought."
Robby eased his grip. "Ye'd better have nine lives, ye mangy cat, for I canna allow you to insult...Olivia." With a shock, he realized he'd come damned close to saying "my woman." Somehow in just a few nights, he'd become obsessed with her. He still managed to be realistic, though. There was so much he didn't know about her. What if she couldn't be trusted? An employee from the FBI might be more inclined to kill a vampire than date one. He didn't want to fall in love just to have his heart crushed with betrayal.
Carlos cocked an eyebrow. "How many lives do you have, muchacho?"
Robby felt a slight jab in his stomach and glanced down to discover a knife pointed at his belly. "Ye brought a weapon? That's cheating."
"You think a Malcontent's going to fight fair?" Carlos smirked. "I win."
"Nay." Robby gave the were-panther's throat a slight squeeze. "I could have pinched yer head off. I win."
"I would have stabbed you first." Carlos gave him a little poke. "I win."
With vampire speed, Robby seized the knife and tossed it away. Before Carlos could even object, Robby picked him up and dropped him with a splash in the reflection pool.
"Merda," Carlos growled.
"I win." With a smile, Robby grabbed the fallen knife and circled the garden, cutting flowers.
"The mighty warrior gathering flowers." Carlos climbed out of the reflection pool, his white pants dripping. "You are so owned." He walked over to Robby, then shook his head vigorously, causing water to fly off his long black hair and shower Robby. "Take that."
Robby continued to smile. He was going to shower anyway before his date with Olivia.
"Did you see him?" Eleni asked as she fixed herself some tea. "Is he coming?"
"Not yet." Olivia shut the back door behind her. She'd just checked the beach, but no sign of Robby.
Eleni yawned. "It's after eleven. Why does he keep such late hours?"
"I don't know." Olivia had mixed feelings about her grandmother's insistence on meeting Robby. No doubt she intended to interrogate him. "You don't have to stay up, you know."
"Of course I do. I have to make sure this young man is a decent sort." Eleni set her mug on the kitchen table with a clunk. "He should court you at a proper time."