A Vampire for Christmas - By Michele Hauf Page 0,104

if his leg wouldn’t support him. She automatically reached to steady him. He jerked his arm out of reach, and one look at those angry blue eyes made her rethink anything she was about to say. He’d hang the lights even if it killed him, and they both knew it. There was no use in arguing the point.

Any more than there was denying that there was something unmistakably powerful about Eagan.

CHAPTER FOUR

AS IT WAS, Harry insisted on showing Eagan where Della kept the ladder in the basement and carrying the plastic crate of Christmas lights up the stairs himself. The older man was puffing pretty hard by the time they reached the front table. Eagan kept a close eye on him to make sure he wasn’t overdoing it until Harry plunked the crate down and sat on the extra chair.

As soon as Harry was settled, Della was there with two hot chocolates with thick mounds of whipped cream floating on top. Eagan suspected it was an excuse to check on her friend without appearing to hover.

She popped the lid on the crate and peeked inside. “I checked all the bulbs last week, so they should be good to go.”

Della smelled like cinnamon and vanilla, two of Eagan’s favorite scents. The heady combination had him hungering for something far more personal than a cup of hot chocolate as a reward.

It was a fight to keep his fangs from showing. “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of it. If I’ve got any questions, I’ll ask.”

She accepted the dismissal with good grace and walked away. Meanwhile, Eagan waited until Harry had finished his drink before setting the ladder up in the front corner. Somehow Eagan figured he’d acquired a self-appointed assistant for the duration. The old man obviously needed to feel useful. It was that or else he was trying to stay between Eagan and Della, which wouldn’t surprise him. For sure the wolf bitch wasn’t happy to have him hanging around the diner, either.

Too bad, although he sure couldn’t fault her instincts. She clearly didn’t trust his reasons for being there. What were her lupine senses telling her that had her fur all ruffled? As far as he knew, he’d never laid eyes on the woman before last night, so it couldn’t be anything he’d done. Most likely it was just the usual prejudice some shifters had against vampires.

As long as she didn’t try to interfere with him insinuating himself into Della’s diner crowd, Lupe could hate him all she wanted to. But for Della’s sake, he’d do what he could to maintain the peace.

He finished the last of his hot chocolate. “Ready to get started?”

Harry nodded and set his own cup down. “Let’s do it.” With his preternatural strength and speed, Eagan could’ve hung the lights in a fraction of the time, but he needed to pass for human. After dragging the whole ordeal out as long as he could, Eagan finally stepped down off the ladder and waved Della over to join them. Given how small the diner was, she didn’t have far to come.

He held out the plug from the extension cord. “Thought you’d want to do the honors.”

“Wait a minute!”

Della rushed to the other side of the diner. “Everybody freeze. I’m going to turn the lights off for a second.”

The few people left in the diner did as she asked. Since most were already seated, it didn’t take long for them all to get settled. She flipped the switch that turned off the overhead lights and then wended her way back through the tables to where Eagan stood waiting for her.

She moved through the darkness with far more assurance than most humans would have. Even he was impressed.

He wasn’t sure how much the others could see, but her smile positively glowed as she coasted to a stop beside him. The warmth of her body seeped across those last few inches, her pulse racing and calling to his vampire hunger. It didn’t help that when she reached for the extension cord, her fingers brushed across his, the brief connection setting off a jolt of white-hot blood hunger.

From the way she jerked her hand back, she’d felt it, too. Good. He didn’t want to be the only one suffering here. But considering their audience, this definitely wasn’t the time or place to explore the possibilities. Especially considering she was both human and innocent. He’d lived too long, had seen too much, to deserve a woman who looked at the world through