A Vampire for Christmas - By Michele Hauf Page 0,64

soul. But seeing someone else swoon over her cemented for him how unattainable she was.

“So you and Parker Troy are an item now?” the television interviewer asked.

Olivia chuckled and looked aside, not answering. Her dark lashes flicked the air.

Daniel gritted his jaw. She used to dust those lashes across his bare skin. Of all the times to walk into this store, he had to pick this one?

And then Olivia straightened and looked directly into the camera. “No, we’re not an item. That was staged on Christmas Eve. You know how the record companies are. Well, if you don’t, they do things like that. It’s a part of the job. Parker and I are going to sing a duet together but that’s it. But…”

She sighed.

Daniel leaned forward, his heart pounding.

“I shouldn’t have agreed to the kiss onstage. I hurt someone that I care for deeply. And it wasn’t being honest to my fans. I’m so sorry.”

Daniel whispered that he was sorry, too.

“What’s that, dude?”

He swung a look to the clerk, who had put the vodka in a brown paper bag.

“Uh…nothing.” He grabbed one of the snowflake ornaments and muttered he’d buy that, too, then shoved it in his pocket. Tossing some bills on the counter, he thanked the clerk. Walking outside, he pressed the bag and pack of grits to Sam’s chest. “Here you go, man. Take it easy.”

Sam called after him, “Merry Christmas, Daniel!”

“Yeah, that’s what they tell me,” he said, and for the first time in days, he smiled.

It had all been a performance.

THE RITUAL OF PACKING away everything in the kitchen until next Christmas vacation was never fun. Olivia went through the cupboards, aligning the pots and pans, made sure the dishwasher was empty, and scrubbed the counters and washed the tile floor. She went through the tiny apartment with a vacuum, even though Lisa always suggested she hire a maid to do it.

Maids were for sissies, she thought with a smirk. Getting a chance to do anything domestic was her kind of excitement. It reminded her that she was just like everyone else, somewhere, deep inside, where no camera or television recording could ever venture.

She wrapped up the vacuum cord and tucked the machine away, then wandered into the bedroom to straighten the closet where she kept clothing year-round, but only winter stuff.

When finally she sat on the bed and realized it would be only an hour before the limo arrived to pick her up and take her back to her celebrity life, tears spilled down her cheeks. The bed felt too big and awkward when she sat on it alone. It was missing Daniel’s wide shoulders and strong, powerful muscles. And his intense kisses and even his sharp bites.

She stroked her neck. The bite ached a little. When she touched the small wounds it felt as if he were blowing softly upon her skin, marking her with his delicious darkness. Her blood stirred to think of the vampire who had stolen her heart with a kiss and a bite. And a dance.

That had been what made her fall in love with him, that dance in this very bedroom, swaying against him, learning there was more to the monster than just fangs.

You took the risk and it paid off. She’d gained confidence, and had made the decision to be seen with Parker on her own, no approval necessary. It hadn’t been a good decision, but she was learning.

But it had been a risk Daniel could not accept.

It would probably never have worked out. But she wished she’d had the opportunity to learn that for herself.

“You did learn that,” she said. “It didn’t work out. End of story. The guy hates you because he thinks you’re Parker Troy’s woman. Ugh.”

So what if she had been ready to figure out a way to make it work? Singers had relationships with regular people all the time, and they managed to keep their private lives private. Daniel didn’t need to tour with her, and she could fly him in to major cities and meet him at hotels under an assumed name.

It would have been worth the trouble.

She’d gotten due karma after that stupid stage kiss.

So back to the crazy, monstrous life of a singer. She’d lose herself in her music and touring. It was the only way to keep thoughts of him away.

A flicker outside the window caught her attention. The streetlight beamed over fluffy, gently falling snowflakes. Olivia strolled to the window and before she could admire the sight, she