Flirting Under a Full Moon - By Ashlyn Chase Page 0,51
hoping he hadn’t made a horrible mistake. But how could it be a mistake when he loved her so deeply?
He’d waited so long for his true mate. Didn’t he deserve one?
As much as he thought he was right and wished it were true, wishing didn’t make it so.
“Would you mind if I invited Anthony over?” Nick handed Brandee a glass of white wine and sat next to her on the sofa. “I think I might need his help explaining this.” And his mind wipe might be necessary if you can’t handle what I have to say.
“Seriously?” She leaned away and scrutinized him. “You’re about to tell me something major, and I have to wait until my boss gets here?”
“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t think it was important.” He waited an anxious moment or two while she hesitated.
Finally, she sighed and said, “Whatever you think is best.”
Nick located his cell phone and stepped into the kitchen to place the call.
After two rings, Anthony answered, “Hi, Nick.”
“How’d you know it was me?”
“I’m sitting here with Sadie. She said you might call. Or maybe it was the caller ID.”
Nick snorted. “I’m glad you’re nearby. Can you get to my place quickly?”
“Sure. Why? Is something wrong?”
“You could say that.” He lowered his voice so Brandee couldn’t hear him, but Anthony with his vampiric senses certainly could. “I marked Brandee. I didn’t mean to, but animal instinct took over. Now I have to explain it to her.”
“Crap. How much are you going to tell her?”
“Everything. That’s why I need you here. Just in case.”
“If it makes you feel any better, she’s already aware of one type of paranormal, and she swore not to tell anyone. If she hasn’t told you, that’s a good sign that she can be trusted,” Anthony said.
“Huh? What type?”
“Brownies. Apparently they’ve been cleaning the bar, but we didn’t discover it until the night of the full moon. Brandee was here when they showed themselves.”
“Holy shit. What was her reaction?”
“She fainted.”
Nick slapped a hand over his forehead and closed his eyes. “Terrific. So what happened when she came to?”
“Sadie and I explained who and what they were. I offered to mesmerize her and remove the memory, mostly so she wouldn’t accidentally slip and mention their existence to anyone, but she said no. She said she could keep the secret, and apparently she was right.”
“So she knows you can do mind wipes?”
“Yeah, but she thinks it’s hypnosis.”
“Gotcha. Okay, so she knows about the brownies and soon she’ll know about me…and you don’t think she’ll need your ‘hypnosis’?”
“I doubt it.”
Nick inhaled a deep breath and blew it out in a whoosh. “Okay. She wants an honest relationship, so I’ll give her the unvarnished truth.”
Brandee rounded the corner, holding her empty glass, and headed toward the wine fridge. “Something tells me I’m going to need another.”
“Crap. How much did she hear?” Anthony asked.
“I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter. Could you come over? She might need your…talents later. I’ll leave that up to her.”
Brandee poured a full glass and leaned against the counter. She didn’t look like she was going anywhere.
“Yeah,” Anthony said. “Just give me a bit of time.”
Well, this is it, Nick. You’re in too deep to back out now. “Thanks. See you in a bit.”
Nick set the phone on the counter and returned to Brandee. He stroked her arms gently and said, “It looks like I might not need Anthony’s help after all.”
“Oh? What changed?”
“You did.”
“Anthony told me you know about the existence of paranormals. And apparently you kept your word not to reveal the secret—even to me.”
“I don’t go back on a promise, and they made me promise.”
Nick placed a hand on the small of her back and escorted her to the living room. “In that case, I’m going to need you to promise again.”
“Promise what again? Are you a brownie too?”
Nick reared back and let out his booming laugh. “Do I look like a brownie?”
“Heck no. They were tiny and you’re…well, you’re huge. You don’t mind my describing you that way, do you? I mean, it’s not insulting, like saying my ass looks huge, is it?”
“Nope. It’s the truth. No offense taken.” He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “Gods, but you’re cute—and your ass is perfect.”
She smiled and settled on the sofa, then took a sip of her wine. “So, what is it you have to tell me?”
“Promise you’ll never breathe a word of it—ever.”
“I promise.”
She sounded a little too cavalier for his taste. I have