"She is," I agreed. "But it was fortunate you happened to walk by anyway. I hadn't realized the second shifter was up and awake."
"I noticed." His fingers were toying with the rim of the glass, and though I'd never been turned on by mere fingers before, his had my breath catching. Or maybe it was the way he played so gently with the glass. It was all too easy to imagine him toying with me like that. I gulped and tried to concentrate on what he was saying as he added, "I'm not normally in that area, but I had a business meeting just down the road."
I only had his word to go on, but I really didn't want to believe he was lying, either then or now. And that instinctive bit inside me was relaxing, so it didn't sense anything untoward, either. "What business are you in?"
"I'm an investment adviser. Boring stuff, really."
This man was about as boring as a tiger snake. And probably twice as deadly—in more ways than one. "An investor who handles himself like a soldier is a rare commodity."
He chuckled softly. "As a race, we Aedh are rather long-lived. I've been many things over my lifetime so far, including a soldier. Believe me, the boredom of my current job is a welcome change."
He was still playing with the glass, and I watched the reflections dance across the shadows—the ones that surrounded us and the ones that seemed to lurk in his jade eyes. "Then you've always lived in Melbourne?"
He shook his head and leaned forward, crossing his arms against the table. His skin was a pale shade of gold, and almost seemed to glow against the dark wood. "I've just moved down here from Brisbane. I'm currently sharing a house with a friend in Carlton until I can find somewhere of my own."
"A male friend or a female friend?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Would it matter?"
Amusement touched my lips. There was enough wolf in me for the answer to that particular question to be a decided "No."
He smiled, and I felt the heat of it right down to my toes. "My friend is a he."
"An Aedh, like you?"
"No. Which is why, when I saw you, I knew I had to see more of you. It is rare to find another Aedh—even in a city this size—let alone one who wears such beautiful skin."
"I'm not full Aedh." And though such an obvious compliment didn't usually faze me, this had the butterflies stirring again. Or maybe it was just the warmth in the words, the lack of artifice in his expression. The sheer force of desire in his eyes.