to my cheeks and I tuck my hair behind my ear, forgetting about the scab on my forehead. My nails scrape over it and I wince. “Fuck.” Way to ruin the mood, Anora.
“You’re bleeding,” Ethan says, brows furrowing.
“Yeah, I, um, see that.” I bring my hand away from my face and look at the little bit of blood on my fingers. “I fell off my horse,” I say, feeling like I need to offer an explanation. I’m being overly chatty, really, which happens when I drink. “I’m fine.” I wipe my hand on my pants and keep walking. We’re almost to the café, thankfully, and once we’re there, I go right into the bathroom to clean myself up.
I’m not bleeding nearly as bad as before, since only a small part of the scab came off. I hold a paper towel over it to stop the bleeding, and then carefully position my hair to cover it up. When I come out of the bathroom, I find Ethan at a table. He took off his jacket, and the sight of his tattooed, muscular arms almost does me in. I’ve always been a sucker for some good arm porn. There’s one cup of coffee and a chocolate chip muffin on a plate in the spot across from him.
“I thought you could use this,” he says when I sit at the booth across from him, and slides the muffin over.
“You don’t want anything?” I ask carefully.
“I’m not hungry.”
I look at the muffin, which actually looks really damn good, and then back at Ethan. “Are you a vampire?”
“No,” he says, amusement on his face. “I’m not.”
“Prove it,” I say, leaning back and crossing my arms. He reaches forward, picking up the muffin, and taking a bite.
“That’s good,” he says with his mouthful and then takes another bite. “Enough proof for you or do you want to feel my—”
“Pig,” I shoot, wrinkling my nose. “But nice try.”
“I was going to say pulse,” he finishes and extends his arm, turning his wrist over. “Though you can see my veins.” I look at the blue lines of his veins under his skin. “Vampires don’t have the same type of blood flow humans do. You hardly ever see their veins like this.”
“You know a lot about vampires.”
“I know enough.” He shrugs.
“Aren’t you going to ask me if I’m a vampire?” I push my shoulders back.
He cocks an eyebrow and laughs. “Really?”
“Yeah. Really.”
“I know you’re human.” He leans in, eyes zeroing in on mine for a moment before dropping his gaze to my breasts, tipping his head slightly. “You’re drunk,” he starts, eyes going back to mine. “And you’re bleeding. Vampires can bleed, but they don’t have hours-old wounds that scab and then bleed.”
“Dammit, you’re right.” I bring my hand up, rubbing my forehead, careful not to touch my cut again. “You must think I’m a basket case. I’m not usually like this.”
“What are you usually like?”
“Not drunk and rambling. Well, I have a tendency to ramble even when I’m sober. But I’m a tad more put together.”
Ethan laughs. “So, do you live in the area?”
“Not downtown,” I tell him. “But close enough. You?”
“For now.”
“For now?” I slide the muffin in front of me and break off a chunk.
“I’m helping my dad with a job but once things are settled I’ll head back to Chicago.”
“I’ve been there before. We used to live in Michigan and weren’t too terribly far from the city.”
“We meaning…”
“Oh, my parents and brother,” I say. “I moved to Syracuse when I was a kid.” My phone buzzes with a text, reminding me that I never told Laney I left the bar. It’s Harrison, not Laney, though.
“It’s my brother,” I tell Ethan and unlock my phone.
Harrison: Hey, you up?
Harrison: Fuck, sorry Annie. I meant to text that to Anne.
I grimace. It’s not the first time he’s accidentally texted me instead of his on-and-off again booty call, whose name is Anne. Harrison is the only person who calls me Annie, a nickname he gave me when we were little and he had trouble pronouncing his Rs.
Me: Gross. Please change my name in your phone to Annie: MY SISTER
Harrison: That’s a good idea.
Me: Since you’re up, want to come get me? I’m ready to go home but Laney is still having fun.
Harrison: Sure, but you’re buying me takeout on the way to your house.
Me: Fine. I’m at Cody’s Café.
Harrison: I just left Jake’s. I’ll be there in five or less.
Jake has been Harrison’s best friend since elementary school, and