The Reluctant Vampire Page 0,42

running away in a blizzard, especially with them shu ng down the highways. Even if she managed to slip away, there aren't any buses running to take her anywhere."

"Right," Drina murmured. "I guess it's best we not try coming back then."

"Definitely," Mirabeau assured her. "Don't worry. Everything is good. You and Harper just get a hotel room or something and stay in the city until this clears."

"I have an apartment here in the city. We can stay there," Harper announced, apparently having caught the gist of the conversa on. He punched a stream of numbers into his phone and turned it toward her so she could read from the small screen. "This is the number, give it to her and tell her to call if there are any problems."

Drina read off the numbers to Mirabeau, passed along the message, and then echoed her good night and hung up.

"Well," she murmured.

"Yes," Harper said.

They stared at each other for a moment, and then Drina caught movement behind his head, and glanced past Harper to see the waitress slowly making her way along the row of booths, taking orders as she moved in their general direction.

"Well," she said again, turning her gaze to the menu, "let's see what we have here."

She ran her eyes slowly down the list of available blood blends, murmuring each aloud as she went, and then paused as she reached - "Sweet Ecstasy."

"It's a dose of blood from someone who's taken the drug ecstasy," Harper murmured. "The impact on immortals is supposed to be pretty powerful. They say it's like immortal Spanish fly."

Drina smiled. "I know. Beth swears by it. She says it's reawakened her flagging interest in sex and that she has the best sex ever on it."

Harper's eyebrows rose. "Does she?"

"Yeah." Drina chuckled, her gaze dropping back to the menu as she admi ed, "She's always pestering me to try it, and I've always kind of wanted to, but I've never been with anyone I liked and trusted enough to try it with." She glanced up and met his gaze, and added, "Until now."

Harper stared back silently, their gazes locked un l a shi in air drew their a en on to the fact that someone was standing at the end of the table. He didn't even glance over to ensure it was the waitress, but simply growled, "Two Sweet Ecstasies."

"Okie dokie," the waitress said cheerfully, and slipped away.

The silence drew out for a minute, and then Drina said abruptly, "Let's dance."

She didn't wait for a response, but promptly slid out of the booth and started back toward the door to the dance sec on of the club. She didn't have to glance around to see if Harper was following. Drina could feel the heat coming off his body and pouring along her back. The man was prac cally on her heels and stayed there all the way into the next room and onto the crowded dance floor. The music was a dance mix, fast and pulsing, the rapid heartbeat of a lover. Drina let it flow through her, allowing her body to move as it would to the sound. She knew Harper was right there with her but didn't even look at him. Instead, she closed her eyes and moved. When the music slowed three songs later, and he caught her hand to pull her into his arms, she went willingly. The instant electricity between them told her they wouldn't need any Sweet Ecstasy, but she hadn't expected they would. S ll, when she spo ed their waitress moving through the room toward them with a tray holding two drinks, she waved at the woman and smiled as she approached.

"They were going warm," the waitress explained, pausing beside them.

"You're a gem. I was ge ng thirsty," Drina said with a grin. She then grabbed her drink and downed it in one go as Harper reached for his own drink.

"Another?" their waitress asked with a wicked grin as Drina lowered the now-empty glass.

"Oh definitely," she said on a laugh as she set the empty glass back on the tray.

"Make it two," Harper suggested, and then quickly downed his own and replaced it on the tray.

"You got it," the woman said cheerfully, and swung away.

Smiling, Drina slid her hands around Harper's neck as he drew her back into his arms.

"Stephanie was wrong about you not dancing since 'Gone-With-the-Wind-dresses' were in fashion,"

Harper said with amusement as she shi ed against his body to the slower beat. "You know how