Jean Luc and Misha.”
“What is Nicholas?”
I thought for a second. “Honestly? I don’t know. I’ve spent a lot of time over the years wondering about it. He has to be more than human, but I’m not sure what he is. I’m pretty sure he isn’t a vamp, or Jean Luc would be able to sense that. Maybe he’s a high-level demon or something off the radar screens.”
“So Jean Luc and Misha don’t know what he is either?”
“They both say no. If anyone might know, it would be Jean Luc, since he’s been around for more than four hundred years.”
Dalton leaned forward and gawked at me. “What?!”
I smiled. “Don’t let Jean Luc’s laid back attitude fool you. He is a very powerful vampire. The longer vamps live, the more powerful they become.”
He grimaced. “Like Sebastian. You know, one thing is bothering me about our encounter with him.”
“Just one thing? I felt dirtier after talking to him than when I was slimed yesterday.”
“When Jean Luc talked about Hampton being killed, Sebastian mentioned the Erie Bar. How did he know about the bar? You wiped everyone’s memories.”
“Good question. The only people who know what happened are the team.”
“You’re forgetting about the demon and the angel.”
“Do you think he’s working with the demon?” I didn’t even want to imagine that psychopath being in league with the angel. I had enough trouble sleeping at night.
“Could be. Byron said the demon tried to protect the vampire from the angel, right? So they could’ve been working together.”
I nodded and took a sip of my coffee, then noticed the empty plates on the table. “You didn’t open the dessert?”
“I said I would wait for you.” He opened the box. “Besides, the way you feel about this dessert, I thought you might want to eat the whole thing.”
“Nope, split it in half. I want to be fair.”
He laughed. “Since when?”
He handed me the plate and a coil of heat swirled in my belly. This was ridiculous. When had I turned into Scarlett O’Hara who needed Rhett Butler to carry her up the stairs? Wait, bad analogy, since that had actually happened yesterday.
I concentrated on my dessert, savoring the first bite. Dark chocolate, coffee, and ladyfingers—the triad of all that was holy. The second bite was even better.
“Soooo…what do you think?” I asked.
His eyes bored into mine. “It’s amazing.”
We ate in silence, and, with each bite, the tension grew and took on a presence of its own. I chewed faster, trying to finish so that I could find a way to get him out of my apartment. When we were both done, I carried the mugs back into the kitchen. I turned and found him within touching distance, carrying the plates.
“Let me help you.”
“No, I can finish this later. I’m sure you want to get going.”
“I’m not in any rush.” He walked up to me and reached over to place the plates in the sink, cornering me. This was definitely my fault. What sane woman talked about orgasms and foreplay with a man and didn’t expect to end up in this situation?
My breathing sped up as he leaned into me and blew lightly over my neck. My entire body came to attention, goose bumps shooting up my arms. Then it happened.
My cell phone rang. Crap. I thought that only happened in the movies. He let out a little groan when I ducked under his arm.
The Hawaii 5-0 theme song filled the room. “It’s Misha, I better get it.” I reached for my bag and pulled out the phone, flipping on the speaker.
“Hey Mish, do you have any news yet?”
“Not yet, little one. I’m calling to apologize.”
“For what?”
“This morning in the car, we had talked about going to dinner tonight and I totally forgot about it. I’ll make it up to you another time, yes?”
“No problem.”
“I’m going to stay at the office tonight to work on the computer files. Can you bring me in something for breakfast tomorrow? You know what I like.”
“Yep, I’ll see you in the