“Don’t be ridiculous.” He pushed them toward me. “I’m paying.”
I shook my head, refusing to pick them up.
“Why won’t you let me pay?” he asked, sliding the ticket and a large bill toward the end of the table. My contribution remained balled up between us.
I swallowed, deciding I would not give in to the strange confusion I felt. Lifting my chin, I smiled at him. “Because this isn’t a date, Julian.”
A second ticked by, and he didn’t respond. The waitress reappeared and picked up the bill, but our eyes remained locked on one another.
“Let me get your change,” she said.
“That won’t be necessary.” Julian continued to stare at me, not bothering to look at her as he spoke, “Keep the change.”
“And here’s a little extra.” I shoved the ones toward her. Across from me, a muscle ticced in Julian’s jaw.
“Thank you,” she said, sounding shocked as she gathered the additional tip. Considering the bill Julian had given her, the tip had to have amounted to more than the bill. She vanished toward the kitchen, probably wondering when we’d realize our mistake.
“Why did you do that?” he asked when she was gone.
“I told you,” I said, hoping he missed the way my voice trembled. “I can pay my way. This isn’t a date.”
There was another pause, and for a moment, I was sure that Julian could see past all my pretenses right down to the confusion churning inside my chest. Why did he care so much that I wanted to pay? Why was I fighting him on it?
“Thea.” My name sounded tempting on his lips, but I wasn’t prepared for the offer that followed it. “What if it was a date?”
CHAPTER TEN
JULIAN
Thea gawked at me like I’d asked her to marry me. She probably thought I was insane. Hell, I thought I was insane. But I knew something she didn’t. Five minutes ago, a man walked into the diner and began to watch us. Thea’s back was to him, but I’d gotten a good enough look to know he wasn’t an idle stranger with nothing better to do. If he’d been here when we arrived, I might have written it off as a coincidence. But he couldn’t hide what he was or why he was here. Someone had sent the young vampire to follow us. After everything that happened this evening, I wasn’t surprised. I’d taken another vampire’s life, and while my social status afforded me that right, I might find myself facing a pissed-off sire if news got out about it.
The trouble was that now I’d dragged Thea into this mess.
“You want to date me?” she asked in a confused voice. “But you don’t like me.”
This again. Apparently, I hadn’t done a very good job covering my blood-lust. It was interesting that she saw my lack of control as hatred. I wondered if she’d still be sitting across from me if she knew what it really was.
“Not exactly, and I like you perfectly well,” I corrected her in a low voice. This was not the place to discuss my idea now that a curious vampire was nearby. “Perhaps, we can discuss this at your apartment.”
“Now you want to come to my apartment?” she shook her head. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Then, let me see you home.” I stood and gestured toward the door.
For once, she didn’t argue. I steered her toward the exit, keeping my body between her and the other vampire. He looked up with mild annoyance that he’d been caught. His dark eyes hooked on Thea and lingered. I moved closer to her, brushing my body against hers as we reached the door. She looked up, startled, and for a moment I lost myself in the green pools of her eyes, tiny gold flecks swimming in them like stars. Her breath caught, and heat blossomed on her cheeks, flooding the air around us with her delicate scent.
“We need to go,” I snarled and shoved open the door.
Thea flinched and shrank away from me, but I herded her outside. By the time we reached the car, she had grabbed the handle and opened it before I could open it for her. Judging by how she slammed it shut, she found my actions rude.
I didn’t care. She was alive. If I had to make her hate me to keep her safe, so be it.
That wasn’t going to stop her from punishing me, though.
We rode in silence the rest of the way to her place, which I only found thanks to the bloody GPS. Thea refused to even look at me. As soon as I slowed the car, she unbuckled her seat belt. She was already climbing out of the vehicle by the time I’d parked and sped to the other side.
“I’ve got it from here,” she said coldly. “And I’ve made up my mind.”
“You have?” She wasn’t going to give me a chance to pitch my idea.
She lifted her chin, her lower lip trembling just a little. “Make me forget. Compel me.”
I’d forgotten about that entirely. I hadn’t expected Thea to want me to compel her. She seemed far too interested in the vampire world. I waited for relief to hit me. Despite my string of glorious fuck ups, she had given me an out. There were only two problems: I couldn’t compel her, and, even if I could, I found I didn’t want to.
“I told you I had a better plan,” I reminded her as it began to drizzle, making the already cold night even more unwelcoming.
“Not interested.” She shook her head and stuck out her hand as if to shake mine. I couldn’t help noticing that she was shivering. “It was nice to meet you. Now make me forget it ever happened.”
I ignored the hand and took off my jacket.
“What are you doing?” she asked suspiciously as I wrapped it around her shoulders.
“You’re cold,” I said. “We should get you inside.”
“We shouldn’t do anything,” she corrected me, but she clutched the tuxedo jacket tighter. “I can see myself inside.”
For the first time, I bothered to look around us. I’d been so focused on her that I hadn’t realized where we were. Her building was a run-down old Victorian with bars on the windows. The street lamp flickered above us, casting shadows on a group of men conducting business on the corner.
“My cello?” she prompted.
