“Oh no. No.” She glanced down at her hands and stared at her shiny pink polish. “That’s not what this is about,” she said firmly, and he wasn’t sure if she was saying it to herself or to him.
“Isn’t it too late to add a traveler?” he asked, buying himself time before making a decision.
“No my sister already booked a spot for my plus-one. We’ll just need to add a name. It’ll be a quick phone call, and maybe a nominal fee. I’ll cover it, of course, and—”
“I can’t help you.”
Her gaze flew back to his, and he crossed his arms.
“I know this is short notice, but—”
“I think this is a perfect opportunity, Noah. Go with your pretty neighbor.” Charles got up from the chair and stepped to the side so Noah wasn’t blocking his view of Alice so effectively. “Help her make this rogue rue the day—” Charles paused and turned to Alice. “He is a rogue, I assume.”
She started. “Uh…yes. That’s a good word for him.”
“Good.” Charles slapped Noah on the back, hard enough for it to leave sting behind. “This is perfect, then.”
“No, it isn’t,” Noah insisted. He couldn’t go on a cruise with the woman; he could barely stand to be this close to her. She didn’t smell of apples today, but some sort of fruity scent still clung to her. Maybe from her shampoo? Whatever it was, it made his mouth water and his teeth ache.
“Where are you going, exactly?” Charles asked.
“It’s a one-week cruise down the Pacific coastline to Mexico. Nice and relaxing.”
Noah ran his fingers through his hair and glared at her. Women. They just oozed difficulty. Especially this one.
“Well that does sound perfect. When does he need to be ready to go?” Charles, was as close to giddy as was possible for a vampire who’d been around for decades longer than he appeared.
“Day after tomorrow. I’ll come by at noon to get him.”
“Wonderful!”
“Now wait a damn minute,” Noah said, finally finding his voice. “I’m not going on any cruise. And I’m definitely not going to play your boyfriend so you can get your idiot ex back.”
Alice grimaced and hurt flashed behind her eyes, but she didn’t look any less determined. “Look, I get it, okay? I’m not your type. But you obviously need to get out of town for a week for some probably nefarious reason, and I need a date.” Her determined expression faltered for a second. “It’s not anything illegal, is it? Why you need to get out of town?”
“It’s girl trouble,” Charles provided, most unhelpfully.
Her smile came back full force. “Perfect!”
Noah opened his mouth to argue and then snapped it shut. What was the use? Charles was right. He needed to get out of town or he’d have to put up with far more than a single week of discomfort. And when he got back, things would be settled.
And then he’d have to move.
His chest tightened at the thought, but there was no way around it. Alice had become too comfortable just dropping in. She’d become too observant of his habits. If she saw too much, she’d be in far more trouble than she could imagine.
And if she figured out he was a vampire, he wasn’t sure there would be anything he could do to save her.
“It’ll be perfect,” she said, and she reached out and patted his arm, making his chest constrict tighter as he met her bright eyes. “Two birds, one cruise ship.”
Alice waved goodbye after confirming he’d be ready to go the day after next, and then disappeared back around the side of his house.
Noah turned to Charles, and pushed down the urge to punch his good friend in the nose. “Inside. Now.”
Charles grinned at his tone, but followed him into the kitchen.
“What were you thinking?”
“Why is this a problem?”
Because she smells too damn good? Her particularly intoxicating blend of apples and alcohol last night had almost forced his fangs out in front of her. But he couldn’t tell Charles that. He was a friend, but there were limits. Self-control was the most important thing to vampires, and if Charles thought his hung by a thread—no matter how good she smelled—he might decide he shouldn’t fight the ruling.
“Look, I get you don’t want to be trapped on a cruise ship for a week. That’s a lot of sun to avoid. But this is perfect, really. And they won’t be able to track you easily. Pull out some cash before you go, and you won’t even need to use a credit card. I’ll get you an untraceable cell phone.”
Charles thought the sun was his biggest concern about the trip. Good. The sun was a worry—it didn’t cause him to burst into flames like in the movies, it could just sicken him a great deal—but it definitely wasn’t number one on his list of potential complications.
“I guess,” he said, stiffly. Being mad at Charles was pointless. His friend was right. But he didn’t have to like it.
“Besides,” Charles whistled softly, “by the looks of your neighbor, I think it could be a fun trip.”
“It’s not like that. I have to live next door to her, she’s not a chew toy.”
“You don’t have to bite her to sleep with her. Could be a fun week, that’s all I’m saying.” Young for a vampire, Charles made full use of his energy to have many fun weeks with many different women. But Noah was older, and he no longer found one night stands as fun as he used to. And he stuck with women who he didn’t have to hide his nature from—fellow vampires. Old friends who were traveling through town. Women who wouldn’t get attached, nor tempt him to become attached. Alice had been the first woman in a long time to even tempt him into thinking about a human.
But she wasn’t the kind of girl he could relieve that itch with. Rage fired from his gut at the idea of anyone—even himself—using Alice for a week of fun, only to say goodbye to her. She wasn’t the type, and he held his fists at his sides to avoid showing Charles how he felt about the suggestion.
“She lives next door. If I slept with her, she’d assume that would give her the right to drop in whenever.” He forced the words out, hoping Charles would believe that’s what worried him.
Charles didn’t look convinced, but he tilted his head in a quick nod. “True. You’re right. Best to keep things friendly. But it’s also best you go on this cruise.”
“Fine. But if I come back here to a wedding, I’m going to be pissed.”
Chapter Two
Alice still wore her optimistic smile—and yet another sundress—when she knocked on his door the morning of the cruise. His chest lightened at the sight of her. What was it about her that did that to him every time? The constant positive energy radiating from her? Maybe. He didn’t get out much anymore. He needed to fix that, leave the house more once he got back from this cruise. A little time around other women and she wouldn’t affect him so damn much.
“Hi, there. Are you ready to go?”
A whiff of something fruity flowed from her, different than the appletinis she’d smelled of the night she’d failed to ask him to go. She smelled good enough to eat.
“I’m ready,” he said, unable to keep a touch of annoyance from his tone. He still wasn’t entirely happy about the situation he’d been forced into. Damn The Council.
Her smile widened. “Aren’t we grumpy this afternoon?”
She had no idea. He’d packed quickly, and picked up the cell phone from Charles. Alex and Charles could contact him that way, but he’d be difficult to track by The Council. Of course, they had other ways of finding him, but this might slow them down in case they jumped the gun. “Just need some caffeine.”
“We can pick up some coffee on the way.”
Perky as she was, he didn’t think she really needed the caffeine, but he could definitely use it. Not what he’d like to be drinking—nor the best beverage from which to get his energy—but he’d have to deal with it. Besides, he’d fed well with Charles the night before. Although Charles, like usual, had been annoyed Noah insisted on bagged blood. He’d be okay for a while yet.
He carried his suitcase and followed her out to her car, setting the house alarm along the way.
“That was a long security code,” she said after they were loaded into her Accord.
He shrugged. “You’ve seen the size of my television.”
“True. Not to mention your furniture. And I suspect a lot of the art on your walls is real.”
“Have you been casing my house, Miss Shepard?” He slipped his sunglasses on.
She snorted in a most unladylike way. “Yeah. I’m only taking you on vacation with me so my accomplices can rob you.” Her smile dropped off. “Actually, that’s going to sound super suspicious if someone actually does rob you while we’re gone.”
A laugh escaped him before he realized it was coming. “If there’s one thing I’m sure of about you, Miss—Alice. You’re not a thief.”
“I’m not?” Her smile returned in full force.
“I don’t think you could lie believably if your life depended on it.” Was that what made her so attractive to him? He glanced at her and leaned into the door as they made a hard turn into the Starbucks drive-thru.
“Whatever,” she said good-naturedly, dismissing his observation.
They ordered at the staticy box. A simple black coffee for him, but her order gave him pause.
“Apple cider?”
“Spicy apple cider,” she said, pulling the car around to the window.
“Not coffee.”
“I had coffee earlier. It’s already twelve-thirty.” She put the car into park and then turned to look at him, pushing her sunglasses up. “Do you think I need more caffeine?”
“God, no.”
She laughed and took their order from the gangly Starbucks’ boy at the window and slipped the drinks into the cup holder sandwiched between their seats.