Xander's Chance

"You act like I'm the one who just appeared in your house."

If anything, her words seemed to make him more curious. Jessi had no idea what it was with this guy. Was she the only human interaction he had? He drew closer once more, pausing on the opposite side of the counter, watching her in a way that left her feeling as if she was standing naked in his living room, armed with a gun. Would a man like this notice his danger or her breasts?

The thought made her hot from the inside out. She concentrated on the shirt.

*****

Xander saw the signs then, the red on her face and the slight tremble of her hands. She was telling the truth; she was anxious. But that did nothing to explain to him how an oblivious Natural who was able to block his mind power just happened to end up in his home.

He didn't believe in coincidences or chance. Jonny had to have sent this girl here for a reason. Except, for the first time in his existence, Xander wasn't able to read the mind of the only person who knew why. He couldn't even sense her, until he was close enough to touch her. She was invisible to his magic.

This is a fucking nightmare.

He felt like he'd been hit by a hurricane. After randomly crossing paths with someone whose mind he couldn't penetrate, he'd suddenly found her in his house. She didn't melt when their bodies brushed, and she appeared completely immune - or ignorant - of the affect he normally had on women.

Ingrid claimed to hire an ugly, old assistant, but the woman concerned more about the stain on his shirt than being around a vampire was enchanting, with long, loose blonde curls, olive-tinted skin and feathery eyelashes that set off striking gray eyes. Her cheeks were flushed, her body unlike those of the models he normally took to bed. She was shorter, for one, toned and shapely, with round hips and large breasts, and a tucked waist. Her features were even and firm, her lips plump and glimmering with sparkly gloss. She was dressed much more normally than Ingrid in dark jeans and a simple, fitted blue t-shirt with bright coral nail polish.

He wasn't able to read her mind, but she didn't look like someone there to betray him. She had kids, somewhat of a liability to someone out to hurt him, because he took mercy on no one. There was an unguarded sweetness to her and her nervous chatter. She was definitely not like Ingrid or the women he preferred. Most were rotten to the core, jaded or desperate, because that's the way he liked them.