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I CLOCKED IN AT WORK, then went to look for Jesse, but I couldn’t find him anywhere.
“Looking for your man?” Jeanie asked somewhat snarkily.
I bit back a smart comment, forcing myself to remember that she was Jesse’s best friend. I didn’t need her poisoning Jesse’s opinion of me, so I figured it was best to stay civil and try to be nice, no matter how rude she was. “Have you seen him?” I asked.
“He’s on butterfly duty.”
I arched a brow.
She continued, “Keeping butterflies supplied is a lot of hard work. We have to grow plants, collect eggs, feed caterpillars, store pupae, and lots more. Our butterfly exhibit doesn’t run itself.”
“All right. I’m gonna go talk to him, then start my assignments for the day.”
“Whatever. I’m not your boss,” she snapped. “Don’t feel like you have to explain your whereabouts to me.”
“Um, okay.” I tried to ignore her rude tone and focus on seeing Jesse. I spun on my heels and walked off. I could tell by her tone that Jeanie didn’t like me. Part of it was because Jesse wasn’t spending as much time with her, since he was often with me. With that in mind, I made a mental note to invite her and Jesse to dinner and include her more often. After all, she was Jesse’s best friend. I’d even encourage Jesse to spend some time with her. I wasn’t jealous. Jesse told me how much she meant to him as a friend, and I completely understood that.
The sign said there were 150 tropical plants and 80 species of butterflies. About 2,000 of them were flying around. For that reason, I had to first walk into a small waiting area. When the door was closed behind me, I opened it to the conservatory. I was hit with steam and humidity from the butterfly habitat. It was hot and muggy, like a rainforest. It kind of felt like a heavy blanket on a 101-degree day.
My eyes flew open, and a sense of harmony washed over me. The butterflies came in countless brilliant colors. Striped, spotted, and squiggly-lined butterflies floated over the tropical flowers and vegetation. They were everywhere! Swarms of red, blue, and orange butterflies danced all around me. It was so beautiful, and I’d never seen so many butterflies in one place and so up close. I laughed when one landed daintily on my hand, tickling my skin. The luminescent, metallic blue reflected by the sunlight shining on its wings took my breath away. I stood and stretched out my arm. The butterfly slowly opened and closed its delicate wings. With each flutter, I grinned even wider.
I spotted Jesse in the back, making bowls of sugar water. Staying in that serene tropical conservatory would make me sweat bullets and wreak havoc on my hair, but I walked slowly through, making sure not to step on any of the little flying rainbows.
My pulse skipped a beat as Jesse smiled at me. I wanted his kiss badly, and nothing else mattered at that second—nothing other than his lips crashing hungrily into mine. I’d always played it safe, but Jesse was worth a little danger. In fact, maybe it was the danger that was turning me on. I was dating a vampire, a myth, a fable. I stared into those beautiful blue eyes, beckoning me to him.
Wide, velvet wings fluttered and shimmered everywhere, landing on our heads, faces, arms, legs, and clothes. I tried to move slowly so I wouldn’t hurt any of the creatures by accident. I couldn’t believe how many of them there were.
“Hey,” I said.
Jesse’s entire face lit up, and he kissed my lips. “Hi, beautiful.”
My feet lifted off the ground as Jesse grabbed me around the waist and spun me. He set me down gently, his arms still hooked around me in a tight embrace. I twined my arms around his neck. His mouth was scorching hot as I dived in for a deep kiss. I knew I was at work, but I couldn’t help myself, and nobody was around. He held me closer, hungrily returning my kiss, his tongue in constant motion with mine. He moved his hands down the sides of my body, and I shuddered from his mere touch. My hands threaded through his thick locks. His tongue swept deep, his lips like heaven. I kissed him faster. I couldn’t get enough. I needed more. He kissed me more passionately, more sensually.
The tropical habitat and the colorful winged creatures fluttering all about made me feel like I was in the middle of the Amazon, but there was something just so romantic about it. Cue in the roaring waterfall, and it would’ve been perfect. I didn’t want to return to work; I just wanted to kiss Jesse like that all day. What we had was so magical, so intense that I couldn’t have explained it if I had to. We couldn’t stay away from each other, even if we tried. I was sure we wouldn’t have made it through the day without sneaking in that one hot, searing kiss.
The phone rang, and Jesse broke our kiss. A few strands of midnight-black hair strayed low on his brow, and I pushed the disheveled locks back. I smiled as he grinned.
“I have to get that,” he said. He walked over to the phone and picked it up, winking at me. “Yeah, she’s here.” There was a pause, and then he continued, “I’ll send her right over.” He hung up the phone.
“Am I being paged?” I asked.
“By the big boss herself. She needs help catching one of the cavies for the vet.”
I grinned. “Okay. Guess I’m off then, but stopping over here was well worth it.”
“I’ll be thinking about that mind-blowing kiss all day,” he said, staring seductively at my mouth.
I’d never felt so wanted, so sexy. “Me too.” I glanced at all the humidity building up on the window. “I think we even fogged up every single window.”
He winked. “Well, it was pretty steamy.”
I couldn’t help but return his beaming smile, and I was flattered that he thought the kiss was hot, since I was sure he had far more experience than I did. I’d only been with Sean, but I was sure Jesse had kissed plenty of girls.
He reached for the bag of sugar. “That kiss was sweeter than this entire bag of sugar.”
I smiled, then gave him one last peck on the lips. “Hey, before I go,” I said, “I need to know how Fred’s doing.”
His lips pressed into a grim line. “He had a rough night.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that. Can I see him?”
“Not yet.”
“When?” I asked.
“When they get him under control. Just know that he’s safe, and nobody knows about his existence except us and the people in the sanctuary.”
“Will he be okay?” I asked, feeling a bit foolish for inquiring about the health of a dead guy. “I’m just worried about him.”
“He has a lot to learn, and getting used to his new life is going to be a big adjustment.”
I cocked a brow. “Will he ever be able to come back to Big Bear Lake?”
Slowly, the words came out of his mouth. “No, I’m afraid not.”
“Why not?”
“Because if any of those vampires catch even a whiff of him, he’s a goner.”
I blew out a long breath, thinking of how hard it all had to be on Fred. The transition couldn’t be easy, and I couldn’t even begin to imagine what he was going through. I wished I could be with him, to help ease the pain.
Jesse kissed my lips. “It’s okay. I swear to you that Fred will get through this. He’s fighting hard against all his natural instincts. Fred will eventually adapt, and I’m sure he’ll be able to be around humans again someday. He said he refuses to kill anyone, no matter how bad the hunger gets.”
“Fred’s not a killer,” I said.
“He won’t be when we’re done with him.”
I nodded. I trusted in Jesse. “You’re right. I just need more info. Like, well, who is taking care of him?”
He slowly shook his head. “I’m so sorry, but I can’t tell you anything about the sanctuary or who runs it. It’s top secret.”
I touched his face. “Who would I tell?”
“I know you won’t tell anybody. That’s not what I’m worried about. By telling you anything, I’d be putting your life at risk.”
“Even more than it already is? I mean, I have werewolves guarding me.”
“This is for your safety. Just know that I won’t let anything bad happen to Fred. We’re going to do everything we can to help him.”
I stared deeply into his eyes. “Then I trust you. Just tell him I’m thinking about him and that I hope he’ll be okay soon.”
“I will.”
“I’m sorry I got you into this mess,” I said.
“No, don’t be sorry. You did the right thing. Without you, Fred wouldn’t have lasted much longer. He would’ve already killed somebody, and the vampires would’ve found him and put an end to his life by staking him through the heart.”
“It’s horrible, but I’m glad we were able to save him.”
“Me too.” And on that note, I went to help Ms. Aikers.