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The smell of rain was heavy on the cool evening breeze. It mingled well with the scent of his cologne.
“You smell good.”
“Thank you,” he said, smirk still firmly in place.
I followed him to an older model black SUV where he held my door open like a gentleman. I appreciated the gesture.
Between the seats was a large notebook inside a zippered case.
“Your notes on guardians?” I asked when he got behind the wheel.
“Yep. And some random information on gargoyles in general.”
“That’s a lot of notes.”
“I’ve got more at home.”
“Wow.”
“Are you telling me you wouldn’t make a lot of notes on information like this, if you suddenly turned into a gargoyle?”
I laughed. “You have a point. I already knew a lot about vampires. It’s not as if gargoyles are everywhere. So, what’s up with this coffee shop? I’ve never heard of werewolves being drawn to coffee.”
He snorted with laughter and I realized his smile was kind of endearing.
“Sorry. I just had visions of full-on wolfmen standing in line for a mocha-choka-bullshit caffeine fix.”
Then I busted out laughing too. “If my bloodline has to have a guardian, I’m glad mine has a sense of humor.”
“You’re right though, werewolves are not drawn to coffee. They are, however, notorious for their appetites. Werewolves have an insanely fast metabolism. Almost every wolf I’ve met knows the best restaurants and this place has the best pastries for miles.”
“According to your friend.”
“I wouldn’t call him a friend. But he isn’t an enemy and he is a werewolf. If he says other wolves frequent the place, I believe him. He didn’t know any of the werewolves I described, but he said a couple of them did sound familiar. Unfortunately, I couldn’t tell him what they smelled like. That probably would have triggered something.”
When we walked into the “Good Stuff” coffee shop I felt weak and it must have shown.
“Are you all right?” Hugh asked.
His gentle touch on my shoulder helped to steady me.
“I haven’t been to a coffee shop since becoming a vampire. I’d forgotten how damn good everything smells. It’s torture.”
My stomach churned loudly and I put a hand over my abdomen, as if that would help. I never expected to have this reaction to the smell of pastries and coffee.
“You know how some people who become vampires say that they don’t miss being human and eating food? Being a vampire is so superior and blah, blah, blah.”
He laughed softly. “I’ve heard some stuff like that, yeah.”
“Well, it’s all bullshit.”
“Don’t they make some kind of special coffee for vampires?”
“Yes. Life Blood. It has crystalized blood mixed in with the coffee. Supposedly that makes the coffee where we can digest it. I’ve been afraid to try it.”
I looked up into his gorgeous blue eyes to find a look of kindness and concern.
“Afraid of being disappointed?”
“Exactly. As a human I loved coffee. It’s been one of the hardest things to get used to, the absence of coffee.” I took a deep breath and sighed. “Fuck. This place smells fantastic.”
Hugh smiled as he handed me his notebook. “Why don’t you find us a seat, and I’ll see what I can do about the coffee?”
I glanced around and realized how much I stood out from the crowd. Is the leather look out of style and no one told me?
“All right. I’ll see if anyone smells familiar.”
“I can only sense others by smell when I change form,” Hugh said.
I winked. “Then allow me to feel useful and scan the crowd.”
“What was your favorite flavor of coffee?”
“French vanilla.”
Hugh turned toward the front counter and I tried to look casual while I searched for a seat. There were a few werewolves, eating large amounts of baked goods, but none of them smelled familiar. They looked my way, presumably because they could smell what I was as well. Other than an initial once over, they didn’t seem to care. Like I said, I’d never had a problem with werewolves. I suppose that fact alone was reason enough to try to figure out why I was attacked at the club. Not to mention it was the first real lead I’d had so far.
I slid into a booth in the corner, near the door. I had just begun to scan his notes when Hugh sat a steaming mug of awesomeness in front of me. It was no longer required for my heart to beat, but on rare occasions it did. I felt it flutter with excitement as I inhaled the steam rising from the mug.
“French vanilla Life Blood,” he said, looking very pleased with himself. “Give it a try.”
I held the mug between my hands for a moment, enjoying the warmth. Then, I took a sip and actually moaned. The man in the booth next to us gave me a strange look and I busted out laughing. You couldn’t have wiped Hugh’s grin off with sandpaper.
“That good, huh?”
“Almost as good as the real thing.” I paused and took another sip. “Thank you. So, what happens if we sit here for a while and I don’t recognize any werewolves?”
“Worst case scenario? We have a relaxing evening going over my notes and the only thing you’ll be slaying is that coffee.”
“Have I been suckered into a date?” I teased.
“I would never sucker you,” he said with a wink. “And when it’s a date, you’ll know.”
“When, not if?”
That grin of his was a real panty dropper, no doubt about it. “Oh, yes. When.”
“Well, that’s quite a subject change,” I said, turning the page in his notes.
“Not really. Regardless of how it all started, I am your guardian. Now that I’ve found you, I’m not going anywhere.” His statement was matter-of-fact without being pushy. And I couldn’t argue his logic. After all, he’d been looking for me for a while.
“We never exactly talked about last night,” he said. His deep smooth voice made me shiver. Even without vampire senses, I could tell he was aroused, just by that slight drop in the timbre of his voice.
“I thought you didn’t expect my undying love,” I said playfully.
“I still don’t, but you can’t deny the sex was fantastic.”
I also couldn’t stop smiling.
“I’d like the chance to experience that again,” he said. “I don’t mean to pressure you in any way; I’m simply making an offer.”
“And what offer is that?”
“I’d like to get to know you better.”
There went my heart fluttering again. I wanted this too, but I didn’t want to presume anything just because we shared some great sex. Not to mention I hadn’t had time for a relationship in years. I didn’t want to seem overeager or weird.
“That is a tempting offer.”
“Think it over.”
“I will.”