Julian edged his way around the counter and back into the living room, where he leaned against the counter to watch Aida. She kept her attention focused on the pot like she was Superman trying to see through a wall.
Aida didn’t have to look at the others; she was acutely aware they watched her as she tapped her foot and waited for them to continue talking. She didn’t want to hear about all the women Julian met during his travels, but she found herself on edge while she waited for his response. Had it been dozens, hundreds, thousands?
She saw how many women Kyle went through, and in her opinion, Julian was more handsome. He also had an aura of mystery around him that drew women like a moth to a flame.
“So, back to those women,” Kyle said.
Julian had missed his brother, but he’d never wanted to punch anyone as much as Kyle right then. Aida’s foot tapped faster as the coffee filled the pot.
“I’m guessing Nicolette called you in to work,” Cassidy interjected.
Julian cast his sister a grateful smile as she rose from the couch and walked over to stand beside him. At least his sister didn’t have a one-track mind.
“She did,” Aida said.
“Do you have to rearrange everything?” Cassidy asked.
“Yep.”
“I bet the gallery looks terrific,” Cassidy said.
“She doesn’t agree with you.”
“She’s an idiot.”
“She runs a successful gallery; that’s not easy to do in this city. In my mind, it makes her a genius.” Even if, half the time, she wanted to strangle the woman.
Julian was out of the kitchen, but it still felt cramped and too hot. The whole place was too crowded. Aida was grateful she’d knotted her hair into a bun as she pulled at the collar of her sweater and a bead of sweat slid down her nape. The temperature was set at sixty-two, not by their choosing, but because the landlord lived on the first floor and controlled the thermostat.
For the first time, sixty-two felt far too warm. She glanced at the window. It was still too cold to have it open; maybe she could stick her head in the fridge. Yeah, because that was a totally reasonable thing to do.
When she turned to get her travel mug out of the cabinet, her stupid eyes betrayed her and went to Julian before she could stop them. It wasn’t fair that he woke up looking better than he did before going to bed. The way his coal-black hair stood on end was utterly adorable, and her fingers itched to run through it.
He looked delectable, and she looked like roadkill. She’d spent most of the night tossing and turning as she kicked off her blankets only to retrieve them and do it again. She finally fell asleep only to have Nicolette call.
Shadows rimmed her bloodshot eyes, which felt gritty from lack of sleep. She’d have to change before the show tonight, but for now, she wore a pair of old jeans, a baggy sweater, and her hair in a bun.
While she was getting ready, she focused on work and refused to acknowledge that Julian was in her living room—or possibly still in her living room; she could have woken to discover he’d hopped a plane to California.
But if he were still here, she wouldn’t let his presence make her dress differently than she usually would on days like today. Now, she wished she’d listened to that niggling little voice telling her looking like a schoolmarm was not an excellent way to start her day. However, she could never compete with the horde of women he left behind him, and she didn’t want to.
The coffee wasn’t halfway through brewing when she pulled the carafe out and poured the liquid into her travel mug. Dripping water sizzled as it hit the burner; she shoved the carafe back into place and turned the coffee pot off. She screwed the top onto her travel mug and turned to face the others.
Ninety percent of the time, she forgot she lived with vampires. Then she would open the fridge, discover the bags of blood, and recall her life was an episode of The Addams Family.
Looking at them, she couldn’t forget they were predators as every one of them was abnormally still while focused on her. None of them would harm her, and she had no doubt Kyle and Cassidy would do everything they could to protect her. At one time, she believed the same of Julian, but now he might walk on by if she were dying in the street.
However, the way they were watching her was unnerving. The sympathy in Cassidy’s eyes was annoying; the obliviousness in Kyle’s was almost amusing, and the… well, she had no clue what was in Julian’s eyes.
It almost looked like hope or desire, but for what? Not her, he made that pretty clear last night, but he looked like he was yearning for something. Maybe he needed another blood bag and she was in his way. She could remedy that.
She lifted her travel mug in a salute to them and strolled out of the kitchen. “I’m off to work. Have a good day.”
“You too,” Cassidy said.
Kyle waved at her. “Later.”
“Bye,” Julian said as she removed her jacket from the coat rack, opened the door, and left.
Cassidy rounded on Kyle and planted her hands on her hips as she glared at him. “You are an idiot.”
He was in the middle of yawning when he stopped to blink at her. “What did I do?”
“Not every guy is constantly on the hunt for women. Some can travel to other countries and meet people and not jump into bed with them. Women aren’t playthings.”
“I don’t see women as playthings,” he protested. “But if we’re both looking for a good time, then why not have one?”
“Ugh!” Cassidy exclaimed as she threw up her hands. “I can’t deal with you today.”
Kyle frowned as she stalked out of the room. Then he turned back to Julian. “What’s the matter with her?”
Julian crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against the counter. Only minutes ago, he’d imagined choking Kyle, but the baffled expression on his face made Julian a little more forgiving.
“She thinks I have feelings for Aida,” Julian explained.
Kyle’s eyebrows shot into his hairline. “Do you?”
Julian stared at the closed door before pushing himself away from the counter and walking over to the window. He pulled down some of the slats on the blinds as Aida walked out of the building. She sipped her coffee as she turned in the direction of the gallery and walked down the quiet street. He closed the blinds and turned back to his brother.
He’d never told anyone he had feelings for Aida, yet he found himself saying, “Yes.”
“Shit,” Kyle said as he tugged at his hair. Then he lowered his hand and pinned Julian with a stare. “Is that why you left?”
“I left because she wanted to return to the human world and escape the vampire one.”
“She got really far,” Kyle muttered sarcastically.
“She did what she had to do.”
“Did she know you had feelings for her?”
At the time, Julian thought he made it pretty clear with the kiss, but he’d come to realize a kiss could mean many things, including goodbye.
“I’m not sure,” Julian said.
“Why didn’t you tell her?”
“At the time, she wanted to get away from vampires and the reminder of what they did to her on the island. I wasn’t going to interfere with her plans.”
“And now?”
“I don’t know.”
“Have you talked to her since you left?”
“No.”
“And Cassidy called me an idiot. Even if you let her go to live her life, you could have said hello once in a while. It wouldn’t have killed you.”
“It was easier not to talk to her at all.”
Kyle lowered his head into his hands. “Oh, I’m sure she loved that for almost five years. I don’t know what happened between you two, but you were once close, so ignoring her was not the best way to ensure a warm welcome back into her life. Do you think she’s your mate?”
Julian’s jaw clenched as he looked to the window again.
Kyle’s breath hissed out. “Fuck, Julian, what did you do?”
“I put her first and gave her the freedom she asked for!” Julian snapped. “And she’s never to know she’s my mate unless I tell her. Do you understand me?”
Kyle held up his hands. “I won’t say a word.”
“To anyone else.”
“Your secret is safe with me. I won’t even talk to Cassidy about it, but after her reaction earlier, I’m guessing she already suspects what Aida is to you.”
“I’m sure she does, but this is between us.”
“And it will stay that way, but you have to win her over. You’ll die or go insane without her.”
Julian stared at the window as the city woke up. The growing hum of tires, beeping horns, and voices of others drifted through the glass.
“You didn’t come back to get her to be with you,” Kyle said. “You came back to say goodbye.”
For all of his carefree, playboy ways, Kyle was far more astute than most gave him credit for being.
“If she’s happy in her life, then I am going to leave her to it,” Julian said.
“And what, go off to die like a sick old dog?”
“I’ll do whatever has to be done to make her happy and to keep from killing.”
“What are you, Joan of Arc?”
Julian gave him the finger. “If she’s in love with someone—”
“She’s not in love with anyone else,” Kyle interrupted.
“What about Owen?”
Kyle draped his arm over the back of the sofa. “She’s not dating him, or at least they’re not currently dating. They went out a few times a couple of months ago, but it didn’t last long.”
“I saw them kissing last night.”
Kyle snorted, but he didn’t look at all amused. Instead, strain etched his face, and concern filled his eyes. “That doesn’t look good for you then. I guess they could have started dating again. We live together, and I see her most days, but we don’t exactly have heart-to-hearts about our love lives.”
“Have you ever met him?”
“A couple of times before they started dating and once during that time. They used to work together, and the showing tonight is of his work.”
“What’s he like?”
“He’s a pompous asshole, so you might have a shot if you’re not a complete moron.”
“Glad to know you have so much faith in me,” Julian muttered.
Kyle threw himself down on the sofa. “You’re the one who left and didn’t talk to her again. Girls don’t normally like that.”
Julian couldn’t argue with him. “I meant what I said; no one is to know about this.”
Kyle sat up again. “I won’t say a word, but you better not fuck this up.”