“What’s the matter?” Willow asked him.
“I’ve never been around humans before.”
“Of course you have.”
Declan sighed. “Yes, of course I have. I didn’t mean that I’ve never been around them, but I’m not used to being in their dwellings, and isn’t Gus a little too friendly?”
He didn’t get any bad vibes off the guy. Gus was exactly what he appeared to be, a friendly guy looking to help some strangers, but Declan still didn’t like this whole situation.
Willow laughed, and without thinking, she rested her hand on his arm. “I realize centuries of being around people has probably jaded you, but most of them are decent. Sure, there are some complete assholes out there, but I truly believe they’re the exception and not the rule. Plus, Gus lives near Canada.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Canadians are always very friendly, or at least that’s what I’ve heard. I’m sure some of their friendliness has seeped across the border.”
“Why are you so comfortable around humans?”
“I grew up around them, went to high school with them, and had some human friends. I went to their sleepovers, and they came over to my house. I’ve lost touch with them over the years; that was inevitable given what I am, but they were a lot of fun.”
“You went to a human high school?”
She chuckled at the disbelieving tone of his voice and bumped her shoulder playfully against his. “I am edumacated.”
He laughed and rested his hand over the top of hers. The motion was so instinctual, he didn’t realize he’d done it until her skin warmed beneath his. When her fingers turned over in his, they brushed his palm, and her heart rate accelerated as her mouth parted on a breath.
When she lifted her gaze to his, he saw the confusion and need there. It was a response he understood as it was the same one he had to her. He leaned closer until his chest brushed against her shoulder, and the scent of her enveloped him. Her eyes held his as her hand slid away from his and fell to his thigh.
His cock swelled until it pressed uncomfortably against his jeans. He shifted to relieve some of the pressure, but it did little good. The only thing that would ease his discomfort was staring at him from eyes so purple they rivaled the most brilliant amethyst.
“I don’t doubt your intelligence,” he murmured as her fingers edged higher on his thigh. “But a vampire in high school seems… odd.”
“Maybe it was because my parents were human before they were turned, but they made sure we experienced a more human life. My brother, Ian, went to college. He didn’t graduate, but he enjoyed it.”
Declan absorbed this fascinating bit of information. He’d talked with Vicky, and he liked her, but he’d never known much about her background.
When Willow’s finger brushed his erection, he felt the pleasure that flickered through her before her mouth curved into a sensual smile. Her breathing became more shallow as she teasingly brushed her fingers over the rigid length of him.
He went to cup her cheek and draw her closer for a kiss, but a couple of loud bangs jerked him back to reality. When he turned away, his body tensed as he prepared to kill anything coming at them. Instead of an enemy, he saw only Gus standing by the porch with his hands in his pockets. Glancing around, he discovered the bangs had come from the neighbors slamming their car doors. Their children squealed as they sprinted away from the car and toward their home.
“Hi, Gus!” the woman called as she waved.
“Hello, MoMo!” he called back.
The woman cast them a curious glance before removing a few bags from the trunk and following her children inside.
“We should go,” Willow said.
She pulled her hand away from his thigh. What had she been thinking? She hadn’t been thinking; that was the problem. Her body was reacting all on its own, and it had been very close to unbuttoning his jeans and sliding his dick free. She might have screwed him right in the cab of the truck and not realized what she was doing until it was over.
“Declan,” she said when he remained unmoving. “We have to go.”
“Give me a second,” he said through his teeth. When she frowned questioningly at him, he elaborated. “Walking’s a little difficult right now.”
He felt her amusement before she bit her bottom lip to keep from smiling. The expression on her face was so endearing he couldn’t resist briefly cupping her cheek before releasing her.
He still wasn’t confident in his ability to walk, but he had to get out of this truck and put some distance between them. Pushing the door open, he stepped outside and turned to take her hand so he could help her from the vehicle.
Willow almost didn’t take his hand. She’d never had someone offer to do such a thing for her, and she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, but he wasn’t doing it because he doubted her ability to do things on her own. He was doing it because, at heart, he was a gentleman.
When she stood beside him, he released her hand. Willow stretched her back as she turned to survey the neighborhood. A couple of people were outside, puttering around their yards, but most of the driveways and yards were empty. Gus waited for them by the front door; the perplexed look on his face made the lines around his eyes and mouth more visible.
“Everything okay?” he asked as they approached.
“Yes,” Willow said, though he had to have seen at least some of what passed between her and Declan in the truck. She cursed the blush creeping into her cheeks. “We were admiring the neighborhood.”
“It’s a good place to live and raise a family,” Gus said. “Everyone here is friendly, and we all help each other out.”
She didn’t doubt that. He opened the door and gestured for her to enter.
“Go on in,” he said with a smile.