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I knew it. I knew Alec wouldn’t trust me to do this on my own. Now, he’s gone and screwed it all up.
My heart raced as I contemplated what Alec being here could mean for my dad. Would Remington kill him now? I’d thought this was all some elaborate game to get me to go out with him, but he looked really pissed.
“I didn’t know he was following me, I swear.” I grabbed Rem’s hand, keeping him from getting up.
Rem stopped and glanced down at my hand touching his, and his face softened. “Of course, you didn’t, pet. You wouldn’t call the guild down on me, not when we have so much chemistry.” He laced our fingers together and drew me up from the table.
Not knowing what else to do, I stood with him, letting his arm wrap around my waist, his hand settling low on my back. I swallowed and tried to make my pulse calm down. I might have the upper hand on humans, but vampires could hear a heart beat a good thirty feet away, and no doubt Rem could hear mine running a marathon.
“Shush, now.” Rem smoothed a hand over my face, brushing my hair away before tucking it behind my ear. “I won’t punish you for your prior employer’s shortcomings. We are not those who made us.”
I nodded and let out a deep sigh when he released me and turned to Draq. “Pay for the meal and then take care of him. We’re going back to the house.”
“We are?” My head jerked up, and my eyes widened. “That wasn’t part of the deal.”
Rem cocked a brow, a self-satisfied lilt of his lips. “And neither was a chaperone. So, we improvise.” He paused for a moment, his mouth pursing into a sort of pout. “Unless you’d rather not? I was going to let you see your father, but if you’d rather end the night now, I could see about having him sent home in a day or so.”
I’d like to say that I knew for sure Remington wouldn’t hurt my dad, that when he said he’d send him home then he would come home in good health, but I wasn’t sure. I hadn’t thought he’d go so far as to kidnap him in the first place. Who knew what he would do if I didn’t go with him?
“No, no. It’s fine. Let’s go.” I gathered my purse and started to the door, Remington’s hand finding its place on my lower back and guiding me through the crowd.
As we passed where Alex was hiding, I stared him down, trying to warn him in some way, but I had to look away too soon. I wasn’t sure if he got the message. Oh, well. I had to hope that he was still as good of a hunter as he had been when I’d been in the guild. My dad wouldn’t have made him his second if he wasn’t.
We passed the hostess who stopped talking in mid-sentence to watch us walk out the door, her eyes flickering to Draq who brought up the rear. Why Remington even needed a bodyguard, I didn’t know. He was several hundred years old, certainly he was strong enough to defend himself?
As if reading my mind, Rem angled his head toward me. “Draq might be a bit off putting, but I find it does dissuade the bolder humans from taking it upon themselves to linger in my presence.”
I snorted. “You really think you’re hot shit, don’t you?” Apparently, I was over my sudden need to play along. What could I say? I didn’t play damsel in distress well.
Rem chuckled, his hand sliding up my bare back. They traced the lines of my phoenix tattoo and made me shiver. “You never cease to surprise me, Adara.”
We approached the car I’d arrived in the same driver stood by the door waiting for us to get in. I didn’t know when the driver had been notified, but I also didn’t care enough about it to ask. The prospect of being in the backseat of the car with Remington was enough to keep my mind busy.
Rem allowed me to enter the car first and then slid in after me. Well, if what you called what he did sliding. It was more of a graceful movement where he was standing and then he was not. The in-between was a bit fuzzy, and it hurt my head to try and comprehend how he did it.
When the door shut, the air in the car filled with tension. I shifted in my seat, my eyes moving to the passing scenery. Part of me expected him to come onto me, now that we were alone. He had every chance to make his intentions known, and yet... he just sat there, one leg crossed over the other, his eyes on me as his fingers played with the loose bits of my hair.
“What’s your end game?” I asked all of a sudden, my head whipping around to stare at him. “You get me on a date. Get me alone. Then what? What do you want?”
A smile played across his lips. “Why, the pleasure of your company, of course. What else could a man possible want?”
I let out a breath of air. “But you’re not a man. You’re a vampire. So, you have to want more than just to spend time with me. You kidnapped my dad, the director of the Phoenix Hunter Guild!” I jerked my hand in the air. “They’re not just going to forgive and forget that. How did you even pull that off?”
Remington’s eyes crinkled at the sides, amusement filling those icy blue eyes. “Let’s just say someone owed me a favor, and I think I’ll get away with it because you won’t let them hurt me.”
“Oh, I won’t?” I scoffed. “What makes you think I won’t hurt you myself?” I reached under my skirt and unsheathed the blade. Holding it in a biting grip, I bared my teeth at him.
Much to my chagrin, he didn’t so much as blink. He actually had the balls to lift his hands up and give me a clear shot at him. “Please, by all means.”
I was tempted. Fuck, I was so tempted. It would be so easy. The knife would slice into him just like butter and then it would be all over. Except I didn’t know where his house was or where he was keeping my dad. For all I knew, he had orders to kill him if he didn’t show up.
“Damn you,” I muttered as I dropped the knife back into its sheath. Slumping back against the seat, I turned my eyes back to the window. “So, if you don’t want fuck me then what do you want? Company?”
Remington barked a laugh that made me jump, my head twisting back to him. “Whatever made you think I didn’t want to fuck you?”
“You do?” I arched a brow, my voice raising in pitch.
Leaning forward so that our faces were close to one another, Remington cupped my face in his hand. “Just because I do not rush an experience does not mean that I do not plan to enjoy every single moment of it.” For a moment, I thought he was going to kiss me. His mouth was so close to mine, but then he was back in his seat. “Besides, I do not enjoy an unwilling partner, and at this point, you would not let me near your gorgeous body willingly.”
I let out a low growl, frustrated half with his words and half with myself for being disappointed that he hadn’t kissed me. “Then what the hell is this? Coercion? Like that’s any better?”
“Oh, dear little hunter, is that not what every relationship starts with?” He let out a sound half between a purr and a growl. “I buy you dinner, flowers, a pretty dress, and perhaps there’s a little threat of danger. That’s how all the good love stories start, isn’t it?”