“Chloe Standish. Don’t cal me ma’am.” She stared at him harder, and he grinned back. He didn’t have a hum of magic at al . Either he was the best she’d ever come across at hiding it or Luca had a Normal on his team.
“I come bearing gifts.” Tess carried four paper cups tucked into a cardboard holder.
“Coffee.” A moan that could only be described as orgasmic rol ed from Chloe’s throat. The scent of dark roast didn’t quite mask the smel of Tess’s lavender perfume as she stepped forward to set the tray on the bedside table with a flourish.
Tess grinned at Chloe’s eagerly wiggling fingers, a demand for her cup. Being a smart woman and a good friend, Tess handed over the goods. “I know exactly what you mean. I need an IV drip to make up for the caffeine intake I haven’t had today.”
Nothing came between that woman and her coffee. She was worse than Chloe about it. The piping hot cup of java burned al the way down, and Chloe didn’t care. She moaned again without a single shred of shame.
Merek and Alex accepted cups from Tess, and when Chloe met the detective’s gray gaze, it glinted with carnal amusement. She flushed, remembering she’d moaned for him with the same amount of abandon.
Then she also remembered how he’d shut her down the night before, and she blushed harder. Gods, she’d been a mess and probably looked like death warmed over and she’d thrown herself at him. She appreciated that he hadn’t taken advantage of an injured woman, which said good things about his character, but in hindsight, she felt like an idiot. Poor man. What must he think of her? She sipped more of her coffee and refused to consider it.
That she was even worried about his opinion of her was tel ing, and she hated having to acknowledge that. It meant he mattered, and that scared her to death. She had enough problems right now, starting with terrorists and ending with a teenage hacker. Adding a man who mattered to her list was just foolish, especial y when she was probably going to get towed off into protective custody for the gods knew how long.
She sighed, closed her eyes, and shook her head at her own stupidity. Al those years of schooling should have knocked the dumb out of her, but apparently not.
When she opened her eyes again, al the males were gathered in one corner drinking coffee and talking.
She wasn’t sure she wanted to know what they might have to discuss with Alex, but she knew she’d find out soon enough. Tess was standing there staring at them with the strangest faraway expression on her face.
She was also blushing, not something the straightforward pathologist had ever done in Chloe’s presence.
“Tess?”
Tess blinked and turned to meet her gaze. The blush deepened, and an embarrassed grin creased her lips, as if she’d been caught doing something naughty.
Covering an inappropriate whoop with a cough, Chloe grinned as the pieces fel into place. “Someone’s getting laid. Final y.”
The flush went straight to fluorescent red. “Shut up,” Tess hissed. Her gaze flicked to the men again, and Chloe’s eyebrows arched so high she wouldn’t have been surprised if they met her hairline.
“So . . . which agent is it?”
Tess closed her eyes, swal owing a low moan. “Jesus.”
“Wel , there are only three adult options standing over there, and unless he’s perfected time travel, I know Merek didn’t have time to be with anyone last night but me.” Actual y, time travel was a magical impossibility, so unless he was pul ing out some scientific technology she’d never heard of, her assumption was pretty safe. She checked the men again to make sure none of them were listening. They seemed intent on their own conversation. “So . . . which one?”
“Luca.” Tess sighed, and the sound was more infatuated pleasure than resignation. “He cal s me ‘mia diletta.’ It means ‘my delectable’ in Italian. Or is it ‘my delight’? I don’t remember. Hel , I usual y hate pet names. I’ve gone insane.”
Yeah, and the fact that vampires fed during sex made the delectable pet name even funnier to anyone who knew the truth about Luca. Chloe wasn’t laughing though. Caval i was from a family that ruled the Vampire Conclave. His father sat on the Al -Magickal Council with Aunt Mil ie. Likely he was playing with a human for a little variety in his sex life. Slumming with the Normal. Chloe wouldn’t usual y judge anyone on his or her love life, but the fact that the Normal in question was her best friend pissed her off. She didn’t like that Tess might be a means of entertainment for a vampire, something to toy with and discard when it became boring. While Luca might be casual about burning up the sheets, Chloe knew Tess wasn’t. Tess might not be head over heels for Luca, but she wouldn’t sleep with a guy because he was handy and she was horny.
That was Chloe’s forte. And it had landed her in hot water this time. She bit off a groan and focused on Tess again. This wasn’t about Merek; this was about Luca. Chloe thought it might be a good idea to have a little chat with the vampire. Armed law enforcement officer or not, he wasn’t going to mess with her best friend and not get a clear understanding of the consequences for breaking her heart, Normal or not.
Vampires, oy.
Maybe he had a familiar she could hex into a lampshade.
Voices rose from the men’s corner, which drew Tess’s and her attention to their conversation. For the first time, Luca’s face wasn’t a mask of amiable urbanity. His mouth was tight with irritation, his hard gaze locked on Alex. “That is a foolish decision, boy. You cannot—”
The teen wolf folded his arms, his voice unruffled as he swept the men with a look. “Gentlemen, I’m not interested in protective custody. I don’t believe you can force me into it.”
Agent Laramie arched an eyebrow. “With your father missing and your mother dead, you—”
Alex interrupted once more, his tone unchanged. “My parents designated Chloe as my godmother and custodian if anything happened to them before I turned eighteen. I’ve seen their wil ; I have copies of it. If Chloe wants me here, I’m not going anywhere.”
“Chloe wants you here.” She extended her hand, and the wolf came to take it. They presented a solid front against the agents. “I don’t know what you’re trying to pul here, gentlemen. Alex is neither a suspect nor bait to lure out his father, or whoever has his father.” If Ivan was even alive. “Alex isn’t going anywhere without me. He’s staying where I can be certain he’s safe, where I can see that he’s safe.”
The frustration on the men’s faces would have been comical under any other circumstances, but she didn’t feel very amused by any of this. She’d fight dirty to keep Alex if she had to. Even if she hadn’t adored the boy, she owed that much to his mother’s memory. She favored the men with the kind of look Aunt Mil ie had perfected a century ago. It meant anyone who disagreed could just get the hel out of her way.
“Alex is my responsibility. I’m his godmother. I took unbreakable vows when he was born.” Unbreakable magical vows, at that. How many times did she have to say this before it got through? She spoke slowly and clearly, as if they had some kind of impairment. “I am his guardian. Anywhere he goes, I go, and vice versa.
This is not negotiable.”
“Those men were chasing him for a reason. He has something, knows something, or is somehow of value to Leonard Smith. As are you. Together you’re far too tempting a target for them.” Luca ground the words out between his teeth. “The kid has a death warrant out on his life.”