“There’s one problem with what you’re saying. I know it’s hard to believe now, but I haven’t always been so … likable. Not everyone in Primos Sangre would want to do me any favors. In fact, they’d just as soon hurt me than help me.”
“This wouldn’t be about anyone wanting to do you a favor. It would be about someone wanting to do Miguel a favor. And you’re not going to be alone, Ana. I’ll be right there with you. Do you really think I’d let anything happen to you?”
As she stared into his eyes, she knew he’d do whatever he needed to do to protect her. He’d use his vampire powers, and if he had to, she knew he’d even risk his life for hers. The knowledge that he’d go to such lengths had been there all along. It had been what had enabled her to come to Belladonna in the first place. It had been what allowed her mind to open up and let Ty into her dreams.
She couldn’t deny it. She’d come to Belladonna for Gloria, but she’d also come because of Ty. If she hadn’t trusted him so instinctively and so thoroughly, she’d have left Seattle and disappeared completely. And none of that had changed now that she knew what he was. In fact, his vampire nature made him all the more intriguing to her. Alleged vampire nature, she thought. Alleged. What a way to put it. Was she turning into a lawyer? Some people would say that was worse than a vampire.
She just hadn’t seen any compelling evidence of Ty’s vampiric nature. Yes, he had fangs. And super speed. But neither overshadowed what Ty was. A good man. Vampires were supposed to be ruled by their lust for blood, but Ty seemed to keep that well hidden. Just like his lust for her.
She mentally winced. Okay, Ana. Like that doesn’t sound too bitter. Remember, you keep your desire for Ty hidden, too. It’s still there. So is his. Tightly controlled.
Why couldn’t they have been just a man and a woman who were allowed to act on their feelings for one another? Why did cults and vampires and estranged sisters and the FBI and a hundred other issues have to get in the way of what might have been something special between them?
Ana knew why.
Because that was her life. It always had been. Fate had denied her anything she’d ever truly wanted. And deep inside, she had a feeling that was going to continue to be the case.
She sighed. “When do we do this?”
“How soon can you get dressed?”
An hour later, Ana glanced around the darkened bar. Ty hadn’t brought her to a complete dive, but he hadn’t brought her to some swanky nightclub, either. She took in the bar patrons, noting the mix of young, preppy businessmen, probably out for a drink to take the edge off of work, and the few college kids from the local university.
A couple of older men sat at the bar, their backs hunched, their arms circled on the polished wood in front of them, clearly defining their personal space. Locals. Regulars. Not a place she’d expect to see Primos Sangre members. Maybe Ty’s intel was wrong. Maybe—
She spotted a familiar face at the bar and stiffened.
It was a man named Louis. He was obviously older than the last time she’d seen him. The ragged wife-beater tank top that had shown off his sleeve tattoos was gone. This Louis looked respectable, with his hair neatly trimmed, a short-sleeve Tommy Bahama shirt, dark jeans, and boots.
He hadn’t been a good friend of Miguel’s, but he’d been a senior member of the gang nonetheless. She couldn’t say she’d liked him, but she hadn’t been afraid of him. He’d been polite to her, probably because he’d known she had Miguel’s protection. If anyone would have information about her old friend, Louis would.
Ty was sitting to her right at a small table. Making certain he could see her, she sidled up to the bar and wedged her way toward Louis. The instant Louis saw her, his eyes widened. “Eliana Garcia?”
She smiled tentatively, as if unsure of the welcome she’d receive. “It’s just Ana now. Louis?”
Louis stood and held out his arms to her. “Si. Come here! Dé Louis viejo un abrazo.”
And just like that she was enfolded in the other man’s arms. Within an hour, she was surrounded by other members of Primos Sangre, new and old alike. Aware of Ty’s eyes on her, she bided her time. She slugged back a shot of tequila and forced herself to make meaningless, cheerful chitchat, about the old days as well as her time in prison. Instead of treating her time behind bars as a joke or something to be envied, the others looked at her with expressions of compassion, making her wonder how much they actually knew about what had landed her there and what had happened afterward. No one actually mentioned Gloria or Miguel.
Another shot of tequila appeared in front of her and she threw it back, then allowed Louis to lead her to the dance floor. The band was playing a fast number and she danced wildly, letting the slight buzz of the alcohol go to her head, growing more aware of her body’s reactions. She danced three more songs with Louis until he excused himself to get more drinks.
Awkwardly, she stood on the dance floor, unsure whether to go back and join the others. But without Louis by her side, she was reluctant to do so. With no other choice, she danced by herself for a while, enjoying the music, not making eye contact with onlookers. With her friends around, no one would dare to grab her and grind.
She didn’t even glance at Ty. Didn’t want to give herself away in case someone was watching them. But she knew without a doubt that he was watching her.
She felt his gaze caressing her.
And she responded in kind. She let her inhibitions go. She swayed to the music, not with cheesy overt gyrations meant to titillate, but in a restrained, undulating dance meant to seduce. Communicate that she desired him. She’d never said it out loud. She might never be that brave. But in this way, she could tell him, and hope that he understood what she was really saying. She desired him in spite of what she knew about him. Body and soul.
I want you. So damn much, Ana.
Ty’s voice echoed in her head and she stumbled, just barely able to keep her gaze from flying to him. She swore she’d heard him but he was too far away. The music was too loud. She had to have been imagining it.
The air around her seemed to sizzle and vibrate.
Somehow, she knew. She knew.
It was him—it was them—that she was feeling.
Was she going crazy? How was it possible to feel so connected to another person?
Her movements became less restrained. More urgent. More desperate. She could practically feel the molecules in the air now, clinging to her body and caressing her in place of his hands. Her nipples tightened beneath her shirt and her core wept for him. She wondered if he could smell her or if he—
She heard a loud crash coming from Ty’s direction. Automatically, she looked up and just caught sight of his back as he was striding away. The table where he’d been sitting was leaning to the side, and part of the edge had been broken off, sharp pieces of wood jutting out at odd angles.
She stared at the table with her mouth agape before Louis came back and took her in his arms once more.
Despite Ana’s seductive dance—which had caused Ty to break the table he was sitting at and rush outside to get some air—he wasn’t gone long. He was acutely aware of the promise he’d made to protect her, just as he’d been aware of what she’d been telling him with that erotic display on the dance floor. Swiftly, he made his way back in and headed to the bar, positioning himself on a stool.
He was harder than an iron spike and all he could think about was striding toward the dance floor, ripping her from that man’s arms, stripping her naked, and taking her right then and there, for everyone to see. So everyone could witness that she was his.