Goddess With a Blade by Lauren Dane Page A

man who runs the largest casino resort in town is here with you at three in the morning?”
    “Goddess, this is not what I need right now.” She sighed. “Walking and talking.” She went down the stairs first. “Jack and I are friends. Have been for years and yes, some years ago we were more. But that’s not what we are to each other now. He’s very protective of me though. Frankly there’s no way to explain away your presence here or the obvious fact that we’ve had sex recently. So, let me do the talking. Don’t you need to go? The sun’s coming.”
    He laughed again and tossed himself on a couch in her living room. “I can be home in less than a minute and I’ve got some time before sunrise. I’d like to meet Jack.”
    “Yeah, I can tell you’re a real chatterbox social butterfly and stuff. Don’t cause trouble or I’ll stake you.” She tromped over to the door and opened it, going into the hall to unlock the elevator.
    Jack stalked in her door less than a minute later, fury on his face. “What the fuck is going on? There’s another body. Of course you know this I’m sure.”
    He stopped and gaped at Clive, who sat on her couch all elegance and male sexuality personified. “Didn’t know you were occupied. ” Jack’s words held an edge meant to slice.
    “Now you do. Jack Elroy, this is Clive Stewart. He was just leaving.”
    Clive stood, using that preternatural grace the Vampires had, and held his hand out to Jack. “I can certainly stay for another few minutes to meet your friend, Rowan.”
    He even managed to sound chiding, the bastard. Or prick since he informed her his parents had been married at the time of his birth.
    Despite her annoyance, the memory of the way he’d said it made her smile just a little as she watched the two of them. Hands clasped in a handshake, they were currently engaged in a test of the relative manliness of each other’s grip without squeezing too hard.
    Momentarily she’d get pissed off at this testosterone-laced pissing contest, but she let them get on with it for a few moments.
    “How long have you known our Rowan?” Jack asked, taking his hand back and checking Clive over.
    “We’ve got friends in common but we’ve known each other for several months now.”
    “Rowan and I go back years. I never heard your name before.”
    “So, not to interrupt this moment or anything, but why are you here at three in the morning and mad at me?” Rowan turned to Jack but not before delivering a glare to Clive.
    “I’ll wait until your guest leaves. This is police business.”
    Any minute and they’d be measuring dicks and asking who she liked best. She already wanted to punch them both in the face for being so ridiculous.
    There’d be no end to it until she shoved Clive out the door, and in truth, she needed some distance from him. She very much liked the way he looked in her house and she knew her sheets would smell of him too. These were not unpleasant things and they should be. She could not be sentimental about him, not knowing what he was.
    “Clive, I’ll speak to you soon. Thank you for coming by.” She tried to usher him out but just in the doorway he caught her, pulled her against his body and delivered a devastating kiss that left her knees shaking. Even as she knew what it was—a taunt to the other male in the room—it still left her breathless.
    “I’ll be in touch. You can bet on it, Rowan.” He grinned and strolled into the waiting elevator and slid out of sight as it descended.
    Steeling herself, she turned to Jack. “What is going on?”
    “Why are you with the guy who runs Die Mitte? This is new.”
    “Another body?”
    “You’ve been ducking my calls, Rowan.”
    “Jack, tell me about the new body.”
    “You can’t take my calls but you can go on dates?”
    She exhaled sharply. “I called you back several times. You can’t seem to let go of me heading out to Barstow and the one time we managed to get together for a drink Lisa