into him at the point of contact. Images from the past few moments pulsed through him. The woman pushing into the elevator, Katharine’s irritation. A shocking picture of him and Katharine, clothes askew, pressed against the mirrored wall of the elevator.
His mouth went dry as blood flushed his skin.
Still touching Katharine’s hand as the unwelcome woman finally got her cart across the threshold, Allistair saw Katharine’s eyes.
They gave away nothing of what he saw inside her. She was completely unaware of his knowledge and it was a stark reminder that she hadn’t given it freely. He wasn’t supposed to be here, had no right to what he was seeing. Slowly, he pulled his hand back from hers.
Katharine smiled an innocuous smile at him, and before he lost contact, he got a fast flash of her inhaling his scent and thinking he smelled good. Just then the doors closed, sealing him in with the woman, Katharine, and the images he had stolen from Katharine’s mind.
He needed the quiet of the remainder of the ride to find some equilibrium.
Katharine had touched him before. He’d touched her. Granted it had been few and far between. He hadn’t gone looking for her thoughts before. But he’d not seen anything in her like what he’d perceived just now. Flashes, images, and sensations hovered, lingering at the edge of thought. Nagging him to go back and touch her again, to take more, to put action to want.
Allistair did none of that. He stood quietly, hands clasped in front of him as though he didn’t know what he knew. He nodded politely at the other woman as she exited ahead of them, ignoring another long perusal. Even her nearly blatant invitation couldn’t compare to the flashes of heat he’d received from Katharine, who stood as prim as the Main Line bluebloods she was descended from.
Out on the sidewalk, Katharine led the way to the restaurant, strolling casually between the clumps of people walking the other way, Allistair keeping pace beside her, his thoughts in a jumble. Perhaps there was another way to fight Zachary. Katharine was just as attracted to him as she was to his rival. And why not? The more Allistair thought about it, the more it made sense. Humans were always attracted to his kind. There was something there, just below the senses, something wild and feral that people were drawn to even though they were clueless as to why.
He couldn’t help but enjoy the added benefit of cuckolding Zachary. He hated Zachary.
“What are you grinning at?” Katharine had read his face before he realized she was even looking at him.
He lied. “I just caught a piece of that couple’s conversation as they went by. It was pretty racy.” She didn’t ask anything further and Allistair kept his silence.
That changed when they sat down in a booth at Salami’s. Katharine began speaking. “Look, I hadn’t intended to tell you this, but I need someone else’s help and I trust you.”
Here he’d gone thinking he’d had all his surprises for the day. He fought his own tongue to keep from asking her why she trusted him or from telling her that she shouldn’t. Just look what he’d stolen from her not ten minutes earlier. But her faith in him was probably like the attraction–merely a side effect of what he was. Since he needed her trust, he cocked his head and waited for her to continue.
“There’s a thief at Light & Geryon.”
He blinked, surprised again, but just then the waitress showed up and there was nothing Katharine could say. She leaned across the table to him, the smell and heat of her swamping him when he needed to pay close attention to what she was telling him.
Her lips moved. “Can I come sit on your side?”
Allistair nodded before he even comprehended the question. She intended them to look like lovers; sadly, it was so they could speak without being overheard. Her reasons didn’t change the fact that she switched to his side of the booth and pressed herself against him shoulder to shoe.
His mouth went dry as blood flushed his skin.
Still touching Katharine’s hand as the unwelcome woman finally got her cart across the threshold, Allistair saw Katharine’s eyes.
They gave away nothing of what he saw inside her. She was completely unaware of his knowledge and it was a stark reminder that she hadn’t given it freely. He wasn’t supposed to be here, had no right to what he was seeing. Slowly, he pulled his hand back from hers.
Katharine smiled an innocuous smile at him, and before he lost contact, he got a fast flash of her inhaling his scent and thinking he smelled good. Just then the doors closed, sealing him in with the woman, Katharine, and the images he had stolen from Katharine’s mind.
He needed the quiet of the remainder of the ride to find some equilibrium.
Katharine had touched him before. He’d touched her. Granted it had been few and far between. He hadn’t gone looking for her thoughts before. But he’d not seen anything in her like what he’d perceived just now. Flashes, images, and sensations hovered, lingering at the edge of thought. Nagging him to go back and touch her again, to take more, to put action to want.
Allistair did none of that. He stood quietly, hands clasped in front of him as though he didn’t know what he knew. He nodded politely at the other woman as she exited ahead of them, ignoring another long perusal. Even her nearly blatant invitation couldn’t compare to the flashes of heat he’d received from Katharine, who stood as prim as the Main Line bluebloods she was descended from.
Out on the sidewalk, Katharine led the way to the restaurant, strolling casually between the clumps of people walking the other way, Allistair keeping pace beside her, his thoughts in a jumble. Perhaps there was another way to fight Zachary. Katharine was just as attracted to him as she was to his rival. And why not? The more Allistair thought about it, the more it made sense. Humans were always attracted to his kind. There was something there, just below the senses, something wild and feral that people were drawn to even though they were clueless as to why.
He couldn’t help but enjoy the added benefit of cuckolding Zachary. He hated Zachary.
“What are you grinning at?” Katharine had read his face before he realized she was even looking at him.
He lied. “I just caught a piece of that couple’s conversation as they went by. It was pretty racy.” She didn’t ask anything further and Allistair kept his silence.
That changed when they sat down in a booth at Salami’s. Katharine began speaking. “Look, I hadn’t intended to tell you this, but I need someone else’s help and I trust you.”
Here he’d gone thinking he’d had all his surprises for the day. He fought his own tongue to keep from asking her why she trusted him or from telling her that she shouldn’t. Just look what he’d stolen from her not ten minutes earlier. But her faith in him was probably like the attraction–merely a side effect of what he was. Since he needed her trust, he cocked his head and waited for her to continue.
“There’s a thief at Light & Geryon.”
He blinked, surprised again, but just then the waitress showed up and there was nothing Katharine could say. She leaned across the table to him, the smell and heat of her swamping him when he needed to pay close attention to what she was telling him.
Her lips moved. “Can I come sit on your side?”
Allistair nodded before he even comprehended the question. She intended them to look like lovers; sadly, it was so they could speak without being overheard. Her reasons didn’t change the fact that she switched to his side of the booth and pressed herself against him shoulder to shoe.
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