you, Marcus.
There was no answer.
But first, she had one more thing to do before she could lose herself in the evening. She needed to set up a meeting with Robert for tomorrow. She needed to put that chapter of her life behind her so she’d be free to—what? She picked up her cell and dialed Monika’s number.
“Hello, Anne? Is that you?” Monika’s voice seemed far away.
“Tell Robert I need to meet with him tomorrow, at nine.”
“I don’t know anything about this,” Monika replied.
“I’m sure he’ll fill you in. Will you tell him?”
“Yes. Anne, I am so sorry about what has happened. Robert and I—”
“Forget it, Monika. I don’t want to hear it.”
Anne was grateful for the silence at the other end of the phone.
“Monika?”
“Yes. I understand.”
“You need to get ready.”
“For what?”
“Robert is going to need a place to stay, to save him from himself.”
“Not sure what you’re talking about.”
“He has a lot of stuff. But I’m keeping the car.” Anne hung up. One thing to tell Robert he would have to find another place to stay, quite another to tell the other woman. She was proud of herself. There wasn’t an ounce of regret in her body.
She stripped off the sheets on her bed and threw them in the washing machine. She added the new silk sheets she’d bought this afternoon and had washed in lavender soap. They were still warm and filled the room with fragrance.
Anne closed her eyes. She concentrated on the way Marcus’s lips felt on hers as she pushed the number “8,” which automatically dialed his number.
He picked up at the first ring. “Anne. Is everything well with you?” There was an edge of concern in his voice.
“Yes, Marcus.”
He exhaled in relief. “Good. I’m glad. How do you feel?”
In truth, she felt the best she had ever felt in her life. “I feel fine.” It was an understatement, but she didn’t want to seem too eager. Would it scare him off?
His rolling chuckle starting a buzzing in her ears, like he was blowing on them. “I had hoped you would feel more than fine . . .”
“Yes. You know how I feel.”
“Do I? Tell me. I want to hear you say it.”
“I. Feel. Wonderful.” There, she’d said it. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
Anne felt her face flush at his words. Everything in her body attuned to the vibrations coming from his words. “Listen,” she began. Why was she so nervous? “I was putting on some dinner and wondered if I could have the pleasure of your company?”
He uttered something she couldn’t make out. The happy ripples of his laughter trickled down her spine and warmed her.
“You hungry so soon?” he asked.
“Is it too soon? I’m starved .”
“That makes two of us.”
“I have a couple of rare steaks I would like to share. You do eat rare meat.”
“Only the rarest.”
“You didn’t tell me I would feel this way. Positively wicked. Dangerous. Am I dangerous, Marcus?”
“Yes and no. To me, no. To others, like your husband . . .”
“Almost-husband,” she corrected.
“To all your human family and friends, you are dangerous.”
“As in, I could harm them.” She was enjoying playing with him.
“I promised I’d help you protect your husband. I won’t violate that promise.”
“So you— the man I’ve known for less than twenty-four hours—are someone I can trust, and my non-husband, who I have known for three years, I cannot?”
“That’s about the size of it,” he said into the phone. “But I’ve searched for you for three hundred years. Don’t forget that part.”
“I found your candle. I thought you might want to watch it burn with me.”
“Next time I’ll have to bring a bigger one.”
“You’ve already saved his life, you know.”
“Robert? How is that?”
“I admit to having unkind thoughts towards my almost-husband. But it wouldn’t have been fair to make you visit me in a jail cell, now would it?”
“Inconvenient is the word I was
There was no answer.
But first, she had one more thing to do before she could lose herself in the evening. She needed to set up a meeting with Robert for tomorrow. She needed to put that chapter of her life behind her so she’d be free to—what? She picked up her cell and dialed Monika’s number.
“Hello, Anne? Is that you?” Monika’s voice seemed far away.
“Tell Robert I need to meet with him tomorrow, at nine.”
“I don’t know anything about this,” Monika replied.
“I’m sure he’ll fill you in. Will you tell him?”
“Yes. Anne, I am so sorry about what has happened. Robert and I—”
“Forget it, Monika. I don’t want to hear it.”
Anne was grateful for the silence at the other end of the phone.
“Monika?”
“Yes. I understand.”
“You need to get ready.”
“For what?”
“Robert is going to need a place to stay, to save him from himself.”
“Not sure what you’re talking about.”
“He has a lot of stuff. But I’m keeping the car.” Anne hung up. One thing to tell Robert he would have to find another place to stay, quite another to tell the other woman. She was proud of herself. There wasn’t an ounce of regret in her body.
She stripped off the sheets on her bed and threw them in the washing machine. She added the new silk sheets she’d bought this afternoon and had washed in lavender soap. They were still warm and filled the room with fragrance.
Anne closed her eyes. She concentrated on the way Marcus’s lips felt on hers as she pushed the number “8,” which automatically dialed his number.
He picked up at the first ring. “Anne. Is everything well with you?” There was an edge of concern in his voice.
“Yes, Marcus.”
He exhaled in relief. “Good. I’m glad. How do you feel?”
In truth, she felt the best she had ever felt in her life. “I feel fine.” It was an understatement, but she didn’t want to seem too eager. Would it scare him off?
His rolling chuckle starting a buzzing in her ears, like he was blowing on them. “I had hoped you would feel more than fine . . .”
“Yes. You know how I feel.”
“Do I? Tell me. I want to hear you say it.”
“I. Feel. Wonderful.” There, she’d said it. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
Anne felt her face flush at his words. Everything in her body attuned to the vibrations coming from his words. “Listen,” she began. Why was she so nervous? “I was putting on some dinner and wondered if I could have the pleasure of your company?”
He uttered something she couldn’t make out. The happy ripples of his laughter trickled down her spine and warmed her.
“You hungry so soon?” he asked.
“Is it too soon? I’m starved .”
“That makes two of us.”
“I have a couple of rare steaks I would like to share. You do eat rare meat.”
“Only the rarest.”
“You didn’t tell me I would feel this way. Positively wicked. Dangerous. Am I dangerous, Marcus?”
“Yes and no. To me, no. To others, like your husband . . .”
“Almost-husband,” she corrected.
“To all your human family and friends, you are dangerous.”
“As in, I could harm them.” She was enjoying playing with him.
“I promised I’d help you protect your husband. I won’t violate that promise.”
“So you— the man I’ve known for less than twenty-four hours—are someone I can trust, and my non-husband, who I have known for three years, I cannot?”
“That’s about the size of it,” he said into the phone. “But I’ve searched for you for three hundred years. Don’t forget that part.”
“I found your candle. I thought you might want to watch it burn with me.”
“Next time I’ll have to bring a bigger one.”
“You’ve already saved his life, you know.”
“Robert? How is that?”
“I admit to having unkind thoughts towards my almost-husband. But it wouldn’t have been fair to make you visit me in a jail cell, now would it?”
“Inconvenient is the word I was
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