Verse of the Vampyre by Diana Killian Page B

tingle from the warm pressure of his.
    “Oh.”
    “What have you been up to?” he asked, smiling faintly.
    An exasperating man and far too sure of himself, but it was no use pretending she wasn’t happy to see him. The relief of having him back, of the kiss that answered one thing at least, seemed to open the floodgate; and Grace poured it all out, the weird happenings at the theater, Miss Coke’s nebulous threat, Lord Ruthven’s peculiar behavior, the caped man who had followed her from the pub. She barely paused for breath.
    Peter had the knack of listening with total attention, making a woman feel she was the only thing of interest in his world. He didn’t interrupt, he didn’t ask questions, he simply listened. At last Grace rolled to a full stop. He waited a moment to make sure she had truly run out of gas, then questioned, “Why the hell didn’t you tell me any of this before I left?”
    “I wanted to, but there wasn’t time. Besides, most of it happened after you’d gone.”
    “It’s nice to know you’ve been spending your time productively.” He raked a hand through his pale hair. “Grace, this may sound funny coming from me, but one of the chief things I like about you is your honesty. Your directness. You speak your mind. You don’t play games.” His gaze found hers, and he added simply, “I need that.”
    Were they still talking about mysterious happenings, or had they moved on to their own relationship? She wasn’t sure. Catriona would be direct, although Grace had no idea how honest she was; but for most of the women Peter knew, for most of the women he had romanced, love was a game, and Peter was first prize.
    The tone of his voice, the expression in his eyes gave her the courage to ask, “What is Catriona Ruthven to you?”
    From beside Grace the phone rang.
    “You’ve got to be kidding!” said Grace.
    Peter’s smile was wry. He picked up the phone and replaced it on the cradle. Then he removed it, listened, and set the receiver on the desk.
    “I don’t like to lie to you, so we’ll leave it at this. Nothing between Cat and myself has anything to do with what happens between you and me.”
    Cat. The casual intimacy of the diminutive smarted.
    She had hoped for a denial; so this admission that there was something between them hurt. She was surprised that the sound that came out was a laugh. Well, sort of a laugh. “That’s not an answer.”
    “It’s the only answer I can give you.”
    Do you love her? she wanted to ask, but she was afraid to hear the answer. She looked down at her hands, her slim bare fingers, then up into his face. “Okay, well then, what is between you and me?”
    His smile was twisted, and there was a darkness in his eyes that was almost sadness. His expression said more than his words, and the message frightened Grace in some indefinable way.
    He said huskily, “Everything and nothing. How’s that for an answer?”
    It felt like time stopped. Or maybe it was her heart. But Grace being Grace was analyzing his words before he’d finished speaking them, and after the initial emotional recoil, common sense reasserted itself.
    “Uh, well, actually…am I grading by points or on a curve? Come on, Peter, how am I supposed to respond to that? As you pointed out yourself, my sabbatical is nearly over.”
    Peter, who had been half-sitting on the desk, straightened. He wasn’t looking at her, as he said unemotionally, “I’m not in a position to make promises.”
    She knew he wasn’t married, but there were other kinds of commitment. Grace sighed. “Swell. Okay, has it occurred to you that you’re being set up by Cat Woman?”
    That got his attention although he didn’t say anything.
    “I’m not stupid, Peter. Well, not most of the time. Obviously you know her from the bad old days. She’s the girl with hair like a fox and the temper to match.”
    His mouth opened, but nothing came out. Which made a nice change. Usually Grace was the one left speechless.