One reddish brown eyebrow shot up. “Want to talk about it? I'm a good listener.” She had no doubt he was.

She shook her head. “No, but thanks.” If she talked about her best friend dying then she might have a breakdown here and now. She had to keep herself detached from it, barricade her feelings from inside, or else she might not survive. She put on a smile. “So what's good here?”

He laughed a bit. “I have no clue. I don't eat food.”

Her lips pulled into a confused frown and then a light bulb went on inside. “Oh, I forgot for a moment that you're a...that you're a,” she glanced around the room for prying eyes then whispered, “Vampire.”

His green eyes lit up with laughter. “I am.”

Curiosity got the better of her. “So how do you, you know, eat?”

“Telal owns half a blood bank. He orders his own supply for me. It stays under the radar because I'm the only one who requires it on his staff.”

“Oh, the rest of his staff is human then?” He nodded.

The server came, a young woman with a bouncing blonde ponytail, and took her order. The waitress left with a promise to be back soon.

“You eat well.”

A flush warmed her cheeks. He stared straight at her and the look unnerved her so she pretended to study her hands. “Yes, well, I'm hungry.” She’d always had a voracious appetite.

He laughed, the sound very deep and masculine. “You don't have to sound sorry about it. I told you I wanted to feed you.”

Her lips twitched. “I don't recall you saying it quite like that.” Her eyes flicked up to meet his just in time to see his cheeks darken with color. She couldn't help but laugh and soon he laughed along with her, their eyes caught together.

After a moment the connection was too much and she broke it. She let out a long unsteady breath. I'm going to kiss you today.

The server came back and set a glass of tea on the table. Rosa sighed with relief at the much needed interruption. The café felt entirely too warm for her tastes. Maybe they should have chosen a table outside, she thought.

“How far along on you on the weapons?”

She took a sip of her tea. “I should be done in another two weeks. I could do it in one if you need them faster.” That would mean she'd get about two hours of sleep a night and she'd have to close her shop. She didn’t mind. Being on a deadline always gave her a rush that she liked.

“No, two weeks is great timing. So Rosa, are you going to tell me about the vision you had of us?” The way he asked it sounded erotic, husky. Caught off guard by the question, Rosa spit her tea onto the table.

Mortification quickly set it. Cheeks burning a deep red, she grabbed her measly white napkin and started patting at the mess. She’d never blushed so much in her damn life. It was getting to be irritated. He probably thought she was a simple-minded naïve fool.

“Here, let me.” He took the napkin from her and used his fresh one to clean the mess up. Still, she couldn't look at him. Instead she looked outside and watched cars driving by, people walking up and down the street with briefcases and purses all in a hurry to get someplace.

The server came back with her food and Rosa eagerly dug in if only to avoid answering his question or making a bigger fool out of herself. The man just rattled her so. From his large size to his kind eyes, the whole thing made her uncomfortable, nervous.

The silence stretched on as she ate. Eventually she had to look at him; they hadn't said a word to each other in at least five minutes. When she looked up, she found him watching her with a small smile on his face.

“What?” She couldn’t hide her defensive tone.

His smile turned into a smirk. “I just enjoy your company.”

She wanted to roll her eyes. “I doubt that.” I'm as boring as can be, she wanted to say.

“Why? You're beautiful, smart, and unique. I feel like I won the gold prize just sitting here with you.”

Oh. Her stomach clenched to try to quell the butterflies dancing there. She polished off her plate and pushed it forward. Her jeans suddenly felt tight and she wanted to undo the top button. Just another reason why she hated normal clothes. Normal clothes never fit her right.

“You're nice too,” she said and instantly winced at the lameness of the statement.

He tossed his head back and laughed a low rumble of sound. His laugh was so infectious she joined in and just like that the tension in her shoulders eased. She wanted to ask him about what he'd said, if he really planned on kissing her, but that would just sound immature, stupid, or needy. She didn't know what to expect with him after he said that, but she felt excited for the first time in a long time at the thought of it. Anticipation settled deep in her to wait. Even as he brought her into a conversation on magic and spellcasting, she answered while her mind sorted through all the possibly ways he could kiss her, all the ways it could feel. Would he be a slow and sensual kisser? Or maybe rough and a little aggressive? Her thighs squeezed tight at the thought.

“You're thinking about it,” he said, his voice laced with an erotic edge.

The jarring statement gripped Rosa out of her reverie with hard hands. She bit her lip and debated shaking her head as if she hadn't been, or maybe nodding and being bold like Lily just to see what his reaction might be. Instead she just looked at him, her lip caught between her teeth. His eyes wondered slowly down to watch her mouth and she could see the transformation in him. The darkening of his yes, the deepening of his, and the lowering of his eyelids into a sexy mask.

Sucking in an unsteady breath, she looked around the room avoiding the need to fan herself. It got hot in here very quickly.

“Let's get out of here.” He stood and tossed a big bill on the table. Not a light tipper she noted with a smile.

He helped her back into the SUV and they took off down the road heading back to her shop. She bit back her disappointment that he hadn't kissed her by putting on a smile. Not that the smile was fake by any means, she felt really good and relaxed around the warrior who, at first glance, had terrified her. Really it wasn’t her fault. He was built with a powerful body covered with hard sinew. He twice as wide as the average man. Now that he didn’t terrify her, she actually enjoyed looking at him. While working, she’d catch herself imagining what it’d feel like to be in his strong arms.

A tingling sensation bloomed in her belly and spread outwards like a veining plant. She hadn't felt this kind of excitement in a long time—the kind between a man and a woman. She placed her hand over her belly to help calm her nerves.

“Have you ever been married?”

The sudden question had her eyes flying wide. “What?”

He shrugged. She couldn't help but notice how well he drove. Such a simple task, one millions of people undertook daily, though not one she preferred at all. She'd never owned a car in her life and she was damn proud of her old ways. He drove with one big hand curled around the wheel, the other resting on his big thigh. And big they were; the man was built like an ox. Another bloom of pleasure surged through her, making her hyperaware of how close she sat to him, of how strong he was. He could easily bench press her five hundred times and barely break a sweat, she’d bet. She'd never been into muscular men until now. His muscles made her wiggle in her seat.

“Just wondering if you've ever been in a relationship like that.”

“No, never married. Just a few long-term relationships in the past. I stopped after—” she paused as she almost said his name. “I stopped after the last one. Didn't need another after that.” Understatement of the year. The man had managed to squeeze every ounce of confidence she'd ever had until she was completely dependent on his rare positive moments to feel good about herself. And when that wasn't happening, she was dodging his fists.