Romeo (Blood Brothers) (3 page)

Christine threw her arms around the vampire. “Long time, no see, stranger.”

Nya returned her embrace, a slight smile on her full lips. “Are you turning in for the night? I fancied going out tonight.”

“Well, I do have to work tomorrow.”

Nya shrugged. “It’s okay. I don’t mind going alone, but I had hoped you’d come with me.”

She’d be super tired in the morning but if she didn’t grab this opportunity, there would be no telling when she’d see her friend again. “Wait. Let me change. As long as we’re not out too late, I can hang with you for a little while.”

“Are you sure that you’ll be up for it?”

“Of course.”

“Good. How have you been doing? Any more headaches? I trust you’re taking care of yourself like you’re supposed to.”

“I’m doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances, and, no, I haven’t had a headache in a couple weeks. I think this new prescription is doing the trick.”

Nya gave her a long, accessing look. “I worry about you.”

“There’s no need.”

“All you have to do is say the word and I can fix things for you, Christine.”

“No. I’d rather you didn’t.”

Nya nodded “I could force you, you know.”

“I know you could. But you won’t.”

“You’re right. I think you’re very brave.”

“Ha! I don’t feel brave but I’ve come to accept things. The thing that worries me is if I’ll get the chance to make provisions for Jaxson and Adrienne.

“You know I will make sure they’re okay.”

“But it’s not the same.” Christine thought about the brother and sister pair she’d grown attached to at the group home.

Nya gifted Christine with one of her rare smiles. “I think I know just the place to go to take your mind off things.”

Chapter Three

“Slim pickings tonight,” Romeo muttered to Wolf as he surveyed the busy nightclub. For a Tuesday night, it was busier than most establishments of its kind, but then this was one of the area’s most exclusive scenes, so it never lacked for patrons.

The steady beat of house music blared throughout the establishment, guiding the swaying bodies on the dance floor. Romeo preferred the rowdiness of a roadside bar, but this was a better place for finding women who didn’t mind no-strings-attached romps. Though there were a handful of women who frequented the bars he often found himself in, they were usually a little too rough around the edges for his taste.

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that. I’ve seen a few who’d make excellent bed partners.” Wolf pointed toward the bar at a group of scantily clad women who were laughing and dancing with each other.

A petite blonde sauntered over to them and smiled. She placed her hands on Romeo’s chest and stood on the tip of her toes making her lips touch his ear. “Hey handsome, are you looking to party tonight?”

Romeo smiled back, letting his gaze roam over her curvaceous body. She ran a slick tongue over glossy red lips. If that wasn’t a fuck-me signal, he didn’t know what was. Though he could feel a familiar stirring in his pants, he couldn’t imagine spending the night with her. Her scent told him she’d already partied plenty. The chemical stench of illegal drug oozing from her pores softened his cock. “Not tonight, honey.”

Her eyes widened slightly. But then she shrugged. “Your loss.” As she walked away, she worked her hips from side to side as if showing him what he’d given up on.

Wolf tapped him on the shoulder. “Are you crazy? She’s gorgeous and she’s been sending you signals since we walked into this place.”

“If you’re so into her, then you take her.”

Wolf shot him a look of surprise. “You seemed interested at first until she got close. What was it?”

“She’s high as a kite. Taking her blood would be distasteful.”

“Really? I didn’t pick up the scent.”

“That’s because she was pressed against me.”

“That’s a shame. She seems like the type who would be up for anything I—” Wolf stopped, looking toward the front entrance. “Never mind. I think something better has come along. Much better.”

Romeo turned to see who had caught Wolf’s attention and spied two women entering the club, one tall and one of average height. He looked first at the taller of the two and the instant recognition of one of his kind hit him. A vampire, and female at that. It wasn’t uncommon for immortals to frequent this establishment, considering this was owned by his brother, Niccolo.

The femme was tall, but not quite six feet. She was by far one of the most beautiful women, human or immortal, that he’d ever seen. Her midnight skin was flawless and she possessed, full, luscious lips that begged for a lover’s kiss and large round eyes the color of rich milk chocolate. Her corn-rowed hair slid past her shoulders, emphasizing her wonderful bone structure and face. She also had the slender, reed-like slimness of a model and carried herself like royalty.

A smile tugged the corners of his mouth and he licked his canines in anticipation. “I think I may have found my companion for the night.”

Wolf shook his head. “I hope you don’t have your eye on the tall one, because she’s the one I want.”

“No way, Wolf. Take the other one. She’s pretty enough,” he lied because he hadn’t spared the friend a long enough look to determine if what he said was true.

“Fuck you. Remember back in the bar when I let you deal with Big Mike and his cronies? You owe me.”

“Aww, shit, man. You’re not calling in the favor now, are you?”

“Like hell I’m not.” The feral gleam in Wolf’s eyes was serious enough for Romeo to know he wouldn’t win this battle.

Romeo stole one last glance at the dark beauty. “I hope her pussy doesn’t get wet,” he muttered.

Wolf chuckled. “Sour grapes do not become you. Besides, you have no need to worry about her pussy because I plan on taking good care of it. I’ll make sure it stays nice and moist with nature’s lubrication.” He stuck out his tongue to demonstrate.

“Keep rubbing it in and I’ll crack your skull,” Romeo growled, although they both knew he wouldn’t follow through.

“Chin up. Her friend seems pretty enough,” Wolf said, mocking his earlier words.

Romeo rolled his eyes, doubting that statement very much until he took a good look at the femme’s companion. A human. He was sure of it, but there was something different about her. On first glance, she was certainly attractive, but next to the Amazon, she was rather unremarkable. On closer inspection, however, Romeo saw she had a subtle beauty that hit you when you least expected it. Of average height, she had a slender body with gentle curves that he enticed him more and more with each passing second.

The upward slant of her eyes gave away her Asian heritage. She had the face of a serene angel, crowned with a glorious cap of chin-length black hair. Romeo’s gaze drifted over the full contours of her scarlet lips and wondered what they would taste like.

His cock twitched as he imagined her dark hair a startling contrast against his white sheets. He also wondered what it would feel like to run his fingers over her honey-tinted skin. Romeo moistened his lips. Maybe Wolf really was doing him a favor and didn’t realize it. “Yes. She’ll do.”

Wolf wasn’t paying attention because he was already headed toward the two women. Romeo caught up with him just as his friend reached them. His prey was even prettier up close. Her sherry-colored eyes darted between him and Wolf. He smiled knowingly, reading her look of appreciation.

“Good evening, ladies. Would you care to join us in the VIP lounge for a couple of drinks?” Wolf got in before Romeo could speak.

“That would be nice. What do you think, Nya?” The smaller woman asked.

Nya looked at him and then at Wolf, a faint look of contempt in her brown eyes. It was clear from her expression their presence wasn’t welcome and he wasn’t sure why she was giving off hostile vibes. The way she stared at the two of them seemed slightly off to him but he couldn’t figure out why. He glanced at Nya’s friend again and wondered if she realized what Nya was. She seemed totally at ease with the femme, so perhaps she didn’t. It was very rare for any immortal to reveal themselves to humans, but when they did most times, the human freaked out. Even the ones who claimed to be okay with it often remained wary of the immortal in question.

“Yes, Nya, what do you think?” Wolf asked, obviously not picking up on the same feeling as Romeo. His friend was in charmer mode. Leave it to Wolf to think with his cock.

“If it’s what you want, Christine, I see no reason why not.” So Christine was her name. It suited her. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from her pretty bow-shaped lips. Yes, he fully intended on having this woman tonight. Several times if she was lucky.

“Don’t let us twist your arm, sweetheart,” Romeo shot back at Nya, although his eyes never left Christine’s pretty face. There was something about her that made him feel calm. When their eyes met, she looked away quickly, a slight blush reddening her cheeks. He could tell the attraction was mutual.

“Shut up, Romeo,” Wolf hissed at him, as he focused on Nya. “Ignore my friend.”

“Oh, that won’t be hard to do,” Nya responded in a bored tone.

That finally seemed to get Wolf’s attention. He looked over to Romeo with raised brows.

“Be nice, Nya.” Christine nudged her friend.

“Yes, be nice.” Wolf smiled at her. “Wolfgang Wagner, at your service, and this is my friend, Romeo.”

Nya narrowed her eyes and fixed them on Romeo’s face. “Romeo?”

“Romeo Grimaldi,” Wolf elaborated.

Nya’s face remained impassive; for a second, he thought he saw a brief flash of recognition, but it had disappeared so quickly he couldn’t be sure. His name was well known in many immortal circles, so perhaps she had recognized it. He didn’t know her and didn’t know what her issue with him was, but at this point, he didn’t care. His concern at this moment was getting to know the lovely Christine a little better, or at least enough to get her into bed.

Romeo watched as Wolf took Nya’s hand and kissed it, a move that would normally make women swoon. Nya, however, seemed unimpressed. In fact, she stared at his friend with mild contempt.

If Wolf was fazed, he didn’t show it. He took Christine’s hand and offered the same chivalrous gesture. Romeo realized Wolf meant nothing by it. He did that with all the women, but an irrational wave of anger swept through Romeo. It bothered him to see Wolf touch Christine and he couldn’t figure out why. Romeo rationalized, it had to be the events of the past couple of months getting to him, otherwise, why else would these foreign feelings surface.

“How about following us to the lounge?” Romeo suggested.

“I thought that was only reserved for VIP. You boys don’t strike me as the types to frequent an establishment like this enough to earn that status. Nya eyed them suspiciously.

“I know the owner.” Romeo didn’t bother to elaborate beyond that. Nico owned clubs across the country. This was just one of many. And he, along with his brothers and close friends, had access to all the VIP perks to any of his brother’s establishments.

The femme didn’t respond, seemingly deep in thought. Romeo took Christine’s hand in his and led them to the back of the club. When they were seated inside the lounge, he ordered drinks for the four of them.

“Please excuse us for a moment,” Nya said abruptly. “Christine, would you come with me to the restroom?”

Christine looked as though she’d been on the verge of speaking to him. That damned friend of hers was really starting to wear on Romeo’s patience.

“Oh, sure.” Christine stood up and followed the femme out of the VIP section.

When they were both out of earshot, Wolf turned to him. “She’s magnificent, isn’t she?” Wolf’s gaze had been firmly glued on Nya’s ass as she’d left the room.

“There’s something up with that femme.”

“What do you mean? I like a woman who doesn’t make it easy for me. There’s more fun in that.”

“Maybe so, but I’m getting some kind of vibe from her that I don’t quite understand, almost as if she’s hiding something, which is odd since I’ve never laid eyes on her before. She also doesn’t seem to like either of us very much.”

Wolf chuckled. “You’re just annoyed that she didn’t fall into a puddle at your feet.”

“Fuck you. That isn’t it.”

“Then what is it?”

“The way she looked at us. I got the feeling she recognized who I was when you said my name.”

“Well, you are well known in a lot of circles. It stands to reason she’s heard the Grimaldi named tossed around.”

Romeo stroked his chin as he contemplated why the femme seemed to be unhappy about their presence. She seemed annoyed when they approached her and Christine but she’d gone ice cold once his name was mentioned. Odd. “It also strikes me as a bit strange that she would hang out with a human.”

“So what? Isn’t GianMarco good friends with that business partner of his? He’s human is he not? It’s not unheard of for our kind to blend in with humans and even befriend them. Perhaps Christine doesn’t realize what her friend is.”

“You’re probably right. Maybe I’m seeing things that aren’t there. But something else seems different about Christine. I couldn’t read her thoughts. Humans aren’t usually adept at closing their minds to us.”

“But she’s not immortal. We would have picked up on that. Look, there are exceptions to every rule. Like you said, you’re reading more into this than necessary.”

“You’re right.”

Wolf grinned. “I know I am. Just relax and enjoy your Christine. It has been weeks since we weren’t dealing with the Council and I don’t want you to ruin it with your worry mongering.

Romeo shuddered. “Can we not talk about the Council for tonight? I just want to enjoy myself.”

“Fair enough. I wonder what the women are discussing in the bathroom.”

<><><>

“I’m sorry, Nya, but they were so cute, and I thought it would be fun to hang out with them.” Christine looked in the mirror over the sink, checking that her makeup looked okay. She’d never seen two more gorgeous specimens, both blond and blue-eyed, but it was the taller of the two with the short, spiky hair that held her interest. She was a sucker for blond men and those two were gods among men.

If the past few months had taught her anything, it was to seize the day and she couldn’t remember a time when she’d been so attracted to someone like this, not even to Rick in college. Christine wanted him. Her need for this man had hit her like a sledgehammer. She couldn’t help imagine herself lying beneath Romeo. Going by the signals he was giving off, it seemed he was into her as well. She’d been nervous at first. She was used to Nya getting the attention but Romeo had wanted her!

It had been several months since she’d had sex and the occasion hadn’t been very memorable. She’d briefly dated Randall, a guy from her gym. He had been a nice enough guy in the beginning, but the more time they had spent together, the more he talked about himself—apparently his favorite topic. If Randall was a bore when they talked, he was an even bigger loser in bed. She considered herself a hot-blooded woman with needs and had thought that he could fulfill them, but a bout of sex with him basically comprised a few quick thrusts and he was done. That had been the first and the last time she’d invited him into her bed.

Christine peeked at her friend in the mirror. She giggled to herself as she gazed at Nya’s stony expression.

One dark brow rose. “What’s so funny?”

“Vampires aren’t supposed to have reflections.”

“You watch too much television.” Nya’s response sounded curt.

“You’re not mad at me, are you? I mean, it is okay that I agreed to have drinks with them, isn’t it?”

“They’re vampires,” Nya spoke in a deadpan voice.

She gasped. “Really? They don’t look like it.”

“Do I look like it?”

Nya had a point. “How can you tell?”

“An immortal can always recognize one of their own kind. I’m not a guessing woman, but I’d say they’re probably both very old.”

“How old?”

“Older than me. I think they’re probably somewhere between four to five hundred or maybe more.”