“Exactly.” Gavin’s eyes were locked on Chloe. “Tenzin, get the fuck out of here.”
Ben glanced back. Tenzin was still hovering near the rafters.
“She’s not my ex-girlfriend,” Tenzin said. “I find this fascinating.”
“Get the fuck out of here!”
Ben was already up the stairs.
“This isn’t a good idea,” Chloe said. She couldn’t take her eyes off Gavin’s mouth. His lips, flushed and glistening. His fangs peeked out to rest on the full swell of his bottom lip. He was so aroused, so tempting, and he smelled so good. “Gavin?”
“I do many things that are very bad ideas.” He leaned forward and inhaled the scent of her neck. “I’ve learned to live with the consequences.”
Her head fell back. What was she thinking? His touch was intoxicating. If she hadn’t already experienced the buzzing warmth of amnis on her skin, she’d think he had her under some kind of spell. But there was no spell. No magic. The heightened awareness was from his scent and his touch, not from any mental manipulation.
“Gavin?”
“Yes.” His lips never landed. They skimmed up her neck and over the line of her jaw. She leaned into him, and he twisted her arms behind her, locking her wrists in one hand while he slid fingertips up her arm. Goose bumps rose on her body. Shivers overtook her. Her pulse was pounding, and she could feel the rock-solid muscles of his thighs as she leaned into them. Their torsos were pressed together. Her breasts against his chest. Pelvises locked. It was the most intimate pose a man had ever held her in.
She was exposed, but she didn’t feel any fear. No panic.
It was Gavin.
How many nights had she slept in his house, vulnerable in slumber and safe in the morning? How many nights had he read a book silently as she practiced yoga or ballet, wordlessly watching over her until she felt strong and confident again?
“What am I to you?” she whispered.
Gavin slowly lifted his head. “What?”
“I don’t know what I am to you.” Chloe swallowed the lump in her throat. “I want you. You want me. That’s obvious. But what am I to you, Gavin Wallace? A wounded bird to protect? An amusement to pass the time?”
He shook his head and released her wrists. “You’re neither of those things.”
“What then?”
Gavin took a breath and let it out slowly. He leaned back, propping himself on his arms but keeping Chloe locked to him with her thighs straddling his hips and his knees caging her. “What do you think you are?”
Chloe opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
A wry smile from Gavin. “That’s a problem then.”
“I don’t—”
“You’re a woman worth knowing, Chloe Reardon.”
“What does that mean?”
“Just that.” He lifted his hand and cupped her chin in his palm. “If you take nothing else from me, take this. You’re worth knowing. You’re worth discovering. You’re worth…” He smiled, and it was so gentle it brought tears to her eyes. “Damn it, she was right.”
“What?”
“I’ll tell you someday.” Gavin smiled and leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her lips. Once. Twice. The third time he licked his tongue out and tasted her. “But not yet.”
Wait for me. Her heart said it even if her mouth didn’t. Wait for me to find myself in this odd night world. Wait for me to discover who I’m supposed to be.
“Should I stay here tonight?” Chloe said.
“Why?” Gavin continued to watch her, letting his eyes roam over her face. It felt as intimate as the brush of his fingers. “You can stay here if you like, but your room will always be ready in my home. I was thinking you’d like a soak in the tub with all the wrestling you did today.”
Unexpected emotion clutched her throat. “A soak sounds good.”
“Then it’s settled.” He lifted her by the hips as if she weighed nothing. Gavin moved around the practice area, gathering his things. “You’ll stay at my place tonight. None of the plans for tomorrow have to start before dusk, do they?”
Chloe usually thought of Gavin as being so human. He was unfailingly careful at the pub and wore humanity like a comfortable suit. It was rare for him to exhibit the “vampire stuff” to Chloe. The effortless strength was unnerving. The speed made her dizzy.
“What?” She blinked to clear her vision.
“The plans for tomorrow night,” he said. “Breaking into the museum? All that starts after dusk, yes?”
“For you. Tenzin is heading over to the museum tonight to do her thing. Ben and I will head over in the late afternoon. The museum is open until nine.”
“Excellent.” He paused in front of her. “Was there anything else you needed to do here before we left?”
“I… uh, I need to pay some bills for Tenzin and rework some stuff in the house calendar.”
“A couple of hours?”
She nodded.
Gavin said, “Then I’ll head to the pub to check in with Audra. Call my office there if you finish early.”
“Okay.”
He slid his hand along the curve of her waist to the small of her back and pulled Chloe in for a kiss against her temple. “Well done, dove. You’re a natural with the standing throws. I’ll see you later.”
Before she could say another word, he flew away.
Flew. Away.
“He flies.” Chloe knew that. She knew it in her head. But she didn’t know if she’d ever seen it before. “He flies. Because he’s a wind vampire. So he flies.”
Tenzin was listening at the stairwell with a smile on her face. She heard, rather than saw, Gavin flying up the stairwell, through the apartment, and out the french doors leading to the roof.
Clever, clever vampire.
Tenzin made a mental note to never underestimate Gavin Wallace. The vampire was savvy enough to play the long game.
Ben was in the kitchen heating up some frozen curry she’d made two nights before. He was stirring a pot on the stove, and his hand was sunk in a bag of frozen peas.
Tenzin said, “You know, I do cook with those.”
“Not with these you don’t.”
“Gavin and Chloe—”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
Tenzin frowned. “Are you jealous?”
“No. I just don’t want to talk about it.”
“Because Gavin is your friend and he’s likely going to have sex with a woman you have also had sex with?”
Ben closed his eyes and looked up to the ceiling. If Tenzin didn’t know better, she’d say he was praying.
“Tenzin.” He sounded as if he was in pain. “Enough.”
“I don’t understand why you don’t want to talk about it if you’re not jealous.”
“Because it’s none of my business.”
She burst into laughter. “Of course it’s your business! She is your friend and so is he. If they formed a connection, it would change your relationship to both. It is most definitely your business.” Tenzin walked away, shaking her head. “Americans are so strange. How could the romantic connections of friends not be your business?”
“Because…” Ben frowned. “Actually, you’re right. If they got together, it would definitely change our friendship.”
“See?”
“Dammit, Tenzin.” Ben picked up the frozen peas and pressed them to his forehead. “You have boundary issues, and now you’re spreading them to me.”
“What?” She widened her eyes.
“Don’t give me the innocent look.” He put down the peas and stirred the curry. “Will you make some rice please?”
“Yes.” She pulled on two oven mitts to protect the rice cooker from her amnis. “Did you hear him align their schedules before he left her here?”
“Not listening to you.”
“He has taken my advice far more quickly than I imagined he would.” Tenzin set the rice cooker on the counter and plugged it in. It was awkward with the oven mitts, but not impossible.
“Chloe was an unpredictable factor. Still, I am surprised at the swiftness with which he’s adapting.”
“Can we talk about breaking into the museum tomorrow? How much René hates me? Root canals? Anything besides this?”
“What are root canals?” She grabbed the bag of rice from the pantry. “Did you see that he flew in front of her? He’s conditioning her to his true nature. That was very clever.”
Ben let out a short sigh and gave Tenzin a reluctant smile. “Your focus is both admirable and irritating as hell.”
“Thank you.” She grabbed the frozen peas. “Now stop using my vegetables for first aid.”
26
Ben and Chloe strolled into the Museum of Modern Art at six forty-five the next night with sketchpads under their arms. The museum stayed open until nine that night. They had time. They strolled through the sculpture garden before it got too dark, waiting for crowds to clear. They pulled up chairs near the fountain and waited for the crowds to clear as they pulled out their sketchbooks and started to draw the colorful figures standing silently on the other side of the fountain.
Ben glanced over at Chloe’s page. “Stick figures?”
“I told you I can’t draw.”
“Didn’t you go to art school or something?”
“Yeah. For dance.” Chloe flipped the page. “Not drawing. I like art. I can’t make it.”
“Dance is art.” Ben took his time. He could draw decently—another one of the lessons his uncle had forced on him—but it was an acquired skill, not a natural talent. “And drawing well is practical for me. I can’t always count on having a camera with me in my work. Sometimes cataloguing has to be done by sketch.”
Chloe looked at the grouping he’d done on his page. “You’re better than all right. You have shadows and stuff.” She cocked her head. “You’re pretty good, actually. You never draw for fun?”
“Drawing isn’t fun,” he said. “Like I said, it’s practical.”
“Huh. You’re good at it.”
“Well thank you.” He flipped the page and glanced around the garden. “People are leaving.”
“It’s dinnertime.”
Ben closed his book. “I want a drink. You?”
“Oh definitely. Fifth-floor terrace?”
Ben nodded. “We’ll take the elevator up to six and then walk down.”
“There’s a shop on the sixth floor outside the special-exhibit gallery.”
“Perfect.”
Tucking their sketchbooks back under their arms, Ben and Chloe headed back inside and toward the elevators.
More and more people were drifting out of the museum, but a few were still entering. People in suits. Singles more than groups. Most likely those who waited to visit until after seven o’clock were locals just off work or students like the ones Ben and Chloe were posing as.
Chloe asked in a low voice, “Can our friends take elevators?”
Ben nodded. “They can, but it’s tricky. Older elevators are easier. Gio avoids new ones. He can’t touch anything near the control panel, but he’s more… sparky than Gavin or Tenzin.”
“Why?”
He smiled at her. “How many elements are there?”
“Four. Or five sometimes.”
He pushed the button for the elevator when they reached it. “Which element seems the most sparky?”
Chloe mouthed, Fire? with wide eyes.
Ben nodded.
“He always seemed so calm and rational,” she said. “I mean, after I got over the movie-star looks, I always thought of your uncle as super boring. No offense.”
“None taken,” Ben said, stepping into the elevator and holding the door for Chloe and another couple of student-types. “I think he’d consider that a compliment. He works very hard to live a quiet life.”
“Your aunt, on the other hand, is awesome, and I want to be her when I grow up.”
Ben smiled. “I kinda want to be her when I grow up too.”
They got off on the sixth floor and wandered over to the shop to look at the books, trinkets, and toys that made up the museum merchandise. Ben glanced over his shoulder and watched the comings and goings of the crew, noting the service elevator and the hallway where they disappeared carrying cords and benches.
They had white partitions up to block the entrance and exit of the special-exhibitions hall, but he could hear more workmen in the background and the low voice of someone giving directions.
No art. Not yet. They wouldn’t be carting Dalis, Magrittes, and Kahlos through the hallways. Not during open hours anyway.
Chloe paged through a book. “Anything interesting?”
“No, it’s exactly as expected.”
“Any sign of Tenzin?”
Ben glanced toward the large air-conditioning vent in the corner. “She’ll be around somewhere. Hiding out. By the time we’re ready to move, she’ll have the whole ventilation system and service area mapped out.”
Chloe took a deep breath. “This feels super weird.”
Ben put an arm around her and bent down. “Remember, we’re not stealing anything,” he whispered in her ear. “All we have to do is make sure Samson’s paintings get back to where they belong.”
Chloe nodded and put the book down. They lingered in the small shop long enough that Ben had a fairly good idea who was coming and going and what kind of employee badges they would need. He grabbed Chloe’s hand, and they headed down the stairs and toward the café that overlooked the sculpture garden.
“And… it’s closed,” Chloe said.
“Damn.” He looked around. “Does that mean I’m allowed to bring out the flask I snuck in in my messenger bag?”
She laughed. “You did not.”
“I absolutely did.” He hooked his arm in hers. “But for now why don’t we go be studious and kill some time?”
They sketched and walked around the museum until eight thirty. Their reservation was at eight forty-five. Glancing at the windows as they walked down the stairs, he saw the sun had finally set.
The vampires would be waking, and Ben and Chloe were fair game.
Gavin would be at the museum soon, as would René DuPont, if Ben’s theory was correct. Tonight was the night everyone would be making their move. The exhibit was being taken down, the paintings shipped back to the generous donors of Historic New York, and René would try to intercept them.
Would Emilie be with him?
Ben couldn’t decide whether he wanted to confront her or not. He couldn’t decide if he ever wanted to see Emilie again.
Had it all been a lie? If it wasn’t, did that make it better or worse? He’d become too accustomed to kindness in the years since he’d been with his uncle. He’d let down his guard.
A mistake.
Betrayal was a fact of life. Most relationships were an exchange. You give me this; I give you that. The currency varied but the rules remained the same. Emotions were a tool, and loyalty could be stolen like anything else.
Ben and Chloe walked down to the restaurant in the lobby and through the doors. It was Saturday night, but Gavin had managed to secure a reservation in Ben’s name. They sat, ordered drinks, and stared out the windows while the glittering lights of the sculpture garden glowed brighter as darkness settled on the city.
“What now?” she asked quietly.
“Now we wait for Gavin. He said he’d be here and he’d find us a way back in the museum.”
He glanced at the bar, then back at the menu. “The salmon or the lamb?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know how you can eat right now.”
“I can always eat.” He closed the menu. “Slow-cooked lamb for me, and we should start with the tuna tartare. Try the mushrooms and polenta. It’s going to be a long night.”
Halfway through their appetizer, Chloe saw Ben’s eyes narrow on someone entering the restaurant. When she glanced over her shoulder, she saw Gavin walking in wearing one of his impeccable suits. He scanned the bar with purpose, his eyes narrowing on
an attractive Caucasian woman who was drinking alone. She appeared to be in her late thirties or early forties. Sleek brown hair. Stylish suit. She looked smart. Professional. Gavin walked up and took the barstool beside her.
“They match,” Chloe muttered.
Ben said, “What?”
“Nothing.” She turned around. “Who is she?”
“I don’t know. I’m pretty sure they’ve met before though, judging from her reaction.”
When Chloe looked again, Gavin was leaning into the woman, smiling and flirting openly. His hand pressed into the small of her back when he lifted her hand to kiss her knuckles as she laughed.
Chloe wasn’t prepared for the stab of jealousy. It pierced her stomach hard and fast, burning when she saw him lean in and whisper in the woman’s ear. She turned back to the table, stunned by her reaction.
“It’s fake, Chloe.”
“They know each other.”
“His job was to find a way back into the museum after closing,” Ben said. “He found one. She’s a curator. I recognize the ID.”
“It’s fine.”
It wasn’t fine.
Ben kept glancing over Chloe’s shoulder. “Finish your food. This is going to be faster than I expected given her body language. She’s not interested in dinner.”
Chloe turned to peek. The woman pressed her breasts against Gavin’s side and leaned close to whisper in his ear. His eyebrows went up, and she laughed. The corner of his mouth turned up, and he nodded.
Just then, his eyes lifted and locked with Chloe’s.
The woman at his side continued to whisper in his ear, but Gavin kept his eyes on Chloe’s until she couldn’t take anymore. She turned around, her stomach in knots, her hands twisted in her lap.
“I’ll take care of the bill,” Ben said, pulling out his wallet. “I don’t want us to leave together. Head to the bathroom hallway and wait there. Check your phone until you see them leaving the restaurant, then follow them out. I’ll catch up with you.”
Chloe nodded, her mind cataloguing the steps Ben had told her and not thinking about Gavin’s behavior. Her feelings for Gavin were complicated, but her jealousy wasn’t.
Get over it, Chloe. He’s playing his part.