Chapter 24

Reyna had no patience the next morning. She had barely gotten any sleep. She had tossed and turned in her bed, replaying everything that had happened between her and Beckham until she thought she was going to scream.

Why couldn’t she get him out of her head?

She was beyond pissed at him, and still she couldn’t stop thinking about their evening. He had been so…real. Sincere even. He had been himself with her. He had let his guard down and they’d had one beautiful moment, then poof!

Gone.

Slide the wall back between them. Two steps forward, fifty steps back. It was maddening, and she wasn’t going to put up with it anymore. Tonight had solidified that in her mind. Beckham wanted Penny. If he was an asshole who cheated on his girlfriend, then she didn’t want him.

Not that she had any right to him anyway.

That thought propelled her out of bed. She threw on her street clothes and pulled her hair into a slicked-back ponytail. After she grabbed her camera, she left her room, and without even a glance around the penthouse, she walked to the elevator.

Once she reached the bottom floor, she exited through the front doors. Everett smiled as she approached the valet station.

“Your car?” he asked.

“No, thanks. I’m just going for a walk. If anyone comes looking for me…will you tell them I needed some air and will be back later?”

He raised his eyebrows. “Do you expect someone to come looking for you?”

“No,” she said immediately. Her eyes flitted to the lobby in irritation.

“Just be safe.”

“It’s the middle of the day.”

“I know, but you’re kind of prone to danger,” he said only half joking.

“Yeah,” she acknowledged. “True. Well, I’ll stay out of the shadows.”

“Good.”

“Hey,” she said, stepping a little closer. “Did you ever find out anything more about that place we went?”

She couldn’t believe it had only been a couple days ago that she had found an underground blood bank. She still didn’t know what it meant, but wasn’t sure how to go about investigating it. Part of her wanted to post the images on her site in the hopes that someone else would look into the issue, but Beckham had been freaked out enough about her images. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to go public with them.

“No.” He looked around to make sure that they were truly alone. “I think we should probably leave it alone. There’s no way we could get back into there undetected. It was a fluke.”

She nodded, but she still felt like they should be able to do something. “You’re probably right. But…maybe we could give it a try,” she said with a wink.

He laughed. “You really do like danger. You didn’t think it was bad enough the first time that we almost got caught?”

“But this time we know what we’re looking for.”

“I don’t know,” he said uncertainly. “Maybe.”

She smiled brightly. “That sounds like a yes.”

“That’s a maybe.”

“All right. I’ll find a time to get away and contact you about it.”

“I haven’t agreed yet, Reyna,” he said as she backed away.

“Oh, but you will.”

He sighed. “You’re right. Anything for you.”

Reyna ignored the look he was giving her. She liked Everett, but not like that. Her already fucked-up love triangle wasn’t going to suddenly become a love square. She wanted to get rid of one of the sides, not add another one.

“I’ll see you around.” She waved and then trotted around the corner.

There was a park across the street from their building. She had only been there once, because it wasn’t exactly the kind of place she liked to shoot. Since they lived in the wealthy end of town, the park was clear and uncluttered. The homeless were ushered off of park benches by policemen who walked the perimeter at regular intervals. All around, it was just a sunny, cheery, safe place.

At the moment, she didn’t feel like any of those things at all.

But it didn’t matter. She couldn’t sit in Beckham’s apartment all day. The feel of his lips all over her body was still too fresh in her mind. If she stayed behind, she was pretty sure she would have stormed into his side of the penthouse to demand to know what the hell his problem was. She wouldn’t care that she wasn’t even allowed back there or that attacking Beckham would likely accomplish nothing.

“Ugh,” she grumbled. She couldn’t keep thinking about him. That was why she had left in the first place.

Grabbing her camera out of her purse, she started snapping images. Flowers in bloom, a couple on a park bench, the lake where small boats with wooden paddles were docked. She let out a deep breath and tried to enjoy her work. It wasn’t as emotional as the other things she captured, but calmed her nerves nonetheless.

Reyna rounded the corner and caught a smudge of black in her peripheral vision. She stopped in her tracks. Her eyes searched the area, but saw no one. She was in a well-lit part of the park, but it was mostly empty this early in the morning. She started back up and took a turn toward the fields where nannies brought children to run around and play games. When she was almost there, she noticed footsteps falling faintly behind her.

She was being followed.

Her heart rate sped up, and she increased her pace to a slow jog. She was glad that she was in her Converse today. She wouldn’t have been able to get anywhere in the ridiculous heels that lined her closet. Her feet carried her to the edge of the park, and she took one look behind her. That was when she caught a glimpse of the person following her.

She slowed to a walk and then turned to face the now empty trail. Reyna crossed her arms, planting herself firmly in place.

“I know you’re following me!” she called out. “Can’t I have a moment of peace, Beckham?”

He stepped out from the tree line and approached her. Anger welled up inside of her. How dare he follow her! She did not need an escort through this park. And it didn’t matter that he was truly gorgeous in dark wash jeans and a black long-sleeve button-up that he left unbuttoned at the neck. It was the most dressed-down she had ever seen him. It fit him just as well as the suits he always wore. This whole thing would have been much easier if he wasn’t attractive. She gritted her teeth in frustration.

“You left without security,” Beckham said.

“Yes. Don’t you think there was a reason for that? Can’t take a hint?” she snapped.

“I’m sure you had a reason for your actions, but I don’t think they preclude you from staying safe.”

“Do I look like I’m in any immediate danger?” She spread her hands wide and gestured to the park around her. “The only person stalking me is you.”

Beckham ignored her comment. “I wondered where you wanted to go to be all alone.”

“Honestly? Anywhere away from you, and even then I can’t get away, can I?” She hated that she sounded petulant, but she was hurt. After what had happened last night, he deserved to get a little slap in the face. She couldn’t even believe he had the nerve to follow her.

“No. You still work for me, Reyna.”

She rolled her eyes. “You signed the paperwork. You pay my wages. You provide the penthouse. There is no work involved here. And if there is, perhaps I should file some sexual harassment paperwork.”

“Oh Reyna, you don’t mean that.”

He didn’t exactly sound hurt by her words, but his response wasn’t like him either. Well, she hoped he was hurting half as much as she was.

“I just need to be away from you right now,” she told him.

“I can’t let you go off by yourself.”

“Then send someone else,” she said. “I can’t even look at you.”

She swallowed and turned her face away from him. She hated so much how small she felt in front of him. Last night had been incredible and then he had ruined everything. Now whenever she saw his face, she remembered the slap to her face she had received when he had mentioned Penelope’s name.

“I won’t apologize for last night,” he said.

Reyna shook her head and started to walk away from him. He caught up with her easily. “Stop following me.”

“Stop acting like this.”

She glared at him. “You said you wouldn’t apologize. For what? For going down on me or the fact that we almost had sex or the part where you stopped because you had a girlfriend,” she spat.

“Any of it.”

“Fantastic. Aren’t you supposed to be with your precious Penny?” she said, drawing out the nickname. “That’s where you always disappear to, isn’t it?”

Beckham didn’t answer, but she already knew the answer.

“Whatever. You disgust me.”

“Finally you’re talking sense.”

“Sense?” she cried. “You want to disgust me?”

He shrugged noncommittally. “Well, you just sound jealous of Penny.”

Her mouth dropped open in surprise. How dare he say that!

Her face heated in response as the words sank in. It wasn’t just because it was true. She was jealous of Penelope, but it was more than that. She was embarrassed how easily he noticed that her anger was fueled by jealousy. It made her want to stab him…as if that would do any good.

Instead she took a step toward him, glowering at him. “And you seem to enjoy it. All of it. You love the way I smell, the way I taste. You want me. You want more,” she said, running her hand up the front of his shirt. “What would your Penelope think if she found out about how bad you want to fuck me?”

He reached out and grasped her wrist in his hand. “That’s enough, Reyna.”

“I don’t think so. You like that you can have her and me too. You like the control, the power, Beckham.”

He released her hand forcefully and stepped away from her. Now she knew that she had affected him. He grumbled something under his breath and shook his head. “I’ve always enjoyed power. It’s the only thing I allow myself to crave anymore.”

She gave a stilted laugh. “Just because you stopped yourself from having sex with me doesn’t mean you don’t crave more. I can tell you do. It’s written all over you. So, you’re right. Maybe I am jealous of Penelope, but I think you’re just as jealous of the fact that I can stand here without hiding my emotions like you have to do every day of your life.”

Reyna shook her head and walked through the park again. Why did this damn man make her so totally insane? All she hoped was that he got the hint this time and left her alone. She was in no real danger in this park. He clearly just wanted to follow her to torment her.

But then she felt his presence behind her a few minutes later. “Oh my God, is this part of my newfound insanity?” she asked.

“You didn’t eat.”

“Nice change of subject, but I’m not hungry.”

“I know a great place nearby.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Do I look like I eat the same things you do?”

“I used to go there before I was turned.”

“It must be really old, then,” she muttered.

“Not that old,” he said with a smirk.

She just glared. “Stop being nice to me.”

“Reyna, you are a fact of life in my world. I neither asked for you nor wanted you here. I had to take you because of my job. You leave yourself so open. I don’t even know if you can help it. If you guarded yourself better, then you would not be hurt so easily.”

“My emotions are my own. Don’t try to take away my humanity.”

“You would surely know if I was,” he said, flashing his fangs. She took a step back at the sudden movement. “Now let me assure that you don’t starve.”

“What? Like you?” she asked, angling her neck suggestively. She knew he wasn’t going to do anything.

“And yet you continue to tempt me, Little One?”

She shrugged. “Doesn’t seem to hurt anything.”

His eyes darted to her neck and then away quickly. He did seem paler than normal. Maybe he really was hungry. He never acted this way. Normally when he was near her neck, he was completely in control. The way he stuffed his hands into his pockets and avoided looking at her too long now proved otherwise. As much as she wanted to needle him further, she decided to let it be for now. Arguing with him took so much effort and she knew that he wasn’t going to change his mind today anyway.

“All right. Where is this place?” she asked.

As they walked across the park, Reyna kept her camera out and snapped pictures. She turned her camera on Beckham, catching a picture of him looking thoughtfully ahead.

“Huh. A reflection. And here I thought you needed a soul to have a reflection,” she joked. She had photographed vampires before, but never this close…and none as good-looking as Beckham.

“All of those rumors about vampires are really pretty ridiculous, you know. Reflection, sunlight, stakes.”

“What? Stakes don’t work?” she gasped.

“Please, you think it’s that easy to kill one of us?”

“You think it’s easy to get a stake through someone’s heart?”

“Very.”

“Oh. Well then.”

They came up to a small restaurant inside the park that Beckham directed her into. The place was packed with a line of businesspeople waiting to get seated, but when Beckham entered, the staff immediately escorted them to an empty table. Had he planned this or did they just know him?

Once they were seated, Reyna looked over the menu. She ordered a sandwich and a drink, and then sat there before Beckham, tapping her foot impatiently. It was times like this that really frustrated her. It was so easy and natural to be here with him. Yet, there were so many complications regarding their relationship—professional or otherwise.

She was trying to untangle her emotions when a voice brought her out of her thoughts.

“You don’t mind if we join you, do you?” Rowland asked. He strode right over to their table with Cassandra, Sophie, and Felix in tow as if he had already known they would be there.

Beckham stiffened. “Of course. I didn’t know you were coming here for lunch.”

Cassandra ran her hand through Felix’s hair as if he were a pet dog. “We love this place and thought we’d call in for an early lunch.”

The staff quickly pushed the table next to them into place so they connected and then the entire group sat down. Reyna sat very straight and still. She might be pissed at Beckham, but even she wasn’t dumb enough to make that knowledge known among his colleagues. She didn’t trust either of them, and Sophie was a bit crazy. Felix was clearly besotted with Cassandra, so Reyna rarely paid him any mind.

Reyna kept quiet as Beckham discussed work with his colleagues. She was halfway through her sandwich when the conversation shifted to her suddenly.

“So, are you excited for Friday night?” Rowland asked, staring straight at her.

“I…what? What happens then?”

Rowland looked from her to Beckham and back. “You know. Going to the Vault for the first time.”

She raised her eyebrows. “What is the Vault?”

“Beckham, were you going to surprise her with the party? Did I ruin everything?” Rowland asked. He sat back in his chair, laughing softly as if it were all some kind of joke.

“No,” Beckham said. He didn’t elaborate further, but he refused to look at her.

“Well, then do tell us why you’re keeping this juicy secret from your beautiful pet,” Rowland said. “Cassandra is bringing Felix. I’m bringing my Sophie. It’ll be a real party.”

“I’d planned to bring Penny,” Beckham said.

Reyna inhaled deeply. She didn’t even know what the Vault was, but she couldn’t believe he had been keeping it from her. If everyone else was going, wouldn’t it be weird that she wasn’t there? She suddenly felt sick to her stomach over the whole situation. Plus, he was taking Penelope. God, she was such an idiot. This whole thing was a mistake.

Cassandra giggled as she ran her finger up and down Felix’s neck. The image of her sinking her fangs into his neck made Reyna shudder all over again. “Pets are more fun, Beckham.”

“She’s right. Penelope can miss one such occasion for you to introduce Reyna to our world. It will be her first time after all. There won’t be another one for a while. She’ll want to see it, won’t you?” Rowland asked, directing his attention back to her again.

She swallowed, but answered truthfully. “Yes.”

Beckham scowled at her. “The plans are already in place.”

“Oh, break the plans. Little Reyna is so young and innocent. Don’t you think it will be positively delicious to see her reaction?”

“Delicious,” Cassandra purred against Felix’s throat.

“Plus, she wants to go.”

“I do,” Reyna agreed. Though she had no idea what she was agreeing to.

“I see,” Beckham said stiffly. “Then I’ll have to change my plans for the evening.” He gave her a look that said, You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.

She just smiled back deviously.