Chapter Seven
Dani expected two things to happen when she woke up. One, for Jamie and Bride to fire more questions at her about the mystery man and two, a massive hangover. As they’d lit into her about safety the night before, she’d hit the mini bar because honestly, they’d been more than right. What in the world had made her jump into a cab with a complete stranger—who just so happened to be a vampire? She may’ve not been thinking right when she’d gone out with Ramsey, but her good sense had returned in time for her to backtrack on the vampire part. Bride getting dressed to take her to the hospital had something to do with that decision. “Ha, ha, ha. It was a joke! Ramsey is a regular French guy who I let take me to dinner. Where did I meet him? Um, the hotel lobby?”
The lies had been horrible, but spending another night in the hospital would’ve been even worse.
Luckily, she hadn’t woken up with a hangover or to a million and one questions. She woke to a phone call from the front desk informing her that her ride to breakfast was waiting. It had only taken her a second to remember the breakfast plans. Ramsey sending a car to take them was an added bonus.
Dani jumped out of bed and hustled Jamie and Bride to get dressed. All the complaints that they’d given her last night about running off with a stranger were forgotten the moment they climbed into the sleek black limo.
They started the day with breakfast at Drenda’s Place. Drenda, true to her word, had a table waiting for them. Dani ignored all the glares that were shot her way as she bypassed the block-long line of people waiting to get in. Ramsey had already done enough by providing them a ride and pulled some strings to get them a table in the packed restaurant, but when they tried to pay their bill and Drenda told her that Ramsey was taking care of it, Bride and Jamie were no longer scolding Dani about her late-night disappearance act.
After breakfast they filed into the limo again, expecting to head back to the hotel. That’s when she found out Ramsey had planned the day for them and not just a ride to breakfast. The next hours were spent at the Audubon Aquarium and Butterfly Garden and Insectarium. They had a private cemetery walking tour then went on an airboat swamp tour. By the time they pulled up to the hotel, Dani was riding on cloud nine. No one had ever planned something like that for her before. She’d gone to San Diego for a short vacation with her ex, and he’d scoffed at the idea of doing touristy stuff. But here, she’d done more in one day than she could’ve ever imagined, and she had Ramsey to thank for that.
By the time they’d made it back to the hotel they were beat. Jamie hung on her arm, and Bride was content and all smiles as they entered the hotel lobby.
“My feet. My poor feet,” Jamie whined.
“So this day was absolutely the bomb,” Bride said, her smile stretched a mile long. “Are we ever going to meet this mysterious man of yours?”
“Definitely not during the day,” Dani mumbled to herself.
“Huh?” Jamie asked.
“I didn’t get his cell phone number,” Dani said. She’d been thinking about that all day. How in the hell had they forgotten to exchange numbers? Maybe vampires didn’t need phones? Or maybe he was just being a nice guy who’d listened to her bemoaning about not doing any sightseeing and made it happen for her.
Don’t read anything else into it, Dani. Vampires do not go for regular girls. Most likely I won’t even see Ramsey again. He probably has a vampire harem to tend to.
Jamie punched her arm.
“Ow!”
A couple waiting to check in turned to look at them, their curiosity on high alert.
“Nothing to see here!” Dani called out as she pinched Jamie’s arm, making her yelp. This time the front desk clerk looked up.
“Stop it,” Bride hissed. “You guys are like kids.”
Jamie and Dani giggled, punch drunk on exhaustion.
“Miss Evans?” the clerk called out.
“Yes?” both Dani and Bride answered in unison.
The clerk, a younger woman with braids, glanced down at the envelope she held. “Um, Dani Evans?”
Dani raised her hand. “That’s me.”
The clerk held the envelope to her. “This was left for you earlier. I was going to slip it under your room door after I finished checking in these customers.”
Bride and Jamie gave her quizzical looks. Dani shrugged. She didn’t know what it was. They watched her as she retrieved the envelope and met them at the elevator. Dani turned the envelope over in her hands. “For Miss Dani Evans” was written in block letters across the front.
“Well? Open it,” Bride said.
The elevator dinged, and they got in. The doors closed, and excitement hung in the air.
“There’s no return name,” Dani whispered.
“Unless you have multiple guys in New Orleans that’s from your Ramsey,” Jamie said. She was pressed against Dani’s side, looking at the envelope as curious as Dani was.
My Ramsey?
Heat rose up her chest to her neck and finally to her cheeks. Ramsey wasn’t hers. She wasn’t about to feed into that desire, but the thought made butterflies erupt in her stomach just the same.
The elevator dinged, and the doors opened. Dani let Jamie lead her to the room. She couldn’t take her eyes off the envelope. Maybe it was a note with his phone number or an invitation to dinner? She would’ve been happy with either of those options.
Jamie opened the door and pushed her inside. Bride snatched the envelope from her hands. “Good lord, if you won’t open it, I will.”
Dani could’ve snatched it back, but Bride was right. She probably would’ve stared at the thing for the next few hours, wondering what was inside.
Bride waggled her eyebrows as she used a finger to rip it open. She peeked inside. “What do we have here?”
Both Dani and Jamie waited on baited breaths.
Bride pulled out … tickets. “Steamboat dinner cruise for 7 PM.”
Dani let out a soft breath. “That’s so romantic. He’s taking me on a river boat dinner cruise.”
Bride fanned the tickets out. “There are three tickets here.”
Her shoulders slumped. It wasn’t that she didn’t want them to go, she did, but her heart had was set on seeing Ramsey again.
“Maybe he’s going to dinner, too, and we’ll finally get to meet him?” Jaime said, trying to make her feel better.
Dani tried to push her disappointment aside. “Yeah, maybe.” Ramsey wouldn’t meet them anywhere at seven in the dead of summer. It was still light outside.
Bride pushed her toward the bathroom. “Shower and dress, and then I’ll do your make-up.”
Dani stuck out her tongue. Make-up for her consisted of a light-colored lip gloss.
Bride waved her on. “Just in case he shows up.”
Arguing with Bride would get her nowhere. Dani didn’t have a choice but to let her sister make her face up, even though she knew it would be for nothing.
After they showered and dressed they went outside to find the limo waiting for them again. From their hotel it was a quick trip to the loading dock. Dani kept her eyes open and scanned the waiting crowd for any hint of Ramsey. The act was futile since the sun was still out, but she’d hoped to spot him. She loved Bride and Jamie, but she’d had someone else on her mind as a dinner date.
They were seated at a fancy table for four, and dinner was served on expensive dishes. Bride and Jamie gushed, and Dani couldn’t help but to get pulled out of her depression to join them in their giddiness. After dinner was served the band took over, signaling to the passengers that it was time to get up and dance. Dani let Bride drag her and Jamie to the floor where they danced in tune to the lively calliope music. Before long she was laughing and sweating, and the thought of Ramsey was just a small speck in the back of her mind.
After what seemed like the tenth consecutive song that she’d danced to had ended, Dani could barely catch her breath. A light breeze flowed across the deck, but with all the bodies pressed against her she couldn’t find any relief. Sweat dripped down her face, neck, and chest.
She leaned over to Jamie, wiping sweat from her face. “I need fresh air. I’m going to find a spot closer to the rail. I’m dying.”
Jamie, clearly having the best time of her life, gave Dani a thumbs-up. Dani turned to tell Bride the same thing, but she was sandwiched between two guys and not paying attention to either Jamie or Dani. Dani’s mouth opened in an O.
“Go get some air. Don’t worry about Bride. I’ve got an eye on her.” Jamie shooed Dani away.
Dani shook her head. Bride had always been the outgoing and adventurous one.
Dani made her way through the crowd of dancers. Everyone was elbow-to-elbow until she reached the outside of the dance floor. On the deck were limited seats where couples huddled together, some locked in lover’s embrace. She moved past them, giving them their privacy. What lovers didn’t need was a single woman hovering in their space, looking like she’d run a marathon and probably smelling like it, too.
She moved to a semi-private spot and took in the night air. It wasn’t as hot as it’d been the night before, so the spaghetti strap sun dress she wore felt just right. She leaned on the railing and watched the horizon as the boat angled its way down the river. Lights dotted the shoreline, but everything else was pitch black. The music, laughter, and yells from the partygoers were the only sounds and seemed to fade into the background as she watched the night.
Dani ran her fingers through her hair, trying to comb out the wet snags. Her bangs, a hot mess, were plastered to her forehead. The make-up that she’d put on, hoping to run into Ramsey, was most likely sweated away. The concealer had been on the paper towels that she’d used to wipe the sweat from her face. She didn’t think that her mascara or lipstick had fared well either.
She looked down at her floral dress. It was damp and plastered to her body. “Ugh.”
She pulled at the fabric. That only proved disastrous, making the material loose in some areas and tighter in others. It was probably for the best that Ramsey hadn’t shown up.
“I look like a wet cat,” she muttered.
“I have a cat that’s been wet on occasion, and you, my dear, look more appealing than she does.”
Dani jumped at the voice and looked at the shadow where it had come from. Her heart thrummed in anticipation. She strained to breathe.
Ramsey.
“You have a cat? I didn’t take you for a cat person.”
“She’s not really mine. She’s just a stray that found her way into my house some years ago and liked it so much that she hasn’t left.”
She could make his outline out in the shadows. Tall and looming.
“She’s yours now. What did you name her?”
“Mewlissa. My assistant got tired of me calling her ‘Cat’.”
A giggle burst from her mouth. “Mewlissa? Hi-larious. Who the heck came up with that name?”
A shoulder lifted. “She just looked like a Mewlissa to me.”
A laugh burst past her lips, and she doubled over, letting the giggles out. “I can’t believe that you, a vampire, came up with that name. Too funny.”
“I knew I should’ve lied and said that my assistant had named her.”
She shook her head and tried to compose herself. “No, no. I’m glad you didn’t.”
“But how will you fear me now, knowing that I have a cat named Mewlissa?” he grumbled.
She pinched her fingers together. “I have to admit, it makes you seem a little less scary.”
“I’m fine with just a little. Not more than that though. I still want everyone to quake in their boots when I walk by.”
She stifled another giggle behind her hand. “Yup. Quaking in my boots over here.” She turned away and stared back out at the shoreline. “So, how long have you been there?”
Ramsey chuckled and awakened something dormant within her bones. She watched from her peripheral vision as he stepped from the darkness. Her breath caught in her throat. He was magnificent dressed in all black. His button-down shirt and slacks seemed tailored just for him, fitting him in all the right places. She turned, drawn to him, and let her eyes roam over his body, taking him all in. He stalked toward her with a predatory gait, moving like a panther. Her heart skipped a beat the closer he came. When he stopped in front of her she finally let out the breath she’d been holding.
“Long enough to watch you dance.”
She tried to break the spell he had on her by turning to the rail. She leaned her elbows on it. “So long enough to see me making a fool of myself?”
He settled next to her so that the sides of their bodies touched. Every fiber in her being felt his presence.
“This is where I should probably say that your dancing is divine…” He waved his hand in the air. “Or some other lie.”
She punched him in the arm. It hurt her more than it hurt him. “Hey! Yes, a lie would be nice.”
He smiled, and the composure she’d been trying to maintain cracked. She hitched a breath. He dropped his smile.
I’m staring at him like an idiot.
She tried to look away to stop herself from melting into him or doing something equally as stupid. Before she could he reached for her, holding onto her arms. He stared down at her, and she got caught up in his eyes. Her stomach turned and twisted a million ways.
“I guess what’s written in all the romance novels about you guys is right.”
“What exactly?” he asked, his voice a deeper tenor.
“That humans can’t resist the vampire allure.”
One side of his mouth cranked up. “Do you think that’s what this is?”
She nodded. “It has to be.”
“I’m not working any kind of magic on you right now.”
He had to be. Every cell in her body longed to be pressed against him, to feel his touch. Her mind muddled every time she looked at him. She couldn’t resist him if she tried. “Oh.” Brain. Stupid.
“Can I kiss you?”
She almost fainted. She did a stupid nod.
He descended on her in slow motion. His lips parted, and he puckered.
“There you are!”
Dani startled and pulled back. Jamie walked toward them. The moment she noticed Ramsey—a man that she’d never met—standing close to Dani, Jamie instantly went into momma bear mode. She walked faster and glared at Ramsey. “Who’s your friend here?” While she said one thing the look Jamie shot her way said, “Do I need to call security?”
Dani took a step away, putting enough space between her and Ramsey. She needed to think straight, and she couldn’t with Ramsey turning her knees to putty. “Jamie, this is Ramsey. Ramsey, this is my best friend, Jamie.”
Jamie held out her hand, and her eyes roamed up and down Ramsey’s body, checking him out. Dani couldn’t be mad at her. Ramsey was well worth the obvious ogling.
Ramsey shook her hand in return. “Very nice to meet you, Jamie.”
“Oh!” Jamie giggled like a toddler. “Is that a French accent that I hear?”
“Ravi de vous rencontrer.”
Jamie giggled uncontrollably, then slapped Dani’s arm. “Girl, you did not tell me that he was French.”
She had, but Jamie’s mind was probably mushy. Dani groaned out her embarrassment. “Where is Bride?” Jamie was one breath away from jumping Ramsey’s bones. She might as well get Bride’s swooning out of the way, too.
Jamie watched Ramsey, not taking her eyes off him, and licked her lips. Dani bumped her with a hip.
“Huh?”
“Bride?”
Jamie thumbed over her shoulder, still watching Ramsey as if he were dessert on the menu. “Dance floor.”
If she wanted to burst her best friend’s bubble she would’ve reminded Jamie that she was a happily married woman with kids. But somehow, she didn’t think that Jamie would’ve heard anything that came out of her mouth.
“You missed dinner,” Jamie said to Ramsey. Then she frowned. “Wait, how did you get on the boat?”
Actually, Dani was curious about that, too. They hadn’t docked anywhere since the cruise had begun. She glanced at his clothes. Dry.
Ramsey’s smile didn’t break. “I boarded with everyone else, but I had to take care of some last-minute business with the Captain. I hadn’t realized how late it had gotten. I apologize for missing the opportunity to dine with you ladies.” He laid a hand on his chest. “Please forgive me.”
Oh, he was good. His excuse sent Jamie into another fit of giggles, and Dani shook her head. She doubted that he’d boarded when everyone else did. The sun had still been out. The only way he could’ve done that was if everything that she’d learned about vampires from the movies and books was wrong, and she was not ready to throw a childhood’s worth of knowledge out the door.
As the boat pulled into the dock it rocked and jerked. Ramsey steadied her against his body, and Dani didn’t want to be anywhere else.
“Well, at least we were able to see you before we left,” Jamie said.
When the boat stopped Dani thought Ramsey would let her go, but he didn’t. Jamie waggled her eyebrows until Dani stared daggers at her, forcing her best friend to stop embarrassing her.
“I’m glad that I caught you all before you left,” Ramsey.
Jamie sighed a little too loudly and did a poor job pretending to stretch. “Well, I’ll go get Bride. I’m beat. I know she is, too.”
Dani raised an eyebrow at her, wondering what she planned.
“But Dani said that she wasn’t tired at all. I don’t know where you get your energy from, girl,” Jamie added.
She. Wanted. To. Die.
Heat crept up her face. “I—I don’t know what you’re talk—”
Jamie stretched again and yawned. Loudly. “Yep, I sure am tired. Just going to go back to the room and go to sleep.”
“Jamie,” Dani said slowly. What if Ramsey had other plans? She would look like a fool.
Ramsey held onto her possessively. “I was actually going to invite you all back to my house for a nightcap.”
People filed out around them. Jamie waved off Ramsey. “I’m sure Bride and I will be too tired. You’ve worn us out. Thank you for the treat today and with the cruise. This was the best time that I’ve had in a long time.”
“Thank you,” Dani added under her breath. “We had a wonderful time.”
“My pleasure,” Ramsey replied.
“Well, I’ll go find Bride and head back to the room. You and Dani enjoy that … nightcap.” There was a twinkle in Jamie’s eyes.
I am so going to kill her.
Before Dani could object, Jamie gave her a knowing look then left, leaving Dani and Ramsey among the last people on the boat.
“Your friend kind of threw you under the bus,” he said.
Dani watched as Jamie made her way off the boat. “So you noticed that, too, huh?”
Ramsey maneuvered her to face him. This time she was prepared for the way her body reacted to him. All goo-goo ga-ga.
He raised her chin with his finger. “You don’t have to go anywhere with me if you don’t want to. I was only inviting your sister and friend so that you would feel comfortable. If you don’t want to come with me all you have to do is say the words.”
She pulled her bottom lip in her mouth.
“Do you want to go home with me?” he asked.
She should really tell him no. It was stupid enough that she’d gone out with him yesterday. But at least they’d gone to a public place. She would be out of her freaking mind to agree to go to his vampire lair.
“Yes.”