Turned out the cure for a paranoia-induced panic attack was a drop-dead gorgeous vampire chasing you around a beach like a randy teenager.

They had spent so much time playing and splashing around in the surf, she was practically waterlogged, her mood improved tenfold. She could officially check make love in the ocean off her fuck-it list. When she’d informed Cortez of that, he’d bellowed with laughter. There was something in the way he reacted to her that made her wonder if he was unused to finding amusement in the company of others.

Maybe because he could read minds?

She was back to speculating.

Did knowing what people were going to say beforehand dampen the effect of jokes? Punchlines would be seen a mile away. Is that why he laughed so readily for her? Because to him everything she said was a mystery uncovered.

In any case, she liked that she could make Cortez laugh.

Earlier, she had asked him what other women thought of his island.

Seemingly perturbed, he’d said, “That’s what? The third or fourth time you’ve brought up other women? Do you just want to come out and ask me if I’m a player?”

“Oh, I don’t have to ask.”

He cast her an arch look.

“I’ve had my share of lovers, but no one has ever seduced me as quickly as you. You made my panties drop like they were made of cement!”

At that, he belly laughed till he was holding a stitch in his side.

But now she had a more serious conversation planned.

After returning to the house, they’d had dinner on a balcony that overlooked the ocean. Well, she’d had dinner; he sipped bourbon, eyeing her with something like suspicion. He might not read minds, but he showed an ever-developing aptitude for reading her. Earlier on the roof, he’d sensed her unease and had worked to lighten her mood. Now she was jittery, plotting the best way to broach her interrogation.

Spending time with Cortez had only heightened her curiosity about him. Was Dante right in his assumptions? That although Cortez was a successful business owner, he leaned more toward criminal pursuits? It didn’t seem likely. She might not know a lot about the enigmatic vampire, but he didn’t come across as the type to get involved in forced prostitution. Or drugs, for that matter. But she’d misjudged the opposite sex before, and it had nearly cost her everything.

Throughout dinner, she’d studied his every move as if there was a hidden confession in the angle of his jaw when he drank, or in the tilt of his head as he glanced her way.

The sun had long since set, and speckled moonlight bounced off the ever churning ocean. Once she’d finished eating, they’d settled on a set of lounge chairs by the pool.

“You’ve been pensive all evening,” he said, propping a hand behind his head. “Care to tell me what’s on your mind?” His body went still at his own words, and his lips curled into a marveling smirk.

Now each time he did something like that, she filed it away in her bank of evidence that was quickly piling up.

Down on the beach, she’d asked him how he determined who to hire at the club, curious how she could get on that short list. Again that jaw muscle had ticked, as though he didn’t care for this topic, but he’d answered, “It’s all about attitude. Even if they haven’t worked a day in their lives, anyone can learn anything given the right attitude. I’d prefer to invest in someone eager to improve themselves than someone with experience who’s complacent and jaded.”

“How do you figure out if they’re complacent or jaded?” It was the most loaded question she’d asked him thus far.

“It’s not something people can hide from me.” Then he’d cocked his head at her. “Well, most people.”

She’d added that to the pile, then transitioned her little intake of breath into a nonchalant sigh. “How so?”

Suddenly wary, he changed the subject, directing her instead to thoughts of dinner and what type of wine she’d like this evening and oh yeah, there was something he’d wanted to show her back up at the house.

On the lounge chair, she turned on her side to face him. “I was just thinking about that new drug that’s been circulating around town.” Boom. Right to the point. No more beating around the bush. There really wasn’t a good way to broach this subject so she’d dispensed with tact.

He blinked. “Why would you be thinking about that?”

“I heard it was causing a lot of deaths. Someone I know lost a good friend a little while back. I was just curious. You don’t allow drugs like that in your club do you?”

He gave a noncommittal shrug and gazed up at the stars. “I’m not the moral police.”

“But it’s killing people. Don’t you care?”

His head swiveled around. “It’s not my job to save people from their own stupidity. Ninety-nine percent of the time that’s an exercise in futility. People are going to do what they want. Even knowing it’s no good for them. Besides, it’s difficult to keep that stuff out of a party atmosphere. I’d say a good third of the people who enter the club are holding, another third are looking to buy. However, I don’t condone trafficking in my club. Those who get caught are bounced. Repeat offenders are banned.”

She sighed. That was a relief...unless he banned them to get rid of the competition.

Trying for an easy tone, she continued. “And then there’s that rumor about a group of individuals forcing women into prostitution. Some say vampire compulsion might be involved.”

His expression turned fierce. “Who is saying these things?”

“Just people,” she hedged.

He eyed her for a long moment. “Is that why you jumped to such a drastic conclusion the other day?”

She flushed. “It’s not hard to believe some vamps might take advantage of their natural abilities. You know, compel a girl to think she was happy about that gangbang she participated in the night before.”

He shot upright, anger roiling in his eyes. “Has someone hurt you?”

Her hands popped up, palms facing him in a calming gesture. “NO! I was speaking metaphorically!”

His body instantly relaxed, yet tension remained around his jaw. Resting his arms on his knees, he let out a heavy breath. “Your concerns are valid, but we have laws against such behavior.”

“You do?” She knew nothing of vampire law.

He nodded. “In the past, before The Revelation, keeping vampires in check was largely left to clan leaders and makers—”

“Makers?”

“Those with the ability to sire new vampires,” he explained. “Naturally depraved makers unfailingly breed depravity. Eventually those ruthless clans became a threat to our way of life and war broke out, nearly exposing our entire race before we were ready. To cull the poison and keep the peace, the VEA was established. You know what that is, right?”

“The Vampire Enforcement Agency.”

“Correct. Our laws are absolute, with harsh consequences. Rarely is there a slap on the wrist for an offender. It offers great incentive to toe the line.”

“Are you saying vampires don’t commit crimes?”

He shook his head. “That would be something, wouldn’t it? Unfortunately, there are always those who test the boundaries, convince themselves they’re too smart to get caught, or just plain don’t care. However, our transgressions aren’t quite the same as yours. For humans, murder is the greatest sin. Ours is the abuse of power.”

“Abusing power is worse than murder?”

“It is when the abuse of power could cause many deaths as a result. Murder for the greater good is somewhat common in my world. Because we live so long, it is considered admirable for a sire to exterminate his own bad eggs, as it were. Especially now with peace between vampires and humans so tentative. Left unchecked, those bad eggs could potentially sire entire clans that lack basic morals. And that wouldn’t be good for anyone. More so, as the sire and head of my own clan, I could potentially be held responsible for any crime committed by a member of my clan. Needless to say, I thoroughly vet anyone I plan to bring into the fold.” He sipped his drink and glanced up at the stars.

A worrisome thought popped into her head. “Are you vetting me?”

Bourbon sprayed from his lips followed by a half coughing fit, half belly laugh.

A confounding mix of relief and hurt assaulted her.

When his cutting mirth finally died down, he noticed her frown. “I’m sorry,” he said, still slightly chuckling. “I didn’t mean to laugh. It’s just that this is the first time I’ve been unable to anticipate what someone will say at any given moment. You can’t believe how refreshing that is. And no, I have no desire to turn any more vampires at present.”

She tried to keep her eyes from popping out of their sockets. He was accustomed to predicting what people will say? She filed that information away, pretending he hadn’t inexplicably yet thoroughly offended her by his abject rejection of the notion of her as a vampire. Not that she wanted that. At all.