"Exactly!" Sebastian exclaimed, banging his mug onto the counter.

Rhys's eyes flashed to the mug, probably expecting it to be broken, then back to Sebastian. "I'm really, really not following this."

How could he not follow?

"I went to confront Mina, and I made a deal with her that I'd not bite any humans for a month, but in exchange, she would have to allow me to show her how great it is to be a vampire. Because frankly, I'm so sick and tired of being surrounded by self-pitying undeads. No offense."

Rhys shrugged. "None taken."

"So last night, we went out. I thought it was going pretty well. She seemed to be enjoying her vampire nature. Hell, she even smiled. And then... " Sebastian found, as he had with their first kiss, he didn't really want to share the details with Rhys. Strange, since he was usually prone to sharing more about his women than Rhys would ever want to know.

"Well, let's just say it didn't end like I thought it would."

"Okay," Rhys said, still looking perplexed. "So it didn't work. How can you be that surprised? She's a follower of the Society. She was willing to try and ruin your club. Why should you care about her opinion?"

"It-it doesn't matter. Forget about Mina." He straightened and tucked his shirt into his jeans. He smoothed down the wrinkles and ran a hand through his unruly hair. "I'm going down to my club and I'm biting seven-no, eight-women and each one will be even more beautiful than the last. And then, I'm going to bite one more, even sexier woman. Just because I can, dammit."

Sebastian picked up the mug and polished off the rest of the blood.

"That sounds good," Rhys said after he was done. "I just have one question for you?"

"What?"

"If the bargain is off, then why are you still drinking cold blood, which you absolutely hate?"

Sebastian stared at his brother, then set the cup on the marble counter, shoving it away from himself. He left the apartment without speaking to Rhys, slamming the door behind him.

Jane entered the kitchen, her hair damp from her shower. "I thought I heard Sebastian?"

Rhys stared at the door where his brother had just exited. "You did."

Jane frowned at her husband, who looked a tad bemused.

"What's wrong?" she asked, moving to wrap her arms around his waist, rubbing her hand over the hard muscles of his abdomen.

Rhys looked down at her, his amber eyes still a little dazed, but he smiled. "I think my little brother has finally met his match."

Mina curled her legs up onto the sofa and tried to concentrate on the book she was reading.Persuasion by Jane Austen. She read one page at least half a dozen times, but the words didn't seem to make any sense to her, or they simply blurred as her mind drifted.

Giving up, she dropped the dog-eared paperback onto the cushion beside her and wandered to the kitchen. She considered pouring herself a glass of her protein drink, but she decided against it. She'd drunk three glasses already. Apparently, vampires ate when they were bored too.

She wasn't bored, exactly, she told herself. She was restless and twitchy and... lonely.

She paused at the thought. She was never lonely. She preferred her solitude. After all, that was easier than being around others and seeing over and over that she was nothing like them. Nothing like humans. And not like vampires. She'd had years to become accustomed to being alone. And alone, she was just Mina.

Mina? When had she come to think of herself by that silly name? Mina. She wasn't Mina. She was...

Mina.She thought about the way the name sounded when said in Sebastian's deep, rich voice. A voice like the brush of dark, warm silk on her skin.

She shivered. Stop it, Mi-Wilhelmina. Stop. Sebastian was gone, for good, and it was for the best.

She walked back to the sofa, flopping down on the soft cushions. What was he doing right now? She closed her eyes, not really wanting to think about it.

He was probably surrounded by a gaggle of beautiful women, each vying for one of his charming smiles. For the touch of his hand. His lips.

Her eyes popped open. She couldn't keep thinking about him. Okay, she did like him. She did have fun with him. She did sort of... miss him, which was stupid since she barely knew him, really. But she needed to stop this nonsense now!

A sharp rap rattled the door. Her head shot up, a rush of excitement making her stomach swoop. Sebastian! But as she rushed to the door, she told herself she was being an absolute ninny. He wouldn't be back. And even if it were him, which it wasn't, what did she expect to happen. Friendship? Some torrid fling? Love?

Her hand hesitated on the doorknob, and a startled laugh escaped her. Love? She really was going mad.

Love? Really. To prove to herself that her overactive mind was just getting out of control, she called, "Lizzie? Did you lose your key again?"

She swung the door open to find Sebastian. He stood there, looking very disheveled and absolutely dazzling.

"It's not Lizzie," he said coolly. "And I think we both know that losing the key wouldn't keep me out." Mina stepped back, stunned by the angry sparks flashing in his eyes. She knew he'd been mad last night, but there was more rage on his face now than she'd ever seen.

She considered closing the door, her flight impulse telling her that was the wisest course of action. But he had just said he didn't need a key to enter her apartment, so she couldn't keep him out if he was intent on getting inside.

And there was also another part of her, a small, tenuous part of her that was beginning to believe, despite his apparent anger, Sebastian would never hurt her. He'd never threatened her since they met, even after everything she'd done to him.

So she took a deep, calming breath and pushed her fear aside.

"Please, come in."

He strode into the apartment, stopping in the middle of the living room and then turning to look at her.

Mina calmly closed the door. She hesitated, but then took a couple of cautious steps toward him.

"Let's get this straight, right off the bat," he said, his tone hard, no hint of his usual smooth, silky

resonance. "I didn't help that little girl for any other reasons than the ones I told you." Mina opened her mouth to speak, but Sebastian continued on. "I realize that you have been brainwashed or whatever by the Society, but I refuse to allow myself to be vilified by a group of crazy preternaturals who actually thought that an organization with the anagram SPAMM was a good idea." Mina frowned. She'd never noticed that before. "And," Sebastian said, "I agreed to this bargain with you, and I'll be damned if I'm backing out of it.

Because that is exactly what you expect me to do. You don't believe I can go a month without biting a human. And I intend to prove you wrong. But if I'm keeping my end of this damned bargain, so are you."

She nodded, but he didn't notice.

"And I'm also not going along with your stupid rules. I flirt, that's what I do. And as far as I know that isn't a crime against humanity."

"No, it's not," she agreed, but he didn't seem to hear.

"And this rule about touching is ludicrous. If I touch you and it bothers you, then just tell me. I can certainly stop, it's not like I'm some uncontrollable monster who's going to ravish you against your consent... "

The rest of Sebastian's words faded away as his face was replaced by another. Dark hair, dark eyes, and a wide smile that suddenly twisted and distorted.

Mina made a tiny noise in the back of her throat, then blinked, her eyes refocusing on Sebastian. Tall, lean Sebastian with his unruly golden hair, his golden eyes, and lopsided smile.

Not that Mina could see the last attribute at the moment, because he continued to rail on, his golden eyes darker in his anger.

Suddenly Mina could feel laughter bubbling in her belly. He was mad. As mad as she'd ever seen him, and really she wasn't scared.

She was scared of the things he made her feel. She was scared to open up to someone like him. But that was her own problem. Her own issue to overcome. She believed him when he said he'd never do anything against her consent. That didn't make her own fears any easier to overcome, but it did mean that she owed him an apology. Maybe for a lot of things.

She walked toward him.

"I've never forced a woman, and I sure as hell wouldn't start-"

"I'm sorry," she said, touching his arm. "I shouldn't have asked that question last night. Not after the wonderful things you showed me."

He stared down at her, his eyes roaming her face. Then slowly that smile she'd been imagining returned, lopsided and lovely.

"You're forgiven."

She blinked at the sudden shift in his mood, not sure what to say. He'd been very angry, and though she honestly had no experience with the moods of men outside of her father and her brother and they'd been gone from her life for nearly a hundred years, she hadn't expected him to forgive her so easily.

"Great," he said. "Now go get dressed. Not that I don't really like those."

She looked down at the pale turquoise silk pajamas that she'd forgotten she was wearing until he pointed to them. The pajamas were cut in a baggy men's style, but suddenly she was very aware that she was naked underneath the smooth, fluttery material.

She nodded and hurried down the hall to get away from the hungry glow in Sebastian's eyes. And she knew the small jolt of fear inside her was not due to his look, but the fact that she liked it.

Sebastian watched her dash toward her bedroom.

Well, that had gone better than he'd expected. He'd expected her to either shut down or run away as she had during their other confrontations. But she hadn't. She'd reached out to him. Touching him, apologizing. Huge, huge steps. And he'd sensed very little fear in her. That realization made him ridiculously happy.

He sighed, relieved that his angry outburst hadn't frightened her. He hated to lose his temper. Anger was emotionally draining, not particularly fun, and usually unproductive. And frankly, he'd lost his cool more in the time he'd known Mina than in most of his undead existence. And with Mina, getting angry could have been the end of any possible trust. She wanted to believe the worst about him, yet she hadn't.

He had to be making headway with her. She couldn't truly believe he was an ogre and agree to continue the bargain. All progress. Maybe she was starting to trust him. Again happiness zipped though him, and he smiled.

Then he thought about the way she'd looked in those silky pajamas, the way the material clung to her breasts, casting them in a mellow glow. The V of the collar revealing a modest little glimpse of milky skin.

He collapsed into a chair, shaking his head slightly at his body's immediate reaction to the mere memory. The women at the club often wore the equivalent of skimpy lingerie, and he'd never found any of those outfits as exciting as Mina's modest pajamas.

He wanted her. He wanted to follow her into her bedroom, throw her down on the bed and make love to her for hours. But he also knew he couldn't rush Mina. He knew she wasn't ready for too much from him, too fast.

He'd never been a patient man, but he'd be patient for Mina. Right now, he was just pleased that she was sticking with their deal.

A few moments later, Mina rejoined him. Tonight she wore a blue tailored shirt a few shades lighter than her eyes, and a black skirt with blue flowers the exact color of her shirt. She looked prim and proper and Sebastian thought his cock would burst through the seams of his jeans at the sight of her.

Patience, buddy.

His cock leapt in response, the organ as insubordinate as ever. Sebastian ignored it as he stood and ran his palms over the front of his jeans, hoping the action would pull the snug denim away from the rather prominent bulge. He didn't look down to see if his tactic worked, afraid she'd follow his gaze.

Instead he smiled at her and held out his hand. "Are you ready?"

She nibbled her bottom lip, then nodded. She slipped her small, cool hand into his, and his chest tightened as though he'd made the biggest conquest of his life.

Chapter 14.

"Where are we going?" Mina asked as they slid into the backseat of a taxi.

"To LaGuardia," Sebastian leaned forward to tell the driver.

Mina frowned at him. "The airport?"

He nodded, a mischievous smile on his lips.

"Why?" she asked.

"I really think you should just learn to trust me." His smile remained roguish as he settled back against the vinyl seat.

Trust him. He kept saying that to her as if it was the easiest thing in the world to do. She supposed for some people it was. But trust hadn't been a part of her makeup for so long, she didn't know if she even could. Absolute trust-without any doubts.

Still, she felt herself lean back into the seat. She glanced at Sebastian. He was watching her, and she immediately turned her attention to the window, although she didn't see the city going by. She was still debating trust-and why of all the beings in the world, she wished she could trust this one.

Mina waited on the curb as Sebastian paid the fare. At this time of night, the airport wasn't bustling like it must have been during the day, but there were still plenty of people milling about. Some struggled with heavy suitcases. Others rifled through their bags for tickets and IDs and other misplaced items; and there were those who walked resolutely, eager to be already at their final destination, wheeling small bags with long handles behind them.

"Okay," Sebastian said, appearing at her side. "Ready?"

He held out his hand. She looked at it for just a moment, then slipped her hand into his. Holding hands with this man was becoming almost second nature to her. Almost.

"You're still not going to tell me what we're doing here, are you?"

"Nope."

She walked through the sliding glass doors, to see roped-off sections creating queues in front of the airline desks. People waited there, more luggage and harried expressions. The air seemed to crackle with tension. Excitement, nervousness, irritation.

"It's just as intense, but it feels totally different than the toy store, doesn't it?"

Mina blinked up at him, surprised he was so aware of what she was thinking. "Yes. Not nearly as nice, really."

"Wait," he assured her. They walked down the wide corridor until they reached a bank of hard-looking, molded plastic chairs. Sebastian led her to them and gestured for her to sit.

She frowned, but did. He sat too, his long leg pressed against the side of hers. She glanced down at where their bodies met, surprised at how much she reacted to the innocuous touch. She could feel the contact in every nerve ending, every cell of her body.

Wasthis what he wanted them to do here?