The Vampire's Fake Fiancée (Nocturne Falls Book 5) (12 page)

“Because he’s not that way all the time.” Tessa realized she was digging herself a deeper hole, but after what Sebastian had told her about keeping his promise to Evangeline’s father, she felt for the man. He was doing his best to do what he thought was right. He deserved to have someone stand up for him. “Just cut him some slack, okay? Everyone has a story and you have no idea what’s happened in his life to make him this way.”

Jenna shook her head. “Fine, you like him. Just don’t tell me you
like him
like him or I might lose it.” She snorted. “Next thing you know you’ll be kissing him. Gross.”

Tessa made a small involuntary sound. She turned quickly, headed for the guest room again. Duncan meowed when she squeezed him a little too tightly. Please let Jenna go back to her show…

“What a minute. You just went red. Did you kiss him? Did he kiss you?” Jenna was off the couch and in her face. “You did. You did! No. Way. Was it gross? Did he force you?” She gasped and shoved Tessa’s hair off her shoulder to peer at her neck. “Did he bite you?”

“No, he didn’t bite me and no, he didn’t force me. Don’t even imply that.” Tessa put Duncan down, tired of his squirming and tiny, needle-sharp nails, then she swatted her sister’s hands away. “And no, it wasn’t gross. It was…nice.
Very
nice.” It was the best kiss she’d ever had. Not that she’d had many.

Jenna jerked back. “You’re not lying. I need details.”

Tessa leaned against the wall. “This relationship has to look real. We’re supposed to be an engaged couple. We didn’t think having our first kiss in front of his ex was such a good idea. So we got it out of the way.” They’d hardly gotten it out of the way. If anything, it was all Tessa could think about. Well, maybe not the first one, but the second one…oh boy.

Jenna nodded, seemingly mollified. “That makes sense. So it wasn’t gross? Are you sure he didn’t try to bite you?”

Tessa rolled her eyes. “I’m going to bed. I have to be at his house at eight in the morning. It’s going to be a long day. Oh, and there’s a box of goodies from this sweet shop we went into. Apparently, his sister-in-law owns it and—”

“Delaney’s Delectables?” Jenna pivoted to look for the box. “No wonder I’m getting a pheromone spike off of you. I knew that couldn’t be from Sebastian. But Delaney’s better-than-sex goodies? Definitely.”

“Yes, that must be what it is.” Crisis averted. “The box is in that little shopping bag there. Don’t eat them all.”

“Yeah, okay.” Jenna opened the bag, her attention well diverted. “Night.”

“Night.” Tessa headed for her room to the sound of rustling paper.

“Still, it’s kind of weird.”

She stopped with her hand on the door knob. “What is?”

Jenna lifted a truffle from the box. “You and him? It’s weird.”

“Why? Because you’re not used to me having a man in my life? Or because you don’t think of him as boyfriend material?”

Jenna’s face screwed up in a curious expression. “Whoa. Are you saying you do think of him as boyfriend material? Because…wow. I mean, that whole dark and moody thing isn’t really your gig, is it? I never figure you’d see anything in a guy who wasn’t a total brainiac bookworm. Of course, it’s all just pretend, right? But still.”

“Right.” Tessa offered her sister a smile. “Just pretend.”

Except ever since that kiss, it hadn’t seemed like pretend at all.

Nerves were not something to which Sebastian was accustomed. And yet, here he was, at seven fifty-five a.m. feeling like a schoolboy who’d just been called to the headmaster’s office. He was downright jittery and didn’t know what to do about it.

And all because Tessa was about to arrive.

The woman whose kiss had brought him back to life. He’d thought of very little else since that kiss because it had done exactly what he’d feared. Reminded him of everything he was missing.

Now his thoughts had turned to her impressions of him.

What would she think of his home? It was nothing like his grandmother’s estate, but it was larger than both of his brothers’ homes. Well, Julian lived in the penthouse at the Excelsior, which hardly qualified as a proper house so it shouldn’t even be compared, but Hugh’s house was large and well-appointed.

Sebastian had built his home knowing it would be his refuge. He’d allowed for things like a library, a gymnasium, a theater and a pool—indoor, of course. And because of those allowances, the house was on the large side. Plus he had a guest house.

But for the first time since living here, he cared what someone else thought. Two someones, actually. Tessa and Evangeline. In Tessa’s case, he hoped she liked his home and saw it the same way he did, as a sanctuary. In Evangeline’s case, he hoped his house told her that he was doing just fine without her. Maybe even showed her what she was missing out on.

Hmm. He’d never realized how petty he could be. Another trait Evangeline brought out in him. And another reason to be done with her. If only he could.

The doorbell rang and he jumped, then immediately groaned at his response. “Calm down, man. You’re acting the fool.”

He forced himself to relax. He cracked open the Tombstone, the local newspaper, and did his best to read it, but there was nothing on the pages as interesting as the woman Greaves was welcoming at the front door.

From the library, the conversation was easy to hear. Especially with Sebastian’s heightened vampire senses.

The door opened and Greaves’ gravelly accent followed. “Good morning, miss. I’m Greaves. Please come in.”

The door closed. “Good morning. I’m Tessa Blythe. Sebastian invited me for breakfast. Well, for more than that, really, but you probably know all about that already.”

“I do. Quite generous of you to help him out this way. May I take your coat?”

“Sure. Thank you.”

“If you’ll follow me, Mr. Ellingham is in the library.”

Sebastian stiffened as their footsteps came closer. It was no accident he’d positioned himself in this room on this morning. He wanted her to be impressed and if there was any room in his house he thought capable of accomplishing that, it was his library.

The double doors opened and Greaves stepped in. “Mr. Ellingham, your guest has arrived.”

Sebastian folded the paper and stood as Tessa walked in.

Her hair was down and she wore a simple wine-colored dress with a scoop neck that showed off her slender throat and lovely collarbones.

He’d not had such attractive company for breakfast since Evangeline had been sharing his bed. “Good morning, Tessa.”

“Good morning.” But her eyes were not on him. They were on the room. Slowly, she walked deeper into the space, her gaze sweeping up the shelves to the second-story balcony that encompassed the room then back down again, lingering only briefly on the collection of antique weaponry hung around the fireplace before her inspection returned to the books.

He smiled, pleased that he’d been right. His nerves disappeared. “We’ll take our coffee in here, Greaves. And tell Frauke we’d like breakfast in half an hour.” He’d borrowed his grandmother’s cook, not trusting Greaves with anything beyond toast.

“Very good, sir.” Greaves left with a nod.

Sebastian turned to watch her. Her face was awash in abject wonder, giving him the feeling that he was being made privy to a rather intimate view of her. “What do you think of my library?”

She shook her head. “It’s beautiful. And so well stocked. It reminds me of the library at Harmswood.”

“It should. I used this one as a model, expanding the school’s version to handle all the academic books as well.”

Her gaze finally met his. “You designed that library?”

“I gave my input. Architecture has always been a bit of a hobby but I can’t take the credit for that space. All I did was make some sketches that were then turned into the final plans by a man much more skilled than I.”

She looked around again. “If I had a room like this, I would never leave it.”

They were so alike. The realization brought him inordinate pleasure. “I rarely do.”

Greaves returned with their coffee service, setting it up on the side table. “Anything else, sir?”

“That will be all, thank you.”

Greaves left them alone again.

Sebastian lifted the silver carafe. “How do you like your coffee?”

“In a vat. I might be a little addicted.” She smiled and walked toward him. “Is there cream and sugar?”

“There is.” He filled two cups. “Americans do like their java, don’t they? Cream is in the little pitcher and the sugar cubes are in the covered dish.”

She gave him a strange look. “So do you still think of yourself as a British citizen? I was under the impression that you’d been in the United States for quite a while.”

“I have been. All my family has. Technically, I suppose I’m more American than British now. We’ve lived here far longer than we lived in England. Still, it’s hard to change one’s mindset.”

She fixed her cup. “Especially when you don’t like change.”

He smiled as he added a single cube of sugar to his coffee. “Precisely.”

She lifted her cup and took a sip, sighing as she swallowed. “Shouldn’t you be drinking tea, then?”

His smile expanded. “Yes, but that just proves I
can
change.”

She grinned back.

“I’m glad you like the library. It’s my favorite room.”

“How could it not be?”

“Did you sleep well? Or did all that steak and chocolate keep you up?” Or thoughts of the kiss, which had visited him even in his dreams.

“I slept like a baby.” She drank some more of her coffee.

“Good. Today will be arduous. That rest will serve you well.”

Her stomach rumbled and she put a hand to it, looking dismayed. “Sorry about that.”

He laughed. “Not to worry. Breakfast is just around the corner. How about a tour of the house while we wait? Get you started on where everything is? The guest house we’ll do after breakfast.”

“Sounds good.”

“Excellent. Bring your coffee, if you like.”

She set her cup back on the tray and smiled up at him. “Already gone. I can wait for breakfast to have the second cup. Lead the way. This place is really something from the outside. I can’t wait to see the rest.”

He hesitated, captivated for a moment by the glow of pure interest in her eyes. He realized she wasn’t going to judge him based on his house. She wasn’t that kind of person. But then, why would she be when her valkyrie senses could tell her exactly what his motives were? Could she sense he wanted to impress her? Did she know that she’d made him nervous? And that those nerves were now gone?

Could she sense that his desire to show her his home had suddenly been replaced by a very different need? One that had nothing to do with his house and everything to do with kissing her again. And again.

She frowned a little. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything is fine.” He put his cup on the tray beside hers. “I was just thinking we should test something first.”

“What’s that?”

“Your reaction.”

Her frown returned. “To what?”

“To this.” He pulled her into his arms.

Tessa gasped as Sebastian’s mouth closed over hers. Her first thought was that she had no idea what the test was.