Fangs for Nothing Page 5

  The moment he was gone, I threw a look at William.

  "I don't know what the problem is, Lucy. You said you weren't dating him." He didn’t even seemed bothered by the concept of me and the other vampire, which was all kinds of conflicting. I should have known this would happen the moment William came to town.

  Before I could answer, Derek slipped into the spare seat, a cup of tea now firmly placed in front of him. It turned out that British vampires were just as much Brits as the native humans were. Next, he'd be asking if there were any biscuits and saying thank you sarcastically when someone queue jumped.

  I took a sip of my coffee, urgently wanting to distract myself from the situation at hand.

  "How are my Ds working for you?" he asked me.

  I spluttered, spraying my drink all over the table in the process. Right. That was Derek officially in my bad books. No one made me waste decent coffee and got away with it.

  "His Ds?" William asked.

  "His latest invention," I explained hastily. "Which your friend set off when he climbed in my window the other night."

  A low growl comes from Derek. "Climbed in your window?"

  "That wasn't how I intended for him to ask for help," William said softly.

  "No. I guessed not. Please make it explicitly clear next time that I expect potential clients to knock on my front door at a reasonable time. I don't want to be losing my pillow to a cat again."

  Derek snorted. "Jester is already marking his territory, then?"

  I sighed. "Anywhere he isn't wanted, yes." I was just lucky most of my clothing was black already or I'd end up visibly covered in cat hair instead of being able to pretend that I wasn't. I was getting all the perks of being a cat owner that I never actually wanted.

  "Where did the cat come from again?" William asked.

  "You really didn't send him?"

  "No. Why would I lie about that?" He cocked his head to the side, looking genuinely confused by the insinuation.

  "I don't know." I sighed dramatically and leaned back in my seat. If my mother could see how sloppy I was being, she'd have a fit. This was not the way for a noble vampire to sit, particularly not in public.

  "You really don't know where he came from?" William asked.

  "No, I really don't." I pushed a hand over my face and grunted in annoyance.

  "Was there a note in the box?" Derek asked.

  "No." Though I would admit that I'd been a little preoccupied and not checked quite as thoroughly as I should have done. Partly because every time I thought about it, something else came along and distracted me.

  Like a case.

  "Hmm. How odd. Anything else?" Derek sat back in his chair and picked up his tea to take a sip. I had to hand it to him, he actually looked like he was interested in whatever was going on. Maybe he'd even be able to help.

  "A squeaky mouse, but that’s it.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes…”

  Derek tapped his chin. “But was there really nothing else?

  “You can always come back with us and look in the box yourself?" I suggested, only half-joking. At least William wouldn't really mind. Not if it made me happy. And finding out where Jester had come from would do just that.

  "Yes. I think that might be the best thing. Maybe I can create some kind of scanner to look at Jester and..."

  "Absolutely not," I interrupted. "You are not using an untested invention on an innocent animal."

  "I thought he was a devil cat?" Derek's smirk was hard to ignore.

  "He is. But that doesn't mean he deserves potential maiming at your hand." I leaned forward, fixing him with the sternest look I could muster.

  A hurt look flitted across his face.

  "But maybe Derek's right," William mused. He rested a soothing hand on my lower back. My eyes wanted to close in response to his touch, but we were in public and I needed to maintain control of myself.

  "Right how?" I couldn't see where they were seeing eye to eye, even if I was glad they were.

  "Maybe there's a clue on Jester himself. Was he wearing a collar?"

  I shook my head, realising that was weird in itself. Something about that cat didn't sit right, and I couldn't put my finger on what. Other than the fact he'd made himself my pet without me actually wanting it.

  Great. Now I’d have an unwanted cat and two men in my house which was three visitors too many. Well… I did want William there. And Derek wasn’t the worst. And Jester was growing on me, despite him being a spawn from hell.

  But none of that was the point!

  When did I get a say in any of this matter and choose what I wanted?

  Chapter 8

  "Meow?" Jester greeted me at the door, happily slipping between my legs to roll over William's shoes. With his belly exposed, he invited my fiancé in for a rub and purred loudly as he got what he wanted.

  "Hello, little guy." William scratched the black cat between his ears. "Aww, aren't you cute?"

  "I see I've been replaced. Again," I said, glaring at Jester. Wasn't he supposed to be my cat? Not that I wanted him, but still. He was living here and I was keeping him fed. Surely, he'd feel affection towards me instead of strangers?

  "I think he's just saying hello," Derek quipped in as Jester shuffled along the floor to him. With a satisfied grin, the cat played with his hand as he demanded fuss. "Hello again."

  "Again?" William echoed, quipping an eyebrow. He didn't seem offended, merely curious. I hoped.

  I really didn't need the two of them to get into a jealous spat. There wasn't anything to be jealous about.

  "So, where's the box he came in?" Derek asked.

  "I put it in the kitchen. Let me get it." A little worried about leaving them alone, I quickly hurried to the kitchen. I knew they'd both behave, but I certainly didn't want either of them to get the wrong idea. I wasn't dating either of them, despite my engagement to William.

  "I'll come with!" I heard from behind me.

  Before I could protest, both of them squeezed through the door and populated the kitchen with their handsomeness and chests. Where William was tall, Derek was broad. Both were in great shape, but neither worked out. I knew that much.

  William simply didn't care and Derek didn't need it. His inventing involved a lot of physical work that kept him chiselled and muscled. I knew from that one summer where he walked around without his shirt. His stomach was one hard checkered plate of rippled goodness.

  "Lucy?" Derek waved his hand in front of my face, snapping me out of my little daydream.

  My ears burned as I averted my gaze and pushed the image of Derek out of my mind. That was beyond inappropriate, especially with William standing right next to me.

  "Are you okay?" William supplied gently, reaching out to touch my hand. "You seemed like you were on another planet."

  Guiltily, I pulled away from him. He was so good to me and while it was fine making him wait, I was a bitch for fantasising about another man. Regardless of our actual relationship status, we were engaged to be married. I was promised to him and I fully intended to keep that promise.

  "I'm fine," I said, ignoring the hurt flashing through his eyes. Shit... And I couldn't even tell him why I pulled away without hurting him even more.

  He looked at me, studying me carefully. There was something penetrating about his gaze, like he could see right into my soul. He always had that and usually, I liked it. Usually, it made me feel understood.

  Now, it just added to the feelings of guilt and confusion. I wasn't interested in Derek, not when I had a fiancé. I loved William and I wanted to be with him. But having the two of them here at the same time... It was stressing me out.

  "The box?" Derek asked quietly, breaking the tension between William and me.

  "Under the counter," I replied, never looking away from my fiancé. I wanted to explain myself, but I wasn't entirely sure what the problem was. I wasn't into Derek so what was the problem? Unless... Was I?

  I studied the man
lurking under the sink, his jeans tightly framing his—

  Shit.

  Well, that was fanging inconvenient. When did that happen?! Couldn't I have realised it at a different time, when my fiancé wasn't standing next to me?

  Or just not realised it at all, if I could choose. I'd have to bury the knowledge of my attraction for Derek deep under a lot of denial, denial, and more denial.

  "Found it!" Derek said, holding up the scruffy cardboard box. His hair was all dishevelled and it somehow suited him even more. Next to the neat, handsomely-suited, picture-perfect William, he was pretty much the opposite. Cheeky, boyish, and pro tank tops. Which really showed off his broad shoulders...

  Aha, that must be why he wore them.

  His muscles flexed as he tipped the box upside down. Besides the tornado of newspaper fluff, something clanked as it thudded to the stone floor.

  "What's that?" I asked, crouching down to hold up a pink collar. "That wasn't there before?"

  "It must've been," Derek chuckled, checking whether there was anything else left behind. "No note, though."

  "There's writing on the collar," William pointed out. His voice smooth and refined, it always put me at ease. It was a sound I could listen to my entire life and I hoped I would.

  Derek crouched down next to me, a whiff of his masculine smell brushing past me. "What's it say?"

  "Ummm..." A little dazed, I stared at him. Did he always smell this good?

  "Lucinda?"

  "Lucy?"

  The way they both said my name, it sent shivers down my spine. Somehow, William could make my horrible, full name sound good and he didn't even have to try. It was the timbre of his voice, how it always softened when it came to me. But the affection in Derek's voice was unmistakable too. Playful, if that was possible.

  I looked from one to the other. They were handsome in their own way, incredibly so. And I liked both.

  How was this happening to me?

  "Are you sure you're okay?" Derek asked again.

  "Maybe you need to sit down for a bit," William suggested, caring as always. "I'll put the kettle on."

  "Let's go to the living room. Why don't you grab hold of my arm?" the other man suggested, presenting his muscled arm to me.

  "How about I do that," my fiancé quickly interjected. He cut in between me and the inventor, quickly taking hold of me. "She's my betrothed, after all."

  "Right..." Derek said, a low growl imminent in his voice. "I guess I'll make the tea then."

  "I don't need assisting," I protested, but William didn't listen. He tightened his grip on my waist, his arm around me rather pleasant. That was actually quite nice, if I was honest. Maybe not the worst thing in the world to be escorted to the sofa.

  My fiancé dashed around and fluffed up pillows and blankets to make me a comfortable spot. My traitorous heart skipped a beat as he took off his blazer and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. He didn't often decompress, but when he did... He was just so handsome when he got all homey.

  "How's that?" he asked, worry flitting across his handsome face.

  "Perfect."

  "You look a little pale," he remarked.

  "I'm a vampire. I'm always pale."

  A soft chuckle rumbled from deep within his chest. "Paler than usual, Lucinda."

  "Maybe that's just my new foundation."

  "You're not wearing any makeup."

  "How do you know?" I challenged.

  A little light twinkled in William's eyes. "Because you're far too beautiful to need it."

  "Flirt."

  "Only with you," he said seriously. And I knew he meant it.

  Guilt welled up in my chest again. Could I seriously say the same? Did I not always flirt back with Derek, even if it was just for a moment or two?

  My fiancé was so loyal to me, waiting without any complaint for as long as I made him wait... And me? I eyed up my handsome inventor friend whenever I had the chance. What did that make me?

  "Lucinda?"

  I averted my gaze and despite myself, looked in the direction of the kitchen where I could hear Derek humming to himself.

  William clicked his tongue. "I see."

  "No, it's not—”

  "It's fine. Let's not talk about it right now," he cut me off. Before I could say anything, he let go of my hand and sat down in the armchair across of me. His jaw tightened as he crossed his arms sternly.

  If it wasn't breaking my heart to see him like this, I'd have found it extremely sexy. But this really wasn't the time to have those thoughts. William, my gentle, patient, never-even-raised-his-voice William was mad at me. And even in his anger, he was composed and reserved. Which made it even worse.

  "Ahem. Am I interrupting?" Derek's little cough stirred the tension as he walked into the living room, a silver tray in his large hands. "Tea is ready."

  "Thanks." Grateful for the momentary distraction, I quickly reached for the steaming cup and hid my face behind it. This was all going terribly wrong and I didn't know how to stop it.

  "Tea, mate?"

  William gave him a polite nod. "Thank you."

  "Jester, tea?" Derek asked, grinning at the black cat peeking out from underneath the couch.

  "Meow?"

  "Just kidding. I brought you fish." He held up a small tin, waving it in front of the uninterested face of Jester. Before he opened it, he turned to me. "Is it alright to give it to him?"

  "Yes, go ahead."

  "Yum, yum, tasty fishies for you, Jester," Derek cooed. "You want some? You want some?"

  "Man, just give him the fish," William snapped, completely out of character for him. His sudden outburst startled the room and brought an awkward silence over all four of us.

  Well, three. Jester couldn't care less. He loudly and happily smeckled from the tin of fish, gobbling the sardines as quickly as he could.

  "So... Lovely weather, isn't it?"

  My poor attempt for conversation hung in the air, unanswered. The only audible noises were the coughs William tried to stifle, the over-enthusiastic stirring of his cup of tea from Derek, and the satisfied purring of Jester. He was one satisfied cat after he got some scratches and a tin of sardines.

  Spoilt thing.

  The fishy smell was potent too.

  Tea, fish, and two men that were both on edge. Certainly not what I'd call the perfect 'gentleman caller' situation.

  "So... Derek. How is the family?" William asked politely, sipping from his steaming mug. We all knew the tea was way too hot, but he stone-faced Derek while undoubtedly burning his tongue.

  Not one to throw in the towel, Derek followed suit by taking a big gulp from his own mug. Smoke practically came from his nose and ears as he panted from the burn, but even so, he didn't relent. Instead, he shot a challenging smile at my fiancé.

  It was on.

  In unison, the two men downed their scalding cup of tea without ever breaking eye contact with each other. If I didn't know any better, I'd say they were into each other. But of course, that was not what this was.

  As soon as they emptied their cup, the pair gasped for air to soothe their burning tongues.

  "Sorry, I dropped something," Derek lied, purely as an excuse to dive under his chair and fan his mouth with his hands.

  William used his embroidered handkerchief to waft fresh air on his face, looking equally as red as the other man.

  Bloody British vampires.

  They were difficult at the best of times, but apparently even worse when they were jealous. This wasn't what I needed.

  I sighed and turned to my own tea, blowing across the top of it. No way was I falling for the same thing they had. If my tea was too hot, then there was no way I was drinking it.

  "Will the two of you calm down?" I demanded. "You'll be healed in a matter of minutes, and if not, you can go get some blood from the fridge." Thinking of that, I'd have to make sure to increase my order if the two of them were going to keep hanging about. I wondered what their favourite blood type was
? I knew William liked B-positive, but what about Derek?

  I shook my head. No. I couldn't be thinking about Derek like that. It wasn't fair to William. While I might not be married to him yet, that didn't do anything to diminish the hundred-plus years we'd been together.

  Not that we'd done anything in that time. I'd been tempted, but my mother would quite literally have had a fit if she thought William and I had slept together before the wedding. I wasn't sure why it even mattered. I was an adult even by vampire terms, I should be able to do with my body what I wanted to.

  Uh oh. Maybe William thought I'd slated those needs with Derek. The look on his face told me all I needed to know. He certainly suspected that something was going on, even when it wasn't.

  Jester sauntered out from under the couch and into the middle of the room. He was obviously used to being blind because other than the eyes, I'd never have been able to tell he couldn't see. Then again, I had no idea how not-blind cats acted. Maybe I should look up some cat videos and learn from them.

  "What were you doing in the cafe?" I asked Derek.

  "What were you?" he countered.

  I glanced at William, unsure what the best way to explain was without hurting one of them.

  "We were on a date," I said softly. "William's just arrived for a visit and we were catching up." At least that was the truth.

  "Ah."

  Silence hung between us. I had to notice that he still hadn't told me what he'd been doing there either, but I supposed I couldn't ask for too much, especially not when it was William's fault the three of us were in this oddly awkward situation to begin with.

  "So, I'm third wheeling it then?" Derek asked, sitting back in his seat and resting his foot on his knee. The act spread his legs out, making him look even bigger than he'd seemed before.

  I swallowed loudly, hoping that the men's enhanced hearing hadn't picked up on that. The last thing I wanted was them knowing how weirdly I was acting. I barely had enough space in my own head for that.

  "A third wheel would imply that Lucinda and I were actually in a relationship," William said coolly.

  My heart sank. Were we not? I might not have said yes to marrying him yet, but that didn't mean I thought we weren't together.