I let my gaze skip to the store on its right. At this time of the day, the Pret a Manger opposite was only half full. Two suited men sat outside beneath the cafe’s burgundy awning, both smoking cigarettes. I longed to be inside the store, drinking a cup of coffee, with Valentine a distant memory.
“You’re still wearing your safety spectacles,” Valentine said.
“Goggles.” I turned back to him and met his eyes. In the direct sunlight, they were a deep blue that bordered on a dark turquoise with not a hint of the red that made them look violet.
Goosebumps prickled across my skin. I used to love those eyes. Now, I despised them.
“Pardon?” Valentine frowned.
I shifted my gaze to the beauty mark on his cheekbone. “They’re not spectacles.”
Valentine smiled, as though he found my attempt at petulance endearing. The sight of him looking at me with any expression other than an apology sent a flare of anger through my insides.
“Won’t you take them off?” he said.
Something inside me cracked. It was bad enough that he’d dared to show his face, bad enough that he’d demanded that I leave the shop, but I wasn’t going to tolerate his attempts at making idle chit-chat.
“What the hell do you want from me?” I yelled loud enough for the passersby to gape. “You breeze back after three years, disrupt my place of business, and intimidate my boss. Say what you want to say and bugger off.”
Valentine flinched. It was the tiniest of movements that lasted only a blink of an eye, but I’d grown up around vampires and every other sort of supernatural creature and so I knew that figments of the imagination were often what they appeared. Then he smoothed out his features into a mask of calm.
“It’s complicated.” He swept his arm toward the open limousine door.
“Mera?” asked a male voice from behind.
I turned to meet Jonathan’s hopeful blue eyes. He stood with his hands in the pockets of his duffle coat and his narrow shoulders hunched.
“Hi, Mera.” His thin lips curled into a tiny smile. “I came early for our session—”
“What session?” Valentine snapped.
Ignoring him, I glanced down at my watch. Eleven-ten. For once in my miserable existence, I wished Jonathan had arrived much earlier.
Right now, walking around a prone man who wouldn’t stop talking about himself and asking me for dates was far preferable to getting into the back of a limo with a treacherous vampire king.
Valentine placed a possessive hand on my shoulder and pulled me into his larger body so I stood with my back flush against his chest. He overwhelmed me with his size and his strength and his scent. Sandalwood and sensuality swirling around me like smoke.
Every muscle in my body relaxed at his touch, bringing back the old feelings of being loved and protected and treated like I would become his.
I had all been a lie. A twisted sick lie executed by a man so rich and powerful and bored of life that he needed to pluck innocent girls from obscurity and Tears stung to my eyes and bile stung to the back of my throat as I fought to control my traitorous body.
Valentine meant nothing to me apart from a time in my life I was trying to forget.
The warmth of his palm seeped through my white coat and into my flesh, reminding me of younger, brighter days when I could have interpreted the gesture as protective. Now, it was nothing short of an intrusion.
Shrugging him off, I turned back to Jonathan. “Could you go inside and wait, please? I’ll be with you in a few minutes.”
Jonathan’s gaze wandered over my shoulder to where Valentine was probably glaring at him to get lost. “Is this man bothering you?”
“Yes.” I shook my head. “He’s no-one. Just a messenger from home.”
Jonathan’s frown deepened. “Would you like me to escort you back into the shop or anywhere else?”
A warning growl vibrated against my back. If I didn’t get rid of Jonathan now, Valentine would resort to something forceful.
Pulling my lips into what I hoped was an I’m-not-being-kidnapped smile, I swept my arm toward the shop. “I’ll join you in ten minutes. Please wait for me inside.”
Jonathan glanced from me to Valentine and back to me again. “Are you sure?”
“How many times does the lady need to tell you to leave?” Valentine snarled.
“Alright.” His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, and he stared at Valentine as though committing his face to memory. “Ten minutes.”
With his hand on the small of my back, Valentine guided me into the waiting limousine. Without realizing why, I found myself stepping through the door.
Its interior was white, with an L-shaped leather seat, tinted windows, and a fully-stocked bar with crystal decanters already filled with liquid. I lowered myself into the seat and blinked. What the bloody hell just happened?
“Who was that man?” Valentine entered after me, not having the decency to sit a seat apart. His muscular thigh pressed against my leg, the way it used to do when we were supposedly courting.
Heat pulsed between my legs, reminding me of how he used to kiss me in limousines like this, making me beg for more. I scooted away from his encroachment and toward the door, but the central locking clicked, and the limo pulled out into the road.
My eyes bulged, and I spun around to meet the arrogant git’s triumphant features. “Did you just use your magic on me?”
“Who was he?”
“Answer my question,” I snapped.
The corner of his lip curled into a half-smile. “It was for your own good. Now, you answer my question.”
“What business is that of yours?” I narrowed my eyes.
“Tell me.” He scooted around, trying to meet my gaze.
“You had something to say, remember? Spit it out so I can leave.”
“Mera,” he barked.
I flinched. Even though I’d experienced the harsher side to Valentine’s personality just once, most of my memories of him were of a kind and patient man.
My throat dried from breathing so hard. I itched to demand why he’d kept up the deception of loving me for so long, only to cast me aside the moment I’d given him what he wanted. Surely no girl’s virginity was worth that much effort.
I ground my teeth. The last time I had been vulnerable to Valentine, that had resulted in the public shattering of my reputation and pride. I wasn’t about to expose myself to a second helping of his cruelty and let him stomp on my heart.
“Who was he?” Valentine asked again with an edge of power in his voice.
“He’s a client, alright?” I said through clenched teeth. “And I’m only answering you because I want to get this conversation over with, so I can return to the shop.”
Valentine’s eyes hardened. “Not today.”
The limousine continued down Upper Brook Street toward Park Lane, where we would soon approach Hyde Park. This was kidnapping, plain and simple, and my fury kicked up another notch. I twisted around in my seat and bared my teeth.
“I thought you just wanted to talk,” I said.
“We will.” He sat back, a look of satisfaction returning his features. Daylight filtered through the tinted windows, giving his skin a golden tinge and bringing out the blueish highlights in his black hair.