Kiss Me When the Sun Goes Down (2 page)

“Earth to Anja...”  Carter tapped at the door molding, jarring me out of my train of thought. 

“Huh?”

“I asked where you’re going tonight.”

For a moment, I thought he was only asking to choose the best cover to spy on us, but his face lacked that calculating shrewdness it got when he was plotting his next move.  Even if I wanted to tell him, I couldn’t.  “I have no idea, he’s planned the whole thing on his own.  All he said was to dress nice.”  I’d chosen a slim fitting red dress, with a lacy overlay and an asymmetrical neckline.  It was classy, but more daring than the safe little black dress I tended to choose.  “How do I look?”

“Like I’d better follow along after you and make sure he doesn’t try anything.”

“You are not following us around!”  I threw my hairbrush at him to make my point, knowing he’d deflect it before it smacked him in the face.  Sure enough, he plucked it out of the air without batting an eye.  “In fact, I forbid it.  If I get one whiff that you’re lurking in the shadows, you’re grounded for a whole month.  That means no video games, no movies, and no target practice.  And definitely no hunting.”

Carter crossed the room, handing the brush over, his face drawn in a comical version of disappointment.  “Aw, gee, Ma...”

“You’re the one acting like an unruly child,” I pointed out, and he backed off.

“Fine, I’ll stay home.  But if he tries anything out of line, I’ll cut off his dick.”

“I’d take it as a personal favor if you stayed away from that part of his anatomy.  I might have a use for it later,” I replied, pausing as if speculating as to what exactly for. 

Carter’s face twisted as though he was choking back a gag.  “I think that’s my cue to go shower.”

“Probably a good idea, yep,” I nodded, holding back a smile.  “And Carter?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you too, but I can take care of myself.”  He just shook his head and wandered off. 

I’m not going to lie, I hid out in my room until I heard Bishop’s step on the front porch.  I’d finished applying the perfect shade of red lipstick to go with my dress, and my eyes had just the right wing of liner to them.  There was nothing left to do but wait, and I chose to do it alone, knowing if I went upstairs I’d have to talk to Maggie, Gunnar or Lee, and I didn’t think I could handle any chit chat, not with the hamsters doing the samba in my belly. 

“It’s just a date,” I said to my reflection.  “And it’s with Bishop.  Nothing to be afraid of.” 
Yeah, it’s only your future, no big whoop
, my inner voice taunted back at me. 

I started for the stairs as I heard his knock, my heels snagging on the carpet and sending me tumbling to the ground where I scraped my knees.  “Cool beans,” I huffed, frowning over the reddened skin, because who didn’t love
that
girl?  But thanks to my vampire healing, the scrapes disappeared within seconds, the skin turning pink and then to paler perfection as I heard Maggie greet Bishop above. 

Bishop stood on the porch, wearing a spiffy suit of charcoal gray with a very faint checked pattern, and a maroon tie over a crisp white shirt.  I could count the times I’d seen him in a suit on one hand, and the effect was very, very appealing.  The scruffy goatee was gone, his cheeks baby soft and infinitely tempting below the crinkle of his green eyes.  “Wow, you look...  You’re...”  He licked his lips, Adam’s apple bobbing as he fought to find the right words.  “It’s um, you’re very...”

“You’re very too,” I smiled, somehow relieved that he looked as nervous as I did.  “Are those for me?”  He held a forgotten bunch of white carnations drooping in one hand. 

“Ah... yeah, yes,” he nodded, holding them up, but his hand met with the unseen barrier, reminding me that I hadn’t invited him in since the house had been re-consecrated by Rob’s sister, Leila. 

“Oh, thank you,” I smiled, reaching through to take them from him, bringing them to my nose for an appreciative sniff before I handed them off to Maggie, who watched us with subdued amusement.  “Am I dressed okay for where we’re going tonight?”

“You look just right,” he smiled back, and for an instant, everything was perfect.  The nerves melted away, for the both of us I think, and we smiled at each other across the threshold, that old magnetic pull still working like a charm.  “But we should really get going.”

“Oh right,” I nodded, grateful to be let off the hook for inviting him in for more awkward conversation.  “Maggie...”

“I won’t wait up,” the pretty brunette smiled back at me, turning to take the flowers into the kitchen.

“Shall we go then?” I asked, stepping out onto the porch before anyone else in the household showed up, especially Carter.  As he took my hand to lead me down the walk, I noticed his was cold.  I mean, I know he’s a vampire, we both are, but his hands were super clammy.  He must’ve noticed it at the same time, because he pulled his hand free to wipe it on his pants as soon as we reached the car. 

“I didn’t get a limousine, I’m sorry about that,” he frowned, pulling open the passenger’s side door for me.

“That’s okay.  What would we need a limo for?”

Bishop shrugged as I climbed into his black SUV.  “It’s fancy.”

“I don’t mind.  This way we don’t have to worry about the driver listening in on our conversation.”

“That’s true,” he smiled, but I still saw his cheeks puff out with a long breath as he passed behind the car to get to the driver’s seat.  I take it back, I think he was more nervous than I was. 

He drove us to
La Petit Maison
, handing the keys over to the red vested valet and squiring me inside, as if it was completely normal for two vampires to stroll into a fancy restaurant.  I’d thought he was kidding when he said he wanted to go on a traditional date.  Were we supposed to push the food around our plates and pretend to eat too?

The place was busy, but he must’ve booked a reservation, because we were led right to our table, and I didn’t catch the flare of compulsion in the air.  A string quartet played in the corner, adding to the din of conversation, louder than I would’ve expected for such an exclusive place.  The waiter placed the oversized menus before us, and I pretended to study it, surreptitiously looking over the top of it to see if Bishop was doing the same.  Instead, I caught him watching me. 

“This place is really nice,” I observed, more to fill the space than anything else. 

“Yeah, they have a nice quartet that plays, that’s what made me choose it.  It’s too bad you can hardly hear it though.”  He looked off toward the corner with the beginnings of a scowl.

“Oh, I can hear it,” I assured him.  “Enhanced senses and all.”

“Right,” he nodded, relieved.  “Good.  You haven’t been here before then?”

“No.  It was a tad out of my price point before when I was a lowly college student, and since...”

“We don’t eat,” he finished for me, setting the menu down.  “I know, it’s a weird choice for our kind of date, but I thought maybe we could enjoy a couple of drinks before the show.”

“There’s going to be a show?”  I brightened considerably, especially since he didn’t appear to want me to play human for the night.

“Yes, I got us tickets for
La Boheme
.  I hope that’s alright.”

“Sounds shiny to me, I love the opera,” I admitted with a wholehearted smile, and some of the starch went out of his shoulders. 

“Good, I was hoping you might,” he replied, breathing easier.  “I, um... I like your shoes,” he added, which made my lips draw together in confusion.  Could he even see my shoes under the table?

“Ah... thanks,” I smiled back, not sure what else to say to that.  My phone buzzed inside my purse, and I felt it vibrate through the table.  Seeing as how only a handful of people had that number, and most of them knew I was on a date, I figured the chances of it being important were pretty high. 

“I’m sorry, do you mind if I...”

“No, you go right ahead.  I don’t mind at all,” he replied quickly, as if glad for the distraction. 

The message was from Carter, and read,
Do you know where I can find a hardware store that’s open late?

“Seriously?” I murmured out loud.

“Is there a problem?” 

“Only with Carter’s sense of the appropriate.” 
Ask Lee or Gunnar, I’m busy.
  I sent back.  “I’m sorry, what were we talking about?”

“I have no idea,” he admitted, letting out a shaky breath, and I joined him in a long exhalation of my own. 

“This date thing is harder than I thought it would be.”

“Right?” His hand came up in validation as I addressed the elephant in the room.  “What’s up with that?  I mean, I love you, you love me...”

Any singing in my mind took a backseat as he so glibly trotted out the L word and stomped all over that elephant.  “Oh... are we there already?  I thought...” 

His discomfort returned in spades.  “I mean, I thought you said... You don’t have to...”

“No, I do, I mean... I just didn’t think we’d...”  Talk about awkward.  “We talked about giving each other space, so...”

“No, you’re right.  We did agree to do that.  I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

I reached for his hand, ignoring the sweaty palm to give it a squeeze.  “It’s okay.  We’re both just...”

“And ’ow are we zees evening,
mademoiselle
and
monsieur
?”  The waiter took that opportunity to burst into the conversation with a French accent that had to be fake, it was so over the top. 

“We’re...”

“
Bon
,
bon
,” he smiled, running right over my reply.  “And would zee lovely laydee care to start wheez an
hors d’oeuvres
or an
aperitif
before deenair?”

“Oh, we won’t be ordering dinner tonight, but I’d love some aquavit if you have it, or a glass of merlot if you don’t,” I replied with a polite smile, only to be met with icy disdain.

“You are no ordering deenair?” The waiter wrinkled his nose as though he smelled stinky cheese.

“
Non
,” I replied.  “Is that a problem?”  As long as we were paying customers, I didn’t see what the big deal was. 

“Oui, eet ees a problem.  If you are not ordering deenair, you weel ’ave to geeve up your table.  Eet ees our polleecee,” he sniffed. 

Bishop’s spine stiffened.  “Look, pal, we just want to have a couple of drinks and listen to the music.”

“Zen you are more zan welcome to do eet in zee bar area.”

I felt it the moment Bishop’s will reached for the waiter’s.  “Listen...”

“Um, Bishop?” I stopped him with a hand to his arm.  “It’s cool.  They’re really busy.  I feel kind of weird sitting here when people are waiting to eat.”  Especially since more than a few heads had turned our way. 

Bishop turned to me, and I saw the tension warring with relief in his face.  “Do you want to go somewhere else?”

“Sure.  We can get a drink anywhere.  And we have the opera to look forward to, we don’t need to listen to the music here.”

He let out a short breath and nodded, rising from his seat to pull out my chair.  “Okay, where do you want to go?”

“You’d better do something about him first,” I whispered, jerking my head toward the waiter who’d frozen in place, listening carefully thanks to the beginnings of Bishop’s compulsion.

“Oh, right.  You can have the table, have a nice night.”  Bishop released him, his hand at the small of my back. 

I couldn’t resist, pausing in front of the waiter before we left, delivering a brief burst of my own compulsion.  “You should smile more.  I think it’ll make you a happier person,” I whispered, gratified to see his bright smile as I walked away.  “So, where to now?”

“Ah... we have about an hour and a half before the show starts.”

“That should give us plenty of time to...  Oh, excuse me.”  My phone buzzed again, and I dug it out, frowning over the display.  Another text from Carter.

You’re not using the office downstairs for anything, are you?

“Let me reply to him and get him off my back, okay?” I offered Bishop an embarrassed smile as I texted back,
Ah, no.  Why?  Do you need an office?  You’re welcome to it
. The basement office had never seen much use, not even when Rob had stored some papers there.  “Sorry, where did you want to go?”

“Let’s see.  There’s a nice place a couple of blocks over, no music, but it’s a fairly upscale place.”

Cool beans
, another snooty place.  “You know, we don’t have to go anywhere fancy.”

His brows twitched closer.  “But you look so nice.  I can’t take you just anywhere.”

Was that what was bothering him?  “This is San Francisco, people won’t bat an eye if we turn up at the opera or a gas station mini-mart dressed like this.  It’s fine, Bishop, you don’t have to try and impress me,” I smiled up at him. 

My phone buzzed again, and I didn’t even bother to read the message, sending. 
Whatever it is, we can talk about it when I get home
.  “I’m sorry,” I apologized again, resolving to leave my phone tucked away in my purse for the rest of the night. 

“It’s okay,” Bishop said with a faint smile that turned rueful as his own phone buzzed.  “Actually, I need to make a quick call.  I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine.  Why don’t you give me the valet ticket and I’ll go get the car and meet you out front?”

“Ah, sure,” he agreed, handing the ticket over.  The valet was pretty quick at retrieving Bishop’s SUV, and so was Bishop’s call.  From the hangdog expression on his face, I guessed it hadn’t been a good call. 

“I’m really sorry, but we have to swing by the Hart,” he said, sliding into the driver’s seat.  “I promise, I’ll make it quick.”

“Oh, I don’t mind.  We can get that drink there,” I smiled, trying to let him know it was fine since he looked so cast down about it. 

“Are you sure?  I kind of wanted it to be, you know, special.”

“Special isn’t about where we go, it’s who we’re with.”

Bishop’s head tipped back to lay against the headrest, his smile returning as he looked at me.  “When you’re right, you’re right.  To the Bleeding Hart it is.”

The bar wasn’t super full, but it was still early yet by vampire standards.  Almost immediately, Bishop peeled off to talk to Cage, and I made my way to the bar, looking forward to catching up with Laveda.  Unfortunately, the usually sassy bartender didn’t look all that happy to see me, turning her back on me to go talk to another customer when she saw me coming.  I waited patiently, and eventually, she made her way back to my side of the bar.