Page 24 of Guardians for the Vamp
“I can’t. I want to, Gods do I want to, but I can’t. We can’t.”
He stands there, breathing roughly, trying to compose himself. After a few moments of silence, I say, “I know. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. Please.” He pivots enough to see me. “I’m the one who’s not strong enough. If I start, I won’t be able to stop.”
I’m not opposed to that. I don’t say the words out loud, though, because Thorne is doing everything he can to resist this pull between us.
He’s being good. He’s just trying to do his job.
I’m the one being naughty.
We leave the penthouse and head down to WOVE headquarters in Lower Manhattan to go over additional candidates to join my security team. Thorne sits in the front seat of the SUV, leaving two vampire guards in the back with me.
I sulk about it the entire drive.
When we get to the conference room, Thorne sits on the other side of the table, again distancing himself from me.
Oh, okay. He’sserious.
After an hour of going over portfolios, we chose our first round of candidates and called them all for interviews. Luckily, most of them were able to meet today, likely expecting our calls since the vampire elders and other supes have been planning this collaboration for months.
The first interview is with a young shifter named Daniel. He’s around fifty immortal years, but he appears no older than someone in their mid-twenties. He’s muscular throughout, but not nearly as beefy as Thorne.
I don’t think many supes could match Thorne’s physique.
Daniel is extremely flirty as we ask him questions. Well, Thorne is asking the questions, but Daniel looks at me when answering. He even gives me a few smile-filled winks,his blue eyes twinkling with mischief. His blond hair falls in shaggy waves around his head.
He’s handsome, but I’m not attracted to him.
“Thank you for your interest,” Thorne says suddenly. “We’ll call if you’re selected.”
Daniel looks at me as if I’ll go against Thorne’s words. I shrug and wave to dismiss him.
“Thorne, he sounded great,” I say the moment the shifter is out the door.
“I didn’t like the way he looked at you.”
“And how did he look at me?”
“Like he wanted to fuck you.”
I roll my eyes. “He did not. He was a sweet guy. It was an innocent flirt.”
“Nothing is innocent when it comes to men,” he says, standing to toss Daniel’s file in the trash can sitting in the corner of the room.
I scoff and stand too. “You’re a man.”
“I’m a gargoyle.”
“And gargoyles don’t do bad things?”
“We do.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Okay, but if you say no to potential guards just because they smile or flirt with me, then we’ll have no one to hire.”
He ignores my concern and cracks the door open to call for the next candidate.
A griffin named Erebos walks in on all fours, his tail whipping back and forth. Thorne moves the chairs out of the way for him to sit, perched at the table like a lion gazing out over his pride.
