Page 89 of Fangs with Benefits

‘I like you,’ he tells me.

‘And I like-like you,’ I yell into his ear.

Elijah’s dimples make their appearance before he presses his mouth to mine. I’m smiling too big when he pulls back, too far gone now to pretend I won’t have some explaining to do to my friends.

Something catches Elijah’s attention over my shoulder and his face falls, something haunted taking its place.

I stop dancing and raise my eyebrows at him. I try to turn to look but he tightens his hold on my shoulders.

‘What’s—’

‘You’re so beautiful, Molly,’ he says, voice strained as he speaks to be heard over the music.

‘What’s wrong?’

Elijah puts his hands on either side of my face and kisses me again, a harder press of his lips to mine. ‘I want you to have everything you want in this life.’

He drops his hands and rushes off the dance floor without me. Stunned, I follow him, trying to keep up with his much faster steps as we weave through bodies. I grab my jacket as we pass our table, but Hailey stops me, her hand on my forearm.

‘Did you see Matty?’ she asks, oblivious to my hot pursuit of Elijah.

‘What?’

‘Matty,’ she says again, louder, though I heard her fine. I am just having a difficult time comprehending. ‘He’s here.’

Hailey points in the direction of the bar where, sure enough, none other than my cheating ex-fiancé is standing, looking at us. I wince, startled to see him after so long. His hair is a little longer, but still coiffed just-so on his head, and his pale blue button-up is unbuttoned enough to show the top of his dark chest hair.

He nods to me and pushes off the bar, headed obviously in our direction. I decide that this is the last thing I need when Elijah is almost at the exit.

‘Tell him hi. I gotta go, I feel sick,’ I lie, and she frowns. ‘Love you love you love you,’ I say making rushed kissing noises before turning and almost jogging out of the club. I tug on my jacket as I get to the door, but when I push outside, already calling Elijah’s name, he’s nowhere to be seen in either direction.

What the hell happened in there?

I’ve never seen that haunted look on his face, the stricken concern around his eyes, the tight frown on his lips. There was nothing of the flirty, smitten vampire he’d been when he picked me up this evening. My shoulders slump as I stand in the night air, the cold a shock against my still-hot skin, the sweat on my neck and scalp cooling while my breath steams in front of me.

Elijah doesn’t pick up when I call, so I stuff my phone back in my pocket and turn to head to my train station in a confused huff.

When I hear my name called out behind me, I turn, hopeful for one stupid second that it’s Elijah, only to find Matt jogging down the sidewalk behind me.

‘Oh, Christ,’ I mutter.

‘Molly, hey.’

‘Hi, Matty,’ I intone, slowing to a stop despite wanting nothing less than to talk to him right now. When he reaches me, he pulls me into a quick hug, like we’re old friends.

‘What are you rushing out for? It’s still early.’

‘Not that early. I’m, uh, not feeling well.’

‘Where’s that guy you were with? I met him at work once.’

‘He had to go.’ I shrug. ‘Emergency.’

‘Too bad,’ he says, but he doesn’t sound like he thinks this is such bad news. ‘It’s good to see you, Moll, you look great.’

‘Thanks.’ I don’t ask him how he’s doing, even though I know that’s the polite thing to do, the thing I’m supposed to do. I don’t want to extend this conversation for any longer than necessary, and honestly, I think it’s been long enough.

Matt doesn’t feel the same, though, because he nods in the direction of the street behind me. ‘Walk you to your station?’ he asks.