Fangs But No Fangs

CHAPTER 11

Jolee considered Christian's explanation. She also studied him closer. Tonight, he looked wonderful. His skin tone was golden and healthy. His pale eyes were clear and alert, no signs of disorientation. And of course, there was his perfect physique. Right now, he certainly didn't look like a drug user.

And now that she thought about it, even when Vance had gotten a fix and he wasn't in the throes of withdrawal like the other night, he still appeared pale and spacey. He certainly didn't look like a Greek god.

She wasn't sure how hypoglycemia affected people, but she did know the disease caused a decrease in blood sugar. She could believe that a rapid drop could affect a person quickly and violently. That was how Christian's strange spell had come on. Suddenly. The rest of the time he seemed fine.

She gave him a weak smile. "Sorry."

He shrugged as if being accused of drug addiction was an everyday occurrence, and not remotely insulting.

"So can I get to work now, boss?" He asked, giving her one of his adorable, quirky smiles.

"Christian, I can't pay you."

"And I told you I don't need money."

"Then why are you here?"

He reached for a mug, pulled the tap and poured a perfect glass of beer. "Because I'm just a natural. Who knew bartending was my calling?"

He placed the perfect beer in front of Jed. Then he came back to her, his expression so endearing, it was hard to even recall her point.

She refocused. "Not here, here. Why are you in Shady Fork? You obviously do have money. I can tell by your speech that you're well-educated. Why a trailer park? Why Leo's Brew Pub and Karaoke Saloon?"

His smile faded. He didn't say anything for a moment, his eyes almost looking regretful. "I'm here because I needed to isolate myself for a while."

Isolate? What did that mean? She frowned, and he must have seen her puzzlement.

"I have a lot of things to sort out," he explained. "And I had to get away from my world. But by no means will anything from my world affect your life."

She nodded, even though she still didn't understand.

"I need something to do. And I like it here." He glanced around. "Although I'm not sure why."

Instead of being offended, Jolee laughed at his bewildered expression.

"It just grows on you, I guess."

He stared at her for a moment, his poker face back. "It does."

She wasn't sure, but he didn't seem to be referring just to her bar. She was probably just being hopeful. Now that he wasn't a drug addict, or at least he claimed he wasn't a drug addict, did she think she could have a relationship with him?

No. He was still running from something, and even though he said it would never affect her, he certainly didn't sound like Shady Fork was going to be his permanent residence. He could leave at any time. Not a good choice for a relationship.

"So am I hired?"

She hesitated.

Then the man from the table in the corner approached the bar. He placed a piece of paper on the scarred wood, sliding it toward her.

The paper had a sequence of numbers and the title of a song. She stared at it for a moment before she realized he was requesting a song to sing.

"You want to sing?" she asked, unable to keep the surprise from her tone.

He nodded, then turned to go back to his table.

"See," Christian said, "you need me to tend the bar. You need to run the karaoke."

Jolee picked up the paper, then smiled, realizing his help was indeed the perfect solution.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yes."

Despite the soreness Jolee must still be feeling from the accident, she practically skipped up to the booth. She called the man who'd brought her the paper up to the microphone.

The slim man in a baggy T-shirt and denim shorts walked up to the mic, his movements stilted. Tube socks made his thin legs look even skinnier, the white material pulled all the way up, his bony knees just visible above the tops. He stared out at the room, his face impassive as he was waiting for Jolee to put on the correct song. The first notes of a song Christian vaguely remembered from years ago began to play. Then the title appeared on the monitor. "Hitching a Ride" by Vanity Fair.

The fact that this man would choose something so bouncy surprised Christian. Then the man began to sing, the perky, pleasant voice he recalled from the original replaced by hoarse, voice-cracking shouts like those of a fanatical punk singer.

Christian actually stepped back, blinking. What the hell?

He glanced at Jolee, expecting to see amazed horror on her face, too. Instead she watched the crazed performance with a giant smile.

Christian grimaced, his gaze returning to the man, who now waved a leg around and twitched in some sort of convulsive dance. And still, he screamed in a guttural rasp that even made Christian's throat feel raw. Yet, in some way, the strange performance was sort of entertaining. Christian found himself smiling, and even clapping when the song was over.

The man then calmly replaced the microphone in the stand and walked back to his seat as if the shouting and twitching had never occurred. He sat down and took a sip of his beer.

Christian shook his head. Mortals were just too weird.

"Wasn't he great?" Jolee grinned as she came up to him to fill a glass with water. Obviously the man's performance had her throat feeling scratchy, too.

"He was something," he said, more interested in the twinkle in her coffee brown eyes and the huge grin on her lips.

Damn, she was pretty.

He paused, wondering again why he was aware of her. He shouldn't be, but then the observation was hardly a major concern. She was pretty— as far as mortals went.

"Jolee," the man in the green baseball hat at the end of the bar called. "I'd like to sing one."

"Sure, Dale." She grinned back at Christian as though the man's request was some great success. Then she touched his arm, her small, work-roughened fingers like heated velvet on his skin.

He stepped back from her, shocked at the intense longing that surged through him from the simple touch. He breathed in deeply, trying to dispel the fierce need building within him, but that only made him more aware of her warm, spiced scent. This reaction should not— could not— be happening. He'd fed, and fed well. He should feel calm, not filled with… desire. Did he not feed enough?

She noticed his reaction and her smile disappeared. "Do you need something to eat?"

He frowned, wondering how she guessed his thoughts. Then she turned and leaned down to rifle through her tote bag. His gaze dropped to the curve of her ass cupped by her faded jeans. His fingers twitched as he imagined cupping his hands there, too. She straightened up and spun back to him. His eyes snapped up guiltily to meet hers.

"Here you go." At first, still dazed by his lascivious thoughts, he didn't see that she was offering him something, and when he did, it took him a second to recognize what the item was in her hand. An apple?

She shook the fruit at him. "Take it. I don't want you getting sick."

He accepted the apple, feeling a strange combination of lust and tenderness. Only Jolee would want to feed him when he was considering grabbing her ass. Of course, the throbbing erection in his pants was imploring for even more than a grab.

"Are you all right?"

He nodded, still baffled by his reaction to her.

"You're sure?"

No. But he nodded again.

"Eat that," she ordered as she headed down the length of the bar to talk to Dale.

He stared at her, then glanced down at the apple. If only that would help his situation.

"She's making you crazy, isn't she?"

Christian glanced over at Jed, who sported another of his shrewd grins. How could a man who had nearly ignited himself with a cigarette be so perceptive? Although while Jolee was making him crazy, it wasn't in the way Jed thought.

He looked back to her. She was talking to Dale, her face animated, her eyes flashing with excitement. Then she exited from behind the bar. Christian watched the sway of her slightly flared hips. Again his cock jumped. His fangs, however, didn't react at all.

He frowned.

This just didn't happen. His lust was only tied to his hunger. One did not happen without the other. His cock pulsed again, just like the times before that. As if to say, yes, it did.

"Here's our very own Dale, singing 'Country Roads. " Christian turned his attention Jolee, who was smiling in Dale's direction as he took the microphone. Dale began to sing a song Christian didn't recognize, but the older man had a surprisingly melodic voice. Jolee beamed across the bar at Christian, obviously impressed by the man's talent. But all Christian could focus on was his reaction to her. To that smile, and hair, and pale skin.

Damn it. He wanted to have sex with Jolee.