Page 47 of The Vampire’s Temptation

Chapter 12

“Holy sweet Jesus,” Toni said.

Pretty much. Her friend had always had a way with words.

Alessandra and Toni had been sitting on their porch together, waiting for Kenton to arrive. Although Toni had questioned the move, arguing that it might seem too eager, Alessandra had waved off her concern. So they were both there to see him pull up in a slick, black car that reeked of money. Something that stood out like a sore thumb in a small town where people rarely drove.

“Good evening, Toni,” he said, walking up the cobbled pathway. “Alessandra.”

He managed to make her name sound like a chocolate-covered strawberry. Sweet and sinful.

Breathe. Breathe.

“Kenton.”

She had no idea where they were going, so she’d opted for skinny jeans and wedges, the look somewhere in between casual and high-end casual. Luckily, Kenton was similarly dressed, his signature sport coat nowhere to be seen. In its place, he wore a deep-blue button-down paired with dark jeans and loafers. Though more laid-back than his usual look, it nonetheless retained that distinctive GQ look she’d come to appreciate.

A bit out of place here in Stone Haven?

Perhaps.

But she’d be hard-pressed to find any woman who cared.

“I wasn’t sure where we were going.”

That look he gave her . . . Normally, Alessandra would be appalled by that kind of look, which made her feel as if she were being undressed right on her front porch, but she felt invigorated instead.

“It’s a surprise.”

“Good luck with this one,” Toni whispered before excusing herself.

She was no help.

“I love surprises,” she said. He reached for her hand, and despite a momentary confusion, she gave it to him. Kenton lifted it up and actually kissed it, his lips warm, the touch much too brief.

“I fear we need to start over.”

She had no words.

“I hear The Lakehouse is a passably good restaurant?”

Passably good? It was the best around for miles. Her mother and brother had taken her there once, back when she first moved to town. It had been a celebration dinner. Despite enjoying themselves, they hadn’t gone back. For a small town, Stone Haven had plenty of good restaurants of its own, and the twenty-minute drive and expense just never seemed like a good idea.

“It’s very good,” she stammered, still feeling the imprint of his lips on her hand. Who did that in this day and age? And of course he opened the car door for her too. “And not at all stuffy,” she added.

Kenton cocked his head as he circled around to the driver’s seat. “Stuffy?”

She waited until he was seated next to her to answer. “The chef is well-known, and the prices are expensive, but somehow it pulls off a . . . I don’t know . . . lakehouse kind of feel.”

He laughed easily, and Alessandra began to relax.

“A good thing,” he said, starting the car, “given its name.”

They spent the twenty-minute drive talking about local restaurants and their favorite foods. She could almost forget the million questions she was planning to ask him that night.

Almost.

But some would certainly spoil the moment, so they could wait.