she thought he’d argue with her? “I’m not a controlling type of man, believe it or not. And even when I say stay with me, it doesn’t mean you can’t live your life. It just means we’ll always be together.” He lowered his head and stared into her eyes. If he was going to tell her everything, he might as well start with an important factor. “Explanation one, Kristina. My kind doesn’t separate. Once—rather, if you decide to stay with me, we will be together forever.”
Her eyes sparkled, a playful gleam lighting inside of them, and he could swear they turned greener. She pulled her free hand up on the table and leaned her chin on her fist, staring at him. “But what if someone like me, liked someone else of your kind. Is that allowable?”
Derrick jerked upright in his chair as if she’d plunged a knife between his shoulder blades. Now that she was with him, the thought that she’d even think… “Never,” he said seriously. “It just doesn’t happen.”
“Oh, I understand.”
“Do you? Once we—”
The waiter brought their waters and appetizers out on the same tray, halting their hushed conversation. He placed everything on the table and then pulled out a pad and pen to take their order. He looked to Kristina first. “Ready to order?”
“Yes. I’ll have the Chicken Romano.”
The man turned to Derrick, and he spilled out his entire order without giving him a chance to ask any questions. “I’ll have the chopped salad to start. No croutons. Vinegar only. Then, I’ll have a double order of the Ahi Tuna. Only, don’t sear it. And no side dishes or sauces. Just the tuna, please.”
The server wrote everything down without comment, but as every waiter had ever done before him, he gave him a confused look as he turned to leave. Derrick had learned to answer every question with finality before they asked, saved him from a lot of additional queries. Thankfully, sushi had become so popular in the last few years that most people no longer questioned his eating habits.
“Two orders again? Raw?”
“Explanation number two,” he said in a low voice so only she could hear, one of the reasons he wanted to eat outside. “I can’t eat cooked foods.”
She absorbed that, filing it away, it seemed, and then she whispered across the table, “At least you don’t drink blood.”
“Not quite,” he rejoined, watching as her eyes bulged as he met her playful comment head on. “People only thought we were.”
Chapter Six
Kris bolted upright. Her phone buzzed on the table, jolting her out of the trance she’d fallen into after Derrick’s remark about people thinking they were drinking blood. She glanced at the caller ID. “It’s Beth. It’s after three. She’s back from shopping,” she babbled incoherently in her frazzled state. “I should talk to her.”
Derrick reached across the table, covering her hand and the phone. “Please—”
“I remember,” she interrupted, gulping the lump in her throat. “Don’t say anything about you.”
“That isn’t what I was going to ask.” He squeezed her hand. “Please don’t take her call. Beth knows you’re okay. She just wants to talk, and you want an excuse to walk away so you can clear your head, but I don’t want you to leave yet.”
Tears filled her eyes and she didn’t even know why. She didn’t care what he was; Derrick wasn’t dangerous. She just felt—she didn’t know what she felt.
“Kristina, you asked me to tell you… and I don’t think I have a choice now. When we…” He paused as if collecting his words. “I don’t know how to explain this… without pressuring you. No. Not now, not here.” He shook his head again. “Can we just eat? Then we’ll go somewhere and talk, okay? I promise I’ll explain everything.”
“Yeah,” she choked out. Her mouth was so dry. She picked up her water glass, removing the lemon, and drained it. As he watched her warily, she picked up an oyster, deciding to try to relax and enjoy their date. She doused the shellfish with horseradish, then slurped it out of the shell and threw her head back. “Whoo! Love that rush!”
Derrick grinned, seemingly more at ease that she wouldn’t bolt. He dropped an oyster right out of the shell into his mouth. No toppings of course, as everything else he’d ordered. So he ate raw foods. Many people did. He was just joking about the blood-drinking comment she realized.
Kris glanced at her phone’s screen as it lit up. Beth had left a long message. But then she noticed there were two more messages. She picked up the phone and glanced at the three missed calls and messages. Her work was one. That wasn’t a surprise; she’d already assumed they’d fired her. But the other message was from an unknown caller. “Hmm…” she pondered. “I don’t get many wrong numbers. I’ve had the same number for six years.”
Derrick rubbed his hand across his chin. “I’m sure it’s nothing.” He finished off his oysters within seconds and then his eyes flicked to her plate. “Are you going to eat yours?”
She laughed. “No. Go ahead. I guess it takes a lot to fill a man your size.” She pushed her ice-filled tray toward him. “How big are you anyway?”
He raised a brow. “You mean, how tall am I?”
“Mm-hm.”
“Not so tall. Six-four. My brother’s six-six.”
“That’s tall. I’m only five-four.”
“I know. You’re cute. Dainty. I like it.”
The waiter interrupted them again to remove their dishes. She almost wished they’d decided on pizza so they could just sit and talk. But then it hit her. No cooked foods… that meant no pizza. Say it wasn’t so. How could someone live without pizza?
Derrick ate every last morsel of his salad, and when their meals arrived, he finished off both portions of his fish. “I’d offer dessert, but I think we’ll find something more appetizing at the market,” he said after the waiter cleared their plates.
“Deal!” She grinned wide. Dessert was her favorite part, and she just wanted to leave anyway, anxious to hear more about the unusual man in front of her. She stood and he rose with her. “Let me take a quick bathroom break, and I’ll meet you upfront.”
He bobbed his head, but a look of concern washed over his features.
Kris stepped toward him, resting her hands on his chest. “Derrick, I’m not going to disappear, and I won’t say anything to Beth. I promise.”
He dipped his head and rested his hand on hers. “Would you do me a favor, then?”
“Anything.” She owed him her life on at least two occasions she was aware of.
“Could you not listen to your messages until we talk? I know who the unknown caller is, and I’d like a chance to explain.”
Chapter Seven
After purchasing gelato for Kristina and fresh fruit for him, Derrick walked inside a gift shop and bought the first two afghans he saw. He escorted Kristina across the street to the Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park. It was much nicer when the wisteria-covered trellis was in bloom and the trees were full and green, shading the red brick walkways, but even winter had its appeal. The season was ending, and so would the quiet and peaceful nights. Warmer evenings meant more people would be on the street, which meant more crime.
