Whoa there, Lucy, she thought as she clutched the balcony railing. You need to keep your shirt on. Literally. You have to talk to him first.
She’d been spending more and more time with Aaron at work these days—and after work, too, with the rest of Kiefer’s motley new band of vampire hunters—but Lucy still sensed an odd distance hovering between her and her boss. Even though they talked all the time, she couldn’t shake the feeling he was holding things back about himself and that, just like on that special night in her bedroom, there was something he really wanted to tell her but, for whatever reason, couldn’t bring himself to say out loud just yet. Lucy didn’t want to pressure him to open up, but she was eager to uncover whatever his big secret was—and to learn why it had been making him look so pensive lately.
“Lucy?”
She turned, barely stopping a laugh when she saw Aaron standing at the other end of the balcony with his hand extended—and the glass of white wine floating toward her on the breeze. “Kinda cool knowing you can do more than just punch with your telekinesis, huh?” she asked.
“Yeah. Although honestly, this is way harder to do.” Even as he said it, the glass wobbled, and Lucy hurried over to snatch it from the air.
“Careful,” she chided, “someone might see you being magical.”
“Aw, they’d never believe it.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because people see whatever they want to see, and if it happens to be something that messes with their worldview, they just convince themselves it isn’t real.”
Lucy shrugged in agreement and sipped from the glass.
“What’s going on?” he asked, joining her at the railing. “You looked like you were deep in thought just before I came out here.”
“Yeah, it happens now and again,” she said, and he chuckled. She brushed her bangs out of her eyes and fastened a curious gaze on him. “I was just remembering something Jessica said the other night. She thinks you must be holding out on me. That you’re some sort of secret mob boss or something, and that’s why you were able to get the hotel ballroom booked for her so fast.”
A surprised laugh broke from Aaron’s throat. “The mob, huh?” he said, his eyes twinkling. “No, not quite.”
“Jess also told me about your offer to help her pay any rebuilding costs for Book of Love that her insurance won’t cover,” Lucy added with a note of awe. “That was really nice of you.”
Aaron shrugged like it was no big deal.
Lucy angled her head. “I think it was really nice,” she reiterated, “but I honestly don’t get it. How could you possibly afford to suggest something like that to her? Unless being a middle manager at Acray-Sys pays way better than I ever thought it did.”
Aaron fidgeted with the stem of his glass. That brooding shadow she’d noticed the past few days descended over his eyes again, and a faint frown turned down his mouth. “No, you’re right,” he finally said, “the money I offered Jess didn’t come from Acray-Sys. The truth is, I have been holding out on you, Lucy. There’s something I need to tell you.”
Lucy gripped her glass tighter and held her breath. Here it came, his big revelation. From the tension now clouding his face, she guessed it was something unpleasant. Was he sick? Destitute? Addicted to pain killers? Did he secretly have a wife and children living somewhere in Ohio? She instantly made up her mind not to let whatever it was bother her too much.
Except maybe for the secret family.
Although, if there was anything she’d learned about herself over these past couple of weeks, it was that her feelings for Aaron extended way beyond just a workplace crush. She loved him and would do almost anything to be with him. She would work magic spells and fight monsters, for goodness’ sake. And what could possibly be more challenging to overcome in a relationship than incipient vampirism, anyway?
“Okay,” she said, and offered what she hoped was an encouraging smile.
“I’m loaded,” he finally said, and winced.
Loaded? Lucy paused, blinking. She thought back to their dinner together, where Aaron had finished off a single pint of beer. And now here he was, sipping his first glass of wine for the evening. He definitely wasn’t drunk, so... “I’m sorry, are you trying to tell me that you’re rich?” she asked.
Aaron exhaled and ran his fingers through his hair. “Filthy,” he said, and it sounded like an apology. “I’ve inherited tons of money over the past few years. I’m a multi-millionaire.”
Lucy felt her face contorting, unsure whether to smile or frown. “And I take it you think this is a bad thing-?”
“No, not really. It just gets weird sometimes when you let people know you have money.”
Lucy shrugged, deciding on a smile. “Oh. Well, I don’t care. I mean, it doesn’t make me dislike you or anything.”
“I didn’t think it would, necessarily,” he laughed.
“It does make me wonder why you work at Acray-Sys, though. Or why you work anywhere, for that matter.”
He angled his face away, looking out into the darkness and collecting his thoughts for a while. “Here,” he said, gesturing, “come sit down with me and I’ll explain everything, okay?” He guided her across the veranda to a wooden bench, where he took a seat and set aside his wine.
Lucy settled in beside him, tucking her skirt under her thighs and demurely crossing her legs at the ankle. She set her wine glass on a table and watched him with curiosity.
“So,” he took
