Sexiest Vampire Alive

his mother was right? What if he was taking eternity for granted and wasting his time? He’d been playing around for years. With so many women. He couldn’t even remember these girls’ names.

He’d always told himself he was doing the Vamp women a favor, keeping them entertained. But didn’t they deserve a real friend who could remember their names?

This sort of thing had never worried him before, so why this sudden change of heart? He glanced at the booth and found Abigail still watching him. Shit. That was the problem. She was studying him like a newfound species. And he wasn’t sure he liked what she was discovering about him.

“Sorry, another time.” He grabbed the two martinis and headed toward the booth.

He set the drinks in front of the ladies. “They have just a few mortal drinks here. These are apple martinis.”

“Wonderful!” Madison took a sip and smiled. “It’s delicious! And I love the lights and music. Thank you.”

“Would you like to dance?” Phineas asked.

“Oh yes!” Madison jumped up and strode onto the dance floor with Phineas.

Pru and her friend joined them, and then a dozen more Vamps moved onto the floor. Madison laughed and twirled around, clearly delighted to find herself surrounded by flashing lights and dancing vampires.

Gregori sighed with relief. At least one of the girls was happy now.

He turned back to Abigail, who was fiddling with the stem of her martini glass. “Would you care to dance?”

She shook her head. “No thank you.”

“Is your drink all right? I can get you something nonalcoholic, if you prefer.”

She glanced at him with a shy smile. “A Diet Coke would be nice. Thank you.”

“Coming right up.” He strode back to the bar, but more Vamps had arrived and he had to wait in line.

He glanced back at Abigail, sitting alone in the booth. She should be all right. If a male Vamp tried to make a pass at her, one of the Secret Service guys, standing nearby, would stop him.

She’d wrapped her shawl around her shoulders again to hide her breasts. Her perfect, luscious breasts.

He clenched his fists. Don’t think about her breasts. Or her legs. Or her pretty eyes. He couldn’t afford to have his eyes turn red. It might scare the hell out of her.

“Gregori!” One of the girls at the bar latched on to his arm. “You came back for us!”

“I’m just getting drinks.” He pulled his arm free, then glanced over at Abigail. What the hell? Pru and her friend were sliding into the booth next to Abigail.

Phineas was busy dancing with Madison so he hadn’t noticed. Secret Service man Josh was talking on his cell phone, probably reporting to the president. Charles was watching carefully, but he didn’t advance.

Why should he? Gregori thought. What harm could come from Abigail talking to a few female Vamps? Wasn’t that the purpose of tonight’s outing? To give Abigail a taste of the vampire world?

Unfortunately, he suspected that taste would be sour.

Chapter Eleven

“Hello, there. I’m Prunella Culpepper, but everyone calls me Pru.”

Abigail turned to find two women behind her in the neighboring booth. One was fair and blond, the other a beautiful brunette. Both were smiling, their sharp canine teeth gleaming. Vampires. And if she wasn’t mistaken, these were the same two women who had drooled all over Gregori at the DJ’s station.

“I am Constanza Maria Hhhortencia,” the brunette said, stressing the h in a way that made Abigail move back to keep from being spit on.

“Who are—” Constanza’s brown eyes widened. “Santa Maria, you are hhhuman.”

Pru leaned over the booth and sniffed. “By George, you’re right! You can always smell ’em.”

What the heck? Abigail glanced over at Gregori. He was in line at the bar, but he was watching her with a worried look. Charles was standing about ten feet away, watching her, too.

Constanza huffed and tossed her long black hair over her shoulder. “I can’t believe Gregori would stoop so low.”

“Precisely,” Pru agreed. “He’s never dated a mortal before. What could he possibly see in this chit?”

“Maybe she tastes good.”

Pru sniffed again, then shook her head. “Type O. Dreadfully common, don’t you know.”

Abigail cleared her throat. “Excuse me?”

Pru winced. “Sorry, luv, but it simply makes no sense at all. Why would Gregori date a mortal when he has so many Vamp women eager to date him?”

“Hhhundreds of them,” Constanza clarified. “They say hhe is excellent in the sack.”

Abigail sat back. Gregori was a . . . playboy?

“I would sleep with hhim in a second,” Constanza added.

“Any sensible woman would,” Pru murmured. “Alas, I am still waiting my turn.”

Constanza gasped. “I thought you already did it! I saw you kissing hhim on the dance floor two weeks ago.”

Pru smiled with a dreamy look. “By George, that man can kiss. I haven’t been kissed like that since 1762.”

Abigail blinked. “You’ve been a vampire that long?”

Pru shook her head. “I was mortal then, don’t you know. I was working in a tavern in Dover when a dashing young highwayman pulled me onto his lap and gave me a kiss that curled my toes. Then he asked me if I’d be his mistress.”

Constanza grinned. “And you said yes?”

“Of course. Any sensible woman would.”

“And then what happened?” Constanza asked.

“I became his assistant,” Pru continued. “I dressed in knee breeches and hid my hair under a tricorne. We robbed coaches at night and had a jolly ole time of it.”

Abigail scooted closer, thoroughly intrigued. It was like talking to a live historical figure. “Did you say, ‘Stand and deliver?’ ”

Pru nodded. “Of course. Everything was just dandy until we stopped a coach that belonged to a vampire. He jumped my poor highwayman and fed off him till he was dead as a doornail.”

Abigail gulped. Her gaze shifted to Gregori. Did he ever attack people like that? Surely not. He’d claimed last night that he and his friends were morally opposed to injuring mortals. And they were fighting the bad vampires in order to protect mortals.

“So what happened to you?” Constanza asked.

Pru smiled. “The vampire was a rich and handsome viscount. When he discovered I was a beautiful young woman, he offered me the eternal life of the Undead if I would agree to be his mistress. I said yes, of course. Any sensible woman would.”

“Of course,” Constanza agreed.

Abigail winced, wondering if Pru had left her dead former lover on the side of the road.

“He taught me proper English, don’t you know.” Pru’s eyes narrowed. “We were happy for years until he tossed me aside to marry Lady Pamela.”

“That bitch,” Constanza hissed.

Pru shrugged. “All water under the bridge. The point is I’ve known quite a few good kissers over the years, but none of them compare to Gregori. By George, that man can kiss.”

Abigail’s gaze drifted back to him at the bar. Oh brother. Now there were two more girls hanging on him.

She shook herself mentally. She needed to get over her attraction to him. He was a vampire and a playboy. And he had strange psychic powers. Three major points she could never reconcile herself to. The sad truth was he was impossible. Completely, irreparably impossible.

A heaviness settled in her chest, and she closed her eyes briefly. It shouldn’t hurt this bad. She’d only met