My Reluctant Warden (Ward of the Vampire) by Kallysten

Author:Kallysten [Kallysten]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2013-05-11T21:00:00+00:00

*

I raised my hand, took a deep breath, and knocked on Mr. Ward’s door.

Mere seconds passed before he appeared, his hair tousled and his eyes heavy with sleep. Add to that the pajama bottoms he was wearing—and they were all he was wearing, a part of me noticed with very keen interest—and I realized my mistake. Of course. If he was a vampire, as I was slowly coming to terms with, then he’d sleep during the daytime, wouldn’t he?

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” I blurted out, covering my mouth with my hand. “I didn’t realize you’d be sleeping. I didn’t mean to wake you. I’m sorry. Really. I’ll go now.”

He stopped me with a word. One low, rumbling word that felt like a caress down my spine. My name.

“Angelina.”

I froze and met his eyes. They were fully awake now and as deep as ever.

“I was just resting for a while,” he said. “With what happened last night, I didn’t get a chance to lie down.”

“I’m sorry,” I said again.

“You have no reason to be. Truly.” His smile made it easier to believe his words, and I relaxed. “Was there something you wanted?”

A couple of seconds passed before I remembered why I had come to his door.

“Oh. Yes. I mean, I wanted to thank you. For the shoes.”

The corners of his eyes crinkled when his smile deepened. “Did you have fun shopping?”

I smiled back. “It was… unexpected. You didn’t have to do that for me, but yes, I had a lot of fun.”

“Well, that’s all that matters. And it was my own fault for not thinking about shoes when I packed for you.” He shook his head ruefully. “I assure you, I am familiar with the concept of footwear. I even wear some on occasion.”

I chuckled with him. “I know you do. Your shoes last night were very… dapper. As was the rest of you.”

I swear I was only talking about his clothes, but heat crept up in my cheeks anyway. He leaned his shoulder against the doorjamb, and his lips took on a knowing curve.

“Dapper, huh? I can live with that. And if I haven’t mentioned it yet, let me say that you, Angelina, were a vision.”

I ducked my head, but I was pleased. He’d complimented me several times on the balcony, but it was nice to hear him say it again.

Actually, the whole conversation was nice. I’d been afraid things would be difficult after everything that had happened. Our two quick exchanges earlier, in my suite and down on the second floor, had been awkward. This was a lot better.

When I peeked up at him again, he was looking down at my shoes and smiling yet again. I was beginning to enjoy his smile a lot. It made him seem much younger. Carefree. Quite simply happy.

“So… should I start calling you Dorothy?”

I couldn’t stifle the burst of laughter that came to my lips.

“That’s exactly what I thought when I first put them on!” I said. “They’re gorgeous, aren’t they?”

His gaze came back up to my face.

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