Midnight Heat Page 2

  Every time Jason heard his ex-boyfriend’s name, he wanted to stab something—preferably Derrick. "You don’t date a guy to get over another."

  Benjamin pinned his hazel eyes on Jason, giving him a droll stare as one of his blond eyebrows hitched upward. "You’re adorable. I’m not talking about dating anyone. I’m talking about rebound sex. The kind that makes you scream for God and sets your blood on fire." Benjamin fanned himself. "Shit, I need to stop turning myself on like that."

  "There is something seriously wrong with you," Jason muttered.

  "Honey, there’s nothing wrong with me except for the fact that I ain’t had no dick in a minute. You should seriously think about a one-night stand."

  Jason didn’t do casual sex, or at least that was never his intention. He had a bad habit of letting his feelings get involved, even when he knew he shouldn’t.

  Benjamin gave an impatient flap of his hand and sighed. "You gotta learn to stop getting all emotional when a guy is interested in you. All I’m saying is most men only want one thing."

  Jason pushed his plate away, no longer hungry.

  "I’m adventurous," Jason argued.

  Benjamin laughed, then took a deep breath as his smile faded around the edges. "Honey, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to settle down. You just have to learn how to differentiate between someone interested in commitment and someone just wanting to bang you."

  Glancing around, Jason was pretty sure none of the men in the tavern would be interested in him. Every one of the guys who worked at Grizzly’s was drop-dead gorgeous, but he didn’t date people he worked with.

  Why couldn’t he find a hot guy interested in more than just sex?

  "I can’t differentiate between the two," Jason admitted. "I think I was born without that talent."

  "Shit, I can." Benjamin snorted. "I don’t think I’ve ever fallen for a guy I’ve had sex with. Stop looking for the white-picket fence and go for the slap it, rub it, suck it, fuck it, kind of guy. Trust me, Jason. You’ll thank me afterward."

  Jason tuned Benjamin out as he slumped in his seat. All that talk about sex was making him horny and he didn’t even have a boyfriend.

  He’d started to glance around, wondering if Benjamin was right, when two hunks sauntered through the door. Good God Almighty. Both men were stunning, but the taller one stole Jason’s breath. His heart beat a little faster as he eye-fucked the guy.

  The stranger wasn’t cute like Derrick had been. He was the epitome of testosterone. His gait was sexy as sin, his body to die for. He was all dark looks and had a killer smile. He also had the prettiest eyes Jason had ever seen—and Jason was a downright sucker for pretty eyes. They were the color of storm clouds, accentuated by thick black lashes any woman would be envious of.

  Jason would give his left nut to be with someone like that.

  He chewed his lower lip as he watched the two take a seat at one of the tables. If he thought the men surrounding him were out of his reach, the hunky stranger was planets away.

  Benjamin snorted. "You’ve got to be kidding me. I know those two. That’s Matthew Romero and Nick Steele. The one you’re drooling over is Matt, and he only dates exotic men. He was dating some guy named Miles, but I haven’t seen them together in a month." He frowned. "In fact, I haven’t seen Miles around at all."

  He liked Benjamin, but sometimes his friend was the most insensitive dick—even if he was telling the truth.

  "I can be exotic," Jason defended.

  "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but no, you can’t," Benjamin said. "Matt dates strippers. Unless you’ve decided to change careers, give it up."

  Jason scowled. "Are you done kicking me where it hurts?"

  "I’m just being a realist," Benjamin defended.

  Jason was beginning to believe he wasn’t destined to find happiness. He would end up old and alone with a horde of cats. He stood, his mood soured, as he grabbed his plate. "My break’s over. I’m going to go contemplate becoming a monk."

  Benjamin rolled his eyes. "Think about what I said. Just pick a random guy and have sex."

  "Thanks for the advice, Dr. Phil," Jason said dryly before weaving his way through the tables and heading behind the bar.

  He emptied the uneaten pie into the trash before setting the plate aside. When he turned, the bartender winked at him. Jason frowned, then glanced behind him.

  No one was standing there. Had that wink been meant for him? He’d been working at Grizzly’s for two months, and although Darius was always nice to him, he’d never flirted with Jason.

  Maybe the bartender had something in his eye.

  Ignoring Darius’s strange behavior, Jason slipped his half-apron back on and headed toward Matt’s table. As he approached, he almost lost his nerve.

  The two men were engaged in conversation, and neither noticed Jason standing there. He fidgeted and then tried to speak, but his throat had gone bone-dry. Matt looked up first, and his smoky-gray eyes stole Jason’s breath.

  He had to force himself not to outright gawk. His pulse quickened as he imagined what sex with Matt would be like. Jason bet it would be fantastic.

  Nick just sat there staring at Jason with mild interest. The guy reminded Jason of a stone-cold killer.

  Jason took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He forced a smile and then asked Matt, "Can I give myself to you?"

  As soon as the words left his lips, Jason wished a hole would open up and swallow him. Never in his life had he been more embarrassed than he was now. "I meant, what can I get for you?"

  The gleam of laughter in Matt’s eyes only made him want to run away even more.

  Nick nudged Matt and jerked his head toward Jason. He wasn’t sure what that was about. Maybe Nick was silently poking fun. The head jerk said, Can you believe this loser?

  Matt’s intense stare made Jason flush. "I like the first offer better."

  Jason blinked a few times as he took a step back.

  He had to have heard Matt wrong. No freaking way was the man interested in him. He laughed nervously as he poised his pencil over his pad. "Drinks to start with?"

  After the two gave their order, Jason spun and nearly broke his neck getting away from them.

  "Bears are better," Darius said with a grin when Jason stepped behind the bar.

  Jason had no idea what he was talking about. "Excuse me?"

  The bartender shrugged his massive shoulders as his smile widened. "Just sayin’."

  Things were getting too weird. Everything had been fine before his break. Could the apple pie have been bad? Jason had only taken one bite. He gave the drink order to Darius before tending to his other tables, purposely ignoring Matt’s.

  Jason watched as the LaSalle triplets sauntered into the tavern. They were Darius’s brothers, and all three men reminded Jason of their father—big, burly, biker-type kind of guys. All ten of Devin’s sons were gorgeous and all ten intimidated him, though they’d never done anything to make Jason leery of them.

  They stopped to talk to Matt and Nick before heading Jason’s way. The eldest LaSalle son, Raphael, glanced at him and winked before disappearing into the kitchen.

  When Matt and Nick’s drink orders came up, Jason took them over, set down the glasses, then hauled ass. He didn’t need to embarrass himself any more than he already had.

  He was relieved when Matt and Nick finally left. Maybe now his night could go back to normal and the universe could realign itself.

  * * * *

  "Take him down," Matt shouted as he rounded the Hummer, but Eric zipped past him before he could grab the vampire.

  Colton faked left and then shot right as Nick checked the female lying on the ground. Even from where Matt stood he already knew she was dead. If only they’d gone after Eric twenty minutes sooner, maybe Matt could’ve saved her life. Her death was a tragic waste and one of the reasons he was so pissed that Eric was a capture and not a kill.

  Matt would love to rip the bastard’s heart out.

&n
bsp; "Watch out!" Nick shouted. Eric picked up a long pipe and swung it at Colton’s head. Colton left the female on the ground as he pushed to his feet, aimed his gun, and fired, missing Eric by a hair.

  Nick and Colton took off after Eric and chased him into the back of the warehouse that sat on the outskirts of Mercury. Matt was done playing around. Instead of going inside, he took a shortcut toward the front.

  He positioned himself by the open bay door, pulled his Berretta from its holster, then waited. The bullets were dipped in a chemical that would knock the vampire out for a while, which would give them time to return him to Magnus before he woke.

  Eric raced through the bay door, laughing at his pursuers before he spotted Matt. His eyes widened and he stopped so fast he nearly fell on his face.

  "Now, wait," Eric said as he held up his hands and backed away. "I was framed!"

  "Save your confession for Magnus." Matt aimed his gun at Eric’s chest.

  "No!" Eric spun just as Matt fired. The vampire dropped before he could take another step.

  It downright pissed him off that he couldn’t put a permanent hole in the bastard. Eric relished the kill. The spark of excitement had been in the vampire's eyes when Matt rolled up on the guy. Eric took sick pleasure in feeding off his victims’ fear more than their blood, and that made him the worst kind of monster.

  Shape shifters got the same way when they forgot their humanity and let their beast take over. Matt had once put a lion down because the guy enjoyed the feeling of ripping a victim’s throat out, enjoyed the terror, the begging, the struggle. The lion had admitted to it before Matt had killed him.

  Some people were too damn twisted to live.

  Colton and Nick stood at the door, Colton panting heavily as his gaze darted from Eric to Matt.

  "How the hell did you get up here so fast?" Nick asked.

  Matt grinned as he holstered his gun. "That’s why I’m the boss."

  Nick scowled and Colton remained quiet. He’d been like that since he’d come back from his errands. Matt wasn’t one to pry, so he hadn’t asked what was wrong, but something was definitely wrong.

  "Fuck chasing a vampire," Matt told Nick. "Work smarter, not harder. Learn to read your opponent’s next move and counter it."

  Colton picked up Eric and carried his unconscious body back to the Hummer.

  "Pure luck," Nick groused as Matt opened the back of the vehicle so Colton could dump Eric inside.

  "Grab the female," Matt said. "We can’t leave her lying there for anyone to discover."

  As Colton went for her, Nick asked, "You square things away with Jason?" He stepped aside so Colton could lay her down next to Eric, then he folded her hands over her chest.

  Matt stood under the streetlamp as he glimpsed the tenderness in Colton’s eyes. Though their job wasn’t pretty, it was good to know that his men had compassion for the victims.

  "The waiter at Grizzly’s?" Colton asked when he straightened and turned to Nick.

  "Matt is thinking of dating the guy."

  Colton frowned. "Why?"

  "Now who lacks sensitivity?" Nick asked.

  Colton scowled. "What in the hell does sensitivity have to do with me asking Matt why he wants to date the guy at Grizzly’s?"

  "Who I date or don’t date is not open for discussion." Matt closed the back of the Hummer. "You two need a life."

  "What we need is to get out of here." Nick glanced around their dark surroundings. "If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not get caught with two dead bodies."

  Eric’s pale complexion made him appear dead.

  "No shit," Colton said.

  Matt slammed the rear of the Hummer shut before they got the hell out of there.

  Chapter Three

  It was three in the morning before Jason finally got off work. He was ready to go home and face-plant into his bed after working twelve hours.

  His apartment building was only six blocks away, but he hated walking in the wee hours of the morning. That was why he carried a can of pepper spray.

  Jason had started on the second block home when an uneasy feeling gripped him. He glanced around the dark streets, but no one was there. He walked three more blocks and couldn’t shake the feeling he was being followed. He stopped, turned, and scanned every storefront and alcove, and the spaces between buildings, but saw no one.

  He wasn’t sure if the feeling was real or if the dark and deserted streets were messing with his mind. He kept expecting someone to appear and chase him down the street.

  "Don’t be stupid," he murmured to himself.

  He turned around and ran into a wall of hard flesh. Jason started to fall, but an arm seized him. Without thought, he jammed his finger against the nozzle of his pepper spray.

  "Oh shit!" Jason shouted when the light breeze blew it into his face. He dropped to his hands and knees, feeling like his face was on fire. He ground his palms into his eyes as tears rolled down his cheeks. "God, that burns!"

  "What the hell were you doing?"

  The rich, melodious voice was familiar. "Matt?"

  "Lift your head."

  I’m such a loser.

  Jason did as he was told and jerked when something cold and wet poured into his eyes. Water. It didn’t stop the burn, but he wanted as much of the stuff flushed from his eyes as possible. He blinked rapidly as Matt continued to pour.

  "Better?"

  "Define better." Jason used the bottom of his shirt to wipe at his eyes. "I might not go blind, but my eyes feel like they’re falling out of my head."

  "What’re you doing out here so late?"

  "Checking to make sure all the lampposts are lit," he replied. When he looked up, all he saw was a tall blob standing in front of him.

  He felt fingers grab his chin and then tilt his head from one side to the other. "You did a number on yourself."

  "I was supposed to do that number on you," he complained, feeling like a complete boob. This was the second time tonight he’d made an ass out of himself in front of Matt.

  "That’s the thing about sprays. Always check which way the wind is blowing." Matt released his chin. "Walking home from work?"

  Jason nodded. He was glad he couldn’t see Matt. With his luck, one look at the guy's gorgeous face would make Jason top off his night with a grand finale of stupidity.

  "You can’t walk home like this. Tell me where you live and I’ll take you."

  He opened his mouth to decline and then shut it. If Matt didn’t help him, then he would be stuck standing there until he could see again. The thought wasn’t appealing. With the way things were going, a pack of rabid dogs would attack him while he waited.

  "The apartments over Sweetie Pies."

  "I know where the bakery is." Matt gripped his arm and guided him until Jason heard a car door opening. Rock music floated from inside. It wasn’t loud, more like background noise. "Step up and then slide into the seat."

  Jason once again did as he was told. Another door opened and closed, and a second later they were moving.

  "About what I said earlier," Jason began, feeling the need to smooth things over.

  He heard a soft, masculine chuckle. "Think nothing of it. Like I said, I liked your first offer better."

  Jason wasn’t sure what to make of Matt. "But why?" he asked as he felt the car turn left. "I’m really not your type."

  "How do you know that?"

  "Because I’m not a stripper." Jason’s gasped. "I mean—"

  "I know what you mean." There was humor in Matt’s voice. "But people get older and their tastes change."

  Jason frowned. "You stopped dating Miles, what, four weeks ago? How much older did you get in twenty-eight days?" If what Benjamin had told him was true.

  The deep, melodious chuckle filled the car once again. "Will you stop shooting me down?"

  That was the last thing Jason was trying to do. He just didn’t understand Matt’s sudden interest. Why on earth would a guy like him want someone like Jason?
>
  He thought of Benjamin’s advice and wondered if Matt was looking for a one-night stand. The idea both thrilled and scared him to death. Jason was used to dealing with pretty boys or geeks. Although Matt was downright gorgeous, he was a manly man, rugged and intimidating.

  "Shooting you down for what?" He wanted to be clear about Matt’s intentions.

  "To get to know each other," Matt said, leaving Jason still wondering what the guy wanted from him. He would outright ask, but he’d embarrassed himself enough for one night.

  The car slowed and came to a stop, but Jason still wasn’t able to see very clearly. He reached for the handle and busted his knuckles on the door. He wasn’t gonna get to his apartment in one piece. He made a mental note to crawl up the back stairs so he couldn’t fall to his death. Not that there were many steps, but he’d probably tumble down them and break his neck.

  It was embarrassingly obvious that he became a klutzy moron around Matt.

  "I see I’ll have to take you all the way to the door."

  Before Jason could protest, Matt had him out of the car and was leading him through the back entrance.

  "Which apartment is yours?"

  "Number four," Jason answered.

  Jason let Matt guide him up the steps. His vision was starting to clear, though his eyes still hurt like hell. The silence was awkward, but he couldn’t think of anything to say. No stunning man had ever led him to his door before.

  It’s not a date, ninny.

  They stepped through the entrance door at the top of the steps and Jason could make out the potted plant and tacky art on the wall in the hallway. "I think my vision is clearing."

  "Just to make sure, I still want to walk you all the way."

  Jason’s pulse beat harder. He’d talked smack to Benjamin about being adventurous, but that wasn’t who he was. Jason was built differently and he knew it. Most guys didn’t mind having a one-night stand, but Jason couldn’t untangle his feelings from sex.

  You’re a hopeless basket case.

  "Thanks for helping me after I assaulted myself," Jason said when they reached his door. Apparently, the dose of pepper spray had just damaged his vision, not his knack for saying stupid things.