"Oh. I guess I can live with that." She nudged her way back through the crowd. Everyone moved back when Hugo came through.
Phil was still holding down the struggling Vamp as if he were detaining a small child in time-out. Max didn't seem to be in any pain, since the silver chain was against his clothes. If it had come into contact with his skin, there would have been some nasty, smelly, sizzling flesh.
Phil glanced up at her. "What do you want to do with him?"
"Hugo will take care of him."
On cue, Hugo growled deep in his throat. The crowd jumped back.
Max gasped as Hugo lumbered closer like a huge bear. "No! Let me go. I'll leave Vanda alone, I promise."
"You were told to leave her alone at the coven meeting." Phil glared down at him. "Obviously, you can't be trusted."
"You're in violation of the restraining order." Vanda wrapped her whip around her waist and tied it off. "I believe you owe the court five thousand dollars."
Max spat at her boots. "You bitch! You're the one who owes me money!"
"Enough." Hugo reached down and seized Max around the neck. "I've got him," he told Phil. "You can let go."
As soon as Phil jumped to his feet and lifted the silver chain, Hugo teleported away with Max. Phil stuffed the silver chain into his pants' pocket, and the female Vamps moved in.
"You were amazing." One of the girls pressed close.
"I do declare." Cora Lee wrapped a hand around his arm. "I've never seen such a vigorous, manly display."
"The show is over," Vanda grumbled.
Phil's eyes twinkled with amusement as he leaned over to pick up Max's dagger. "You might want to step back, ladies. This is a dangerous weapon."
With a sigh, the women moved back.
Phil focused on Vanda. "May I talk to you in private?"
"I...suppose." She turned stiffly and led the way to her office. Her nerves tensed at the thought of being alone with him again. But she needed to do this. She needed to apologize for causing him so much pain in the past.
She glanced at him briefly as he strode into the office, then shut the door. "Thank you for protecting us."
"You're welcome." He placed the dagger on her desk. "You might need this."
She stifled a shudder. She didn't need a reminder of how bad things could have been. "At least Max didn't bring that damned snake."
Phil turned to face her. "Snake?"
"A fifteen-foot-long python. Max dances with it. Or he tried to. The snake had other plans." She took a deep breath. Thank God Phil wasn't a Vamp and couldn't hear her heart pounding. There was something about him, and apparently she wasn't the only one feeling it. All of the women were reacting to him. And that was making her feel strangely possessive.
He'd affected her from the start. At nineteen he'd been lean and lanky, but he'd still exuded an earthy sexiness that had appealed to her. Now, at twenty-seven, he'd filled out that lanky form with muscle and an aura of male power. Every nerve ending in her body seemed aware of him, drawn to him, on fire for him.
She had to be out of her mind. Hadn't she endured enough pain in her life? She would apologize and then let him go. She took a deep breath and met his steady gaze.
He stepped toward her. "I need to apologize."
She blinked. He'd stolen the words right out of her mouth. "But - "
He raised a hand to stop her. "I need to say this. I was on the sidewalk, waiting for a cab, when I realized I was a hypocrite. I volunteered to help you handle your anger, but I wasn't handling my own. I was rude - "
"But you had every right to be angry with me. I tormented you. I made you miserable. I shouldn't have treated you like that."
His eyes softened. "I could suffer far worse things than having a beautiful woman come on to me."
The blueness of his eyes made her chest feel tight, like it was hard to breathe. "You're being kind, but I don't deserve it. You were right. I was bored, and you seemed like a safe diversion. I'm really sorry."
"I'm sorry, too. I was coming back inside the club to apologize when Max appeared."
She recalled her bouncer's strange warning. "I heard you reacted very quickly."
"I've been working for MacKay S & I a long time, so I've learned a few tricks." He touched his pocket. "Like carrying a silver chain with me. It's the only way to keep a vampire from escaping." He tilted his head. "Do you have any kind of security?"
"Of course. I have Hugo."
"I meant away from the club. Who's guarding you while you're in your death-sleep?"
She shrugged. "Pamela, Cora Lee, and I share a condo, and the building has really tight security. They never let anyone near our apartment during the day. We're officially listed as day-sleepers."
He shook his head. "That's not enough. Maybe you should move back to Roman's townhouse for a while - "
"No." Vanda lifted both hands as if to ward off evil. "I'm not giving up my independence. I did that once, and it took over fifty years to get it back."
His eyes narrowed. "Why did you join the harem?"
Damn. Now she'd said too much. "It's ancient history. Forget it."
The look on his face made it clear he was forgetting nothing. "I don't think you've seen the last of Max."
"He can't bother me while I'm sleeping. He's just as dead as I am during the day."
Phil frowned at her. "I don't like the thought of you being alone."
"I'm not alone!" she said, louder than necessary, then winced. "I have friends. And I have this club. My life is one big party."
Phil stepped closer, studying her face. "You've been crying."
"I'm fine. Now, if you don't mind - " She flinched when he touched her cheek.
"Vampire tears." His finger traced a line down her cheek. "They leave a faint pink stain."
She moved back. "Good night, Phil. Thank you once again for protecting us."
He stared at her. She looked away, her heart floundering under the searching gaze of those pale blue eyes.
"How about giving me a ride home?"
She swallowed hard. Hadn't she been through enough tonight? But how could she refuse? He'd brought her car back. He'd saved her from Max. But the thought of spending more time alone with him was too disconcerting. Her nerves were completely shot. Her emotions were a tangled mess. She wanted to touch him. She wanted to feel his strong arms around her. And at the same time, she wanted him to go far away and never come back.
She pressed a hand against her brow. "I-I'm very busy."
"It will only take a few seconds for you to teleport me. But then, you would have to let me wrap my arms around you and hold you tight. If that scares you too much - "
"I'm not scared!" She clenched her teeth when he smiled slowly. Damn him. He'd manipulated her into this. "You're still getting even with me, aren't you?"
"Actually, I'm making progress with those negative feelings. I no longer have visions of making you suffer."
"Oh, that's big of you."
His mouth twitched. "How kind of you to notice."
Her gaze flitted south, then quickly away. Good Lord, he was big. How could he be so turned on? He'd only touched her cheek. Her skin tingled, and she suddenly wanted him to touch her everywhere.
He took hold of her shoulders. "Instead of making you suffer, I'm thinking about all the ways I could give you pleasure."
Oh God, don't melt on him. She locked her shaky knees and planted her hands against his chest, more to steady herself than shove him away. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
She gasped when his hard shaft pressed against her belly. "Not so close. I have to concentrate to teleport. You don't want to arrive home minus an appendage, and I don't mean your foot."
With a smirk, he eased back. "It is a foot right now."
She groaned. "Caveman." She closed her eyes to focus on Roman's townhouse. Her body started to waver, but when Phil's body remained intact, she stopped. "There's something wrong. You're not coming with me."
"Not enough foreplay, sweetheart."
She swatted his arm. "I meant your body is refusing to teleport."
"Ah." He released her and dug the silver chain out of his pants' pocket. "This must be the problem." He dropped the chain onto her desk. "Now, where were we?"