Vampires Among Us [Vampires Among Us 1] (Siren Publishing Classic)

warrant her attention. Kevin had quietly sat by the sidelines for months while these other young men attempted to openly flirt with Erica. While she was always polite to them, they always walked away discouraged. He shook his head. It never ceased to amaze him how much people could gossip. Women, especially, seemed particularly prone to such actions. As he glanced over to the beautiful woman next to him, he grinned. “Well, I’m glad I can accommodate them for the day!” he muttered darkly to himself.
    He dropped Erica off at the door to the classroom. “Save me a seat, I’ll be back in two minutes.” He dropped a quick kiss to her forehead before darting out of sight to do a run-through in an animal form. He chose a bird, small and easy to fly up and see everything from above. This proved much less time consuming than wandering the whole grounds. Everything looked to be on the up-and-up, so Kevin changed back forms and returned to class.
    As he walked into the class, he immediately noticed three girls who looked as if they were interrogating Erica. He walked over and took the empty seat right next to her, smiled up at the girls who had become suddenly silent, and stated cheerfully, “Good morning, ladies,” as he gave them his award-winning smile.
    The girls mumbled a good morning and went to take their seats. He glanced over to Erica with a twinkle in his eye, and a small giggle escaped from her. She mouthed a “thank you” to him before the lecture began.
    For Kevin, class was boring as usual, as he counted down the minutes left before it was over and he could take Erica out to lunch.
    As they headed for his car, he asked, “So, what is it going to be for lunch today, a sandwich, or something different?”
    “I’ll just grab a sandwich or something when we get home,” Erica replied as she climbed into the passenger side of his car.
    Kevin cocked his head at her as he stood in at her side. “I was asking where you want to go out to eat.”
    “Kevin, we don’t have to go out. Besides, it’s not like you are even eating!” she snapped, her words coming out far too harsh. She immediately hung her head down in shame. He was only trying to take care of her and pamper her. Geez, since when had she become such a bitch?
    She sighed deeply, knowing the only correct thing to do was to apologize. She needed to stop biting the hand that was trying to feed her! She waited until he had walked over to the driver’s side and sat down in the seat. “I’m sorry I snapped. I didn’t mean to,” she whispered over to him.
    He reached over and gently squeezed her hand. “I know you didn’t, and while I realize I can’t eat, I would still like to take you out for lunch, if you are willing. Besides, I’m hoping you will fill me in on your little chat with the vultures. It is lunchtime, aren’t you hungry?” He started the car up and backed out of the parking space.
    “Well, yes I am somewhat, but you are going to get sick of watching me eat all the time,” Erica muttered with what she obviously thought was a fierce frown on her face. Kevin found it adorable.
    While the thought of kissing her frown right off her face was very appealing, Kevin wasn’t so sure she would agree. “Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?” he asked solicitously.
    They stopped at a small luncheon counter, and Kevin sat twirling a drink cup in his hands while waiting patiently for Erica to finish her sandwich. “So, are you going to fill me in?” he probed with a grin.
    “Oh, you know, the usual girl junk,” she answered as she shrugged her shoulders and waved her hands dismissively. “They watched us walking down the hall together, and, well, since I missed two days last week…” she hesitated. “They jumped to the automatic conclusion that we are having an affair.” Although her face was a nice bright shade of red, Kevin continued to probe her.
    “So now I’m curious, what was your response?” he asked, fully aware he was grinning like a schoolboy as he sat forward in his seat, leaning both elbows on the table.
    “I told them we were just friends, and that yes, I was seeking a divorce. Evidently Shawn was in the parking lot when class let out Thursday, and questioned several students if anyone had heard from me. Someone told him that both of us missed class, which not only started tongues wagging, but also led Shawn to tracking you down in order to find me. I told the girls today that I was currently staying