"Do you know him?" Dorian asked.

Through clenched teeth, she whispered her reply. "That�s my� boss."

The man barely spared a glance for Dorian, his cold gaze fixated on the woman. "I�ve been looking for you everywhere, Charlotte. Where have you been?"

Charlotte. Dorian let the name rest on his tongue, melting like rich, dark chocolate. It suited her�a sweet sonnet tinged with a hint of spice.

"Yeah, sorry about that," she replied. Disappointment and frustration warred for dominance in her tone, but she offered the man a smile anyway. "I decided to stretch my legs in the park."

Her smile was nothing like the radiant looks she�d shared with Dorian, but that fact was little comfort; he may have earned her genuine expressions, but in the end, it seemed she�d still be going home with another man.

Now, that man opened the SUV�s back door. "Get in. We have things to discuss."

"Just give me a sec," she said, not bothering to hide her annoyance. Then, turning to Dorian, she offered one last smile. The real one.

Dorian tried not to gloat.

In a soft, wistful tone, she said, "I have to go now."

"You really don�t."

"Thanks again for the company."

"Charlotte," he said, savoring the taste of it, the way her eyes softened when he said it. "This isn�t necessary. I can have my driver here in a matter of minutes. We�ll take you anywhere you�d like."

As long as it�s not anywhere near this man and his ice-cold eyes.

"I appreciate the offer." Charlotte lowered her gaze, cheeks blushing, and Dorian wanted to freeze the moment right there, to stop the inevitable goodbye poised on her lips.

But he could no more stop time than he could reverse it.

"Technically I�m still on the clock," she continued. "I don�t have a choice."

He wanted to kiss her. To memorize the feel of those soft, plump lips, to welcome the warmth of her sigh against his ear one more time. But with the other man standing so close, Charlotte�s discomfort was obvious.

"It was lovely to meet you," Dorian said instead, cursing himself, cursing the demons, cursing the man in the SUV, cursing the very witch who�d created the first vampires eons ago.

For all the blood and fury, this was the true bane of an immortal life.

Regret, heavy and inescapable, destined to haunt him for eternity.

"Goodnight, Charlotte," he said, resisting the urge to touch her face.

"Goodnight, Stranger."

And then she was gone, climbing into the SUV without a backward glance.

Dorian took a deep breath, her scent lingering on his skin, despite the second dose of demon blood. JrNovels.com