Sucker Bet (Vegas Vampires #4)(23)
Author: Erin McCarthy

"You didn’t work before you got married?"

"No." That was simpler than explaining she had been the pampered daughter of a Norman lord, and she’d spent her days sewing and practicing the harp in the eleventh century. "I was a bit sheltered coming up."

"Well, what would you like to do? If you could do anything." Nate sank back into the sofa and waved his hand at her, like a career might pop up out of thin air.

His was a question no one had ever asked her before. Gwenna wrinkled her nose. "I don’t know." She closed her mouth. Opened it. Closed it. "Well. I… don’t know."

Nate raised an eyebrow. "Well, maybe you should think about it."

Maybe. But it sounded rather overwhelming. She had never considered that she could have a career. That she could be a modern woman like Alexis and Brittany. The thought was a little dizzying.

"I’m not sure I’m really good at anything." Gwenna bit her fingernail, than stared at her hand in confusion. She hadn’t done that in centuries. Since those early days of her marriage to Roberto when he used to disappear for weeks at a time and she had worried incessantly. "Not really."

"What do you do every day?"

"I sleep a lot," she said, because that was true. "I tend to stay up really late at night. Last night was normal for me."

He shot her a look of irritation, not even remarking on her unintended sexual innuendo. "So what do you do at night then?"

Besides shag strange men in empty spas on massage tables. The unspoken words just hung there in the air between them, and Gwenna wanted to crawl under the table and die. Except going under the table would have her at crotch level with Nate, and she couldn’t die anyway. It was hell to be wading through this with no clue how to have a normal relationship with a man.

Though obviously any sort of so-called relationship she had or might have with Nate had not exactly got off on a normal foot either. She’d had sex with him after discovering a murder victim, which possibly proved her brother’s accusation to be true—she was not to be trusted when it came to men.

He was waiting for her answer. "I read. I do things… on the computer. I play the piano." Infiltrate vampire slayer loops and drink copious amounts of blood.

"What things on the computer?"

She should have known that he would call her on that one. He was still in detective mode. "I just like to explore, to read things, to do research. I’m a repeat poster on Wikipedia. Especially the section on Norman history. I do a lot of genealogy."

"And hang out in online vampire slayer groups."

"Just the one." So there.

Nate let that go. His fingers started drumming again. "So you’re smart. Well read. You have extensive computer research skills. And you play the piano. It sounds like you could do a lot of things."

Gwenna shrugged noncommittally, not really wanting to discuss this with him. It made her feel inadequate. Lazy. Self-indulgent. "No one is going to pay me to play the piano."

"Why not? This is Vegas. There’s a piano in every other lobby."

"But I’m not that good."

"Then why did you mention it?"

"Because you asked what I do."

"So clearly you enjoy it. No one is expecting a genius at these joints, you just have to be able to play without hitting a bad-note."

"I don’t hit bad notes." She’d had nine centuries to practice the blasted thing, she’d better not hit bad notes. But that didn’t mean she was capable of entertaining anyone with her playing.

"Then what’s the problem? If performing in front of people makes you uncomfortable, you could record music."

She made a face without really meaning to.

He raised an eyebrow. "Okay, that’s out. How about a librarian?"

Did she look like a librarian? That was startling. Though probably true. "They have degrees."

Now Nate seemed determined to forge her a career path. Like if he could just hit on the right idea, she’d get a job and get her act together. Hell, maybe there was something to that.

"So then something with your computer skills… you could start one of those services where you find people online for clients. That’s huge right now and it sounds like you know exactly how to do that."

Now that idea actually intrigued her. Gwenna sat back in her chair and crossed her ankles.

"What, no excuse for this one?" He gave her a wry look.

Since she had been making excuses, she just gave him a smile back. "Now that could be interesting. I have a lot to learn, but I do enjoy the challenge of ferreting out info online."

"Maybe you can practice by helping the department match the rest of those e-mail addresses to real names."

Gwenna nodded. She’d been thinking the same thing herself. "Sure, of course I can do that. Whatever you need to help figure out what the hell is going on and who’s responsible for Andrew’s death. I can e-mail you the list I already have so you can get started."

First on her list was going to be Slash and FoxyKyle. They dominated the loop. And they had both taken measures to secure their identity. Gwenna wanted to know why.

"You got any paper? I’ll give you my e-mail address."

Gwenna retrieved a pad of paper from the kitchenette area and watched Nate scrawl something on it with the pen she’d handed him. He was left-handed, and his elbow tilted out at a funny angle when he wrote. But his strokes were confident, sharp. Just watching him reminded her of the night before, of his hands moving over her with that same matter-of-fact approach. He took, but he didn’t own, didn’t try to possess or dominate. He was just positive his touch would be well received and he was right. She had welcomed every lick, every suck, every touch.

And now they weren’t going to speak about it, and she was going to let him walk out the door and deny herself the chance to explore his body further all because she was a lifelong introvert.

It was beyond stupid.

He stood up. Sexy as hell, with caramel-colored hair; broad shoulders; face, demeanor, and expression as rugged and impenetrable as the north moors; a man’s man, with a penis large enough that he was entitled to brag about it.

If she wanted a crack at same said penis yet again, she was going to have to be bold. She fought for the nerve, for a little backbone. To be QueenieG, in real life, as well as online.

"I’ll be in touch." He passed the paper to her with zero hand-to-hand contact and headed for the door.

Gwenna stared at his back. He really and truly was going to walk out and never even discuss the fact that his c**k had been in her mouth not eighteen hours earlier. And she’d done a pretty fine job of working him over, if she did say so herself, and he wasn’t even going to acknowledge any of that? It irritated her enough that she steeled herself. Damn it, she did not like being ignored.