Hunting Him [PREVIEW]

Chapter One

Chapter One

I'd never been on a date before.

At least, not a real one. My boyfriends in the past had been friends-turned-lovers that didn't require a dinner and small talk to get to know each other and so sitting across from a bartender I'd bought a few drinks off every other weekend was a truly new experience. It didn't mean I wasn't enjoying it. Doing something new was always a thrill and Nate was certainly nice to look at. I was already imagining running my hands through that unruly black mess on his head and we hadn't even had dessert yet.

"Oh, I never asked how old you are," he realised suddenly, raising an eyebrow at me.

"I'm twenty-two."

"Oh, good," he paused to take a sip of his third beer. Neither of us were skimping on the alcohol tonight and it made me wonder if he was in a similar situation when it came to first dates. "When you said you were a lawyer, I kind of panicked that you were actually thirty and just looked really good for your age."

"I'm not technically a lawyer yet. I'm a legal executive, which unfortunately doesn't come with nearly the same pay level as an actual solicitor." My day job was just to pay the bills, though, more than anything. It was dull and draining and was half the reason I longed for the evenings Seth rang me up to inform me there was a vampire problem at hand. Those were the nights I lived for. "Hopefully one day, though. How old are you?"

"Twenty-one." I was notoriously bad at judging ages, but I'd actually guessed fairly accurately this time. His short layer of stubble added the perfect layer of manliness I tended to love in an appearance, without him looking scruffy. "Though I'm not doing anything anywhere near as glamorous with my life."

We'd only met a couple of times before this and trying to communicate in a crowded club never went well. I was still surprised I'd managed to jot down his number with all the digits correct. "Hey, I'm not really bothered about dessert." The thought of having sex on a completely full stomach wasn't very appealing and my skin was already flushed with images of Nate curled around my naked body. "Would you want to get out of here?"

"No messing around, huh?"

My cheeks burned red. "Don't pretend like you haven't been thinking about it for the past hour. I wore a low cut top for a reason and you've certainly been appreciating it."

Nate grinned, hailing down the waiter and requesting the bill. After putting in our respective amounts, I shrugged into my coat and headed out. Newcastle in November wasn't suitable dress weather, but the jade number I'd chosen for tonight had been too perfect to resist. It was just a shame my coat had to clash so horribly.

The night should have held every fear for me. I knew what was out there, that a vampire could be lurking in the shadows ready to drain my blood at any given second, but life was too short for that. The chances of me being attacked by a vampire were far less likely than the possibility of me being mugged anyway, so it wasn't worth worrying about.

At least a mugger definitely wouldn't want to cross Nate. He was far taller than me and the fact he was well built was obvious through his tight sweater. I could already tell he was a complete show-off. It was ridiculously attractive.

"You live close by, then? I mean, we could go to mine, but it's a bit of a way out of the city centre."

"Yeah, I'm just five minutes away." My apartment was my prize possession. Living in the north meant rent wasn't too expensive, but I'd been especially lucky with my flat. It was just above a bakery, dead city-centre, and the perfect size for me living on my own. "We'll be there in no time." I linked my fingers around his as I said it, unable to contain my grin. I could only hope Nate was as good in the sack as his confidence suggested.