Chapter 8

(The morning after)

As Beth woke up she was sure she had dreamed everything that had happened last night. She squeezed her eyes shut trying to hold on to that dream as long as she could. Never wanting it to end. Then she realized she was not at home in her own bed.

As she opened her eyes she realized she was in Mick's apartment. Dressed in one of his shirts. She got a strange sense of deja ve. This wasn't the first time she had awoken like this on his couch. As she sat up she saw Mick in the kitchen. He was making her breakfast. It smelled wonderful. She walked over to join him.

"Good morning." Mick said when he heard her coming up behind him. "How did you sleep?"

"Just fine." Beth said then gave Mick an kiss on the cheek. "What is all this?" It looked like Mick had made breakfast for an entire army.

Mick smiled bashfully. "I didn't know what you would want so I made some of everything."

Beth smiled up at him. "Thank you." That was all she could say. The feelings she had for Mick went beyond words. Last night had really happened. She had wanted to be like this with Mick for so long. It was kind of unreal that it was all finally happening.

"Help your self to whatever you like." Mick said as he handed her a plate. Beth helped herself to some eggs and pancakes. A few strips of bacon and some toast. Mick was really a great cook. She was sure this was going to be wonderful.

They had just settled in at the table. Mick brought Beth a cup of coffee and he was just sitting there watching her enjoy her meal. Mick's phone rang. It was Logan.

"Excuse me, I'll be right back."

Beth could only nod her head yes, her mouth was full of food.

Mick walk to his office and answered the phone. "Hey Logan."

"Mick, hey. I did some checking on Elizabeth Bradley for you. She seems pretty legit. She throws parties for vamps that entertain guests. All very high class. I'd bet she's probably helped organize a few for Joseph. She makes a great deal of money for each one and pays all the freshies very well."

"So that's all you've been able to find?"

"Pretty much. She owns several houses on the east coast but only one here in LA. Really that's about all."

"Thanks Logan. I'll be over later today to pay you."

"Cool. Blood or money?"

"Money. Bye Logan"

Mick hung up the phone and hurried back to join Beth. She wasn't at the table anymore. She was in the kitchen cleaning her plate. He walked to the kitchen and was right behind her when she turned around.

Beth didn't hear Mick come back out of his office so it scared her to see someone there when she turned around. She let out a little scream and dropped the plate she had been holding. It shattered on the floor.

"Beth, I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you."

"Mick St. John! I told you not to sneak up on me." Beth was shook up but also a little mad. Mick tried to keep the smile off his face.

"I wasn't sneaking." Ok, he had to smile. Really he wasn't sneaking. He was just admiring Beth's body. Remembering how it had felt last night to touch her and have her sleep in his arms. He didn't realize he wasn't making any noise while he walked up behind her.

She could see he was trying not to smile. That made her both a little more mad and at the same time want to kiss him. Instead she grabbed a towel and tried to wipe up the pieces of broken plate.

"Here, let me get that. It's my fault." Mick took over and quickly had the mess cleaned up. He went over to join Beth on the couch. She was checking her messages.

"I'm going to have to call Ben soon. He's already left me two messages."

"Should I be jealous that another man is calling my girl?" Mick asked with a grin.

Beth smiled. Her stomach was twirling as Mick called her his girl.

"He wants me to come in and talk about the case."

"Well, that was Logan on the phone. He didn't find anything out of place with Elizabeth. I'm going to go over there later and take a look at what he found but I don't think she has anything to do with what happened. She just runs a business." Mick knew she wasn't the only vamp that ran a business like hers. They are kind of the caterers of the vampire world. If you were having a party, she is someone you might call.

"Well, I'm only going to tell him what we talked about. Only the bare minimum. Enough to keep him on the case, but not going in the right direction. Are you going to talk to Ashley again today?"

"Yes, right after I finish up with Logan. Do you wan to join me?"

"Sure, I'll give you a call when I finish talking with Ben."

At that point Mick and Beth just looked at each other. There was so much they wanted to say but neither of them knew where to start. Finally Mick broke the silence.

"Beth, about last night…" He didn't know what else to say. What if Beth regretted it? What if he had hurt her?

"Last night was wonderful." She said with a smile that lit up the room.

Mick returned her smile. "Yes, it was."

Beth moved over closer to Mick and wrapped her arms around him. He just held her close and took in her scent. She still smelled like flowers, but also of him. Mick smiled a little about that. He knew she would have to go soon. To get ready for work. But right now, she was in his arms. Nothing could be better.

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