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Jericho dipped his mouth toward her ear. “Doing okay?”

“Mmm,” she hummed, distracted by a woman who sauntered past them in a red bustier. The waitress winked, tossing a length of dark curly hair over her shoulder. Cocktails sloshed on her wobbling tray. “Hey, Colin. Haven’t seen you in here in a while.”

“Hey, Erin,” he returned, offering her one of his panty-melting smiles.

Alex raised a brow. “The staff knows you by name?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I might have stopped in a time or two. Erin’s cute, but she’s a terrible waitress. She’s working at Pulse to research a novel she’s writing.”

Alex tilted her head. “And that research just happens to involve muscular vampires?”

“You jealous, study buddy?”

“Enough, you two,” Jericho grumbled, weary of their antagonistic banter. “Let’s head upstairs.”

Alex followed in Colin’s tracks while Jericho stayed close behind her. The crowd parted before them, hungry eyes following their progress with blatant interest. Up on the second-floor balcony, premium seating offered curved leather sofas and smoked glass partitions for those seeking privacy. It also gave them an unobstructed view of the level below.

Jericho guided her to a red velvet sofa where he and Colin made like two muscular sentinels, sitting on either side of her. It was a shame she couldn’t pull them in front of her like curtains and disappear.

Colin eyed her jiggling foot. “Relax,” he groaned.

“I can’t help it. Being stared at like I’m a piece of meat is disconcerting,” she hissed, feeling the weight of several curious stares.

“Says you,” he snorted, apparently enjoying the attention they’d drawn.

He turned his head, scanning the room, making eye contact with the nightclub’s elite seated around them. Jericho was doing the same, and given his deep scowl, he didn’t like what he saw. Alex swallowed dryly.

“Let them stare.” Colin waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. “It’s not like any of them are getting past Jericho and me tonight.” His focus shifted in the direction of the bar. “Stay put while I get you something to settle your nerves.”

Figures he’d place that order while sidling next to a woman in a short red dress. Alex smirked to see him chatting up the gorgeous blonde at the bar, laying on the charm.

It was no wonder Ivy rebuffed his affections. Alex had been in his head enough to know he had it bad for Doc’s sister. How did he expect Ivy to take him seriously when he flirted with anything with boobs?

The blonde all but drooled on his suit, wrapping her hands around his biceps. Colin flexed for her, letting her measure its girth. Huh. That must have been some pickup line.

Alex canted her head to see around a man who’d blocked her view, and a firm hand grasped her knee, pushing her back. “You’re going to fall on the floor if you lean much further.”

The contact sent a delicious tremor rolling down her spine. Her skin burned, branded by the heat of Jericho’s palm. He released her knee, and she straightened with a self-conscious grimace. “Um, right. Thanks. Colin is… I was just…”Enjoying the show. “Never mind,” she said, clearing her throat.

She twisted the silver bracelet on her wrist, spinning it round and round.

Jericho eyed her restless fingers. “If I thought the risk was too great, I wouldn’t have brought you here tonight.

The sincerity in his expression sent warmth spiraling through her stomach. “I trust you to keep me safe,” she said on an exhaled breath. As she analyzed her own words, it hit her. She really did trust him. That trust wasn’t something she gave easily. She squirmed beneath his perceptive gaze.

“You’re not worried about your safety, though, are you? It’s the meeting that has you tied in knots.”

Relief flooded her at his gentle understanding. Sometimes it seemed he knew her better than she knew herself. “I don’t want to let everyone down. I’m afraid I’ll screw up.”

“No need to worry. You’ve made a lot of progress in a very short time.” He tucked her hair behind her ear, grazing her cheek.

She resisted the urge to lean into his touch. Something she found herself doing often over the last couple of weeks.

He lowered his hand, frowning as though he’d just realized what he’d done.

Colin returned, and they both stiffened, withdrawing to a safer distance. He pressed a martini into her hand and passed Jericho a glass of whiskey, eyeing them with an expression of deep contemplation.

Alex dodged his eyes and took a sip of her drink, savoring the tang of vodka and apple on her lips.