♪ Hungry Eyes by Eric Carmen
She looked up at me as if she could read my thoughts and smirked. Maybe she could read my mind, or maybe my hunger was blatantly obvious. Sadly, it was a hunger that would remain unsated. She was far too precious to be ruined by the likes of me or anyone of my kind. She deserved love and gentleness and finesse. Something my kind was incapable of. If only . . ..
The thought didn’t bear finishing. I couldn’t indulge in ‘what ifs’ and ‘if onlys’. I had to be practical and recognize what I was. And what I was, was all wrong for her.
After her observation earlier about our waitress, I began to notice how overly attentive she was. Mandy had refilled my glass of blood after every third sip all night long. Yet she didn’t even glance at Celesta’s nearly empty wine glass once. Initially, each encounter caused something resembling jealousy to flash in her eyes. I had no idea why Celesta would be jealous; I hadn’t so much as glanced at Mandy. I couldn’t even recall her hair or eye color if my life had depended on it. Normally, my brain cataloged all information in a scene, even inconsequential details, in case it was needed later. But Celesta had short-circuited my mind so that she was all I noticed. It bothered me that she felt . . . threatened by the waitress. I needed to do something about that. I started sipping my glass more frequently so Mandy would need to refill it more often. I winked at Celesta after my second calculated refill.
Celesta choked back a snicker each time Mandy flounced over to my side. It didn’t matter where my glass was positioned, she always set it back down on my far side so she had to put her cleavage in my face. I turned it into a game, shifting my glass all over the table when I sensed her approaching. Celesta’s eyes sparkled with laughter.
“Maybe I need to put my empty glass in front of you so I can get a refill,” she joked.
“I can solve that for you . . . watch.”
I linked my fingers with Celesta’s on the tabletop. Picking up her glass, I drained the last clinging drops from it.
Mandy rushed to my side. “I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to let your glass run dry. Let me refill it for you.” She moved to take the glass from my fingers.
“Actually, the empty glass is my girlfriend’s. She’d like a refill.”
I pressed my lips to the tips of Celesta’s fingers linked with mine and winked at her. Celesta’s pulse pounded in response. A light flickered in my peripheral vision as Mandy huffed off to refill the empty glass.
“You pissed her off,” Celesta said, suppressing a laugh.
Shrugging, I said, “I don’t care. Ignoring her flirting attempts didn’t seem to get my point across. Perhaps showing her exactly where my attention lies would make the message a bit clearer.”
Her eyes glanced to mine briefly before dropping back to our intertwined fingers.
“So, what did you think of your French steak?” I asked as we waited for Mandy to return.
“It was delicious to eat,” she teased.
Smirking back at her, I tipped my fork and said, “Touché.”
Mandy appeared back by my side and sat the glass down by Celesta’s other hand with enough force that wine sloshed onto the back of Celesta’s hand. Rather than make a big deal about it, I grabbed her wet hand with my free hand and brought it to my mouth. My tongue darted out to lick a droplet of the rich liquid from the side of her hand. Then I proceeded to kiss the remaining moisture from her skin, much to the horror of Mandy and the delight of Celesta.
“Would you care for dessert?” Mandy practically growled at us.
“Yes, please. We’d like Ispahan and chocolate mousse to share.”
Mandy didn’t respond, just stormed off.
“Mr. Adams, are you trying to seduce me with sugar?” Celesta asked coyly.
“Of course not. But if I was trying to woo you, would sugar work?” I asked slyly as I took a sip of blood.
She leaned closer and dropped her voice lower. “Just between us, I have a huge weakness for chocolate. I love all things dipped in chocolate.”
I choked on the sip of blood sliding down my throat. She probably hadn’t meant to be suggestive, but I was filing away that tidbit. I’d happily cover myself in chocolate to win her affections.
The arrival of our desserts saved me from answering her. It was the only time all night I’d welcomed Mandy’s presence.
“Enjoy your dessert. Did you want all of this added to your tab, Mr. Adams?” she asked in a clipped tone.
“Yes, please.”
I continued to hold Celesta’s right hand in my left, which prevented her from attacking either dessert. I scooped up a spoonful of chocolate mousse and held it up to her mouth. Her lips parted and accepted the sweet treat. She closed her eyes and moaned in satisfaction. That sight and sound sent a flood of blood flowing out of my brain and to a portion of my anatomy which would soon be in need of attention.
“That’s sinfully good,” she groaned, licking the last morsels from the spoon.
I had a bite of the satiny chocolate myself. I had to agree with her.
Then I scooped up a bit of the raspberry dessert and offered it to her. Her tongue darted out and eagerly licked it from the spoon.
“That’s good too.”
I continued feeding both of us bites of each dessert until the dishes were empty.
She’d stared into my eyes the entire time I’d fed her. It was a heady experience. I’d never felt such a rush of arousal without any sexual contact before. Then she took her free hand and reached up to the corner of my mouth and captured a tiny dab of chocolate from my lips. I couldn’t stop the growl that escaped as she sucked it from her finger.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to touch you. You had just a little bit of chocolate on your lips,” she stammered nervously.
“I wish I had more on my lips, just so you could clean it off.”
“Oh . . ..” There was that delightful rosy tint flocking across her skin.
I pressed a kiss to her fingers. “Shall we head home?”
She swallowed and nodded. I tossed a few bills on the table to cover an undeserved tip for Mandy before helping Celesta from the booth.
With my palm on the small of her back, we walked through the crowded restaurant. Gently, I guided her through clusters of people. Several times we were stopped on our way to the front door by various associates of mine, and each eyed Celesta with quite a lot of interest and curiosity. I just pulled her closer to my side, not offering any information to them.
Just as we were almost to the front entrance, a very old acquaintance stopped us.
“Toven, how are you?” Terrence Jenkins asked with a faux smile on his face.
“I’m doing well, Terrence. How are you?” I answered in a voice filled with forced pleasantness.
“I’m doing quite well. My new development is ahead of schedule, so business is going well. I hope there aren’t any hard feelings about that last bid.”
I waved off his fake concern. “Of course not. I have more than enough work to keep my development company busy.”
“I’m glad you aren’t upset. What are the odds that my bid on the project would come in a mere ten thousand under yours? We must be using the same source of materials.” A smug smile tipped his lips.
“Yeah, the closeness of our bids was quite odd.”
I started to step beyond him when I felt some resistance. I turned and saw Terrence had grabbed Celesta’s arm and was holding her in place. I glared at him. A vivid red flashed behind my eyes, blinding me with rage for a moment, before I tamped it down. Terrence always tried to push my buttons, though he’d never successfully instigated a reaction from me in the past. But then again, he’d never dared to touch something so precious to me before.
“Who’s your new pet, Toven? Normally, you don’t bring them out in public.”
“She is not my pet,” I spit out through clenched teeth. “And who she is none of your damn business.”
If looks could kill, Terrence would’ve dropped dead on
the spot. I glared at where his hand gripped her arm then cast hard eyes up to his. He finally caught the hint and slowly released his hold.
I stepped up to him and spoke quietly but with great malice, “Terrence, it would behoove you to remember to keep your hands off what’s mine.”
I wrapped my arm tightly around Celesta and escorted her to the front door. As soon as we were out of view of the restaurant’s interior, I pressed her to the side of the building. I stood in front of her and crouched to meet her frightened eyes.
“Are you OK?” my voice held a little more edge to it than I would’ve liked, and she flinched.
She swallowed and nodded slightly.
I looked at her arm where Terrence had dared to touch her perfect skin. I could still discern where his prints marred her skin, and I rubbed my fingers lightly over the offended area. How easily her skin had been marked by a simple careless act. It was a stark reminder of how dangerous my kind was to someone as fragile as her. Once I felt I’d rubbed the trace of him from her skin, I tilted her chin up to force her to meet my eyes. The fear was retreating from them.
“Are you sure you’re all right?”
She reached a hand out to my cheek. “Yes, Toven. I’m fine, thanks to you. I was just a little bit frightened. But it’s over now. Don’t worry about me.”
My eyes ticked back and forth, taking in her earnest expression. God, how I longed to close the chasm between us and claim her lips. But the vulnerable look in her eyes forced me to move back a few inches. I’d hate myself even more than I already did if I ever did something to put that frightened look in her eyes. I couldn’t take advantage of her when she was vulnerable.
I yanked her to my chest, pressing her tightly against me, and I stroked her back. Reassuring her or myself that she was OK, I wasn’t sure.
“I’ll never let anyone frighten you like that again,” I vowed.
“I know,” she whispered.
A throat behind us cleared. The valet had brought the car around.
“Let’s go, OK?” I said.
She nodded. “I was going to suggest you take me dancing since I have this fun dress on, but after that, I think we should probably just call it a night.”
As we moved toward the valet stand where my car waited, a flash of silver blond hair flickered in my periphery. I turned in the direction, searching. The color used to be a lot rarer, but now that it was available in a bottle, I ran into it nearly every day it seemed. But the air shifted, putting all my senses on alert. My gaze darted around, seeking that which I felt certain was poised to strike.
When I was unable to locate her, I shepherded Celesta to the car and helped her slide into the passenger side. After tipping the valet, I climbed behind the wheel. Gunning the engine, I peeled away from the restaurant.
“I’ll take you dancing another time. And I love that dress by the way. I can just imagine the skirt swaying and flying out as you spin around.” I longed to rub the material between my fingers.
She smiled and said, “Raincheck.”
“For sure.”
The rest of the ride passed in silence. She appeared to be lost in her thoughts. I desperately wanted to offer to buy them, but I got the feeling she needed the protection they provided her for now. Her exposure to our kind had been minimal in the past. I hated thinking Terrence may have awakened more of her natural fear of vampires . . . of me. Fear of us was a necessary survival skill, but I really wanted to be seen as something different by her.
Plus, if I tried to pry into her thoughts, she may demand reciprocity. And I could not bring myself to tell her I was rewriting the scene outside the restaurant in my mind. That in my version I pushed her into the alcove and blocked the view of her with my body. That I pressed my hard muscles against her soft curves. That while I leaned close to inhale her scent, my hand trailed from her knee up the sensitive skin of her thigh, dragging the flirty hem of her dress up with my fingers’ advance. That as my fingers worked their way to the apex of her thighs, my lips captured hers in an incendiary kiss. That her thundering pulse and breathy moans filled my ears.
“Toven . . .” a voice called beyond my fantasy.
“W-what?” I stammered.
“Are we going inside, or do you want to sit here a bit longer?”
I blinked as I looked around. I’d parked the car in the garage and just sat there. Who knew how long we’d just sat there?
“Toven, penny for your thoughts?” she teased.
I looked into her mischief-filled eyes and leaned toward her. “Not tonight. Neither of us could handle the repercussions of voicing my thoughts tonight,” I breathed the words against her lips.
I got out of the car, leaving my lips twitching in disappointment, and opened her door. One long leg slid out to plant her foot on the pavement. The hem of her dress crept upward as she shifted to climb out. I held her hand as she clambered out of the low seat.
We entered the still house. Everyone had already turned in for the night. I stopped in the kitchen.
“Would you like something to eat or drink?” I offered.
“No thanks. I’m kind of tired. I think I’m going to call it a night.”
I kept my hand on her back as we walked through the downstairs. We ascended to the second story, and then I stopped in front of her door.
“Toven, thank you for dinner. I had a really nice time with you tonight.” Her teeth captured her lower lip as she peered up at me.
I looked deeply into her eyes, wishing I could just let myself get lost in them and forget who I was and just be. I brushed my fingers along her cheek and cupped her jaw.
“I had a really nice time with you tonight as well. Tomorrow, I’ll give you that tour I promised. We also have an event to attend tomorrow evening.”
As we stood there staring at each other, something greater than my willpower took over. It drew my face toward hers. It was greater than gravity. My lips brushed lightly across hers. And that brief touch redefined my entire existence. My world was changed. I stepped back. Her body followed mine like she was tied to me by an invisible tether. Her eyes fluttered open. I brushed my fingers across her lips.
“Goodnight, my shining star. Sleep well.”
I forced myself to turn and walk purposefully to my room. Once there, I opened my door and crossed the threshold without looking back. When I shut my door, I still hadn’t heard the click of her entering her room yet. I fought against everything inside me in order to stay behind my closed door instead of going back to her and giving her a proper kiss to serve as our first kiss. Maybe our only kiss.
14
Celesta
After Toven disappeared in his room, I remained frozen in place for several long moments. My fingers touched my lips, trying to trap the heat of his mouth on mine. My feet longed to propel me across to hall to him, but something prevented me from going to him. I wasn’t sure what it was or how long that force would be strong enough to keep me from tossing aside my pride and begging Toven to make me his.
I sighed and turned to enter my room. Closing the door softly behind me, I reveled in awe at one thought screaming in my mind. Three simple words, but they meant so much to me. He kissed me!
Toven had kissed me. By most standards, it would hardly qualify as a kiss. Just a mere pressing of his lips to mine. They touched for barely the length of a blink. But that featherlight brushing of his lips on mine created more fire in me than any other lengthy make-out session with various boyfriends over the years ever had. I wasn’t sure why, but I’d mull it over until I figured it out.
Once I was clad in a pair of pajamas from my old life and ready for bed, I slipped beneath my covers and wondered if Toven was doing the same thing. As I lay there waiting for sleep to pull me under, I pondered what it was that set Toven apart from all the other guys I’d encountered in the past.
What was it about him that drew me to him in a way I was finding hard to resist? Was it the danger inherently associated with his kind? His looks? His tale
nt? Personality? All of it? None of it?
I had no answers, though the questions kept repeating in my mind. I was like a record with the needle stuck in the same groove—I couldn’t hear how the song ended, only the refrain stuck on repeat.
Nightmares granted me a reprieve for the night. At some point, a deep and dreamless sleep claimed me. Nothing penetrated except the sound of a faint haunting melody.
The scent of bacon roused me from slumber. A glance at the clock on the bedside table revealed it wasn’t quite six in the morning—too early to be awake. Unfortunately, my stomach protested the plan for more sleep as the smell of bacon permeated my room. At least it was too early for anyone other than Mrs. Burkett to be awake. Shrugging on my robe, I lumbered down to the kitchen.
“Good morning, dear. What are you doing up so early?” She greeted me with a smile as soon as I padded into the room.
“Bacon.” I wasn’t a morning person, so that was the extent of what I could manage before coffee.
“Coffee’s on the counter. Bacon will be ready in a minute.”
I ambled to the pot and poured myself a generous cup of the rich-smelling brew. A dash of cream and a heaping spoonful of sugar made the cup perfect. My first sip was orgasmic. The world began to look a little brighter the deeper I got into my mug of heaven.
“Good morning, Mrs. Burkett. Celesta,” Toven said from over my shoulder.
Oh, my God. What was he doing up already? My hair was a disaster, and I was dressed in the most non-sexy pair of pajamas possible. Kill me now.
The tiniest nod of hello was all I could manage before I hunched over my coffee cup. The sound of plates being set on the table, chairs being pulled out and silverware against porcelain filled the kitchen. Still, I didn’t turn around.
“I fixed your plate, dear,” Mrs. Burkett informed me.
“Thanks,” I muttered. I planned to lean over that countertop, staring into my coffee cup as if it held the secrets to life until Toven vacated the kitchen, or until I died of embarrassment. Whichever came first.
Blood Song: Prelude (Blood Song Series Book 1) Page 18