A Night at Tears of Crimson

by Hughes, Michelle

  She didn't consider herself weak but the intensity of his, eyes even without the anger shook her to the core. There was this overwhelming urge that demanded she protect herself, and she just couldn't move from where she was. Taking some deep breaths she tried to gain her composure, but she wasn't ready to move anywhere until she felt safe again.

  “Forgive me, little one, I didn't mean to scare you,” he smiled grimly his hand outstretched, still waiting for her to take it.

  She looked up at him wearily, the desire to be close to him, and her fear, warring with each other in her mind. Biting her lip, she put her hand in his letting him help her out of the car. She hoped this wasn’t making some error in judgment that she'd seriously regret later.

  He squeezed her hand gently and smiled somewhat before leading her down a well-worn dirt path through the woods. This evening was not starting the way he planned, but he hoped what he was about to share with her would make her smile.

  “Where are we going?” she asked him nervously while trying to keep the tremor out of her voice.

  “I come to this place to clear my thoughts sometimes,” he spoke quietly not wanting to disturb the nature that surrounded them.

  She heard the sound of rushing water as he continued to guide them deeper into the forest. When the lush greenery opened into a clearing, she could only gasp at the beautiful vision before her. The full moon illuminated the scene making it seem even more surreal. A waterfall plummeted five hundred or more feet above them and pooled into a fast moving stream right before their eyes. To her it was if someone had taken a picture right out of magazine and placed it in the middle of this secret hiding place.

  “It’s breathtaking,” she gasped in stunned amazement, all thoughts of his strange behavior earlier, quickly left her thoughts.

  “Not nearly as breathtaking as you are Cara,” his eyes moved over her greedily and again the demon demanded he claim her as his.

  She had to look away and focus on the tropical paradise before her. It would be so easy to lose herself in his eyes, but there was a part of her that warned if she did her life would be forever altered. “I didn’t think you wanted...” she allowed her words to trail off in embarrassment. Her eyes fell to her feet, she had almost asked him if he wanted her.

  “You didn’t think I wanted you?” he questioned with a self-derisive chuckle. He could tell her that he wanted her in ways that would make the light blush on her cheeks, flame.

  Shaking her head no, she wasn't sure what he could say and less sure that she wanted the answer. She was trying her best to remember all the reasons she shouldn't want him, but none of them were helping at the moment. When his hand lifted to lightly stroke her cheek, she knew it was a lost cause.

  “I shouldn’t want you Cara,” his hand moved to grasp her chin and he spoke the words, looking deeply into her beautiful chocolate eyes. “I shouldn’t want to undress you now and take your beautiful body in ways I can’t even begin to describe,” he spoke the words, then hated himself for being so weak. His hand tightened its hold on her chin, “If I had any common sense I would walk away from you,” he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her with a passion that refused to be denied.

  She couldn't breathe as his lips found hers, wrapping her arms around his neck she returned his kiss even as she was shocked by the intensity. Her heart raced so fast that it was almost painful, but it was a feeling she would cherish for the rest of her life.

  Attempting to gain some control, he forced his lips from the incredible taste of hers. Her eyes lowered to his chest and he could feel her confusion at him putting on the breaks so quickly after almost devouring her only seconds before. "Look at me Cara," his voice was quiet but he demanded her attention.

  As her eyes met his she felt completely overwhelmed by the passion that was so plainly shining from those deep blue eyes. “I don't know what you want,” she whispered miserably. She wanted to tell him that there was a part of her dying to explore this, but there was fear that she didn't have the experience to please him or that this was nothing but a casual desire on his part.

  “Just so you know I never do casual affairs,” his continued to hold her chin, making sure she was looking at him. “I want you,” he had meant the words to be encouraging, but even he noticed the demand in his tone. "Tell me right now if you don't feel the same way little one," his eyes searched hers again. "Say it now before I am unable to walk away." He only hoped if she chose that path he would be able to let her go.

  She nibbled on her lower lip nervously, “I, I feel the same way about you.” Her words were whisper soft as she fought back the nervousness of admitting her own feelings. Her emotions were conflicting between fear and excitement at the admission. So many thoughts went through her mind: She had no idea how to please him, what if she sucked at making love? he could grow bored. Oh god, what if she gave in and he found her lacking? Her mind was overwhelmed with negative thoughts about herself.

  He could only smile at the wave of thoughts pummeling through her mind and knew that she had no idea how beautiful she looked to him at that moment. Her innocence was more compelling than the most experienced lover, and just the thought of tutoring her in the ways of lovemaking had his body rising up to the challenge. Lowering his lips to hers once again, his body ached to take what was now rightfully his. His tongue traced her lower lip and he used the soft gasp she gave to delve into the sweetness of her mouth.

  As their tongues danced together she allowed passion to take over and surrendered to his mastery. All of her concerns disappeared as he held her closer to him. Her hands moved to his shoulders, holding on tightly as her knees trembled, fearing she would fall as her head grew light.

  Pressing her against him was no longer enough as he felt her desire move through her thoughts. He lowered his hands until he cupped her perfectly curved backside, wanting her to understand just how much he wanted her in that moment. His control was ebbing fast and his hand moved to capture her leg, lifting it to his waist as his hard shaft moved against her, leaving no doubt what his intentions were.

  She whimpered without thinking as the reality of what she was about to do flooded her mind. Even though she wanted him with a desire that bordered on insanity, things were moving way to fast. She couldn't seem to catch her breath. Nothing in her life had prepared her for the onslaught of passion he was exposing her to. Her body ached in ways that demanded she discover more even as her mind demanded she put on the brakes. The conflicting thoughts were confusing her and she pulled her lips from his. "I can't breathe," she hated herself for speaking the words even as she said them.

  He slowly lowered her leg and pulled her tightly to his chest. What was he thinking? Of course she wanted to slow down, he thought to himself. He fought his own needs and forced himself to lightly stroke her hair instead of throwing her down and branding her his as the demon demanded.

  "I'm sorry," she whispered miserably, feeling as if she had let him down. She was shivering uncontrollably now, torn between wanting to please him and the silly fears of the unknown that kept her from giving in to the ecstasy his kiss promised. Her heart ached as she feared he would find her lacking and want someone with more experience. She hated herself for not knowing as much as most women her age.

  “There is nothing to be sorry for,” he spoke the words trying to soothe her as he fought back his own need. He knew she needed more words of understanding from him, but he was struggling with the demon that demanded he at least taste her blood. "I should take you home," he hadn't meant for the words to come out so forcefully, but the monster inside of him was demanding to be fed. He had no intention of allowing that beast to harm her.

  Her eyes filled with tears at his harshness and she wanted to beg him to give her another chance. “I don’t want to leave,” had she truly thrown away her only chance with him, she wondered in misery?

  “You make it so hard to do the right thing Cara,” He tightened his arms around her, knowing she had no idea what she was truly agr
eeing to.

  She held him as if everything in her life would end if he walked away from her now, in her soul she felt it would. "Please," she whispered in anguish. She wasn't even sure what she asking at that moment. Please don't leave me, or maybe please forgive me, or the real need she wanted to express, please love me.

  Her thoughts humbled him more than he could ever recall anything doing before. He pulled back slightly and looked down into tear-filled eyes and knew that she would be his. How could he hurt this lovely creature before him? She deserved so much more than the existence he would offer her, but he wasn't unselfish enough to allow her to walk away. What he could offer though, was more patience than he had showed this evening, he was determined to make this wonderful for her. “You are exhausted and it’s close to dawn,” he smiled warmly needing her to understand he wasn't abandoning her, “Sunday night?”

  Two nights away, she thought to herself, and another chance. She couldn't believe he was wasn't walking away. She nodded and smiled back at him self-consciously.

  He cupped her face in his hands and drew her eyes to his. "You did nothing wrong, little one," he wasn't going to allow her to think he was giving her anything. She was the one that gifted him with her presence and he wanted her to have no second thoughts.

  Nibbling on her lower lip, she couldn't accept his theory. Had it been any other woman tonight, she had little doubt where the night would have ended.

  He longed to tell her there was no other woman he wanted, but that would reveal more secrets than he had time to explain before sunrise. Shaking his head he lowered his lips and placed a quick kiss to her forehead before stepping back.

  She pulled a strand of her long hair behind her ear as his hands fell away, not sure what to do with her hands since they wanted to hold on to him. As much as she hated ending tonight this way, her body was tired and she had to fight back a yawn. Between the long night at the club and all the excitement with him she was emotionally and physically drained.

  He chuckled softly as she fought against her own sleepiness. "Let's get you home so you can rest, little one. He led her back to the car in silence, the moonlight lighting their path. Helping her into the car, he noticed her struggling to keep her eyes opened and smiled in the darkness as he drove. He didn't deserve her, he couldn't stop thinking as she finally succumbed to sleep, but there was nothing that was going to keep them apart. Selfish or not, she was his.

  Pulling up the car in front of her apartments, he allowed himself to watch her resting for a few minutes. She looked so innocent as she slept, and he couldn't help but feel like a monster for wanting her this way. He wasn't strong enough to let her go, so all he could do was make sure that he showed her more pleasure than her heart could withstand. His decision made, he got out and moved over to her side of the car opening the door. Lifting her sleeping form into his arms he carried her silently upstairs to her room. Balancing her, he managed to pull the keys off the small chain on her belt and open the door without waking her.

  Feeling her start to wake he sent the suggestion into her mind to sleep. Finding her bed easily, he laid her down and slowly slid off her shoes. He considered removing her uniform, but the thought of seeing her lovely flesh bared before his eyes would make leaving her almost impossible. Pulling a blanket from the foot of the bed he covered her, then placed a small kiss on her cheek before leaving.

  As he made it back to his car he realized there was only an hour before sunrise. The desire to feed was undeniable any longer and he made his way to his favorite hunting ground. The little club he sought out had a dark history in the city and the people that visited during the off season were usually those that enjoyed pain. It took only moments of waiting before a spiked hair younger woman walked out on her own and he quickly took over her mind and pulled her into the alley beside the bar.

  As her neck arched back, he sank his fangs in deeply and drank until he felt her heart beat slow. Licking the wound closed, he removed her memories and sent her on her way. Climbing back into his car, he raced back to the mansion needing to be in the safety of his home before the first rays of sun filled the sky. He made it home with only minutes to spare and knew that he needed to take greater care of his timing. His rest came quickly and for the first time in months he didn't feel the need to invade his sweet Cara's dreams.

  5 tears of change

  She managed to wake up just in time to meet Angela and Rachel for lunch that day. As much as she loved hanging out with them, her mind was a million miles away. They ate in silence and didn’t talk for long after. Rachel had to go shopping before work tonight and Angela had some errands she needed to run as well. She felt bad somewhat for not being more talkative, but the truth was she didn’t want to talk about the drive with Rafe. She wanted to keep their relationship, or lack thereof, to herself.

  She quickly finished up shopping that day and managed to grab a nap for a few hours after making it home. She wasn’t sure why, but lately her body was just exhausted. Taking a quick shower, she got ready for work. This nagging fear kept moving through her mind as she worried about how awkward things might be at work now. Pulling up into the employee lot, she walked inside the lounge and was shocked beyond belief to see Rafe sitting at the table, apparently waiting for her to arrive. There was no way she could stop the smile that found her face.

  “With everything that happened last night, I forgot that there was something I wanted to talk with you about,” he smiled seeing her blush at the mention of their night together. “Last night I actually meant to bring this up and see if you might be interested in different living arrangements?” he smiled warmly trying to put her at ease.

  She looked at him in confusion waiting for him to continue. Was he asking her to move in with him? They had only spent a few hours together, she reminded herself and decided to wait until he explained what he meant.

  The thought of having her in his bed whenever he wanted her was enough to make him consider her thoughts. Shaking them off, he forced himself to remember what he was actually offering. “I acquired some property and had some small villas developed to accommodate our employee's,” although, he thought her idea was more appealing at the moment. Standing up, he held out his hand, pleased when she took it, because he just needed to have some contact wither her. “If you would like to come over after work tonight I'll show them to you, and you can make a decision,” he waited on her answer, with more patience than he was really feeling at the moment.

  “I have been saving up to move,” She was a little shocked that Rachel or Angela hadn't mentioned this on one of their many days out.

  “After work tonight then,” he leaned over and kissed her hand with his cool lips. The scent of her blood called to him again and he knew he had to leave before he allowed that compelling fragrance to tempt him again. Dropping her hand abruptly he simply smiled and walked out of the room.

  After he left she just stood there staring at her hand for a few minutes in a daze. Shaking her head to clear out the cobwebs, she went over to the mirror to make sure she was ready for work. There was a dreaminess to her eyes that hadn't been there before, and excitement about the possibility of moving closer to her new friends. She walked out to the bar, with a happy smile on her face as Rachel walked up.

  “I can tell by your face that you've got some good news,” she laughed merrily already having talked to Rafe earlier that evening. Rachel had been waiting for this day for months and was giddy about the possibility that Cara would be joining them at the Villa's. "Just so you know it's been killing me to not talk about this before, but one of the conditions of us living there is to allow Rafe to bring it up at his own discretion.”

  If she was being honest, it hurt her feelings a little that her friends would keep something like this from her. And why would Rafe want it to remain a secret? The thought gave her pause, but only for a few minutes. "I guess he has his reasons," she had no idea what they were but if Rachel and Angela were already living there it couldn't be that bi
g of deal.

  “You are going to love it there,” Rachel told her animatedly as she helped prep the serving station for the night ahead.

  They got busy taking care of the customers and the night moved along quickly. One of Cara's regular customers had just come in and she moved over to his table quickly. He had been there the first night she worked and he had actually been the first customer she had taken on her own. Oddly enough tonight, she thought, he was by himself. The man always seemed to have a partner with him.

  “Things seem to be going well for you here, my dear,” Phillipe smiled as she sat down a coaster in front of him. He could see how nervous he made her, and she didn't understand how appealing that was.

  “Yes I really love it here,” she told him a bit shyly. He was one of her best tippers and even though she was a little frightened of him, he seemed harmless enough. He smiled warmly at me again and asked for his normal bottle of wine and she quickly moved off to take care of his order.

  Everything was in full swing at the Tears of Crimson. People were dancing, making out, and drinking from each other. She was actually growing accustomed to seeing the biting scenes, even though it made her feel strange emotions she couldn't put a name to. In the beginning those scenarios had frightened her, now she just wondered what the draw was for the people involved. Shaking off the feeling, she grabbed the wine classes for her customer and took the bottle as Michael uncorked it and placed it on her tray with a smile. I

  “Cara you look incredibly lovely tonight, would you consider driving with me after work?” Phillipe had come to the bar without a date, purposely tonight. The young waitress had tempted his palate and he was determined to entice her.