by Kent, Julia
"Yes. Thad. Thaddeus. He's older than I am."
"Your friend?"
"No. Yes. He—I owed him a favor."
Liz swallowed.
"A favor."
"Yeah," Robb said. "A big favor."
"What now?"
"The debt's been paid. He won't come back again," Robb said. He'd better not.
"Robb?"
"Yes?"
Liz clasped her hands in front of her primly.
"I'll come over. To clean up. And to hear about everything. About you."
"The blood didn't get on your clothes." He averted his senses from her neck. Her quick pulse aroused him even in his tense state. "We should be able to wipe it up no problem."
"Can you...would you give me the card key first?" she said. "So I have it. Just to feel safe."
"The key? Oh. Of course," Robb said. He handed her the key from his pocket and let her lead the way to his apartment. She paused before the door.
"Promise me something else," she said.
"Anything," he said. He would crack the earth in half for her.
Robb waited as Liz put together her words, her lips pink and slow and oh-so attractive, even under her grave demeanor.
"If you ever owe me a favor, please...." she said, "...just buy me a beer."
The smile that ran along her face was the greatest relief he had ever known.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Liz stood in Robb's kitchen. She'd wiped off most of the blood on her neck with a paper towel, but she was glad when only a minute or two later, Robb emerged from the shower clean and newly-dressed in a crisp shirt and pants. He looked for all the world like a successful businessman, and only the blood on the crumpled paper towel in front of her told the truth about him.
Vampire's blood. She shivered.
Blood had never creeped her out. It couldn't, not really, not in her field of study. A hematologist squeamish at the sight of blood would be laughed out the profession. But the sheer amount of blood spilled over the white tile made her shudder at the memory.
"Did I get it all off?" she asked. She tilted her head back.
"Ah—I...ah, yes. I mean no. There's still a little." Robb blinked hard.
"What?" she said.
Robb laughed softly and reached across the counter for a washcloth.
"You don't understand how tempting you are," he said. He twisted the washcloth under a stream of hot water.
Liz flushed once she realized what he meant.
"Sorry," she mumbled. "I don't...I can..."
"It's okay," Robb said. His voice was gentle, and he touched her chin lightly, his fingertips turning her head. She swallowed.
"Is it too late to make you promise not to drink my blood?" she said. A nervous cough of laughter burst from her.
Robb paused, the washcloth pressed against the base of her neck.
"Liz, I would never do that if you didn't want me to," Robb said. "I can control myself."
His voice choked up with contrition and Liz wanted to take back her words. At the same time, she was relieved to have spoken aloud her fear. She got some measure of comfort from the fact that he was ashamed at her thinking it was a possibility.
"It's alright," she said.
"Last time was...I misunderstood. I thought you knew. I'm so sorry."
"It's okay."
"It's not!" Robb cried out, his voice strained. Then, more quietly: "It's not." His eyes shone, and Liz was shocked to see tears bead and trickle down his cheeks. "I hurt you."
"I forgive you."
Liz went to wipe his tears away with her hand. His cheek smeared red, and he breathed in sharply, his nostrils flaring. She looked down at her hand. There was a cut on her inside of her knuckle.
"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry," she said, taking the washcloth from him and swiping it quickly along his cheek to clean it off.
"Just a little blood," Robb said. He caught her hand with his.
"Here," he said. "Let me fix this for you."
His strong fingers intertwined with hers. With his other hand, he raised a finger to his lips. He met her gaze with a calm, gentle intent. His dark hair fell over one eye.
"Is that okay?" he asked.
Liz's mouth went dry at the thought. She nodded dumbly, too scared to say a word lest it come out as no.
Robb opened his mouth slightly, baring his gums. The points of his fangs emerged above his canines at the gumline. Liz stood transfixed as he pierced the tip of his index finger with one fang. A bead of blood rose on his skin.
Quickly he brought his finger down to hers and touched the cut. Liz focused her attention on her finger and was astonished at the sensations she beheld. It was itchy, sort of, the itch of bone knitting. Except this was skin and blood, the cells growing so quickly that she felt the tissue stretch tight across her wound and then thicken in place. After only a second, the new layer of skin was complete. She touched it in awe. She bent her fingers. The skin was pink and new, but entirely healed.
"Now let me get that spot on your neck," Robb said, running the washcloth under the sink faucet again. The hot water steamed up from the sink as he wrung out the white cloth.
Liz leaned her head back. The washcloth pressed against her skin, and the wet heat of it was wonderful. Just a little blood. And now it was gone. Robb still caressed her skin with the washcloth, cradling her neck in his strong hands. She was sorry when his touch left her. He tossed the cloth into the sink.
They were standing mere inches from each other, and neither of them moved.
"Why did you come back?" he asked, his voice soft.
"I...I forgot my lab notebook," she said.
Robb burst out into laughter. The relief on his face and his hearty laugh were so contagious that Liz was laughing along with him before she knew it. She breathed more easily now. It was alright. The danger was over.
"Of all the times to come back into my apartment!" he said, shaking his head.
"I think you might need to give your butler a raise," Liz said.
"He does deserve it, doesn't he?" Robb said, laughing. “I need to tell you about everything he’s done for me. And how I got here. And why there was a dead body in my lab.”
“You didn’t kill him, did you?” Liz said. A flash of fear struck through her suddenly, but when Robb spoke next she knew that she could trust him.
“No,” Robb said. “Let me tell you the story.”
“I would like that,” Liz said.
It took the better part of an hour. Robb sat on the couch and explained his history to her. About Eliza, and the vampires, and how he had been Robert Chatham for over a hundred years. Liz stopped him only a few times to ask him questions, and it seemed that he knew as little as she did about how to stop his disease. When he was finally done, she had tears in her eyes. To have lived for so long, and never to have loved...
“Liz.”
Liz looked up into a face stricken with grief and love. Robb caught Liz by the hand and knelt in front of her.
"Liz," he said. "I have to ask you something."
Liz jerked back against the kitchen counter.
"I—we can't— No! I can't marry you!" she cried out, standing up. Robb's face turned to confusion and he frowned in sudden realization.
"What? Oh! Damned social customs! They change so fast!" Robb said, standing up and taking both her hands in his. "Sorry, Liz, that wasn't what I meant at all. I shouldn't have knelt. I'm sorry."
"Oh," Liz said. As relieved as she was, there was a part of her that found herself oddly disappointed that he hadn't meant to propose.
"I'm sorry," he repeated. The pressure of his hands over hers comforted her disappointment. Somewhat, at least. Her body responded automatically to his touch, and she let herself indulge in the sensation.
"Then what were you going to ask?" Liz said, shaking herself back to her senses.
"I want you to stay."
The room seemed to spin a little bit. Liz was glad that she had the couch behind he
r. If her only balancing point was Robb's hand, she would have fallen over. Swooned, even. Then she remembered what she'd come here to do.
"Robb—"
"Stay here. Stay with me."
It was hard to protest. Harder still with Robb's dark eyes searching her face. The sharp dark line of his jaw, his lips, oh god, his lips—
"I can't," she said. She remembered her note. What was she thinking? She should have left a long time ago.
"Please," Robb said.
"Don't ask me to do this," Liz said softly.
Robb leaned forward and kissed her forehead. She let him, God save her. The hot press of his lips made her faint with desire. Robb let out a sigh.
"I've lived four hundred years as a vampire," he said, "and I've never fallen in love once until you came along."
Liz's eyes flashed up to Robb's.
"Are you surprised that I'm four hundred years old?" His dark, intelligent eyes crinkled a bit in amusement.
"You love me?" she said. She couldn't speak very well. Her tongue seemed too heavy for her mouth.
"That? That's what surprises you? Liz, come now."
Robb bent down and kissed her, and she did not protest as his lips caught hers in a fierce embrace. The warmth that spread through her instantly as her body met his shocked her with its intensity. He deepened the kiss, and she kissed him back, losing any sense of balance as he took her in his arms wholly and completely. She closed her eyes and lost herself in the darkness of the universe that was only shared between the two of them.
When he finally pulled away, she gasped with how much she wanted him to continue. Her heart raced, her pulse beating through her entire body.
"Robb..." She could not finish the sentence.
"All I have is my work. It's not enough. Not anymore. Not after you."
Liz couldn't speak. All of the reasons she had for leaving had vanished, and the desire to throw caution to the wind scared her more than anything else she'd ever known.
"Tell me you don't feel the connection between us," Robb said.
"I did!" Liz cried, before she could stop herself. "I...I thought I did. I don't know."
"Because of this?" Robb brushed a thumb against his gum and the points of his fangs slid out, then back. She looked on in fascination.
"Your blood..." Liz frowned, thinking back to her initial line of inquiry. "Your blood looked cancerous. Is that always how it is?"
"It heals my body more quickly," Robb said in agreement. "Cancerous in its growth to a certain point. And then it stops."
"Do you know why it stops?" Liz said, her heart pounding. "The mechanism behind it?"
"When I figure that out, I'll have cured cancer." Robb said. "And I won't be a monster anymore."
Liz cringed at the word, and Robb mistook her expression for distaste. He pressed his lips together.
"Tell me that you want to leave and I'll let you go," he said. "But I would die completely inside if I didn't at least try to stop you."
"I'll stay." Liz didn't know what tempted her more—the man in front of her, or the mystery behind his disease. She only had a second to think about it before Robb had lifted her up in another hug, kissing her so hard that it took her breath away. He held her in front of him, beaming. She laughed.
"What's so funny?" Robb asked.
"You look like you're so proud to have caught me," Liz said, laughing happily. "And here you're the most handsome, wealthy man in London. And you can live forever."
Robb smiled, but there was a hint of bitterness behind it.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I can't promise you much, Liz," Robb said. "I don't have a family. I don't know if we would ever be able to have a family. Lord, I don't even have friends—"
"It's okay," Liz said, laughing again. His worries were misplaced.
"I don't want to have caught you. You're always free to go, Liz. Always. I mean, I don't want you to go—"
"Hush." Liz touched his lips with her finger and his words melted away into silence. "I'm not caught. I'm...curious."
She smiled, and he smiled back.
"Curiosity killed the cat," Robb said.
"But satisfaction brought her back," Liz said.
"I'll get right on that," Robb said, clapping his hands together once before sweeping her into his arms. Liz squealed as he carried her easily towards the bedroom. He paused at the doorway to the bathroom. "Want to take a hot shower before?"
"Before, during, and after," Liz said, flinging her arms around his neck and hugging herself close to his chest. "Robb?"
"Yes?" Robb put her down on her feet in the bathroom and turned on the shower before turning back to her.
"You're not a monster," Liz said. "Not one bit."
"I'm trying not to be," Robb said, a crooked smile on his face. "You tell me if I growl too much, okay?"
"Okay," Liz said. Her heart swelled at his grin, and warmth flooded her body as his fingers moved to undress her.
“Gentle,” she said. “Not too fast. I don’t know if I can...tonight....”
“We don’t need to do anything tonight,” Robb said. “Only let me kiss you and hold you. Let me know that you’ll stay.”
“I’ll stay.”
A tightness in her chest unclenched. He wouldn’t rush her. He would wait. Her nervousness evaporated as he kissed her softly once, then again.
"We'll figure this out," Robb said, kissing her down the line of her cheek. "Together."
Liz trembled as his lips touched her neck. He put his arms around her, and she leaned into his body.
"Yes," she whispered. To her surprise, she felt safe, safer than she’d felt around any other guy before. She still had questions for him, but they could wait. She took Robb’s hand. He stepped backwards into the shower and, a smile on his face, led her into the billowing white clouds of steam.
The water flowed over them both, and she could not help but look at his hard, muscular body as he took up the soap. Rather than washing himself, though, he reached out and turned her around so that she was facing the showerhead. He began to caress her body with the bar of soap, sliding his fingers over her skin. She gasped at the first touch, but then she closed her eyes and lost herself in darkness.
His hands moved over her back, kneading, caressing. Every muscle in her melted under the pressure and the stream of the hot water. God, it felt so good.
He moved his fingers to her front, cupping her breasts. His fingers were slick and soapy, sliding over her nipples. She gasped as he pinched one slightly, the way he’d done before.
A monster. No. Not a monster. Something different. Something strange, yes, but not monstrous. Nothing that felt this good could be monstrous.
“Relax,” Robb said. “Relax. I won’t do anything you don’t want.”
“How will you know?” she murmured, a slow smile on her lips.
“I can feel your pulse,” Robb said. “Also, I have no doubt you’ll tell me if you want me to stop.” He chuckled.
“Don’t stop,” she said. She leaned her head back against his shoulder. His chest pressed against her back, hard and unyielding. He was beginning to stir, and it scared her just a little to think of how big he was.
Then his hands were moving down, down, between her thighs. Touching her there.
A cry escaped her lips. Hot water ran down her chest, streams of it, but all she could feel was the touch of his fingertips sliding in slow hot circles around her down there.
His lips moved and touched her ear, then just below, on her neck. She could feel the tension in his grasp, the restraint, how he was holding back. The ache inside of her was close to bursting.
“You can bite me,” she whispered. As soon as she said it, it scared her. “Just a little.”
Robb paused, his lips still soft against her skin.
“We don’t have to—”
“I want to see how it feels. Please.” She leaned her head to one side, opening herself up to his touch. “Just a little.”
“Just a little, then,” he said. His fingers moved and slipped into her, continuing to stroke her slick, vulnerable skin. Her hips began to move forward and back slightly with the rhythm of his hand. He nuzzled her neck and the hard edge of his teeth dragged across the surface of her skin, testing her. She moaned, her hips pressing back against him. He was beginning to grow hard. She wished she would do it already. Oh, lord, she wanted to know what it was like, now that she knew what it was. She was on a roller coaster that was climbing slowly, oh so slowly, to the top, and she felt the dizzying sensation of being about to drop down into the empty air.
“Now?” he asked, so softly that the dripping water on the tile was louder, and so was his heartbeat. She nodded, gasping a yes that she wasn’t sure he would hear.
He heard.
His teeth bit down and her world exploded in brightness. One of his arms was wrapped around her chest and she held onto it for dear life. Everything was spinning and dizzy and then she found herself swept away into hot bright sensation. Her fingers clutched his arm.
Robb leaned back and lifted her up slightly from the ground. Then she was rocking on his hand, her toes dragging lightly on the shower tile, almost all of her weight concentrated in that one spot that radiated desire through her body. Rocking in a rhythm, back and forth, back and forth. The pressure was indescribably delicious and she couldn’t keep herself from groaning. Oh, the ache. Oh, the wonderful ache of desire!
He was hard against her back and she pressed backwards against him, wanting him so badly. He slid over the crease just below her lower back.
“Not yet,” Robb said. “Not just yet. We’ll get to that soon. Not tonight.”
“More,” she gasped. “Please. Oh god, Robb, I need it, please, oh please—”
He bit down harder and she felt the ground fall away from her feet. Steam billowed around them, and she was in a cloud and then she closed her eyes. Everything went red and dark and wonderful and she rocked into his hand and he met her and there was only the pressure of him and his fingers inside of her and against her and oh god, oh god, oh god—
Something inside of her shattered in ecstasy and she was shaking, shaking and crying against him for something she’d never knew existed. He held her tight against his chest and she shuddered and shuddered again in ecstasy. She could barely hear his sigh but then he joined her and she felt his hot seed explode against her back, his hard length shivering and his voice moaning her name in her ear. The moan sent her shuddering again in another wave of climax, again and again until she was breathless and panting.