That was the last thing I remember before my legs turned to Jell-O and gave out on me as everything went black.
My eyes snappe d open as a gasp flew past my lips and I realized I was sprawled out on one of the lounge chairs littering the deck. Jack sat beside me, a look of pure horror on his face.
I saw him visibly relax when my gaze met his. He just seemed so vulnerable at that moment. Like he was waiting for me to scream and take off running, when actually all I could think of was how in the hell had he carried me over to the chair.
“Are you going to bite me?” I heard myself ask, my throat feeling as if I had eaten sandpaper.
The feel of Jack’s hip heating my skin as it pressed against my thigh comforted me. I wasn’t even going to try and deny it.
No matter what he was, I couldn’t lie to myself and say I didn’t care, and that wasn’t going to change. I just needed to set a few ground rules.
First and foremost – absolutely no biting!
Jack chuckled in what had to be relief when he realized that I wasn’t going to take off running.
“Not unless you want me to.”
I sat up a bit and watched him warily a moment, trying to get my thoughts in order. There were so many emotions playing across his face it was throwing me for a loop.
Fear, relief…pain. I just wanted to reach out and caress his cheek, to tell him it was okay, but I hesitated.
This was a whole hell of a lot to swallow all at once. I mean, things like this just couldn’t be real.
Could they ?
The one thing I have always whole heartedly believed and have told myself repeatedly was: never say never.
So, who was I to say creatures couldn’t exist in our world?
And…did it really change the person he was? If he had told me he had some horrific illness, would I have walked away?
Hell no, I wouldn’t! You didn’t just walk away from someone you…liked .
A lot.
“Am I safe with you?” The question slipped past my lips before I could stop it, but I needed to know.
I was pretty damned sure I already knew the answer to my question.
I watched as he nodded, his eyes shining with emotion and I knew.
In that one instant, I knew that he would never harm me.
“Jack, it doesn’t matter,” I blurted out before I could stop myself, and he smiled.
He smiled from what seemed to be his very soul and it took the breath from my body in one fluid motion. There was so much relief there that I found myself smiling back. I just couldn’t help it. I trusted him. I cared for him.
There was no going back.
He pulled me into the circle of his arms and hugged me. His entire body trembled against mine, and I melted. I freaking melted, right there!
I wrapped my arms around his neck and returned his embrace. Yes, this was going to take some time to get used to…but for him, I was willing to try.
He made me feel safe and protected and more alive than I ever had before.
Oh, Lord! Talk about wrong choice of words!
He just made me feel like I’d never felt before and I wanted to give us a chance. I had to, or I knew that I would forever regret it.
“Lacy, I don’t know what to say,” he whispered. “Just know that I would never harm you.”
I leaned back slightly and pressed my lips against his, letting him know I was not going to run from him.
“So, no bats…huh?” I questioned against his mouth and he laughed. “Can you at least fly or something?”
Jack kissed me then, long and hard, pulling me into his body as if I was the perfect fit to his puzzle piece. With a quiet groan he pulled back and shook his head.
“No flying either, I’m afraid. But I can move exceptionally fast.”
“Well, that’s something,” I said with a small shrug.
I scooted over on the chaise to give him room to lie down beside me and he didn’t hesitate.
We lay there, side by side, face to face, our fingers intertwined between our bodies, and I found myself wanting to know everything.
“How old are you?” I asked, studying his perfect features. My heart was fluttering around in my chest sporadically, and I was finding it hard to breathe.
“One hundred and twelve.”
“Holy shit! You don’t look half bad for an old geezer.”
Jack leaned forward and kissed me, his lips lingering against mine, and it felt right.
For reasons I couldn’t even begin to explain, I knew that everything was going to be all right. I would deal with the fact that he would stay young and beautiful and I would age…but at least I would have some time with this incredible man.
My body, mind and soul were telling me that I needed to enjoy the moment.
“Hey, wait a minute,” I said, leaning back slightly. “We’ve been out during the day! I’ve seen you eat!”
Jack shrugged. “Contrary to popular belief, I don’t burst into flames in the sun. The whole night thing came about because back in the day it was just much easier to…hunt at night.” His brows creased slightly when he heard my squeak of surprise.
Hunt .
Now, that word hit me hard.
“Back then, there were really no other options, Lacy.” He quickly explained. “Now, there are.”
“Like?” I asked, needing to know.
I mean, if he was going to leave me to go out and suck on some busty blond…well, that was going to need some serious thinking about. Just the thought made me exceedingly jealous.
“There are ways to get bagged blood, and…” he stopped, his expression troubled. I gave him a look letting him know that I wanted the truth. I needed to know it all. Good, bad and ugly. “I have met donors on occasion in clubs and what not. But, I don’t kill, Lacy. I haven’t…not in a very long time.”
“Is bagged blood just as good as taking it from…?” I couldn’t finish.
He shook his head and nuzzled my neck, which was all kinds of distracting. “It’s kind of like drinking flat soda,” he answered, and there was a tiny part of me that wondered what it would be like for him to drink from me.
My irrational fear of needles pushed that thought aside in an instant and put it in the file to sort out later. Because, no matter what I tried to tell myself to the contrary…I was curious.
“What about eating?” I murmured softly, a tingle running up my spine and my body warming from his assault on my skin with his soft, cool lips. He sucked at my pulse a moment and I felt myself shiver with delight.
“Well, if you remember, I like my steaks rare ,” he chuckled, one of his hands slipping from between us and traveling around me to my back. He drew soft designs there and it felt so nice. “And I didn’t eat any of the sushi when we had our picnic.”
My eyes slid closed as I realized he hadn’t. He had fed me the pieces but had never eaten one himself. Wow, guess it was easy to become brain dead when you had someone treating you like a queen.
“How often do you need to…eat ?” I asked uncomfortably, but I needed to know.
“Not as often as you might think. Three to four times a month at best. I can eat enough regular food to make appearances, but it really isn’t necessary.”
He studied me a moment, expression sincere. “Lacy, I care about you. Very much…” He seemed to take a breath, almost as if he was gathering up his courage. “Christ, more than very much, in fact,” he continued slowly, and I knew he was speaking from the heart. “Lacy, I’m not one to beat around the bush. I say what I mean, and I’m saying that I have feelings for you that are strong. I want to be with you. You are like no one I have ever met before in my very long existence. You’re funny and honest, and beautiful and sexy as hell, and I really want us to have a chance.”
His confession caused a strange fluttering in the pit of my stomach. He had said the words I had wanted to say to him, and it was dumbfounding.
“I…” I didn’t know what to say. So, I opted for the
truth. “I feel the same way. I don’t know how this all happened,” I sputtered. “Or how I was lucky enough to find you, but I’m not going to question it. But, I really have to tell you that the thought of you with anyone else makes me want to punch something.”
“Oh, my woman is possessive,” he laughed and pulled me closer.
His woman .
I really liked the sound of that. It gave me the warm and fuzzies.
We hadn’t said those three little words, but we implied it was where we were heading, and I found a wonderful peace in that.
For now, until I wrapped my mind around all of this…it was more than enough.
“Do I need to start carrying a stake in my purse just in case?” I whispered against his chin, nibbling on it a bit for good measure. I loved the feel of his scruff as it scraped against my lips.
“You could, but that would just slow me down. It takes much more than just a simple stake to the heart to kill me.”
I leaned back and captured his eyes, my curiosity piqued.
“Really?” I asked. I wanted to know it all.
He’d swept me off my feet with the force of a class five tornado and I wanted to know everything there was to know about him. Especially now that I had found out freaking vampires were real!
“It is all very pagan,” he murmured, trailing soft kisses down my neck to my collarbone, distracting me. He just didn’t know how to play fair. “You would have to stake me, behead me, burn me, dump my ashes in running water and so forth.” He lifted his head and smiled at me and my entire body flushed. “Did you want to take notes…just in case?”
I burst out laughing.
I couldn’t help myself. He was just so damn dreamy, and this was all just so surreal! My senses were on sensory overload. I was giddy!
“Just make sure not to piss me off and we’ll be good, Sport,” I chortled. “I was…” I stopped abruptly when his mouth made its way to my breast and his tongue circled my already hardened peak through the fabric of his shirt.
I wiggled against him, figuring that the rest of my questions could wait for later.
He opened the shirt and suckled my breast a moment before lifting his head and giving me a grin.
This time there was undeniable heat in his expression.
“Why don’t we go in,” he husked, and I felt an instant rush of warmth shoot through my body and hit me at my very core. “I think the bed would be more comfortable.” He stood and held out his hand, which I took happily, praying that my legs would hold me upright.
I followed behind him, staring at the perfection that was his ass, then blushed to the roots of my hair when he looked over his shoulder and caught me red-handed.
“Enjoying the view?” he asked, his voice laced with amusement.
“Eh,” I replied, trying my best to appear bored. “It’s not bad.”
Jack stopped and turned, pulling me into his arms and tickling my sides. I began to giggle and pushed out of his embrace, taking off toward the bedroom.
As I ran, I felt a rush of air and dashed for the door, only to find Jack sprawled out on the bed, his mouth set in a wicked grin.
“What? How in the hell did you do that?” I gasped, looking behind me in shock.
“I told you I could move fast,” he said with a snarky lift of his brow.
“Shit! You weren’t kidding.” I breathed, a little bit blown away. “Holy crap! Remind me never to challenge you in a race.”
Jack quirked his finger in my direction, calling me to him. And, really…who could say no?
I walked over to the bed and slid his shirt off, dropping it to the floor. I lifted the sheet and moved in beside him.
His arms went around me and pulled me up against him, he placed light kisses all over my face.
“Lacy, I am in complete awe of you,” he whispered against my skin, trailing his lips across my cheek to that special place behind my ear that had me shivering in delight.
“Why?” I asked, honestly confused.
Why on earth would he be in awe of me ?
“I was standing out there tonight, staring out at the water…terrified you were going to take off like the wind once I told you the truth,” he admitted, his hand sliding down my side to stroke my thigh. “Jesus, I was scared shitless I was going to lose you.” He took a breath and leaned back, capturing my gaze. “I just didn’t want any secrets between us. Not with you.”
I cupped his cheek in my hand and smiled. “I’m not going to lie to you, Jack,” I whispered, wanting to be completely honest myself. “This is all just so surreal. I mean, it’s going to take some time to get used to. And, I’m not gonna lie, there also might be times I get…thrown , when the reality of what you are hits me for some odd reason.” I stroked his face with the back of my hand, wanting to reassure him that no matter what, I was going to try my hardest. “But, as long as I don’t catch you sucking down on some starlet, I think we’ll be good.” To emphasize my words, I pressed my lips against his, sliding my tongue into the warm heat of his mouth.
I don’t know what it was, but I felt strong and sexy and in control for the very first time in my life.
I heard him moan as his hand slid around and met my heat. I parted my legs a little to give him better access and deepened our kiss.
Dear Lord , he could make me forget my name when he touched me.
He rolled over onto his back and pulled me astride him, his hands slipping over the curve of my bottom as he made the most sensual, amazing sound I have ever heard.
It was raw, pure desire, and it had me on the brink of another mind-blowing orgasm from just the sound of it.
Sweet Disneyland-loving Lucifer !
Chapter Eight
I woke i n the cradle of Jack’s arms as the sun began its ascent and couldn’t have stopped the sigh of contentment that slipped past my lips if I had tried.
Had the previous night really happened?
“Mornin’.”
I lifted my gaze to find him watching me, his mouth turned up at the corners and his eyes glittering with heat.
Warm tendrils of excitement tickled my stomach.
“Don’t vampire’s sleep, either?” I asked with a sleep husky laugh as I snuggled a little closer against his incredible body.
“We really don’t need to,” he replied, his lips skimming the top of my head. “Don’t get me wrong,” he chuckled. “I enjoy a good rest every now and again, but it isn’t necessary.”
“We …” I repeated softly, my mind taking off like a rocket. “How many of…your kind are out there?” I asked, wondering how many I may have run into over the years.
“I couldn’t say really… but not a lot,” he responded, and his lips moved down to my ear and nipped at my lobe.
I really wasn’t sure if I was relieved or not.
Let’s face it, this was a whole hell of a lot to absorb all at once and the thought of vampires running around out there in the world had my head spinning in a way that was going to take some time to adjust to.
I turned my face so he could take my lips and all thoughts of vampires slipped away in an instant.
We spent mos t of the day in bed, not counting, of course, the bathroom breaks.
At least for me .
Evidently, vampires didn’t really need to relieve themselves either.
It just kept getting better and better.
Or the times Jack insisted I needed to eat something to keep up my strength.
My phone beeped non-stop and I knew it was Lance and Felicity wanting to know all the juicy details, but I was having way too much fun to worry about it. I’d fill them in eventually.
It was getting dark when Jack came strolling back into the bedroom with a cup of coffee in one hand for me and his cell in the other, his brows knit together in frustration as he barked into the phone.
He wasn’t happy.
“I’ll be there!” He snapped before ending the call and setting the mug down on the bedside table.
He
looked at me with an expression that was somewhere between remorse and apology before sighing. “I’ve got to meet with my director tonight,” he explained, sitting down beside me on the bed.
“Jack, don’t apologize,” I scoffed, thinking that I really should head home. I didn’t want him to get sick of me too soon.
“I’ll only be gone a few hours,” he murmured, running his finger up my arm. “Stay.”
I bit my lip. “I really should get home,” I protested weakly.
I was pretty damned happy right where I was.
“I need clean clothes and stuff. I mean, I very well can’t walk around in my gown all night.”
He seemed to consider that a moment before his brow lifted. “How about I have Thomas stop by your place on the way back from the studio and pick up a few things for you? If you wouldn’t mind him in your apartment. I promise you, he’s completely trustworthy.”
I thought about it a moment. It would be so nice to spend another night with him.
“Does Thomas know that you’re a…” I trailed off, not knowing if I was being rude or not, but he only smiled and nodded.
“Vampire? ” he laughed. “Yes. He knows.”
I figured if Thomas could be trusted with that little tid-bit of information, he sure as hell could be trusted to go through my underwear drawer.
Who cared if he saw my granny panties. He was working for a vampire!
“Okay,” I conceded, trying hard to hide the smile of excitement playing across my lips. He seemed to really want me to stay. “I’ll get him a list of stuff I’ll need.”
I had already decided that whether I went home or not - I was going to call off work.
Screw Hal! I thought with a small huff. In all the years I had worked for him, I had never taken a single sick day.
Jack leaned forward and took my lips before leaning back and grinning devilishly. “I’m just going to jump in the shower. Care to join me?”
I nodded like an idiot. It was after all, an offer I’d be damned stupid to refuse.
I sent Jac k off with a hearty kiss and preceded to ramble around his magnificent house, almost as if I was living someone else’s life.
Sinfully Delicious: Six Scintillating Stories of Sweets, Treats, and Happily Ever Afters Page 20