by Laura Lee
I gave him my best impression of a Boy Scout salute. “I swear.”
He sighed again. “Maria was young and bored since Vance often worked nights and left her home alone. She frequented my club often. When I realized who she was, I made it a point to get to know her better.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because Vance, with his personal vendetta, made some of my business partners very angry. It was my opportunity to make them happy.”
Vance only had one vendetta from his past that I knew of. The mob guys who’d killed his parents. “You mean the mafia?” I shrieked. “You were in the mafia?”
“No, I was not,” he replied. “But we did have a working arrangement for quite some time building hotels.”
I exhaled. “Wow. So, what was the point in getting to know Maria? To break up their marriage?”
“No, it was more to expose her behavior to keep him distracted. I have no doubt that their marriage would have ended sooner or later. I just sped it up.”
“By making her a vampire?”
He shook his head. “No, I did not do that until several months later. We had an affair while she was human.”
“So you are her maker?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yes, unfortunately.”
“Wait a minute, let’s back up. You said earlier that you were trying to expose her behavior. What did you mean by that?”
“Maria was obsessed with immortality,” he explained. “She did not want to grow old and with each passing birthday she became more desperate. She became a vampire groupie of sorts. She offered her neck to any vampire who would take it, male or female. She was quite promiscuous but very good at hiding it from Vance.” He scoffed. “He thought she was his perfect little human.”
“But he eventually found out?”
“Yes. She was careful at first, only agreeing to meet with me privately when she knew he would be deeply involved in a case. I tried to arrange several chance encounters, but she wriggled out of every one of them. Over time, she believed that I had developed feelings for her…that I wanted to be with her forever.”
“Did you?”
“No. Back then, I lied, cheated, stole… did whatever I had to do to get what I wanted. I figured it was the only way to make her drop her guard.”
“And what exactly did you get out of this arrangement?” I asked. “Besides happy business partners?”
He smiled. “Karli, above all else, I am a man. Her beauty pales in comparison to yours, but she is beautiful nonetheless. I had some pretty…gratifying times with her.”
I rolled my eyes. “Ugh! Way too much information!”
He shrugged. “You asked. I answered.”
I glared at him. “So, how did he find out what a slutbag she was?”
“She eventually let her guard down when she felt that I would honor my agreement to make her a vampire. I fabricated a reason for him to come to the club one night…I told him my partners and I wanted to make a deal with him. He walked in on us having sex in my office.”
I released a breath. “Omigod, poor Vance. What did he do?”
“He turned around and walked away.”
“He just walked away?” I asked incredulously. “Without a word?”
“Without a word,” he replied.
“What did you do? What did Maria do?”
“She begged me to turn her that evening, because she knew she couldn’t go home and pretend everything was all right. I agreed with a condition that she leave town immediately since I no longer had use for her. She was hurt and confused by my demand, but ultimately decided immortality was more important. I never saw her again until last night.”
I hung my head in between my knees. “I can’t believe this. No wonder he hates you so much.”
He knelt before me and lifted my head. “Karli, that’s not the only reason. There’s one more thing that you need to know.”
I sat back and crossed my arms. “What could possibly be worse than that?”
“I need to preface this by saying that I didn’t know. I swear to you, I didn’t know until it was too late.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Leo, just spit it out.”
He sighed. “When I turned Maria, when her heart began to slow to near death, hers wasn’t the only one.”
I crinkled my brow in confusion. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“She was pregnant, Karli. With Vance’s child.”
Twelve
I shot out of my chair and ran out of the room. “Leo, I have to go.”
He zoomed past me, stopping in front of me about half way down the hall. “My love, please let me explain.”
I shoved past him. “Leo, I don’t need any more explanations. This isn’t about you. I need to get to Vance.”
He put his hands on my shoulders. “My dear, please don’t. I don’t want you to leave like this. Please don’t leave like this.”
I shrugged him off and threw my hands up in the air. “Leo, unless you’re going to hold me here against my will, I’m leaving. My God, don’t you get it? Everything that he’s ever said or done that confused the hell out of me makes sense now! Christ, he knew I was coming here last night. And I’m still here. Who knows what he’s thinking about what happened between us! It’s got to be killing him!”
His body stiffened and his expression could have frosted the desert. As he stepped aside he said, “My apologies. It is obvious where your priorities lie.” He was forcefully projecting his emotions to me to avoid any confusion about how pissed off he was.
“Leo, don’t be mad,” I pleaded. “Please. This is just something I have to do.”
He stepped toward me and kissed me on the forehead. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. Go take care of Vance. I trust you can let yourself out?”
“I----” He walked behind the library door and locked himself in before I could finish my sentence.
I banged on the door. “Leo, please open the door.” No response. “Leo, please answer me!” Still no answer. I reached out my feelers and could sense his anger, but it was mixed with a heavy dose of hurt. “Ugh! Fine, Leo, you’re mad. I get it. I’m sorry, but I have to go now. I’ll call you later, okay?”
Not able to wait any longer, I made my way down the hall and up the stairs. It took a little work but I finally managed to get the latch open so I could let myself out.
******
I drove fast and furiously to Henderson. The entire time I kept replaying every crazy conversation that Vance and I had ever had in which I thought he was being irrational or short-tempered. Now I knew the story behind his behavior. Now I knew that my actions probably triggered awful memories about Maria and Leo. I know I couldn’t have helped it since I had no idea what he had gone through before knowing me, but I felt guilty anyway. It was so clear now. I needed to make amends. I needed him to know how I felt about him. I needed to put his fears to rest once and for all.
I pulled into his driveway around noon. I walked up to his door preparing to ring the bell but he opened it before I had the chance. He looked confused. “Karli, what are you doing here?”
“I, um…I needed to see you. Do you have a few minutes to talk?”
He stepped aside to let me in. “I was just heading out to stake out Maria’s hotel room.” He looked at his watch. “I was hoping I’d catch her there since the sun is out. She could be holing up somewhere else but it’s worth a shot.”
I stepped into his foyer and set my purse down. “Vance, Leo told me about Maria. About the baby.” I held my breath waiting for his response.
He pressed his lips into a thin line and shook his head. “Karli, don’t do that. Don’t pity me. I’m the moron who couldn’t see who she really was.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked. “You had so many chances but you didn’t tell me. Why?”
He pulled me into the living room so we could sit on the couch. “Because I don’t like thinking about it. I don’t like thinking about what a fool I’d b
een, not being able to see the truth about her. More importantly, about the fact that she intentionally killed my child, Karli. They killed my child. The baby died during her transformation. I had wanted so desperately to become a father for as long as I could remember and she knew that. We were trying to get pregnant. She told me she wanted nothing more than to make my dreams come true and raise a family with me. It’s like she was living two lives. She was the perfect woman one minute and a lying, selfish, backstabbing bitch the next. I would have raised the baby alone without hesitation, but they never gave me the option. I didn’t even know about the pregnancy until…after. I found the test results a few days after she left. It disgusted me to think that she put her obsession over staying young above an innocent life. Her affair with Leo or her desire to become immortal wasn’t what killed me. I would have probably forgiven her eventually if she would’ve at least waited to become a vampire until after the baby was born. It took me years to get over it just enough to function with some sort of normal semblance. I don’t want to go back to that place. It was a very dark time in my life.”
I shifted my body towards him and grabbed his hand. “Vance, I’m so sorry. If I had any idea, I never would have---”
He put his finger on my lips. “Don’t, Karli. You have nothing to apologize for.”
I kissed his fingers before pulling them away. “No, you’re wrong… I do. I could have saved us both so much grief if I could have just told you how I felt. I was so confused back then, but I’m not anymore. Everything is so clear to me.” I framed his face with my hands. “I love you, Vance...and I don’t want to wait another second to be with you. I need to be with you.”
He covered my hands with his own. “What are you saying?”
I smiled. “I’m saying that I want you to make love to me. Right now.”
Thirteen
Without hesitation, he claimed my mouth in a punishing kiss. Our tongues dueled for control…nipping, sucking, and biting. My brain barely registered the change when he pulled me from the couch and started pushing me towards the bedroom, never breaking from our kiss. I was hit with the force of all of his pent-up frustrations at once. The passion exuding from him was almost too much to bear. Every nerve ending in my body tingled with the need to be touched by him. To be owned by him. To be one with him.
The back of my knees hit the bed when he paused and pulled away from me. “Are you sure about this, Karli?” he asked.
Panting, I replied, “Omigod, yes! I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life!”
He gave me a sexy smile as his fingers began to work the zipper on the back of my dress. “I’ve been waiting too long to hear you say that.”
I impatiently began unbuttoning his jeans. “Vance,” I began. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but shut the hell up!” I pulled his lips down to mine to resume our tongue play.
He finished pulling my zipper down and gently slid the dress strap over my left shoulder. He began kissing down my neck as he removed the other side. Once the silk had passed over my breasts, it quickly pooled at my feet. He paused to give me one long, appreciative gaze. From the look on his face, I’m guessing he approved of the black lacy lingerie. He lightly brushed the back of his hand over the swell of my breasts. “My God, woman, you are going to be the death of me,” he said.
I smiled as I pulled his blue t-shirt over his head and ran my hands down his well-defined abs. “Vance, what did I say about talking?” I scolded.
He laughed. “Right. Sorry, my mistake. I could think of much better ways to use my mouth right now.”
“Like wha---” He scooped my legs out from under me causing me to fall back onto the bed. “Oh!”
“No, no,” he admonished. “You’re breaking your own rules, Karli.” He resumed kissing down my body, making me forget any retort I may have had. His lips tortured me as he made his way over my breasts, to my abdomen, stopping to dip his tongue into my navel, before reaching the top of my panties. He lifted his head slightly and smiled as he ran his fingers over the lace covering my aching mound. I arched my hips and moaned in response.
“Vance, I---”
“Shh, baby…just lay back and enjoy this. I’ve been waiting a long time to have you under me and we are going to savor every second of it. Now let me show you everything I’ve been imagining over the past few months.”
My head fell back as he spread me wide and began nibbling my inner thighs. He licked the sheer fabric directly over my center right before he lifted my leg slightly to kiss the seam where my ass met my thigh. His head shifted from side to side as he repeated the gesture with the opposite leg while his fingers toyed with the idea of dipping beneath the lace.
“Vance, you’re killing me!” I shouted. “Please, stop teasing!”
The vibrations from his chuckle sent shockwaves through my core. Finally, he grabbed my panties with both hands and slowly pulled them down. He climbed half way up my body, but his head remained an arm’s length away from where I wanted him. Where I needed him. He shifted his gaze until we were staring at each other silently. Not breaking eye contact, he lowered himself until he reached my already slick folds and gave one long lick from the bottom up.
“Oh God, that feels good!” I screamed.
He gave me a sexy smile then began lapping urgently, working my little nerve bundle into a frenzy. Never breaking pace, he inserted one long finger inside of me, moving it up and down. Soon after, he added another, stretching and preparing me a bit more. My walls were already tightening in anticipation as he continued licking, sucking, and pumping me into ecstasy. He pulled me further inside his mouth as his fingers drove deeper and deeper. He slid his other hand beneath me to cup my bottom, pressing me into him even harder. Since both of his hands were occupied, I began kneading my breasts and pinching my nipples as he bewitched me with his tongue. Before I knew it, little volts of electricity were shooting throughout my entire body as my walls began clenching around his fingers. My knees were braced on either side of his head as I rode wave after delicious wave.
Upon releasing him from my vise, Vance stood up to pull off his jeans and boxers with a huge smile plastered on his face. I rose up on my elbows and removed my bra, leaving us both completely exposed. I scooted back on the bed as he leaned his perfect form over my body.
After softly kissing me on the lips he asked, “My God, do you have any idea what you do to me?”
Recalling how amazing he’d just made me feel I replied, “I think I have some idea.”
He grinned and then swooped in for another mind-blowing kiss. Every wonderful sensation in my body intensified as his emotions were coming at me full force now; our combined desire was overwhelming. Sparks erupted with each stroke of his velvety tongue. Our mouths were fused together by an unknown force...I could no longer decipher where my lips ended and his began. I could swear my body temperature was rising from all of the power that was now raging inside of me. I’d never felt anything like this before…I felt like a magical powerhouse ready to explode.
“Vance,” I panted. “I need you. Please, don’t make me wait any longer.”
He clenched his fingers with mine and replied, “Karli, I love you so much. I swear to you, I’m never going to stop loving you.”
“I love you too,” I whimpered. “Please, Vance, I’m begging you. Now!”
He buried himself deep inside of me with one hard thrust. Stars exploded as he stretched me, his thick length fitting perfectly…just the right mix of pleasure and pain. I lifted my hips, coaxing him in even further as he drove into me with so much raw hunger that my mind began to blur. I scored his back with my fingernails, holding on as he quickened his pace, giving me all of him, possessing every last inch of my being for what felt like hours. Finally, with a guttural cry he spasmed, causing me to do the same.
As we lay there trying to catch our breath, a honey-colored glow started forming around us, radiating from the spot where our bodies were joined.
Startled, I asked, “Va
nce, what is that?”
He smiled sweetly. “It’s okay, Karli.” He delivered feather light kisses down my neck and across my collarbone before continuing. “It’s magic.”
I blushed. “Sex magic?”
He chuckled. “No, trust me…you’ll know when we try sex magic.” Wow, I couldn’t imagine it getting better than this. Yikes!
Confused, I crinkled my brows. “Well, then what is it? We’re freaking glowing!”
“It’s a Fae thing,” he explained. “It’s our auras. Your aura is visible during intense emotion.” He smiled. “The golden color is for love.”
I blushed, feeling a little embarrassed that all of my emotions were on display. “I still don’t understand. I’ve never seen an aura before and I’ve had some pretty intense emotions. Granted, they’re usually pissed off emotions, but emotions nonetheless.”
He laughed. “It’s part of the psychic abilities you acquire when you become immortal. You’re close enough to immortality that it makes perfect sense. Usually though, you can only see your own aura.” He shifted inside of me, causing Vance Jr. to stir to life again. “We can see each other’s right now because our bodies are connected.”
“Oh,” I said breathlessly as I felt him harden inside of me. “Already? Really?”
He grinned lasciviously. “What do you think?”
Suddenly feeling inspired, I locked my legs around his hips and flipped over so I was on top. “Oh!” I repeated as he grabbed my hips and began moving me up and down his shaft.
Several hours…and countless orgasms later, we drifted off to sleep in each other’s arms.
*****
I awoke sometime later to the smell of bacon and coffee. Seriously, was there any better smell to wake up to? I realized I had missed work, which I’d never done before without calling so I frantically checked my phone and saw that Leo had texted me shortly after I’d left his house.