by Laura Lee
“Karli, wait---” Click.
“I hung up,” I said by way of explanation.
Leo flashed me a sympathetic look as he took the phone from me. “I can have a security team in place by morning.”
“Leo, I don’t want anyone, vampire or otherwise, to be my bodyguard. You never know if they could be working for Maria too. Look at what happened with Jake. She’s been planning this for months.”
“If that is what you wish, my dear, I will gladly stick by your side. But you would need to stay indoors during the daytime.”
I let out a deep breath. “Thank you, Leo, but I don’t want to hide out. I want to resume living my life. I need to meet Erica in the morning, and I want to go back to work tomorrow night.”
“My sweet, I do not think that is the best idea.”
“Don’t you get it, Leo? If I stay hidden, she wins. I can’t let that happen. I’m better than that.”
He grabbed my hands. “Karli, I was not implying any weakness on your part. I simply want you safe.”
“Leo, I’ll be fine. I swear. I’m not entirely defenseless, you know. I’m getting pretty good at combat magic. The only reason they were able to get me before was because I was caught off guard. That won’t happen again. Trust me.”
He kissed my hand. “Your wish is my command, my dearest.”
Twenty-three
Erica showed up at Voyeur-Gasm the next morning. I unlocked the back door to meet her, only to find Vance standing right beside her. I glared at him. “What is he doing here?” I asked her.
I thought it was pretty obvious who the question was directed at, but Vance decided to reply anyway. “Erica told me you two were going on a shopping trip so I insisted on riding along.”
“Nuh uh,” I said. “No way.” I looked at Erica. “You couldn’t have called to warn me?”
She blushed. “I’m sorry, K, but I would actually feel safer with him here. I know Maria can’t do anything to us during the daytime, but what about someone working for her?” She looked down. “What about Jake?”
Seeing the utter despair on her face, I grudgingly agreed. “Fine,” I huffed as I walked out the door. Vance tried grabbing my hand. I didn’t like how good his touch felt. It just reminded me of what I’d lost so I conjured a little dust and shocked him.
He jumped back, shaking his hand. “Fuck! What the hell was that for?” he shouted.
“Don’t touch me,” I said and glared.
Vance was driving and I rode in the back seat of his Beamer so I could stay as far away from him as possible. Erica tried breaking the ice by making small talk but I wasn’t biting.
“Goddammit, Karli,” Vance barked. “You’re being ridiculous. You can’t just pretend I’m not here.”
I looked out the window proving to him that I could.
Erica sighed. “Okay, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. I can do this alone, Karli.”
I looked up and was met with big puppy dog eyes. Oh shit, here comes the guilt. Now it was my turn to sigh. “No, Eri, I want to be here for you. You’re my best friend. I’ll behave.”
“About damn time,” Vance said.
I glared at him again. “Watch it. You’re treading on very thin ice here. I said I’d behave. You should too.”
He rolled his eyes in the rear view mirror. “Whatever.”
I jumped out of the car as soon as we arrived at the drug store. Eri got out and started walking into the building with me. Vance followed.
I turned my head to shoot darts at him with my eyes. “Do you really have to follow us in here? This is a private matter.”
Erica grabbed my arm. “Karli, please don’t. He knows everything. I tell him everything.”
I couldn’t mask my surprise. “Everything? What do you mean you tell him everything?”
She blushed. “He’s really easy to talk to. You should know that more than anybody.”
I looked at Vance who just stood there looking uncomfortable. Glaring yet again, I said, “Yeah, I bet.”
We entered through the sliding glass doors and started making our way down the crowded aisles to the one filled with feminine supplies, condoms, pregnancy tests, and diapers. Erica and I browsed through several brands before making a decision. She turned and started walking towards the checkout up front. Vance stood watching me. I looked to my left and out of spite, grabbed a box of K-Y Yours + Mine and followed Eri. I had no intention of using it with anyone but he didn’t need to know that.
Vance’s face turned red. “Why do you need that?” he asked.
“None of your damn business,” I snapped.
I put the box on the register counter. Erica looked down. “What the---” she started to ask.
I shook my head at her. “I’ll tell you later,” I said. The clerk rang me up and handed me a bag. All three of us walked out to the car in awkward silence.
I leaned my head back and closed my eyes as we pulled out of the parking lot. I didn’t need to look at Vance any more than absolutely necessary. A little while later, I opened my eyes expecting to be close to the club. We were heading in the opposite direction, towards Henderson. “What the hell?” I asked.
Erica looked guilty. “Look, K, I know you said you didn’t want to stay at Vance’s house, and I get that. I do. But I don’t exactly feel comfortable doing this at Leo’s club. I asked Vance to take us home.”
Did she say home? My face reddened. “You’ve got to be kidding me, Erica! You tricked me? Seriously?”
She shook her head. “I didn’t trick you. I swear. I just need to do this somewhere where I feel safe and comfortable. This is the only place that fits that description. I swear we’ll take you back to Leo as soon as we’re done.”
I saw that Vance was watching me carefully in the mirror. “Fine,” I snapped.
We pulled into Vance’s driveway about five minutes later. Vance and Erica got out of the car while I remained in the backseat stewing. Vance came around and opened my door. “Karli,” he said. “You coming?”
I climbed out of my seat without a word and followed them inside. Vance’s house looked different from when I was last there. More feminine. I looked around and saw quite a few of Erica’s belongings throughout each room. The throw blanket and pillows on the couch, knick-knacks on the coffee table, pictures of her and me, then her with her sisters on the sofa table, her Keurig on the kitchen counter. I walked down the hall into the guest bathroom and saw her towels hanging from the racks.
“Wow, Eri, you sure have made yourself comfortable here, haven’t you?” I asked as I returned to her side.
She blushed again. I don’t think I’d seen her do so as often as I had over the past two days. “Um...yeah, Vance said he didn’t mind. He wanted me to feel safe and comfortable. We brought some of my things over here to help make it easier.”
I pulled her down the hall. “Let’s do this,” I grumbled as we walked into the bathroom. I locked the door as soon as we were both inside. I glanced up again at the lilac towels and had to suppress a feeling that I didn’t want to acknowledge. We opened the box and read the instructions. I turned around while she peed on the stick, then set the timer on my phone for three minutes. We sat on the edge of the tub waiting for it to go off. Three minutes later, the alarm dinged.
“I can’t look,” Erica said.
I stood up and walked over to the counter. I looked at the digital reader and then back to Erica.
Her eyes widened. “What does it say, Kar?” she asked.
I looked down at the little white stick again. “It’s positive. Erica…you’re pregnant.”
*****
Erica was shocked. She gasped and clasped her hand over her mouth. I joined her again on the edge of the tub and pulled her in for a hug.
“Omigod, K, what am I going to do?” she cried.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “We’ll figure this out together.”
She started sobbing. A few seconds later, there was a knock on the bathroom door. “Eve
rything okay in there?” Vance asked.
I got up and opened the door a crack. “Go away,” I snapped. “I’ve got this.”
Erica came up from behind me and pushed the door open wider. “I’m pregnant,” she said to him, right before she fell into his arms sobbing even harder.
Vance led her over to the living room and guided her onto the beige leather sectional. He held her tighter, cooing and whispering words of comfort into her ear. I just stood there at the edge of the hallway staring at them. What the hell was going on here?
Vance looked up at me. “Karli, will you please get her a glass of water?” he asked.
I blinked, shaking myself out of my stupor. “Um, yeah. Sure.” I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a glass from the cherry cabinet above the sink. After filling it with water from the fridge, I walked over to the couch and extended my arm, offering the glass.
Vance grabbed it from my hand and said, “Thanks.” He shifted so he could hold the glass up to Erica’s mouth. “Shh, honey. Here, take a drink.” Honey? She stopped sobbing and took a drink, holding her hand over his on the glass.
She gulped. “Thank you, Vance.” Huh? She looked up at me and patted the other side of the couch. “K, please come sit next to me.”
Pushing my reluctance to be anywhere near Vance aside, I did as she asked. I also wrapped my arm around her and leaned my head against hers. Of course, there was no way to avoid touching Vance at this point. Eri wasn’t nearly wide enough to allow for that. The heat from his skin touching mine sent far too much pleasure into my body. I tried blocking my reaction since he could read my emotions. Unfortunately, I must not have done so quickly enough because he looked at me briefly and smiled. I looked away, ashamed. Wow, what a cozy, fucked up little threesome we were.
What seemed like hours later, Erica got up from the couch and started walking down the hall. “I’m going to take a nap,” she said and yawned.
I scooted away from Vance and sat staring at my hands in my lap. He got up and followed Erica into the bedroom. A minute later, he walked out closing the door. Walking into the kitchen he asked, “Are you hungry? I’m going to make some lunch.”
“No, I’m good,” I replied. I got up from the couch and walked over to the foyer to grab my phone out of my purse. “I need to check in with Leo.” I think he muttered some expletive under his breath but I couldn’t be sure.
Leo answered on the first ring. “My dear, how are things going?” he asked. “Why are you in Henderson?”
“How did you---” I cut myself off remembering my built in location detector. I cleared my throat. “Um, things are okay. The test was positive. As much as I hate it, I think I should stay here and keep an eye on her. I know I said I wanted to go back to work tonight, but I’d like to retract that if it’s okay with you. She’s taking a nap right now. I don’t know when she’ll wake up, but I want to be here when she does.”
“Of course, my love. This is more important,” he said. “Do you want me to come get you after sunset?”
I looked up and saw that Vance had joined me in the foyer, and was very interested in my conversation with Leo. “That’s sweet of you to offer. Like I said, I’m not sure how long she’ll be sleeping but I’ll call you back later to let you know. Okay?”
“Okay,” he agreed. “Let me know if you need anything.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Goodbye.”
I hung up my phone and shoved it back into my purse. Irritated, I looked back up at Vance. “Did you enjoy eavesdropping?”
He shook his head as he advanced towards me. “Don’t,” he said. “Just stop, okay?” He moved against me until my back was against the front door. He framed my face with his hands. I tried fighting him, but he felt too damn good for my body to obey. Stupid body. “I know you’re mad at me. I know you’re hurt. I get that. But if you’d ever remove this goddamn block you have against me, you’d be able to tell how I feel about you and how very sorry I am. You wouldn’t have a single doubt.” He leaned into me and pressed his cheek into mine. “I know you’re going to need time before we could…be together again. But I know it’s going to happen and so do you. I’d rather not spend the in between fighting with you.”
God, it felt so right being in his arms, it hurt. A tear escaped my lids. I wiped it away before I wrapped my hands around his forearms and removed his hands from my face. He stepped back. As I started walking back into the great room, I said, “Fine, Vance. I’ll call a truce. For Erica’s sake. But as far as us being together again, you’re wrong. The sooner you accept that, the better.” I sat on the couch and turned on the TV.
He walked into the kitchen and returned to my side with two plates. He handed me one loaded with a turkey sandwich and said, “Eat. I saw you eying it as I was making it. I know you’re hungry.”
I reluctantly accepted it and took a bite. He was right, dammit. We ate in silence as we watched a marathon of Deadliest Catch. Totally addicting. The awkwardness became less apparent as the hours ticked by. Erica was still out cold in the guest room when I started feeling sleepy. Being emotional did that to me. I decided to close my eyes for just a second.
Twenty-four
I was enveloped in beauty, standing in an ethereal forest surrounding little thatch-roofed huts. I could feel the warm sun and light breeze on my skin. The birds were singing a wonderful melody. The smell of jasmine and gardenias filled my nose. I felt at peace. At home. I looked down at my feet, and noticed little white ballet slippers. I was clothed in a long white, flowing gossamer dress that clung to my curves in all the right places. I felt unequivocally feminine…beautiful…cherished. I had little purple wildflowers clutched in my hand.
“Karli, over here!” a voice called. I knew that voice.
I turned around, looking deeper into the forest. There he stood, by a crystal clear pond surrounded by butterflies. My love. My Vance. He smiled his million dollar smile, warming me in my most intimate places. I couldn’t help but return the gesture as I walked towards him. He stretched out his hand, imploring me to join him. I looked down and saw that his pants were rolled up and he was standing in ankle deep water.
“Care to go for a swim?” he asked. “The water’s perfect.”
“A swim?” I repeated. “We don’t have bathing suits.”
He gave me a mischievous grin as he pulled me into him. Kissing my neck he said, “No, we don’t. But we do have our birthday suits.”
I pulled back and playfully smacked his chest. “Vance, you are so bad! It’s daytime! Anyone could see us!”
He unbuttoned his shirt and threw it on the ground. “So?” he replied. Oh, there go his pants. Oh my, only his boxer briefs are left! “Who cares if they see us? Nobody with any manners would stick around to watch. They would see two people who are so in love with each other that they can’t keep their hands off one another. There’s nothing wrong with that.” With one last show of his pearly whites, his boxers were shed and he was jumping in the water.
I couldn’t get undressed fast enough. He had that effect on me. I needed to be in that water with him. Kissing him. Touching him. As the last piece of my clothing was discarded, I squealed in joy as I cannonballed into the water like a little kid. When I came up from under water, he was right there with me. Laughing with me. Smiling with me. Loving me. I could feel it radiating from every part of his being. This whole place was like that. Warm, like a cocoon. He framed my face with his hands and began kissing me with promises of what was to come. I was instantly on fire. I needed him inside of me. God, I could never get enough of this man.
“Karli, you are my everything,” he managed in between kisses. We were braced against the edge of the pond, touching, kissing, and feeling one another. As he thrust inside of me he added, “This is how it was meant to be. You and I. Here. As one.”
“Oh yes, Vance!” I shouted. “Yes!”
We started to glow, making him smile. “Karli, marry me. Be my wife. Make babies with me.” He winked. “We can start right no
w.”
I looked deep into his eyes, seeing that he was deadly serious. “What did you just say?”
He kissed me lightly on the lips as he slowly moved inside of me. “I said, marry me.”
I couldn’t imagine anything that I wanted more. As I was about to accept, he disappeared. The pond disappeared. Our forest. I started spinning in circles. Where was I? What was happening?
“Karli?” a woman called. “Karli.”
No! No, that’s not Vance. Where did he go? I need to find Vance!
“Karli!” the woman insisted. “Wake up!”
Wake up? What is she talking about? Where’s Vance?
“Karli!!!”
I opened my eyes. Erica. She was calling me. It took me a second to figure out I’d been dreaming. I tried getting up but I was trapped in steely arms. Vance’s arms. We must have fallen asleep while watching TV. Oh fuck, we were glowing again. Stupid auras! Why couldn’t you stay in Dreamland? Thank God, Erica couldn’t see it. Go away, you bastards! Wait a minute; I thought we could only see each other’s auras when we were making love? Dreams shouldn’t count. Should they? Vance was still asleep, but now he was stirring. I squirmed out of his arms abruptly, jolting him into awareness. He saw the golden light surrounding us and smiled at me as he stretched.
“What’s going on, guys?” Erica asked.
I cleared my throat and looked at Vance out of the corner of my eye. “Nothing. I must have fallen asleep.”
Erica looked at Vance and then at me again. “Yeah, looks like you both did.” I started getting jealous vibes off of her. No, that couldn’t be right. “Ah!” she screamed, clutching her head as she fell to her knees.
Vance and I both went down to the floor to assist her onto the couch.
“Eri, what’s wrong?” I asked. “What just happened?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ve never felt anything like it before.”
I went to put my arm around her and got shocked. There were massive electrical currents running beneath her skin. “Holy shit! What is going on with you?”