by Laura Lee
A knock on the door interrupted my afterglow. “Karli, did you just call me?” Vance asked.
Oh shit. Vance was home. And he’d heard me. I could feel my face redden in embarrassment.
“Karli?” he repeated. “Is everything okay in there?”
I cleared my throat. “Um, yeah, I’m fine. I was just taking a bath but I’m getting out.”
He cracked the door open, but was at least gentlemanly enough not to peek his head in. “Are you sure? You sound strange.”
“Yeah, I’m positive.” I looked over at the towel rack and noticed it was empty. Damn! “Uh, actually while you’re there, I seem to be out of towels. Would you mind?”
“Sorry, I just washed them. They’re still in the dryer. I’ll grab you one.”
I stayed under the cover of bubbles until he returned. He knocked lightly before entering. “I’m coming in.” He gulped as he saw me, and I’m pretty sure he was looking for a hole in the bubbles.
I placed my arm over my breasts and held one hand out. “Towel please.”
He cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah, sorry.” He placed it in my hand, but made no attempt to move.
I looked pointedly at the door. “Do you mind?”
He shook his head and smiled. “No, I don’t mind at all.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Vance, you know what I meant. Can I please have some privacy?”
He grinned. “Sure. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me. Help yourself to one of my t-shirts if you want. I take it you’re staying the rest of the night?"
“Um, yeah, if that’s okay. I’d like to be here when Eri wakes up.”
“You never need to ask, Karli,” he said as he walked out the door.
I dried off quickly, dressed in one of Vance’s t-shirts with a pair of boxers, and walked into the kitchen. He was sitting at the crescent-shaped breakfast bar, eating a bowl of cereal.
“Do you have a spare pillow and blanket somewhere around here?” I asked. “I don’t want to risk waking Erica so I’ll sleep on the couch.”
He took one more bite before walking over to the hall closet. He grabbed two big pillows and a down comforter then threw them on the couch. “These are for me. You can take my bed.”
I frowned. “No, that’s okay. It’s your bed. You should sleep in it.”
He stretched out on the couch, fluffing the pillows behind his head. “I’m sleeping here. You’re welcome to join me if you’d like. If not, take the bed.”
“Ugh! You’re impossible, you know that?”
He grinned, which was way too sexy if you asked me. “You make being impossible fun, sweetheart.”
I threw my hands in the air, exasperated. “Jackass!”
I heard him chuckle as I stomped down the hall into his room.
*****
I woke early in the morning because I couldn’t stop the thoughts from running through my brain. I tip-toed down the hallway, cracked Erica’s door and found her still asleep. I made it to the great room where Vance was snoring lightly on the couch. I quietly moved into the adjoining kitchen, searching for the K-cups. While the coffee was brewing, I started digging through the fridge for creamer. Vance came up from behind, startling me. When I turned around, I saw that he was holding a mug for me. How did he do that so silently? Wow, I must’ve really been spacing out.
“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked as he handed me the coffee. I couldn’t help but notice how his fingers lingered on top of mine a little as I was grabbing it.
“Thanks.” I stepped to his side to pour the creamer. I grabbed a spoon out of the utensil drawer to mix it in. “No, not really,” I said and tapped my temples. “Too much going on up here.”
He took the creamer from me and put it back in the fridge. “Yeah, me too.” He stared at me wordlessly leaving so much hanging in the air.
“I should---” I started to say.
“Karli, I think we should---” he offered at the same time.
I blew a hair off my face in frustration. “Vance, didn’t we already talk about this? There is no we. There’s not going to be a we. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
He grabbed my coffee out of my hand and slowly took a sip, swallowing hard. “First of all, I was going to say that we should talk about Maria and the crimes she’s committed. But since you brought it up, I will add that I don’t think you really mean that part about us. As I mentioned earlier, I know you need time, but I know what I feel when I’m with you. When I’m inside of you. And I know you feel the same thing. You wouldn’t have projected your dream to me if you didn’t. As much as you’d like it not to be true right now, the auras don’t lie, Karli. So, no, we are not done talking about it. We’re just taking a break from it.”
Okay, I winced from the reminder of him being inside of me. Damn him, he was right. Despite what had happened, I did still love him. I just couldn’t ever forgive him. “Wait, you mean I projected my dream to you?”
He handed my mug back to me. “On the couch…your dream about us, in Faerie. In the pond. Need I say more?”
“I didn’t know I could project dreams,” I whispered.
He shrugged. “Now you do.”
My eyes were threatening tears so I decided to get back to business. I crossed my arms over my chest. “Talk. About Maria. And so we’re clear, what you’re specifically going to do about her as a police officer. Not as her husband.”
“Ex-husband,” he muttered.
“Whatever,” I said with a huff.
“Sit down,” he demanded.
I sipped my coffee and made my way over to the couch where Vance joined me. “Happy?” I said in a snarky tone.
“Not even a little,” he replied. “But that’s irrelevant at this point. Now, about Maria…”
He went on to explain how he and Tara planned to approach this. Obviously, they couldn’t take her word that she was going out of the country. They were going to pursue her in town, but just in case, they would place alerts at all major airports throughout the tri-state area. As expected, he went into alpha male mode again saying that he would protect me at all costs, blah, blah, blah—demanding that I stay under his protection at his house. I told him I was perfectly safe with Leo, but I did grudgingly agree to stay at Vance’s until Erica was a little more stable. Speaking of Erica, I decided to check on her again after Vance left for the station.
I knocked on her door but she didn’t reply so I slipped into her room. “Erica, honey, are you awake yet?”
She flipped over and faced me. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying. “Yeah, I’ve been awake for a while,” she sniffed. “I just didn’t want to get out of bed.”
I lay down on the bed next to her and pulled her into my arms. “Sweetie, I’m so sorry. I wish I had some way to make this better for you.”
She pulled away and wiped her nose on her sleeve. “What am I going to do, K? I know it was probably delusional, but I honestly thought Jake and I would find some way to make this work. I had to believe that he was a victim in this too. We’re having a baby, for Christ’s sake! Now, I’ll never know for sure if she was making him do all those horrible things!” She started bawling hysterically again.
As I held her, I thought of my encounter with Jake in the warehouse. I knew without a doubt that he was no victim in this situation. Well, not until his demise at least. He’d had so much evil intent coming off of him as he’d taken advantage of the situation, manhandling me with his grubby paws. I was lucky that he’d spelled me to sleep rather than doing something worse, something that I have no doubt he was capable of. He was just as bad as Maria. I didn’t have the heart to tell her about it though. No matter how awful he was, he was still the father of her unborn child—one that she’d have to raise alone, every day, being reminded of him. I thought it would be best if she had that slight hope of the possibility that he’d truly been the man she’d fallen in love with.
Twenty-eight
After a few hours of crying, Erica fell asleep again
so I slipped out into the great room and called Leo. He answered on the first ring.
“Hello, my love. How is Erica coping?”
I sighed. “Not good, Leo. She’s a mess and I don’t even know where to begin helping her through this.”
“Not true, Karli,” he assured me. “You are doing all that you can at this point. You’re there for her. She’ll let you know when she needs more.”
I sat down on the couch and pulled Vance’s blanket over my legs. “I hope so.”
“What can I do to help?” he asked.
“After the sun goes down, you can take me to my place to get some of my belongings,” I replied.
“And where are you taking those belongings?” His tone indicated that he knew the answer and he didn’t like it one bit.
I combed my fingers through my hair. “Look, Leo, I don’t like this either, but I’m going to stay here for a while. I’ve been a shitty friend and Erica needs me. It was bad enough when I barely checked on her while I was at Irina’s. I can’t leave her now that she’s pregnant on top of it. At least not right away.”
“I’m sure the detective can take care of her.”
I found myself frowning at the thought of Vance taking care of Erica. “Not like I can, Leo. I owe her. She was the only one there for me to pick up the pieces when I found out about Chad. She’s been the only one there for me since.”
“Not the only one,” he corrected.
“Okay, fine,” I conceded. “Not the only one, but she was there for me through some pretty major shit. She’s my best friend, Leo. I’m going to be here for her as long as she needs me.” I sighed heavily. “If you can’t handle that, I can ask Vance to take me. You should know me well enough to know that I don’t like depending on anyone, but I don’t feel safe with Maria out there after what happened to Jake. I don’t trust anyone else.”
“I’ll be there right after sunset, my dear.” Click.
Great, now I had a pissed off vampire to add to the craptastic potpourri of my life.
*****I hung around watching TV for a few hours and then Erica finally came out of her bedroom.
I patted the couch, gesturing for her to sit beside me. “Hey, can I get you anything?”
She didn’t sit. Instead, she walked into the kitchen for a glass of water. “No, I’m fine.”
I joined her in the kitchen. “I talked to Leo earlier. He’s going to be here after sunset so I can bring some things from my apartment over here.” I pulled her into a hug. “I’ll be here as long as you need me, Eri.”
She pulled away from me and looked down at her toes. “I don’t think you should do that, Karli. Maybe you should go back to Leo’s place.”
“What? Why?” I asked.
She sighed. “I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself. I know how hard it is for you being around Vance.”
I tucked hair behind my ear. “Erica, I appreciate the offer, really, but I’m not leaving you. I can handle Vance.”
“Karli,” she sighed again. “I was hoping to avoid this…but I can’t really be near you right now. It hurts too much. Every time I think about what happened, which let’s face it, is all the time, I think about how none of this would have happened if Maria didn’t have some twisted obsession with you. She would have probably stayed in L.A. if you weren’t in the picture.”
To say I was shocked by her accusation would be an understatement. “What?” I asked. “How can you say that? If you need to blame someone, I get it. But Maria is here because she wanted to exact revenge on Vance! If you’re going to be mad at someone, it should be him. Not me.”
She blew a hair away from her face. “Vance is a victim here too, K.”
I thought about the warehouse. “And I’m not?!?” I shrieked.
She raked her hands through her hair and started walking towards her bedroom. “I’m going back to bed. Please don’t be here when I come back out.”
I started chasing after her and grabbed her elbow. “Eri, don’t.” My eyes started watering.
She turned towards me. “I’m sorry, K, I just can’t. Please just leave me alone. I love you, but I can’t do…this right now. I’ll let you know when I’m ready to talk.”
She stepped inside her room and locked the door, leaving me standing there wondering what the hell had just happened.
Twenty-nine
I texted Leo telling him that I needed more time and that I’d let him know when I was ready to leave. How could Erica possibly think this was my fault? Truthfully, I didn’t really think Vance was to blame either. It was Maria’s fault and no one else’s. Why couldn’t she see that? I burst into tears which continued until I fell asleep on the couch. I awoke sometime later when Vance was carrying me into the bedroom. I noticed that it was dark outside but I had no clue how long I’d slept. He pulled the covers down and gently placed me on the bed. He tried unwinding my hands from behind his neck but I tightened my grip.
“Vance?” I whispered.
“Shh, Karli, go back to sleep. You look like you could use it.”
I shook my head. “No, Vance. What I need is to forget. Forget about all this shit that is making my life hell. A fleeting moment is better than nothing.”
He tried extricating my hands again, but his attempts were useless. “Karli, unless you want me to climb in bed with you, you need to let go.”
“Vance,” I insisted. “Make me forget. Please, just make me forget. Tomorrow I’ll deal with it.”
His eyes bore into mine searching for something. “What are you saying? I’m sorry but you’re going to have to spell it out for me so I don’t misread you.”
“Vance, I want you to climb in this bed with me. I need to feel you inside of me.”
“Karli, I---”
I relaxed my grip and pressed two fingers against his lips. “No talking. Please, just do this for me.”
He swallowed hard and stood up, and then walked over to the bedroom door. I held my breath as I watched the internal struggle play through his eyes. I knew I had won the moment he locked the door.
He sat down on the bed next to me. “Are you sure?” he asked.
I nodded and peeled off my shirt and bra to emphasize my point. His eyes widened as they fixated on my naked breasts. He cupped my cheek with one hand as the other traced a line down my neck and across my collarbone, making me shiver. “You are so beautiful,” he whispered.
I unbuttoned his striped Oxford wordlessly and pushed it off his shoulders. My eyes implored him to lift his arms so I could remove his undershirt too. He complied and I was rewarded with golden skin, shining in the moonlight, sculpted to perfection. Goose pimples formed on his pecs as I traced my finger across the wide expansion of his chest, then around his right nipple. I lowered my head and took the tightened bud into my mouth, kissing it reverently. He gasped, clutching the back of my head before guiding me up to his lips. He branded me with his mouth as his tongue dueled with mine. Our kisses were more intense than they’d ever been, as our bodies spoke the words we couldn’t say. It was difficult to breathe, but who needed air? In that moment, Vance’s lips on mine were all I needed to survive. I peppered his stubbled jaw with kisses, nibbled his earlobes, and sucked on his neck. I couldn’t get enough of him. I wanted to taste every inch of his skin. He must’ve felt the same, because he returned the favor, eliciting purrs of approval from me.
At some point, we managed to shed the remainder of our clothes but I couldn’t remember how that happened. I was in a haze of pure ecstasy. We worshipped each other’s bodies with our tongues and lips until I felt I would die if he didn’t fill me in that perfect way that only he could. “Vance,” I panted. “Please, I need you inside of me now.”
He raised his head from licking my navel and smiled. “I can’t think of anything I want more.”
Oh thank God! He climbed up my body and kissed me gently on the lips as he took his thick shaft into his hand. He positioned himself right where I needed him, teasing me mercilessly, rubbing the head of h
is penis against my swollen lower lips. “Please stop stalling!” I begged.
He ravaged my mouth as he slid inside of me, stretching me into bliss. We swallowed each other’s moans as he moved in and out at a painfully slow pace. He grabbed both of my hands, stretching my arms over my head as he developed a delicious rhythm. I arched my back to meet him thrust for thrust, forcing him in deeper. Our bodies were so perfectly in sync I almost cried from the emotions overwhelming me. A familiar sense of power began building between us. My skin prickled as that beautiful golden glow began to form. Vance pulled back to look me in the eyes with a sweet smile on his face. We were suspended in time right then, staring straight into each other’s souls. I’d never felt anything like it before. I couldn’t help it; a tear escaped my lids. He gently kissed it away as he cupped my face with both hands.
“Vance, I’m so close,” I moaned. “Please, go faster.”
We held each other’s eyes as he progressively picked up his pace. I felt the pressure building in my lower abdomen, getting stronger and stronger until I couldn’t hold it back any longer. My orgasm was so strong I was surprised I didn’t implode. My inner walls clenched around him tightly bringing him to his own release, milking him dry. He collapsed on top of me, shuddering from aftershocks. We both tried catching our breath as he lovingly stroked my hair.
“I knew you’d come around, Karli,” he whispered into my neck. “I love you... I love you so damn much.”
I held him until I knew he was in a deep sleep…which was right before I walked out the front door.
Thirty
Thankfully, Leo hadn’t collected his Audi from Vance’s house yet so I didn’t have to worry about how I’d get out of there. I knew it was a really shitty thing to do, and I felt horrible, but I meant it when I said that it was a onetime only occurrence. A goodbye, if you will. There was no way I’d get out of there without incident had I stayed the whole night. I pulled into the parking lot at Voyeur-Gasm and used the key from Leo to unlock the back door. I was startled when I opened it and found him standing there staring at me.