“What is that?” She eyed it as Liam pulled out two short glasses and poured a small amount of the liquid into each cup.
“It’s an age old family recipe for a kind of liquor that isn’t really made too often anymore. It’s a special mead made from red and black currants - and a few other things.” Liam handed Ginny one of the glasses. He held up his glass in a sort of ‘cheers’ motion and Ginny followed suit. “To a wonderful dinner with a wonderful guest.” Liam clinked his glass with Ginny’s and she nodded before taking a tentative sip. It was a burst of fruit and honey flavors backed with a strong alcoholic finish.
“This is delicious.” Ginny took another sip. Liam smiled, pleased that she was enjoying it.
Liam got back to work in the kitchen and in no time a full roast with all the fixings was set out on the table. There were potatoes, a variety of cooked vegetables, a delicious onion gravy and perhaps most impressive, homemade Yorkshire puddings. It was a full English feast, in keeping with his family’s heritage. Ginny was incredibly impressed with Liam’s cooking abilities. They far surpassed her own.
“Everything looks wonderful.” Ginny stated as her seat was tucked in for her by Liam. He seemed to be a gentleman in everything he did.
“Why thank you, I hope you enjoy it.” Liam took his seat opposite of Ginny and together they partook in the feast.
Once the meal was complete and the dishes placed into the sink, Liam led Ginny over to the couch with a view overlooking the city. From their seats they could see the entire city spread out before them. It was a sight that Ginny was sure she would never see anywhere else. It was another reminder to her that Liam was more than just a well off guy, he was a freaking billionaire! That was with a “B,” she had to remind herself.
Liam sat down on the couch and beckoned for Ginny to join him. Without reservation she nestled up next to him, content to fit in the crook under his arm. It just felt natural to do so. For several long moments they just sat and watched the world beneath them turn. It was Liam who ended the comfortable silence between them with a statement that threw Ginny off a bit.
“You remind me of a woman I once knew and cared for deeply. You make me feel so comfortable so easily I wonder if you aren’t somehow connected in this world.” Liam caressed the side of Ginny’s face, and a look passed over his eyes that said so much more than his words did. There was an ageless yearning clearly painted on his face and a much deeper hurt underneath than perhaps even he knew about, she imagined.
“What was her name?” Ginny was curious, who was the man behind the money?
“Philippa.” An indeterminable look crossed Liam’s face then.
“There is more you aren’t telling me, isn’t there?” Ginny felt something stir deep within her, something she didn’t quite understand. But part of her subconscious screamed out at her. Was it a warning or a remembering? Liam looked long and hard at Ginny, as though debating what to tell her. With a deep sigh it was clear he had decided to go with the truth, whatever that entailed.
“Do you believe in vampires?” It was such an odd – and totally bizarre and out of left field - question that Ginny didn’t even know how to answer it properly.
“Are you being serious?” Ginny made a move to get up from the couch, suddenly unsure of things. But Liam held her close and pleaded with her.
“Please, I want to be honest with you. I don’t know exactly why I feel like this, but I won’t make the same mistakes again.” Liam held Ginny close and waited for her to concede in letting him continue. “I am a vampire, and I have been one for a very long time. Sometimes I don’t even remember what my first life was like. It’s like a ghost of a memory.” At this point, Ginny was sure Liam was insane, there was no way he could be a vampire. They didn’t exist. Was he seriously saying this? For a brief moment Ginny wondered if perhaps Liam had in fact spiked her drink. There were no such thing as vampires. It was ridiculous of Liam to even suggest otherwise. Maybe it was some kind of joke.
“But vampires aren’t real,” Ginny started to reason. She was cut off however by Liam baring his fangs to her. The fear that Ginny thought she should have felt was somehow overshadowed by her innate curiosity and wonder. She reached out to touch the sharp fangs and pulled back when she realized they were real.
“I assure you I am very much real. Though I must say that those ridiculous Twilight books have it all wrong. I do not sparkle in the daylight.” The joke was exactly what the moment needed and an odd sense of pressure was lifted. Ginny didn’t feel uncomfortable or afraid in the least, rather her journalist instincts came raring to life and her need to assess and analyze the story became too strong to overlook.
“Do you suck blood?” Ginny was fascinated - still slightly skeptical - but fascinated nonetheless. Liam chuckled at her question. His laughter made her spine tingle with the reminder of her less than subtle lust for the man, or vampire, or whatever, was in front of her. Vampire or not, he was still hot.
“That does always seem to be the first question anyone asks. Yes, I do, but only from willing participants and never to the extent of draining all of their blood and killing them. Contrary to popular belief we vampires can exist on relatively little blood. The main thing we need is the iron in blood and sometimes a rare steak will do a decent enough job if blood is not readily available.” Liam was trying to be as informative as possible to help Ginny believe in what he was saying.
“I would have never guessed that.” The reality of being a vampire was clearly not represented well in the modern interpretations that Ginny had seen in books and movies. “How long have you been a vampire?” This was going to be a truly interesting thing to know, seeing as Liam only looked to be in his late 20s-early 30s. Ginny loved history and all things antique, so if Liam was a really old vampire he would surely know interesting thing about the past.
“About 700 years or so. I have seen my fair share of history repeating itself.” There was a hint of sadness and despair in Liam’s voice that made Ginny wonder if perhaps she had unknowingly trodden onto territory Liam would rather not talk about. It made Ginny’s heart hurt with the desire to soothe his worries so Ginny decided to change topics completely.
“Well I feel like you have been put on the spot, what with answering all of my questions, so it is only fair that you get to ask me something. What do you want to know about boring old me?” Ginny sat ready and waiting for Liam. The distraction worked, he seemed to let go of some hidden pain and smiled at her again. He reached for her hands and held them in his, once more setting off Ginny’s desires.
“Hmm, well a good starting place is always, where are you from and what do you do for a living?” Liam leaned back into the couch and let the cushions cradle him slightly.
“I am from the other side of the state actually, Buffalo to be exact. I moved to the big city in order to chase my dreams of being a journalist. Currently I work at a low level newspaper as a column writer, but I do hope to someday cover the big stories.” Ginny went into one of her fantasies then, imagining what her future might hold. It was nearly trance like and if left any longer Liam was sure to notice she realized. So she pulled herself out of her mini fugue and refocused her attention on Liam. A slightly embarrassed smile once more found itself on Ginny’s face. It was becoming a staple expression for her, which wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
“I once visited Buffalo, many years ago. It was a much different time and place though.” Ginny was fighting the urge to ask Liam about his past. She desperately wanted to know the history but she worried about unveiling an unpleasant memory. Curiosity eventually won out.
“When were you in Buffalo?” Ginny probed cautiously.
“It was the turn of the century, when the World’s Fair was held there. Man was the city a sight to behold. At that time it rivaled any big city in the country. The Fair was a gathering of the brightest minds in the world and the creative vision they had was like nothing else. It was one of the first times the x-ray machines were presented to
the public you know. Everything was going so well too, that is until the president was shot. Knowing what I do now they should have used that x-ray machine. But it was still too new and untested. It was a truly unfortunate thing to have happen but the past is the past.” Though, as Liam told the story she could feel her heart breaking for him and an overwhelming desire to just hold him filled her being, her journalist curiosity yearned to delve further into the story to get all the details. She imagined it must be so lonely to have lived so long and hold such ancient pains, but she pushed that aside. It was a delicate balance she needed to achieve. Liam seemed inclined to change the topic and Ginny complied.
“I love all kinds of history, always have. I think that is partly why I love journalism so much. It is the facts of today that will become history tomorrow.” Liam wrapped his arm around Ginny’s shoulders in a slightly intimate manner. His firm body was pressed flush against hers and Ginny could feel the heat racing to her face. In that moment Ginny wished that there was nothing separating them from touching skin to skin.
“If you like history than I have more than just a few good stories to tell you. But that is for another time. Right now I have something different in mind.” Liam caught Ginny before she said a word. His lips were on hers in seconds. It wasn’t a forced kiss, but rather a slow and simple one. It was as if Liam could read her mind and knew exactly what she wanted in that moment.
Liam didn’t push for more; instead he let Ginny take the lead. She opened her mouth to invite his tongue in and together their tongues battled for dominance between their mouths. Eventually Liam won out and together they both came up for air, taking in large gulps of oxygen.
“Your lips are as soft as rose petals and just as delicious. I could spend the rest of eternity just tasting your lips.” Liam caressed Ginny’s face and looked deep into her eyes. The moment was so perfect that all Ginny could do was nod her head. She felt utterly alive when Liam kissed her and there was nothing else in the world that mattered to her in that moment other than closing the distance between them once more.
Liam went in for another kiss, long and slow like the first one but this time he moved from her lips to her cheek and slowly made his way to the side of her neck. Ginny could tell what his intentions were and willingly bared her neck to him, inviting him to partake of her blood. No words were needed. There was an unspoken connection between them that didn’t need to be stated. It was insane, lunatic even that Ginny would allow Liam to suck her blood, but she wanted to feel him even closer than when they were kissing. She just knew it was right and that it was what she wanted. Besides Ginny knew instinctively that Liam would never hurt her, though where the extreme trust came from was still unknown, Ginny just felt comfortable with him.
A sharp nick at her skin indicated that Liam had drawn blood. Seconds later the sensation of his presence at her neck was confirmed when a slightly more intense pain of his teeth penetrating deeper in her skin was felt. The feeling of the flow of blood being sucked out of her was like nothing else she had experienced in her life before. It was thrilling and terrifying all at the same time. So many emotions and sensations were flowing through her all at once: pain, pleasure, curiosity, and overwhelming passion.
After a little while the pain subsided and was replaced with an almost licking sensation. Ginny had long before closed her eyes so when the odd sensation of licking happened she opened them to find Liam cleaning up the last dribbles of blood from her neck. His fangs were quickly retracting and he licked his lips in satisfaction.
“Does it still hurt?” Liam stroked the side of her neck, softly running his fingertips over the two puncture wounds. Ginny went to shake her head ‘no’ but decided against it when a small rush of pain accompanied her neck movement. She opted to just use her voice at that point.
“Not really. It’s more shock than pain really.”
“Good, just lay here for a second. I will grab an ice pack so there isn’t any bruising.” Liam sprung up from his seat on the couch and Ginny could hear the sound of his footsteps as he went back to the fridge to grab the ice pack. Within seconds he was back at her side, gingerly placing the compress on her neck.
“I didn’t intend to drink your blood tonight. I’m sorry if I stepped out of line with you. I just felt such a draw to you that I felt compelled to drink from you, even just a little.” Liam was halfway between looking guilty and looking well satiated. Ginny laughed softly.
“If I hadn’t wanted it I would have said something. Besides, it’s not every day that you meet a vampire and they want to drink your blood.” Liam smiled at that, clearly more at ease about the situation.
“I’m glad you felt the desire as much as I did.” Liam reached for Ginny’s hand and kissed the top of it. Man was he a gentleman. Liam peaked underneath the cooling pad and noted that there wasn’t any real bruising so he took it off and set it aside. The feeling of comfortable contentedness flowed over Ginny and she was happy to just sit side by side with Liam. He too seemed to enjoy the mutual satisfaction of their shared company.
“Where are you from originally?” Ginny asked, raising her head slightly from its previous position on Liam’s shoulder.
“England,” Liam responded simply.
“Are you going to give me any more than that? What did you do?” Ginny knew she was pressing slightly but her curiosity was a hard thing to control. Though, in truth, Liam did seem happy to tell her another short story about his past.
“I was a nobleman’s son. One of my grandsons founded the House of York in England. Though, when I was a boy, things weren’t so clear in terms of noblemen and peasants. It was a rather fast progression from chieftains to noblemen. The speed of it made my head spin. As a young boy my days were filled with normal medieval boy learnings and activities. I learned to shoot a bow and arrow, ride a horse, and display proper etiquette for a variety of circumstances. I also learned how to hunt and work my charms on the women. It was a far simpler time.” Liam smiled, looking back fondly on his days as a youth. Ginny couldn’t even imagine trying to remember something that happened two months ago, let alone 700 years ago.
“Your life must be one hell of an interesting story. Have you ever thought of writing it all down?” Ginny asked, her mind spinning with possibilities.
“No one would want to hear my story, nor would they believe it if I did share it.” Liam laughed. It wasn’t something he had ever really thought that hard about. Ginny, however, was already formulating a grand plan for Liam’s life and stories.
“Well I enjoy your stories immensely. Actually, I enjoy you immensely…but I love your stories too.” Ginny stated.
“I too enjoy you … and I am happy to share with you whatever you wish to know.” Liam smiled.
Chapter Three
The intimate and comfortable evening Ginny spent with Liam ended exactly as she had hoped it would. With plenty of kissing and storytelling, but no sex, it was almost surprising to Ginny that things had been so sensual and yet not progress to sex – or at least to heavy petting. Just another reason that proved how much of a gentleman Liam really was. Letting out a deep sigh of romantic intentions Ginny forced herself to refocus on her current task at hand. Heavy petting could wait…for now.
The entire night she was with Liam, Ginny had been keeping a mental note of each story he told and each quirk about him that she found out. It was all in an effort to not only get to know the man better but also to create substance for her blog. Ginny just couldn’t help but share the amazing stories she learned from Liam and it was her journalistic instinct that drove her to put everything on the blog. But she also meant everything she wrote. The details of how he kissed and the way he held her when he did it, all the way to the idiosyncrasies he had while cooking. Every detail was interesting and worth noting, at least to Ginny.
The blog was Ginny’s version of a diary, albeit a very public diary, but it was just how Ginny felt comfortable sharing her story or Liam’s story to be more exact. Besides, she had
decided to keep both his – and her identities anonymous. Really it was just a place to put out her heart, as well as to document his adventures, as well as her fascination with them. Within a few days of Ginny’s initial few posts the blog gained a fairly decent following, more than Ginny had ever expected. It was a wonderful feeling to know that her words were being heard, even if it was under a pen name. Just glancing at a few of the comments Ginny could tell that her ‘fans’ were more than interested in details of her love life.
“OMG! So hot!”
“My friend told me about this blog, and it’s just amazing! I mean you’re writing almost makes me believe that vampires are real. Lol.”
“Love your writing!! Can’t wait to see where the story goes next!”
There were pages after pages of comments, all of which were positive. The momentum the blog was gathering was exploding in a way she never imagined it would. At the rate it was going there was even the potential to run ads on the blog and make some cash.
With her mood running high she was even more excited to meet Liam for another date that night. Ginny was feeling more and more comfortable with the man who had such an … interesting past. Their date for the night was most fittingly, a history museum. Since Liam had learned of Ginny’s passion for history he booked a private evening in the museum. They would have the whole place to themselves. It would be a perfect place to delve deeper into Liam’s colorful past and perhaps if the mood was right create a little history of their own.
Ginny opted to wear a simple bright red dress with a low cut back and strappy heels. She let her wild red curls down and applied a natural looking makeup. Ginny’s goal was to be sexy but simple. Surely Liam would be more than pleased by her outfit choice - easy on and easy off. With a devious smile Ginny contemplated her ulterior motives for the simplicity of the dress. Glancing at the time, Ginny realized she was running a little bit late and cursed softly under her breath. Grabbing her bag she darted out of her apartment and down the four flights of stairs in her building before bursting out onto the street. Lucky for her there was a cab just going by and she was able to flag it down quickly and hop inside before someone else grabbed it first.
DIESEL (Forsaken Riders MC Romance Book 13) Page 120