by Alice Brown
It was obvious from the look on her face that the possible ramifications of that afternoon’s altercation were just now being considered. “Oh my God, Kevin, is Charles okay? Was anyone else involved?” Her face heating up with shame for not asking this sooner, she realized she had left before the fighting finished, and she hadn’t seen two of Kevin’s sisters at all that afternoon.
“He’s fine,” Kevin assured her.
“Kevin, is your father, what I mean, are Charles and Rosetta really your parents?” Erica asked cautiously.
“No, but Charles is the man who has taught me practically everything I know. Yes, everyone in this household is a vampire and no, we are technically of no blood relation, but that doesn’t stop us from being a family.” He took a deep breath and sat back against the headboard of the bed. “Look, baby, I have a lot to explain to you, and I will, I promise. I just want to make sure you are up to it all.
“The first thing you need to realize is that not all of us are monsters like Shawn. As a matter of fact, most of us are not. You have been here several days and had no idea about any of us until today. Don’t you think if I was up to no good you would have known it by now?”
“Well, perhaps,” she grumbled with a small shrug. His logic made sense. When she really thought about it, he’d had more than enough time and opportunity to hurt her if he was going to. However, he hadn’t. He had been a complete gentleman, kind and considerate ever since she first arrived. The whole situation wasn’t making any sense to her. Was there actually such a thing as good vampires and bad vampires? And why was this family being so nice to her? She was just your ordinary human. They hadn’t even tried to drink her blood! Speaking of which, what did this family do when it became hungry? The more she thought about everything, the more her head hurt.
Turning her head up to face Kevin, she softly stated, “I find I have so many questions, and I am confused as to what I should be doing. On top of that I’ve got a bad headache coming on.” She reached up as she finished and massaged her temples, trying to alleviate the pressure.
Kevin noticed she was looking very pale, and wasn’t totally convinced she wouldn’t faint on him again. Her anger seemed to have drained away, and in its place was just a confused, scared, hurting young woman. He moved around so he could gently massage the back of her neck. The minute he made skin contact, he quickly jumped into her head, only to wince himself as the pain she was experiencing hit him full force.
“Do you trust me?” he asked softly, still slowly massaging her neck, while trying to swirl calmness in the air around her.
She closed her eyes, remaining quiet for a long moment, as if contemplating his question. “Yeah, I’m probably crazy, but I think I do.”
He chuckled at her response as he continued massaging the base of her neck for a moment, and then moved downward to include her shoulders. After a minute or two had gone by, he felt her leaning into him and starting to relax. He gently took her hair in one swath and moved it over to one side, then placed a soft kiss on the exposed side of her neck. He continued swirling the calmness and peacefulness, and knew the moment she surrendered to it. Her body went limp, and a small moan escaped out of her mouth as he continued massaging and dropping soft kisses to the side of her neck.
Once he knew she had given in, he whispered in her ear, “Love, you are very pale, and you just fainted on me a short time ago. I am a little concerned about your health. Would you please consider taking something for your headache and rest, just for a short time? I promise you, I’m not going anywhere. And I also promise you that if it takes me until the end of my time, I will gain your trust, if you will only give me the chance.” He stopped for a moment and lightly nipped her earlobe, and then dropped another kiss on her neck. “For right now, I plan to sit right here, and watch over you while you sleep. And when you have had the chance to recuperate, you have my word that I will explain everything, and answer all questions you have.” He moved around the side of her, so he could see her face. Exhaustion was fast taking over, and she was in too much pain to fight him, even if she wanted to.
Erica glanced over to him, a little surprised to see the sincerity on his face. It seemed important to him that he earned her trust. “Damn, you are a hard one to stay mad at,” she whispered.
“Does that mean I’m forgiven?” he dared ask with a wayward grin.
“I wouldn’t go that far yet,” she replied, and attempted a scowl, but his grin was making it difficult.
“That’s it, baby, keep making me toe the line,” he chuckled as he bent his head slightly and kissed the tip of her nose.
“You weren’t serious about watching me sleep, were you?” Erica questioned with a worried glance.
“Of course I was,” Kevin replied, as if it was something he did on a regular basis. Well, actually, he had, but she wasn’t aware of that.
“You don’t have to do that, Kevin.”
“Oh, yes I do. First of all, I want you to feel safe, and the only way I see that happening is if I am here to protect you. Second,” he continued, as his lips brushed over her forehead, “How else am I going to prove to you that you can truly trust me?”
Erica’s heart did a strange little pitter-patter. As she considered his answer, it occurred to her that he had watched her sleep the night before and no harm had come to her. Now was the time for her to back up her words of trusting him with action. Taking a deep breath, she tried to give him a reassuring smile. It came across more as a grimace due to the headache, but she hoped he appreciated the effort.
Kevin stood up to leave, promising her he would return with something for her headache. He in turn made her promise to relax and rest while he was gone. He walked over to the window and closed and locked it, and then reiterated on his way out the door that he would explain everything once he knew she was up to it. By this point, Erica’s headache was quickly turning into a migraine. She knew she would be down for the remainder of the day. She just didn’t have the heart to tell Kevin this.
Kevin headed straight for Rosetta’s room. Chances were good she would have something to help with Erica’s headache. Although medication in a vampire household was laughable since they never got sick, Rosetta had always kept a well-stocked medicine cabinet. Kevin had never understood why, but right now, he was very thankful.
When he walked out of Erica’s room, she looked calm enough, although, sometimes trying to judge her when he wasn’t poking around her brain proved to be difficult. He had left the bedroom door cracked open, hoping she wouldn’t change her mind while he was gone and make him break down the door upon rearrival.
Erica was in too much pain to do anything other than change into an oversized tee shirt and slip into bed before Kevin returned.
Kevin found Rosetta easily enough, and quickly explained the situation to her. She handed him a pill and advised him to tell Erica it was an aspirin. He raised his eyebrow at her, waiting for her to explain.
“She needs a good rest, especially after this afternoon. This is a fairly strong painkiller, but the last thing you need her to worry about is that we are trying to drug her!”
He smiled and hugged Rosetta. She did make a valid point. “She is my mate, Rosetta, and I love her more than words can say. I am coming clean and telling her everything. Can you let Charles know we will be paying him a visit tomorrow morning?” Charles was the history buff in the family, if Kevin wanted all skeletons out of the closet, he might as well start at the top.
Rosetta kissed him lightly on the cheek before stating, “Kevin, I am very happy for you. I had a feeling she was your mate. I am glad you have acknowledged it.” Placing a gentle hand on his arm, Rosetta continued, “Just remember you will need to go slow. She still has a lot of emotional scars that will need to heal. You have always had a compassionate side, and I know you have the patience to help her overcome her past.”
After thanking Rosetta and kissing her on the cheek, Kevin walked back to his suite, relieved to find Erica’s bedroom door
ajar. He walked into the bedroom, and found she was already in bed. She was using her arm over her eyes to block out any light.
He walked over to her window, frowning that he hadn’t thought to draw the blinds and close the curtains completely before he left. The room was immediately plunged into total darkness as he not only drew the blinds and curtains, but threw an extra blanket over the window to block out all light. He walked over to the side of the bed and gently sat down. “Erica, I’ve got an aspirin for your headache. I also brought you a cold compress, if that will help.”
She sat up to take the medicine he offered, never opening her eyes. She dropped back down onto the pillows, and he gently placed the cold compress on her forehead and eyes. “Mmmmmm,” she murmured as the coolness hit her with welcome relief.
He waited. It didn’t take long. He sat next to her on the side of the bed, gently rubbing the inside of her wrist while forcing a deep sleep over her. She was under within minutes. Her breathing evened out, and the etched lines of pain on her face slowly receded. He quickly took advantage of her slumber and carefully crawled into the bed next to her. He made certain the bed didn’t jostle, as the last thing he wanted was for her to wake up. He curled his body as close to hers as he could get, content to just be next to her and watch her sleep. To say this woman had trust issues was an understatement at best. It was a good thing he loved a good challenge. He knew he was falling head over heels in love with her, and he was determined to do everything in his power to win her trust and love.
About an hour had passed when she moved. She turned in his direction, still sound asleep, and curled her body on top of his, placing her face on his chest. Kevin lay perfectly still for a moment, just cherishing the fact that the love of his life was lying on top of him. He wrapped his arms around her lightly, and it was as if she was made to fit. The thin material of her nightshirt did little to conceal the heat coming off her body. Even in sleep, he could feel her nipples harden against his chest. He could feel his cock surging to life, and he tried ineffectively to will it back down. He gently ran his hand down her back to the bottom of her nightshirt and then smiled as he realized a quick second later she had nothing on underneath. He maneuvered her body slightly so that her legs were on both sides of his, her hot pussy pressed up against his cloth-covered erection. A smile came across his face. He couldn’t imagine heaven being any better than what he was experiencing at that moment.
It was well after 2:00 a.m. when he felt her start to stir. He felt her nipples harden against his chest as she unconsciously rubbed her wet pussy over him.
“Kevin, I need…” she sighed in frustration as she continued to grind her pussy against him. He was positive she was still asleep. Her eyes were closed, her head still resting on his chest, only now she was rubbing her cheek against his chest hairs seductively.
“Shh, love. Go back to sleep. I know what my baby needs. I’ll take care of you.” His whispered assurance seemed to have sent her back to dreamland.
“Oh hell, I’m not a saint,” he murmured to himself as he carefully reached down to pull her night shirt up her body. Then he reached back down to move her out of the way just long enough to unzip his pants and pull out his hard cock. He wouldn’t penetrate her, especially not with her still being asleep, but he knew he could bring on both of their orgasms.
With his hands on her hips, he repositioned her so that she was now riding his dick, sensuously moving up and down as her abundant juices made sliding together easy.
He brought one hand up to play with her breasts, while the other worked its way downward, squeezing past where their bodies were joined in order to play with her clit.
He was already getting close, just the feel of her warm, wet pussy sliding over his dick had his one-track-minded appendage ready to shoot off.
She turned her head and looked him in the eye. He froze, not sure how she was going to react. He thought he was going to have a heart attack when she smiled and tilted her head for a kiss. He complied immediately, following her when she sat up a bit to get more traction. From there on he watched the most erotic dance he had ever seen in his life as she rode his cock, chasing after her own orgasm.
She sat up to get better traction, and in one swift move he lifted her nightshirt off of her. A grin split his face as he weighed both breasts in his hands. She had the prettiest dark pink nipples he had ever seen.
Before putting his mouth on one of those delectable berries of hers, he wanted to make sure she was awake enough to know what she was doing. It wouldn’t do him any good for her to think he took advantage of her while she slept. No, he had worked on her trust too hard to blow it now.
“Baby, can I have a taste of you?” His eyes were glued to her breasts, so he missed the initial look of shock that rolled across her face. The next emotion that came to the surface was fear. Her heart beat increased dramatically, and her breathing turned to something resembling a wheezing noise. He immediately backed off and did a quick mind sweep to find out what the problem was.
“Shit baby, did you honestly think I was going to bite you?”
“Well,” she stammered as she tried to catch her breath. “What else am I supposed to think when you ask if you can taste me?”
Kevin lightly chuckled as he shook his head, bringing her up against his body. For all practical purposes, she was still as naïve as a virgin. Only a virgin wouldn’t have the scars on her soul and body that Erica had.
“Baby, all I wanted to do was lick your beautiful breasts.” He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead then wrapped her up in his arms. He prayed for patience. She had so many scars and nightmares from her time with Shawn. It was going to take an abundance of patience in order for him to help her overcome all of her past.
He waited until he knew she was back asleep before he gently moved her off of him. His cock was still hard as a rock, and his balls were beginning to ache from not achieving the release they so desperately needed.
Once in the shower he picked up the bottle of Erica’s soap and poured a generous amount in his hand. He then applied it to his throbbing cock. At first he kept his strokes nice and easy, and a fantasy of Erica on her knees in front of him sprang to mind. In his mind’s eye she would first place her tongue on him timidly, just to get a taste, before she opened her mouth wide and sucked him down. While he was having this little fantasy, his own hand had wrapped around his shaft tighter, picking up in speed on the strokes. His mind had a picture of Erica now with his dick in her mouth. She looked up at him as she sucked him down all the way to the back of her throat.
He exploded. Ropy streams of white cum shot out all over the shower wall. He leaned his forearm onto the wall for a moment, coming down off his blissful high, before showering quickly and returning to the bed. Thank goodness she had slept through it.
Chapter Six
Erica began to stir about 8:00 the following morning. Kevin had his arms wrapped around her, and with their skin touching in multiple areas, it was easy to slip into her mind and watch her reaction as she realized she was sleeping curled up on top of him. Her head lay perfectly still on his chest, and he felt her eyelashes against his bare chest as she blinked several times, trying to figure out her surroundings.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Kevin spoke softly as he smiled down into her face.
“Good morning” she replied as she sat up, only to look down and realize she was naked. She grabbed the sheet and threw it around her body. Nervously running her fingers through her messy hair, she wondered if he was going to bring up the night before. “Did I keep you from getting sleep last night?” In the light of day, she didn’t like what her memories had to show her. She wanted to forget any memories past falling asleep with her head pillowed on Kevin’s chest. Did she really freak out and bring their enjoyment to a screeching halt? He must think I am a total loser.
“Not at all.” He neglected to remind her of the fact that vampires need virtually no sleep. He also decided to keep to himself that he would n
ot have missed feeling her curled up against him last night for anything, or even the abruptly ended lap dance, even if he was a human and needed the sleep. As it was, it was all he could do to keep himself from pulling her back down on top of him.
Come to think about it, she seemed rather naïve about vampires in general. Surprising, considered she was married to one.
Then thoughts of yesterday’s events came flooding back into her head. She wondered what had happened to Shawn. Kevin hadn’t spoke of him when they talked yesterday.
“Kevin, what happened yesterday? Is Shawn gone?”
Kevin turned to her and picked up her hand before answering. “If you mean is Shawn dead, the answer is no. Unfortunately, he got away from us before we were able to apprehend him. However, I don’t think he will be lurking around here trying to get to you any time soon. He received his fair share of vampire hospitality yesterday.” A grin quickly stole over Kevin’s face as he continued. “The look on his face when he realized you were hiding from him in a house full of vampires was priceless!” He chuckled lightly as his mind went through the scene of Shawn realizing he was facing two of his own kind. It had been pretty comical. “He’s probably off licking his wounds as we speak.”
“I don’t think I can live a peaceful life until I know he is gone for good,” Erica whispered with a shudder. “I will always be looking over my shoulder expecting him to be there. It’s hard to believe that when I woke up yesterday morning, all I wanted was to go shopping.” She sighed quietly, as she brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly. “I’m sorry, Kevin. I never meant to involve you or your family in this mess.”