I chuckled and shook my head. She had a British accent and it was… hmmm… sexy. Cute and sexy. “You didn’t bother me. If you really know the song you’d know that I waited for it to end before I talked to you, so no bother. Are you lost?”
She shook her head vigorously and said through her bitten lip, “No. I was exploring.”
“Are you a vampire?” I asked in an attempt to tease her.
Her eyes widened and she took half a step back. Interesting reaction. Was she afraid of vampires? “No. I’m not. Why would you say that?”
She was definitely uncomfortable with vampires. Which only meant that she didn’t know who I was. Finally, someone. “You keep biting your lip as if you’re trying to draw blood.” I leaned forward, smirking and whispered, “Because if you are, your own blood won’t work. You’ll have to find someone else’s.”
She let go of her lip with a plopping sound and I couldn’t help myself. I laughed.
Her eyes lit up and a small smile appeared on her lips. “Don’t worry. I won’t be asking for yours.” Her smile grew a little, as if she was pleased with herself for joking back.
Had I been wrong? Did she know I was a vampire? It wouldn’t be the first time someone knew without knowing me. My best friend had the vampiric enzyme in her blood, which turned her into some kind of vampire homing-device. Was this girl like Evy? Time to test that theory out. “Well, I might just be asking for yours then.” Which was a total lie. I’d never tasted blood, and I wasn’t planning on it unless it was absolutely necessary.
Her eyes opened wide and she took another step back. “You’re… a vampire?”
I tilted my head to the side. No enzyme. And I was right at first, she was uncomfortable with vampires. Which meant I’d simply screwed up the conversation by making her afraid of me. “Sort of,” I said, still smiling. “Have the Gene, never used it.”
She screwed up her face, and I had to keep myself from doubling over with laughter and toppling over the stool. It was the cutest damn frown I’d ever seen! “What do you mean never used it?”
I leaned towards her again, glad to see I hadn’t scared her off. “I’ve never tasted blood,” I whispered in a conspiratorial way.
She blinked several times. “How is that possible?”
I shrugged, letting my fingers slide on the piano keys again, stroking a few notes. “Never needed it. There is no point in turning into a bad-ass vampire without a specific reason.”
I kept my gaze on her. The moment my fingers touched the piano, her eyes darted back to them. I smiled at her reaction. I liked it when people appreciated music as much as I did.
“Do you play?” I asked.
Her eyebrows shot up, hiding completely under her long bangs. “Me? No! Definitely not. The keys would scatter off the moment I would lay a finger on them.”
I laughed. “Can’t be that bad. You said your father plays. Hasn’t he taught you?”
Her face fell and she shook her head, taking a step closer to me. “I was never talented enough to learn, and he died when I was eleven.”
Understanding and sadness coursed through me. “I’m sorry,” I said honestly. “I know the feeling.”
Her eyes searched mine intently. “You do?”
I nodded, looking at the piano for a moment. “My parents were murdered when I was fifteen.” I swallowed hard. “And…” I trailed off. It wasn’t a subject I liked bringing up.
I felt her moving closer, now standing just a couple of steps away from me. “And you’ve lost someone else too. It’s okay. You don’t need to tell me. I didn’t mean to be nosy. I always talk too much when I’m nervous. Or when I’m excited.” She stopped abruptly and I turned to look at her. She was biting her lip again.
I smiled. She’d helped some of the heaviness in me lift a bit. Weird. “What are you excited about?”
She blinked rapidly. “Pardon?”
I chuckled. “You said you talk too much when you’re nervous or excited. I can’t see why you should be nervous so I guess you’re excited. What excites you?”
The faintest color stained her cheeks. “Um, no, I’m just nervous.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Nervous? Of what?”
She blinked again several times, and my attention was drawn to her lashes. They were amazingly long and darker than her hair, but still a perfect shade of gold. “I obviously interrupted your study, and now I’m standing here, rambling on when I really should just bugger off.”
I laughed outright. “Bugger off? No, you’re not going anywhere. I like the British accent and all the new words I’m learning.”
She grinned and it was the first glimpse of a real smile on her. I liked it. It made her face glow. “Really? Because I was determined when I first landed that I should work on sounding more American.”
I held up a hand. “No way. You do everything in your power to never lose the accent and all that comes with it. It’s cute and sexy.”
Shit. I hadn’t meant to say that. I didn’t want to seem like I was flirting. Because I wasn’t. Was I? Crap. I didn’t want to be flirting. I wasn’t. I was just talking.
She laughed softly. “Sexy? Then I’ll definitely make sure not to lose it. Let’s see.” She tapped a finger on her chin, pretending to think. “I’m knackered and I should probably bugger off and not fag you any further, even though I was utterly gob-smacked by your piano skills.”
I couldn’t hold it back any longer. I burst out laughing, tears running from the corners of my eyes and held my stomach as I leaned back, in danger of seriously falling from the stool. When I finally managed to stop, I looked over at her. She was smiling big, and her eyes seemed to glitter like true gold. “You’ll need to give me a translation on that, because I’m pretty sure you just called me a fag.”
Her eyes opened wide and her lips formed a perfect ‘o’. “What? You thought I called you a bender?”
I burst out laughing again. “A bender? Seriously? Oh, man, this is awesome.”
She shook her head, grinning again. “No. When I say that you were fagged I mean that I disturbed you. Basically, what I said was: I’m extremely tired and I should leave you alone and not bother you any longer, even though I was utterly awed by your piano skills.”
My eyebrows flew up and I gave her a smug smile. “Awed? Wow, thanks. I don’t think anyone has ever told me they were awed hearing me play.”
Her mouth dropped open and I laughed again. “You’re joking, yes? You were amazing. It was the best execution of the song I’ve ever heard.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Even though I’m a vampire?” I was pushing it, but I wanted to see her reaction now that she seemed to have relax.
Her eyes dropped and she seemed nervous. “I was a little obvious, there, wasn’t I? Mother was never a fan of vampires, and she has tried to pass that feeling to me as well. I never had a problem with them – that is to say, with you. But spending all my teenage years being told the same thing again and again… I’m embarrassed to say it has affected me. I didn’t mean to seem rude. I apologize.”
I smiled. She was honest at least. And having a mother that tried enforcing her to hate vampires couldn’t have been pleasant. “No worries. I’m not offended, just curious.”
She nodded, but her nervousness had returned. “I should leave you alone. Thank you for playing for me.” Her eyes widened. “What I mean is that you played and I listened, not that it was for me. Because you don’t know me and how could you be playing for me if you don’t know me?” She started backing away. “But it was really nice hearing you play. That is to say, not just nice. It was utterly beautiful. I mean… I should just go.”
She clamped her mouth shut and all but ran off. She was already out the door when I remembered I hadn’t asked her name. The girl had made me laugh more than I had since Christmas, and I didn’t even know her name.
Chapter 2
Alicia
I ran like my trousers were on fire. The verbal vomit that had come out of my mouth w
as of unprecedented proportions. I’d done so well at first, and then had absolutely thrown a spanner in the works.
Ha. He would have liked that phrase.
The man was fit. In both British and American meanings.
When he’d been playing, I’d noticed his straight, black hair, his framed figure and the perfect tanned shade of his skin. But what had had me utterly magnetized were his arms and hands. He’d been wearing a fitted T-shirt that exposed strong arms with sculpted muscles. His wrists and hands had almost made me drool. I loved beautiful hands, and it was the first thing I would notice on a man.
One could always tell a lot from a person’s hands. The more well-shaped, the kinder the person. And that boy in there had smooth hands and long fingers. I’d felt a strong surge of heat going through my body just watching his fingers dancing over the piano keys. And that heat had embarrassingly pooled between my legs.
I’d thought I was asexual all these years, not feeling attracted by either men or women, but I was pleased to be proved wrong. It wasn’t that I was asexual, but rather that I hadn’t met the person that would provoke such feelings. Until now.
And when he turned to face me and talked to me, I was certain I was anything but asexual. His face was absolute perfection. Strong, sculpted jaw, lips full – the lower a little fuller – straight nose and eyes made of sparkly, green pools, like the purest kind of emerald. And when he talked to me, his voice draped around me like silk, causing goose bumps to break out all over my body, and the heat inside me to intensify as my nipples pebbled.
Bloody hell!
But he was a vampire. Not that it should be a problem. I’d never had a problem with vampires, though I’d never had any interactions with one. Mother had made sure of that. And according to her I was supposed to fear and avoid them. But I hadn’t left London only to still do what Mother wanted, just on the other side of the Atlantic. If I wanted to be friends with a vampire, I very bloody well would be.
I jumped awake when something heavy landed on my stomach.
“What in the bloody hell…?” I croaked.
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” my roommate’s fake apology came, and I saw her looking at me with mock-innocence. “I totally forgot you were there!”
I shot her a dark look, grabbed her purse – that was the heavy object on my stomach – and threw it on the floor. “No problem.”
Her eyes opened wide and she let out a gasp. “What are you doing?” she screeched as she hurried to pick up her purse from where I’d tossed it. “That’s no way to treat a two-hundred-dollar purse!” She shot me a glare.
I pushed the covers to the side and got up to get ready for my first day of classes. “Well, if you don’t want me to throw them on the floor, don’t throw them at me!” I left her gawping at me and went to the bathroom.
Bloody hell! I’d never talked to anyone like that before, but that girl was bringing out the worst in me. Maybe I should be considering asking a switch in the room arrangement from the administration.
I took a quick shower and dried my hair. I really should have them trimmed, since they were now reaching my waist. But I couldn’t bring myself to do that. My Dad always praised me for it, telling me how I reminded him of Rapunzel.
When I got out of the bathroom, Julia was gone – thankfully. I searched through my closet and found a cream-colored, linen pair of trousers and a pale-green blouse with three-quartered sleeves. If the heat outside was as bad as the previous day, I could see I was going to suffer. The combination of growing up in the United Kingdom and having Mother to boss me around had left me with a closet full of clothes unfit for the Californian weather. I had no skirts, dresses or shorts, most of my shirts were long-sleeved, and all my shoes were either flats, oxfords or kitten heels.
I needed a wardrobe change. Oh, and someone to help me actually do that.
I took my map and the books I was going to need, and placed them in the messenger bag my only friend, Olivia, had bought for me before I left London. And because it was the perfect time for an over-Atlantic phone-call, I dialed Olivia’s number on my mobile and waited for her to answer.
“Ali!!!” she screeched almost immediately.
I winced but smiled. “Oli!” I called back, a lot quieter. “I’ve missed you already.”
“Oh, tosh. You’re in Los Angeles, luv. The City of bloody Angels. How can you possibly miss me?”
I laughed and walked outside, pulling the door shut behind me after making sure I’d thrown the key-card in my bag. “Of course I miss you, you daft cow. I’m roommates with a girl with dyed blond hair, huge bristols and a hatred for all that walks with a fanny. If you were here, you would have grabbed her fake hair and thrown her right off the window.”
Oli laughed. “Well, then yes, I utterly understand why you miss me. Just remember that you don’t have to be little miss princess any longer. You can grab her fake hair and throw her off the window too.”
I snorted. “Do you know how she woke me up this morning? She threw her ‘two-hundred-dollar purse’ on my stomach. By the way, the purse had to worth about five dollars, at the most.”
My best friend laughed again. “What a slapper! Maybe I should come over there and have a few words with her?”
I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “I’m arranging for your air-tickets as we speak.” I was only half-serious. I really had missed her. “Plus, I need a wardrobe change. If I keep wearing my usual clothes in this weather, I will die a slow, agonizing death.”
She laughed louder and I smiled. “Luv, you have every necessary qualification to do that wardrobe change on your own. You don’t need me to drag you around the Los Angeles’ shops.”
I scrunched up my nose. “But I do need you.” I sighed. “Listen to me, crying like a baby. Why haven’t you yelled at me yet?”
“Because you already know you need to be yelled at, luv. My job here is done. Now go out there and slap a few slappers, just to get the hang of it.”
I laughed to cover the sadness I was feeling for not having her around. “Well, I might do just that. Give all my love to Scott and tell him he’d better take care of you, because otherwise I might just try some of my new slapping techniques on him.”
We said our good-byes and got off the phone. This was not the time for me to get all emotional. I’d made my choice and that meant I wouldn’t have Oli around for the upcoming years. I had to accept that and be content with talking to her via mobile.
Sigh. I just wish I didn’t miss her so much.
The first day of classes was mostly uneventful. At least until lunchtime.
In one of my past lives I had to have kicked many puppies and kittens. No other reason for being punished in this life so much.
Julia dropped on the seat beside me with her friend in the next seat, and both looked at me pointedly. “So… How was your first day of classes, Alice?”
I smiled kindly, even though on the inside I was slapping her. “It’s Alicia. And so far it has been good.”
“I’m sure it has been,” her friend croaked.
“It’s like a fairy-tale to you, isn’t it?” Julia mocked. “Like Alice in Wonderland only now it’s Alice in Hollywood-land? Well, guess what, little girl? This is not your world of magic. And if you don’t make sure you’re given another room I will—”
“Hey, England.”
My eyes popped out when the boy from the piano room sat on my other side and took a handful of my chips – er, fries. He smiled at me before putting them in his mouth and I watched, utterly mesmerized, as he chewed and swallowed. I was acutely aware of the two girls on my left gawping between me and my music-boy.
“Where did you run off to Friday?” He winked. Oh, I was dripping wet by just one wink.
“Um, sorry?” I offered. What was I supposed to say? I had no experience in the whole flirting business. Because he was obviously flirting. Wasn’t he?
“No need for apologies.” He reached out and tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear.
That was definitely flirting. “I just missed you.”
My heart started beating faster by the second. Somewhere in my scientific mind I knew it was some kind of reaction my body was having in an attempt to prepare itself for sexual intercourse, but I was just too stunned to actually make sense of it. I suddenly had the yearning to touch him. Instead, I dropped my hands on my lap and gave him a grateful smile, using his presence to avoid Julia. “I thought best to let you practice.”
He grabbed a paper napkin from the stack and wiped at his hand. His smile widened and I felt like melting. He was stunning. “You shouldn’t have. I like to play for you, you know that.”
Oh. I was seriously melting. I had no chance to respond, because Julia came out of her stupor and cleared her throat. I turned to look at her, and she widened her eyes while slightly gesturing with her head towards music-boy. She wanted me to introduce her. Ha.
Music-boy draped his arm over the back of my chair and placed his hand on my shoulder, squeezing lightly. Blimey, I was going to die. “Sorry, babe. I didn’t notice your friends.” He gave Julia and her friend a forced apologetic smile. “Hi, I’m Nate Lockwood.”
I was still processing the part where he’d called me ‘babe’, and his name didn’t register immediately. But when it did, I rolled it inside my mind again and again. Nate. I liked it. It sounded mysterious yet gentle.
Julia nearly fell from her chair. “Oh, I know who you are.” She let out a fake giggle. “I’m Julia Walters. You know my sister, Macy?” She offered him her hand.
Nate didn’t take it. He just gave her a tight smile. “Right, Macy. I can’t say I know her that well.” He squeezed my shoulder again and I was aware of every cell of my skin under his hand even through the blouse, like my body was trying to get the most out of the simple contact.
Vampire Friend (Vampire Hero Book 2) Page 2