by Amy Robyn
I place my hand on my chest again and this time I can feel the steady beat. It’s not only my heart that seems to be affected, my cock is also standing at attention. The two organs that haven’t worked since that night in the parking garage. The only thing that has been my constant companion has been the need for blood. Her eyes hold mine as I take the necessary steps to reach her. I finally understand what the others felt and why they coveted their mates so thoroughly. I thought they acted like cavemen all but beating their chests and bellowing “mine” all the time. I get it now. I would love nothing more than to lift her over my shoulder and get her somewhere where we can be alone.
Her eyes blink up at me and I realize she must feel the pull toward me the same way I do her. It’s in those moments of holding her eyes with mine that I understand completely why I was never meant for Polly. I was meant for this goddess before me. She is the other half of my soul and I feel it with every fiber of my being. This is the reason why everything felt so wrong with Polly after my change. My new vampire senses were trying to tell me that she wasn’t the one. I just didn’t understand them at the time.
“Hi.” She says timidly as she stares up me. My tongue feels glued to the top of my mouth as my eyes travel over her. She is beyond beautiful and beyond anything I could have dreamed up as my mate. She’s average height and that’s where the average ends. Everything else about her is remarkable from her tiny waist to her flared hips. I bet when I see her from behind that even her ass is out of this world. Her breast will fit perfectly in my hands and her full billowy lips just beg to be kissed. She has a small button nose with a slight lift at the end. What gets to me more than anything though is her big gorgeous blue eyes that dominate her face. They are even fringed thickly with long sooty lashes.
“My name is Ava.” She says as she bats her beauties at me and I nearly missed what she said. Fuck…did she just say she is Ava? She couldn’t be the Ava I had been sent her to seduce. My life just became complicated since I was sent to take out her father. She’s sure to hate me by this time next week. I’m a strong man and I have handled a lot in my time even reveled in it, but losing this woman will surely be the death of me.
“Umm…This is the part where you tell me your name.” She says with one of her eyebrows cocked. She seems unsure of herself as she wraps her arms around herself in a defensive way. For some reason, I get the impression that she doesn’t talk to many men. That’s good to know.
“My name is Thomas,” I tell her and it’s her turn to scan my body. I hold still and try not to fidget at her perusal.
“You don’t look like a college student.” She finally says and then her eyes narrow. She places her hands on her hips. “If you’re just here to pick up on drunk college women. Then there they are.” She points out at the crowd of writhing bodies. I shake my head and run my hand through my hair. For some reason, the thought of lying to her doesn’t sit well with me.
“I’m visiting a friend here. I have no interest in any of those women. I didn’t come here with any expectations except to make sure a friend of mine made it home okay.” I tell her which isn’t a complete lie. I do have friends here they’re just not students and I do want to make sure they get home safely. I’m just not telling the whole truth, not yet at least. I will eventually tell her everything. I can’t have lies between us. I just worry that it might be too late to salvage a relationship. I might have fucked up the only relationship that will ever have true meaning before I had even met her.
“And where is your friend?” She asks, and I point to Terrance who came in with me for just this reason. He’s on the dance floor dancing with a woman. He looks like he’s having a great time when in reality, he’s on alert as he always is. He has a tiny microphone in his ear, just as I do, and has probably heard our entire exchange, what little of it there has been.
“Oh.” She acts as though she didn’t fully believe me. I can’t blame her. I have heard stories about men coming to college campuses to pick up drunk women at the parties. Campus security is great here though. We had to take control and wipe the memory of the security officer that was on patrol. We hate doing it but sometimes you can’t avoid it. This is a matter of importance and needed to take priority. The mission is the reason I haven’t carried her away, so we could talk in privacy or spilled the truth completely. I can’t allow her father to kill any more of his men by sending them after us. I’m trying to save lives, even if it might destroy mine.
Chapter 3. Ava
He’s too good looking. I was always told to stay away from the good-looking ones. My roommate Sheryl told me that the pretty ones are either gay or know they’re pretty and more than likely users. I have no idea. I stay away from most men anyway because of my father. My father is not a good man. I have known this since I was a teenager and he cheated on my mother with me in the house with him. He didn’t even try to be quiet about it either. I heard the entire, disgusting exchange. I didn’t know what they were doing until a year later when a friend of mine had me watch a porn movie on her laptop after school. I will never forget the sounds they made, and I knew right away what my father had been doing.
I know now I shouldn’t have told my mother but at the time it seemed like the right thing to do. My mother was never very stable, and the news of her husband’s infidelities was too much for her to handle. She declined after that and my father stayed away. He didn’t seem to care that he was causing problems with her at all. His only true love is the military. I knew that and still it hurts that he would care so little for his family. He’s the reason I stay away from men. They only seem to make a woman vulnerable and leave them in the dirt to pick up the pieces.
My father is in town right now and I know it has nothing to do with me even though he says it’s so he can spend time with me. When I do go over and see him, he’s always on his laptop or on the phone with someone planning missions. I shouldn’t care at this point, but I do. I try not to let his disinterest affect me yet every time I go over there I leave unhappy. He wants me to come over for dinner every Sunday. I think this Sunday I will play sick or something. At some point, I will need to cut ties with him altogether or risk ending up like my mother, an empty shell.
“Would you like a drink?” Thomas asks as he watches me, just like he has since he first started walking over to me. I shake my head.
“I don’t like alcohol.” I really don’t. I came here because my roommate insisted that I get out and meet a nice man. Actually, her exact words were, “Get out of this room and dust the cobwebs off your twat”. I chose the nicer version. I know she worries that I’m not getting the whole college experience. I don’t need a man to make me feel alive like she does. I just need an enjoyable book and a hot bath for that. It’s not like I have ever had a man in the first place. I have been strict in the no man no pain policy.
“Why would you come to a party that’s surrounded by alcohol?” He tilts his head to the side and curiosity shines from his beautiful brown eyes. The man is gorgeous and way out of my league. I lick my lips and his eyes follow.
“My roommate.” I point to the tall brunette woman that’s surrounded by men grinding against her. “She thinks I need to socialize.” A nice way of saying she thinks I need to get laid. Ha, I would rather shove bamboo under my nails. If I ever do lose my virginity it will be with a man who surprises me and has at least a shred of human decency. You don’t meet those often especially on a college campus where their main goal is to drink more and sleep with as many women as they can. “I don’t see you drinking.” I lift a brow at him. As I realize he doesn’t have a drink in his hand either.
“I don’t drink either.” He shakes his head as he looks out at all the young people in their debauchery. It’s strange to me that I would meet the only other non-drinker here. It makes me more skeptical of him that he’s trying too hard. I hate being told something that isn’t true in the hopes that it will bring us closer. Like the time my father told me that he wouldn’t leave my mother or that
he wouldn’t see the high school librarian anymore. Both lies as he left my mother and was still bringing Nancy home with him while my mother was away. The only good thing is that when he did leave my mother, he left Nancy behind as well.
“I think it’s time for me to go. I did my duty and came tonight.” I tell him as I move away from him and toward the exit. He follows behind me. I stop before we reach it.
“What do you think you’re doing?” He stops and now it’s him that has the raised brow.
“I’m walking you home.” He says as though that’s a normal thing and it’s not in this day and age. Women are far more capable of taking care of themselves. I roll my eyes.
“You’re not following me home,” I tell him as I square my shoulders. He pushes his hands into his pockets and looks confused.
“I’m not following you home in a stalker kind of way. I just want to see you safely home.” He can’t be serious, can he? Maybe he’s just old school and really is just trying to do what he thinks is the right thing. He confuses me, and I’m not easily confused.
“You’re not getting laid, so if that’s what you’re interested in let me stop you right here.” I place my hands on my hips as a way of looking tougher than I feel. He makes me feel off balance for some reason. I’m drawn to him and I’m not sure I should trust my instincts or not.
“That’s not what I’m interested in.” I raise a brow at him again. “I mean sure I’m interested in you like that but that’s not all I’m interested in.” He flushes slightly, and I can’t help but laugh.
“Alright, Mr. Chivalry. I’ll let you walk me home but let me tell you now. My father is a General and he taught me how to take care of myself. I know how to take down a grown man in two seconds.” I snap my fingers to let him know I mean business. It’s not the exact truth. I went to classes on self-defense and enjoyed them so much that I took more. My father had nothing to do with it.
“Good to know.” He chuckles and puts his arm out for me to take like an old-school gentleman. I place my arm in his and I’m immediately stunned by the arc of energy that seems to come to life with the simple touch. I have never experienced anything like it before. I’m not sure if I should feel wary of it or not. Everything about this man is different than anything I have ever known. I should be running for the hills instead of letting him walk me home yet, here I am. Why am I trusting this stranger?
His other hand comes up and brushes across my arm raising goosebumps in its wake. A shiver races down my spine and I can’t help but look up into his large brown eyes. They seem to melt me in places I have only felt while reading a steamy romance novel. My body responds to his and I have never experienced that with a living man instead of a fictional character. It’s as intriguing as it is frightening. Perhaps I should rethink this no man policy of mine and see where this could lead me. I would be crazy to pass up this kind of chemistry. Wouldn’t I?
All kinds of questions are racing through my head as he leads me out into the night. Cool wind hits me, and I breathe in the crisp air. I shiver though not from the cold but more from the unknown. I’m in way over my head with this man. I look around and the familiarity of the campus around me. I try to focus on that rather than the man who has me reconsidering the rule that helped me survive so far with my heart intact. It wouldn’t be so bad if with every breath I take I wasn’t breathing in his scent. What kind of cologne is that? It’s a mixture of evergreen and the forest only on him it’s intoxicating and not at all off-putting as it normally would be alone. It’s just the man himself that makes those scents smell so good together.
I try to dig deep for the woman who usually tells a man to back off at this point. I can’t seem to find her. In her place is this wanton, carefree woman who wants nothing more than to know what it feels like to finally be kissed, to be held by a man. The lines are blurred now, and I have no idea how to draw them again. This new woman is bound to get her heart broken and I can’t find the breaks to stop it. Instead of pushing him away, I find myself drawing him closer.
“Are you cold?” He asks and I sigh.
“Maybe a little.” He pulls his jacket off and drapes it over my shoulders. I snuggle down into his scent and breathe him in even deeper. Damn, the man smells good. I’m in trouble with a capital T. I nearly forget that I should be doing the leading as I allow him to drape his arm over my shoulders. I could forget my name with him so close to me. I steer us toward my dorm room and he doesn’t say anything until we are standing outside the apartment like complex.
“I would like to see you again.” He says as he pulls me close to him and another shiver races through me that has nothing to do with the weather. I look up into his chocolate colored eyes and I can see his desire and sincerity shining out of the depths.
“There you are.” A deep voice sounds from behind us, making me jump. I yelp as I see my father pull away from the shadows. What the hell is he doing here? I’m supposed to go over to his house on Sunday but that’s two days away. He has never come to my dorm or showed an interest in my life.
“Dad, what are you doing here?” My voice is squeaky even to my own ears. I groan as I see my father’s eyes on Thomas and where his arm is still lying across my shoulders.
“Dad this is Thomas, Thomas this is my father, Gerald Bendix.” I introduce. My father holds his hand out and Thomas takes it.
“General Bendix.” My father corrects. I roll my eyes. Thomas doesn’t even flinch though I can tell my father is gripping his hand tighter than he should.
“Nice to meet you, sir,” Thomas says politely. Ever the gentleman even when my father is acting like an idiot.
“Dad, what are you doing here?” I ask again, hoping to finally get a reply. Thomas doesn’t remove his arm or say anything.
“I’m here to tell you that we will have a special guest Sunday and I want you looking your best.” The General and not my father says to me as I can hear the command in his voice. He’s never cared about how I looked when I have gone to dinner at his house before.
“Why do I need to dress up?” I ask him with a bite to my voice that belies my true feelings on the subject at hand.
“Don’t question me.” His voice turns stern as though that’s supposed to frighten me. Thomas drops his arm and I place mine on my hips as I stare at the man who gave me life.
“I will come in a burlap sack if you don’t answer me.” My eyes are narrowed, and I know I look like a stubborn child, but he seems to bring that side of me out.
“General Cypress will be there.” I groan and run my hand down my face. My father has tried to set me up with the man on a couple of occasions. General Cypress is twice my age and has a swelling midriff just like my father.
“How many times must I tell you, I’m not interested in a man twice my age. If you like him so much, you date him.” I scowl, and I feel Thomas tense beside me. I look over at him and I swear I can feel the rage coming off him in droves. He stares down at my father though his expression hasn’t changed I can feel how angry his is. Strange.
“You will do as you’re told, or your tuition will no longer be paid.” That straightens my spine.
“I graduate in three weeks and no longer need your payments.” It just shows how much the man pays attention to his only daughter. “I even sent you an invitation. Have you forgotten so quickly?” I glare up at him as his cheeks flush slightly. He could even revoke the payments for the remainder of those weeks and I would still graduate because I have such high grades. He no longer has any sway over my life.
“And how do you expect to find a job and pay for a place to live.” He’s glaring down at me now, but I can see the sweat breaking out across his brow.
“You really don’t listen to me. I already have a job and I will be staying with mom until I find a place of my own.” Stick that in your pipe and smoke it.
“Fine, since you’re so ungrateful for all I have done for you. I still expect you Sunday.” I sigh as I realize I’m fighting a losing battle. I have
already told him I would come every Sunday that he’s in town and I am a woman of my word if nothing else.
“Fine.” I throw the word back at him. He stares at Thomas for a moment.
“I don’t like you dating.” My father finally says with a bit of a growl.
“I didn’t like you cheating on my mother and you continued to do that didn’t you.” I know it was childish to say. I don’t care. He shakes his head.
“Airing our dirty laundry in front of others. Really, Ava?” I turn away from him and open the door that leads to my dorm. I grab Thomas’s arm and drag him in behind me. He stares at my father through the glass until he finally walks away.
“That was interesting. I don’t think your father liked me very much.” Why does that make me even more interested in Thomas? I pull his head down as I go up on my toes to press my lips to his. He groans as our lips touch or maybe that was me. Who cares when the softest set of lips are pressed to mine. He lifts me up and I wrap my legs around his waist. He presses my back against the mailboxes as his mouth moves over mine before his tongue swipes across my lips. I open to him and his tongue tangles with mine, igniting a fire between my legs. For a first kiss, I must say it is out of this world.
Chapter 4. Thomas
I’m in paradise and I can’t seem to control my body as her tongue dances with mine. I have never tasted anything sweeter and my cock is so hard that all I can think about is stripping her bare and taking her right here. Fuck everything else, even the voice in my ear. Her lips are as soft as rose petals and her mouth is the sweetest fruit. I will never get enough of her. Now, I understand what true lust feels like as I grind myself against her, so she can feel my ardent desire. She moans into my mouth and I take that she’s enjoying this as much as I am.