by Riley Storm
The least Pietro could do was spare her that.
“This has never happened to me before,” he added lamely, regretting the line even as he said it. It made him sound pathetic.
Anger welled up inside him. Not at Claire, but at himself. Why was it that around her he lost his composure, his control? Why couldn’t he string together sentences properly half the time?
“Oh.”
That was the only response he got from Claire. The result was both of them standing awkwardly a few feet apart, looking everywhere but at one another as they sought to figure out what to do next.
Do something, he urged himself. Anything, except this standing around. Where is your backbone? Why are you acting like a teenage boy around her?
His temper spiked again, and he caught her eyes. “Are you saying you never thought about me?”
The sheer boldness of the line caught him off guard, but it seemed to leave Claire flabbergasted. Her mouth dropped open, and she worked to close it, while her face went red in the cheeks, a sure sign that she had been thinking of him, at least on one occasion.
“I knew it,” he said, a grin playing over his face. “You have.”
Claire shrugged. “Um.”
The smile faded. “What? Um what?”
He suddenly didn’t feel so confident.
“Well, you did come up once, besides when Lilly told me what you were. We, um, we talked about you.” She grimaced.
“Oh.” Now it was Pietro’s turn to give the single word answer. He understood what Claire was saying now, the point she was getting across to him.
“It wasn’t very nice,” she said quietly. “And I feel kind of bad about it. Especially since you’ve been so kind to me tonight, walking me home, dealing with Pete. You didn’t deserve that.”
“Ah.” It was all he could manage, the hurt stabbing deep into his gut and twisting its razor edge deeper with every breath.
Of course that’s what had happened. Why would she end up thinking of him in a positive light, after the way he royally screwed up their initial meeting? That was just ridiculous. Pietro should have known better, and he kicked himself for not realizing that ahead of time.
“Sorry,” Claire said with an apologetic shrug of her shoulders.
“Don’t be,” he said, trying to play it off. “It’s not surprising. After all, I did make rather a fool of myself.”
Claire half-smiled and looked away, an unspoken acknowledgment of the truth in his statement. Not that he needed any more confirmation.
He sighed, running a hand over his head, feeling the stubble reminding him he needed to shave it again soon.
“I should probably go now,” he said, looking down, nodding mostly to himself to convince himself that it was the right move.
Not that he had any interest in leaving Claire’s side, but things were deteriorating fast between them. He needed to save whatever he could so that she wouldn’t feel uncomfortable letting him continue to watch over her until the Vampire Hunter was found.
“Have a good night, Claire,” he said with a smile when she still didn’t reply. He turned to go down the walkway and then the driveway. “Be safe.”
She was home, behind a protective threshold, and that was all that mattered to him now. He’d done his job, there was nothing more to be done at the moment.
“Wait. Pietro.”
He was almost onto the driveway when Claire’s call reached out and spun him around at the shoulder like a physical thing. Turning at the waist as he came to a halt, he was greeted by the sight of the short red-headed firecracker hurrying down the driveway after him.
There was an awkward pause when she pulled up short of him, her face full of thought and consternation. She was acting on a whim, he could tell, and her words, whatever she was going to say, weren’t fully formed. That was okay, Pietro had time. He had all the time in the world for her.
“I, um, I just wanted to say that I’m sorry,” she said, exhaling with the final word. “You didn’t deserve that treatment from Lilly and me. That was wrong of us. I…I can see that now. After tonight, I mean, with everything you’ve done. You’re…a good guy.”
Pietro feeling warmth and uplifting feeling come to a screeching halt as the last sentence hit him like a truck. “Why do you say it like that? ‘Good guy?’ As if it’s not entirely a positive thing.”
“It is, it is,” she said. “It’s not that. It’s just…oh god,” Claire said, tugging on her hair, shaking her head, looking for all the world like she would rather be anywhere but explaining to him what she’d meant by that comment.
“I don’t get it,” he said quietly. “What’s wrong with being a good guy?”
“Nothing, trust me,” she said, reaching out to rest a hand on his forearm, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
Pietro tensed at the contact as electricity shot up his arm unexpectedly. A massive effort of willpower kept him rooted to the spot, while his dragon fought wildly to push him forward, to sweep her up in his arms and press her against the side of the house. It desperately wanted to feel her body against his.
No. She is not up for that. We will behave.
“It’s just that, I’ve always dated the bad-boy types.” Claire sighed. “Example one-million of which you had the distinct pleasure of meeting tonight.”
“Ah,” Pietro said as a few more things made sense. “I’m too nice for you. That’s what you meant.”
Claire cringed, but she didn’t deny anything either.
The dagger in his stomach twisted deeper.
“Honestly, Pietro, with everything going on, I’m not really interested in anything right now. With all this crap going on, I mean… Look. I need to sort my shit out first.”
Steeling himself, Pietro just nodded. “Of course. I can understand. There’s a lot going on right now.”
“More than you know,” she muttered in a tone that had Pietro worried.
There was something else. It didn’t involve him, but the body-language change in Claire was impossible to ignore. The tenseness of her stance, the clenching of her jaw, and the distant look in her face.
“Thank you for the apology,” he said, giving her the out she knew she was sorely looking for. “I hope the rest of your night goes a little better.”
“Thank you,” she said, looking up at him. “I appreciate that, along with everything else you’ve done.”
Before he could say anything, she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight hug. Pietro’s arms automatically wrapped around her waist in return.
His dragon went berserk.
The roar inside his head escaped his lips in a low, throaty growl as he lifted her from the ground and pushed her into the side of the house, his mouth descending hungrily toward hers.
Claire gasped slightly and her head tilted back in reflex, opening her up to his advance. That noise spurred him on. Out of the corners of his vision he saw her eyes close, giving herself in to the moment.
She wants this too.
His dragon renewed its efforts, knowing that if they only but kissed, it was all over. That the tension that had been lurking beneath the surface between them would spill over and take care of things on its own accords.
No!
His lips a hairs width from Claire’s full, pouty lips, he brought himself to a stop with a monumental effort of willpower. A gasp of air escaped his nose, a mixture of dismay, sadness, and apology.
Claire’s eyes snapped open.
“I’m so sorry,” he said, backing away from the wall, letting her slide out of his arms. “I didn’t mean… It’s just, you said you weren’t interested. And then I—I should have respected you.”
Both of them were flush and breathing heavier, the intensity of the moment catching both by surprise.
Claire was still leaning against the wall, her head craned back in almost the same position it had been when he’d gone to kiss her. He could see her chest rising and falling visibly, the motion threatening to di
stract him.
“I think you should go inside now,” he said, swallowing tightly, his dragon still fighting.
She’s just leaning there, against the wall. Waiting for you to finish what you started.
“Maybe,” Claire said, pulling herself away from the wall, heading for the house.
She didn’t say another word as she went inside. Pietro heard the deadbolt click closed behind her, and as soon as it did, he slumped down into a crouch.
There was no denying that she looked pissed.
“What the hell have I done?” he asked himself, stunned at his own lack of control.
Chapter Ten
Claire
She got inside, stunned that the thunderous roar in her chest and mind hadn’t wakened her parents and sent them rushing downstairs to find out what all the racket was about. Claire could barely hear a thing as she made her way down the stairs to the guest house and basement apartment that had been turned over to her for her extended stay.
“Where did that come from?” she asked nobody in particular, unzipping the sides of her shoes and stepping out.
Resting a hand on her breastbone, she listened and felt her pulse as it raced. She’d never expected Pietro to make a move like that, but even more, she hadn’t realized she would respond positively to it. There hadn’t been any hesitation either. He’d picked her up, and she’d been ready for him to kiss her.
Had sworn he was going to as well. She’d felt his breath rush over her as he closed. His face had been less than an inch away. The heat of it had reached out to caress her skin.
So why had he stopped?
Because he’s a good guy, just like you said. A bad boy would have gone in all the way. Would have pushed it as far as you were willing to go. He would have taken the sign that you kissed him back as proof that you wanted to go all the way.
Not Pietro. In the end, his willpower had won out, and he’d remembered her saying she wasn’t ready for anything just then. And so he’d respected that. Yes, it had been a close call, but she doubted she could have stopped herself had things got any more heated.
“And I wanted him to kiss me.”
That realization was still working its way through her.
But why?
She pondered that question while reaching up under her shirt to undo her bra, sighing with relief as it came free. The shirt came off next as she headed into the bedroom, and she stripped off her jeans as well, freeing herself with another sigh.
It’s his arms, she realized as she pulled on a comfy pajama shirt and shorts, flopping back onto her bed, remembering just how nice he felt against her. The strength. The comfort.
The security. She’d felt safe with him. Even more so when his arms were wrapped around her. It spoke to a base instinct in Claire that she wasn’t even sure she knew she possessed until that night. What she did know, however, was that she wanted more.
“I’m in trouble,” she muttered, shaking her head, knowing that there was no positive resolution with Pietro.
It simply wasn’t possible. Not with the decision looming over her head with regards to Pete and his ultimatum. Either way, no matter what she did, it would see her pulled from Pietro. One way would be a brutal betrayal of sorts if she let herself go back to Pete. And jail wasn’t exactly the best way to start up something new with a man she had barely met.
He’s not gonna look too fondly upon you once he knows the things you’ve done either.
If she could.
“He’s too good for you,” she muttered, resorting to talking to herself out loud. “He doesn’t deserve to get involved in all the shit you’ve got going on.”
Claire sighed, overwhelmed with everything. Pete, Pietro, apparently a vampire that was stalking her too, if that was to be believed. There was too much for her to deal with on her own.
Grabbing her phone she looked up a contact and hit the dial button, waiting patiently. There was no answer.
“Hi, you’ve reached Li—”
“Whatever,” she said, hanging up and trying again. “She’s probably with Trent. Sorry girl.”
The second time around, someone picked up before the answering machine.
“Claire?”
The voice was distracted but not sleepy. Lilly was awake, obviously, much to Claire’s relief.
“I need to talk,” she said, hoping Lilly would pick up on the urgency of her tone.
There was the sound of some fumbling, and when Lilly next spoke, she was far more alert and attentive. “About what? What is it?”
Claire paused.
“Claire?” Lilly asked after she didn’t speak for a bit.
“Yeah. Um. Do you remember that guy? The one from the bar. You know, the one you intervened to save me from? The guy who ended up being a dragon shifter too?”
“Pietro?” Lilly said immediately. “Yeah of course. I see him around here from time to time. Hard to forget. Why?”
“Wellllll, he kind of sort of showed up tonight too.”
“He did?” Lilly asked, her voice brightening. “And? How did it go? What happened? Where did you see him?”
“Uh. I was at the Dragon’s Eye,” she said, declining to explain why.
Lilly didn’t know about the things she’d gotten into, and Claire didn’t want her to. She didn’t want to feel judged by her best friend. She was already judging herself enough.
“Okay. And?”
“Well, he showed up.”
“Did he bomb as badly this time around?” Lilly said with a chuckle.
“Um, no, not really.”
“Oh yeah? What happened?” Lilly asked eagerly.
Claire could all but picture her friend leaning in closer, hungry for more information.
“He told me that I was being hunted by a vampire that came through from another dimension.”
Lilly was silent for a few seconds before replying. “So that must be where Trent took off to tonight with nothing but an apology.”
“I guess,” Claire said helplessly. “But Lil, that’s not all.”
“It’s not?”
“No,” she said. “He kinda sorta walked me home.”
“He did?”
“Then he almost kissed me.”
“He did what?” Lilly yelped loudly enough that a protesting male voice came from somewhere in the background. “Oh hush.”
Claire smirked at the audible byplay between the pair. Trent was good for her friend. Just the sort of guy Lilly had needed to help complete the new life she’d built here in Five Peaks, and Claire couldn’t be happier for her that it was working out.
“Yeah. He picked me up and pressed me against the wall after walking me home…but then he stopped a hair shy of actually kiss me.”
“Why? Why didn’t you kiss him instead? He came ninety-nine, you couldn’t go one percent of the way?”
“I don’t know. I just…”
“Where’s the problem?” Lilly asked, confused.
“Well…why didn’t he kiss me?” she asked plaintively. “He was so proper, and then suddenly he got all aggressive and hot and strong, and he had me pinned, and I was ready to kiss him back, which I hadn’t been at all until then. Then, he just sort of stopped. It was so unlike him there. I didn’t know he had it in him. Now I can’t stop thinking about him.”
“And?” Lilly asked in that bored voice that indicated there was no actual problem here, it was all in Claire’s head.
“Lil, he’s not my type!”
Lilly laughed.
Claire frowned at the phone.
Lilly laughed some more.
“Okay, okay,” she muttered. “What’s so funny?”
“Because, Claire, did you ever think that maybe that’s just what you need? Someone not your type?”
Claire grew dour. “Not right now,” she said, her mind drawn to Pete and his threats to out her to the police. “I’m not sure I need anything right now.”
Lilly calmed, the humor leaving her voice. “What is it?”
“I don’t know,” Claire said with a heavy sigh, flopping back onto the bed. “Everything is a mess. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay,” Lilly said slowly.
“Thanks. I just need to think. Thanks for answering.”
Claire hung up, the phone sliding from her hand onto the pillow.
Everything was most definitely a mess.
And I’m pretty sure it’s only going to get worse.
Chapter Eleven
Claire
She awoke to the sound of heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. Recognizing the tread of her father when he was trying to give her advance warning that he was coming, Claire got up and put on some pants out of decency.
“Dad?” she called, opening the door. “What’s going on? Why are you down here?”
Her father, a short, thin man with a full head of gray hair and wearing a standard two-piece black business suit, paused on the second to last stair, looking across the open space at her.
“What’s wrong?” Claire said as the look on his face registered with her. “Is mom okay?”
“Your mother is fine,” Chuck Owens said.
“Then what the hell is going on? You look distraught, dad.”
She hurried over to him, but he shook his head. “I’m fine.”
“What is it then?”
Her father sighed. “Claire. The police are at the door. They say they have an arrest warrant for you.”
“Oh,” she said dully. “Crap.”
Her mother appeared at the top of the stairs. “You don’t sound very surprised.”
Claire’s shoulders slumped. She sighed heavily, declining to elaborate. “Tell them I’ll be upstairs in a moment. I’m just getting dressed.”
Her mother frowned down at her.
Turning quickly to ignore the disappointed look she knew would be in her father’s eyes, Claire hurried to the room and got dressed in comfortable but practical clothing.
Who knows when I might have a chance to get changed again?
Her eyes came to rest on her phone, and she had a sudden urge to call Pietro, to let him know where she was going, where he could find her, but she declined. Instead, she just pocketed the phone—thank goodness for practical leggings!—and headed back out of the room.