“Somebody better be careful the way they talk or they might not get any—properly cooked or burnt.”
Her giggles transformed into laughter. It sounded so musical; I was wrapped in it for some minutes before I caught myself.
“Well, I’ll just have to make some for myself if you won’t share yours,” she retorted playfully and stuck her tongue out at me.
Only the fact that I’d been dark and broody ever since I became a vampire stopped me from imitating her act. I quickly turned away to get some eggs from the fridge. I didn’t understand the feeling.
“Do you have some garlic? I could make us some garlic bread to go with the eggs.”
I froze. Garlic was a no-go area for me. Vampires still hadn’t been able to overcome their allergy towards it.
With a false smile plastered on my face, I curved my body in her direction. “I’m sorry I don’t like garlic.”
Her eyes enlarged a little. “I understand. Just the same way you don’t like mirrors, right?”
That brought me up short. “What?”
“I noticed you don’t have any mirrors in the house. I’ve been dying to see the bruise on my forehead,” she lightly said, but I knew it was a big deal to her.
I gave her the answer I’d planned to give anyone who questioned my hatred for mirrors.
“I have catoptrophobia,” I shortly replied.
“What in the world is that?”
“Fear of mirrors.”
Twin red spots stained her cheeks. She avoided my gaze. “Oh. I’m sorry for being so insensitive.”
I shrugged, trying to lighten the mood. “It’s no problem. It’s rare, and I feel silly talking about it. Truthfully, you don’t need a mirror. You’re beautiful just the way you are.”
I heard her sharp intake of breath and smiled. Then her eyes became shadowed. I groaned inwardly, wondering what she was thinking.
I hated it when I couldn’t read someone’s thoughts. There were very few people I couldn’t understand their thoughts. Unfortunately, I couldn’t read hers. It was a thing of amazement to me. I wondered if it was because she’d lost her memory. But that didn’t mean she didn’t have thoughts.
“Thank you,” she, at last, said.
“Could you please help me make the omelet?” I questioned lightly, afraid that I might get them charred again thinking about her.
Her dazzling smile warmed my heart. “Someone’s afraid he might have burnt offerings while I enjoy nicely made eggs.”
I chuckled. I loved it when she was witty and charming. While I observed her as she went about making breakfast, it struck me that she seemed not to have forgotten most things. Only her name, who she was, and how she got hurt eluded her.
I knew I had to find out who she was, but for the life of me, I didn’t want to. For the first time in my life, I had a woman in my house. The funny thing was that I didn’t want her to go. Ever!
Chapter Five
“Are you trying to cheat by staring at me?” I asked Amy as I caught her gaping at me.
Her laughter, which I’d become used to and enjoyed, rang in my living room.
With her eyes glinting, she eyed me with mock mortification. “Excuse me? How’s it possible to cheat by staring at someone?”
I shrugged, grinning. “I don’t know. Only cheats know how they achieve such a feat.”
Her hair, which she had left to fall over her shoulders and back, shook as she engulfed in humor. A flush crept up her cheeks as she laughed. I was caught in the beautiful moment for some minutes.
She shook her head, trying to contain her hilarity. “You’re so wrong. I was just wondering why your eye color changes sometimes.”
I stiffened. I didn’t like it when she noticed some of my vampire traits. First, it was the garlic, then mirrors, later my nocturnal activities, now my eyes. It was a wonder she hadn’t found the vault in my room where the synthetic blood I drank were stored.
It had been an enjoyable experience having her in my home for two weeks. I knew it was something I would cherish for the rest of my life. When she finally left, I’d hold on to the memories for the lonely days ahead.
The thought of her leaving always struck a chord of sadness inside me. Not that she could remember anything, but she couldn’t stay with me forever.
Someday, she would regain her memory. I lived in dread of that day. Quite selfish of me, I knew, but I wished that day would never come.
Even leaving her for a few hours to attend to meetings I could no longer put off had been sheer torture. All the while my business associates talked about our business proceedings in my boardroom, all I thought about was Amy.
Amy when she just woke up in the morning, all sleepy-eyed and mussed hair. I’d never met a woman who was so much not aware of her beauty.
Amy when she joined me at my in-house gym and worked out with me.
Amy entering the kitchen looking so fresh and clean like the first day of spring.
Amy making breakfast while chatting with me.
Amy smiling shyly when I returned home from work, too bashful to tell me she’d missed me.
Amy cooking dinner and encouraging me to talk about my day while we shared a bottle of wine.
Amy concentrating while we played a card or board games in the evenings after dinner with the tip of her tongue coming out to wet her lips at intervals.
Dear God, I was falling for her hard and fast! She was in my every sleeping and waking moment. If I didn’t know better, I would think she had bewitched me.
I wondered what I was doing with my life before she came into it. The lump that had formed in my chest before I met her had long dissolved into nothingness. Boredom had long departed. I was bustling with life, no pun intended. No longer did I have the sensation of something missing in my life. I’d found it. I’d never let go of this precious jewel.
“You’re not going to answer me, are you?”
Her words jolted me out of my thoughts. My eyes raised to her curious ones. She blushed and looked away.
“I’m from multiple races,” I replied silently, still keeping my gaze on her beautiful face. “My dad was half this and half that. Same with my mom.”
Her eyes engorged as she focused them on me. “That’s interesting. Could you please tell me more about them?”
How would she react if I told her they died in a fire over a century ago?
Maybe she would be out the door faster than a bullet. Did I really want to take the risk of telling her who I was? I didn’t think so. It was too soon.
I took my glass of wine and gulped the red liquid down my throat before answering her.
“I’d rather not talk about it. They died in a fire when I was a little boy. It’s not something I like recalling, if you don’t mind.”
Hot pink covered her cheeks. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It happened a very long time ago,” I swiftly responded. I wanted us to get back to our game of chess.
“Your move,” I announced after taking one of her pawns.
So attuned to her mood swings was I that even though I couldn’t read her thoughts, I instantly knew something was wrong.
The light had gone out of her hazel eyes. I noted that she was fighting back the tears.
“What’s wrong, Amy? Are you all right?”
She elevated her eyes. It was as if I’d been hit in the solar plexus. Her tears caused anguish in my heart.
“Baby, what’s wrong?”
“At least you know what happened to your parents. You have a memory of them. I have nothing!”
Her outburst sent guilt running through my entire body. I’d promised to help her regain her memory, but because I didn’t want her to, I’d done nothing about it.
The truth was that I was beginning to fall in love with her. Therefore, I didn’t want her to leave and go back to her real life. Devastated was an understatement of how I’d feel if she ever did.
“Amy, I’m working on it.” I avoided her gaze when lying to
her. The chessboard appeared to be more interesting all of a sudden.
“But it’s been two weeks. Hasn’t there been anything on the news or the radio? Is it that I don’t have a family or anyone out there? Am I alone in this world?” Her voice broke. It got me even more tormented.
I wanted to tell her she had me for as long as she wanted, but I thought it might be too forward.
“I’m doing the best I can.”
“Oh, really? You go out all day and leave me here. You don’t take me anywhere. I can’t even step out of the apartment because of your security team. We haven’t even gone to the place where you found me.”
“All that is in your best interest,” I intoned coldly, my guilt giving way to anger.
“Ha! My best interest! It sure doesn’t look like that to me,” she retorted hotly.
Were we having our first fight? It seemed like it. I didn’t like it. Quarreling with a woman, most of all Amy, wasn’t in my books. I’d had women at my beck and call, but I’d never once exchanged words with them, no matter how infuriating they got.
I wouldn’t start now with Amy whom I had feelings for. Swallowing the angry retort the former me would have thrown at her, I exhaled loudly and rubbed my chin. I made sure she was looking at me before I spoke.
“Amy, I’m very sorry if it seems as if I’m not trying hard enough. I don’t want you out of the house because I fear that it might do more harm than good to you. I’ve heard of cases where people who had amnesia got lost because they became disoriented when they stepped out of their comfort zone. As for the place where I found you, I also fear that you might recall the trauma you faced there. It might be too much for you, and you might relapse, never to regain your memory. I’ve been reading a lot about amnesia.”
“You have?”
I nodded. Indeed, I had, in trying to understand when she would get back her memory so that I’d be prepared for it. I had no idea that she desperately wanted it. She needn’t know that every time I picked up my phone to call a renowned expert on amnesia, I dropped it again.
“I understand your need to go outside. Possibly tomorrow we could go to the park and have a small picnic.” I was trying to placate her.
It worked!
Her smile was like a balm to my heart. All my guilt disappeared.
“Apology accepted,” she cheerfully said. “By the way,” she added and moved a piece on the board. “Checkmate!”
I burst into laughter.
Chapter Six
Like a high school girl going on her first date, I took care in getting ready for my picnic with Ethan. I eyed the clothes in the exquisite walk-in closet. I wasn’t sure what to put on.
I’d been wearing only denim and t-shirts for over a week. They felt quite comfortable, which made me think that they were my natural clothing in my real life.
A giggle escaped my lips. Was this a fake life? I guessed so. I didn’t know my name or who I was. I was living with a devilishly handsome and obviously wealthy man.
Yep, I was living a fake life.
But I loved it! Being with Ethan every day was quite intoxicating. The man was drop-dead gorgeous with a dark personality that kept drawing me to him.
Everything in me told me that he was wrong for me, but I’d been pushing away the feeling. My subconscious kept telling me that even though he was very handsome and charming, he was bad, very bad.
But I fought the scary perception. Ethan couldn’t be bad. Someone who had picked up a stranger from the street who had been hurt wouldn’t have an evil streak in him.
What if he had ulterior motives?
Like what? Chaining me to his bed and have his wicked way with me? The man hadn’t even as much as sexually looked at me, much to my chagrin.
I was drooling over him, but Ethan seemed to have ironclad control. He went out of his way not to touch me or made sure our bodies never brushed against each other. It was kind of frustrating, to say the least.
With every day that passed, seeing him, smelling him before he came into my presence, chatting with him, and generally just being with him, I had to admit that I was falling in love with him.
It was absolutely crazy falling for a man I met two weeks ago. I knew practically nothing about him, but I didn’t mind. I wanted more from him. Being a charity case wasn’t what I needed. Being treated like a kid sister would surely drive me crazy.
I wanted to be his woman in every sense of the word. I didn’t know if I had a lover somewhere, pining away for me. Truthfully, I didn’t care because all I wanted was to be with Ethan forever.
But was that plausible? What if there wasn’t only a lover out there, but a father, a mother, a brother, or a sister, living in misery because of my absence?
And what about me? Would I be contented with living as Jane Doe for the rest of my life simply because I’d fallen in love with my rescuer?
What if a few months from now, I recalled everything? What if my real life was way better than any life I could live with Ethan?
My face squeezed into a frown as I stared at the beautiful dresses. I was torn. On the one hand, I didn’t want to remember who I was so Ethan and I could be together forever. On the other hand, I wanted to know who I was.
Would I still want to be with Ethan when I regained my memory? Or would I prefer going back to my real life?
“Arggh,” I grumbled. “So many questions, very few answers.”
There were days I wanted to leave the apartment and run without looking back. There were also days I counted the minutes until Ethan’s return from the office.
“What’s wrong with me?”
I raked my fingers through my hair and exhaled loudly. I needed to come to a decision. Living in limbo for the rest of my life wasn’t going to be possible.
“One day at a time, Amy, or whatever I’m called,” I proclaimed.
That was what I was going to do: live one day at a time. If things went well between Ethan and me, all well and good. If after remembering my real life I wanted to leave, it might not be a welcome development, but one I’d have to accept.
With that decision made, my eyes traveled around the closet. I didn’t know what Ethan had thought when he ordered clothes for me. It was like he sent his security team to get all the goods in a clothing store. From lingerie to bags, the closet was a woman’s dream.
Apparently not mine since I hadn’t worn anything except casual clothes. Sighing, I chose a sleeveless floral dress which was paired with a lovely black jacket. I added a pair of leggings to it, a few accessories, and a couple of low heels.
I availed myself of the makeup provided, hoping I got it right because I didn’t think it was part of my everyday routine. Fortunately, the discoloration on my head had faded. Leaving my shoulder-length blonde hair or binding it became a bone of contention to me. I decided to leave it falling around my shoulders. It went well with my new look.
I carried a small purse to complete the look and stepped out of the room. Cautiously, I walked down the hallway into the living room. Ethan, who had been staring out at the streets of New York through the ceiling-to-floor length window, turned.
For the first time since I met him, I saw male appreciation in his eyes. Feeling deliciously beautiful because of his intense gaze, I stood there and welcomed silently his eyes moving all over my body.
“You look stunning,” he finally stated after his eyes had trailed my body from hair to shoes.
“Thank you,” I returned, smiling brightly.
I wanted to tell him that he looked handsome also, but I was too shy to say so. The cream-colored chino trousers he had on were clamped to his legs, revealing how strong they were. The black shirt and black sports coat accentuated his muscular physique. His hair appeared wet. I longed to run my fingers through it.
Blushing, I hastily looked away. He was too handsome for his own good.
“Don’t I get a compliment, too?” he questioned, with humor lacing his tone.
My head jolted. I smiled.
> “You know you look good enough to eat. I don’t have to tell you,” I threw at him with a short laugh.
He grinned, the corners of his eyes wrinkling. “One day, your mouth is going to get you into trouble.”
Laughing shortly, I replied, “Oh, I can’t wait for that day.”
He shook his head. “I should have driven off when I saw you by the roadside.”
“And regret not having me spice up your life?” I clicked my tongue, and he laughed.
Beckoning with his hand, he directed me to the front door. His security team fell into place immediately as we stepped out of the apartment. I smiled at them.
With his hand on the small of my back, he led me to the elevators. I was surprised that outside his apartment wasn’t painted white. It was done in shades of grey.
“I thought I would encounter another blast of white when I stepped out of your apartment.”
He chuckled beside me.
“I’ve been dying to ask. Why white? Quite unusual for men.”
Lifting and dropping his shoulders, he answered. “My kind have been known to be very dark. I just wanted to be different. Hence, instead of dark and broody colors, I chose white in contrast to our nature.”
My brows elevated. “Your kind?”
A shadow crossed his face before he said, “Men. I was referring to men.”
I nodded even though I had a niggling feeling that wasn’t what he had been referring to. I, however, shrugged it off as the elevator took us to the underground garage where I saw a fleet of exotic cars.
“Wow!” I exclaimed.
He grinned and pointed at a dark blue Ferrari.
“That’s our ride. Everything we need for the picnic is in there,” he informed me as he led me to the exquisite car.
Feeling like visiting royalty, I slid into the cool exterior of the vehicle after he opened the door for me.
“Be warned. I drive like a bat out of hell,” he declared when he slid into the driver’s seat.
Laughter burst from my throat. “My kind of guy,” I said and blushed furiously at my bold words.
Ethan grinned. “Seatbelt, please.”
Her Billionaire Vampire Page 3