I Accidentally Hooked Up with a Vampire (Accidents Happen #2)

9. Sleepover

9

Sleepover

“ I ’m going to need you to give me some space.” I fought the urge to lick my lips, because I didn’t want him to think I wanted to kiss him, even though I seriously wanted him to kiss me.

“Are you okay?” He furrowed his brow.

“No, clearly, I’m not, because I found that attractive when I should have just run to my room and slammed the door in your face while rescinding your invitation to my home.”

“Another kink?” Domino chuckled. “You like when I tell you I want to drink your blood?”

“I’m starting to question everything about myself right now.”

“Interesting.” Domino removed his hand and took two exaggerated steps back. “We need to get you somewhere safe. They know where you live now, which means they know where you work. They will be tracking all your habits.”

“You know, when you saved me from that scuzzy ass John, I thought it was a good thing. But instead, I’ve gone from dodging slimy men to dodging vampires.”

“I know this is a lot, I don’t discredit that. So I’ll give you some time to process it.” He sat back down on the couch. “There are a few places we can go, unfortunately none my brother won’t eventually find, but it will buy us some time. We can stay here tonight, but we’ll need to move soon.”

“You want to stay here with me?” I felt my face flush and my heart rate quicken. Why the hell was I excited about the idea of him staying over again?

“Yes, is that a problem?” His eyes dragged across the length of my body before he looked me in the eye.

Hell yeah, it was a problem. If he stayed over, I was damn sure going to fuck him again. Blame the blood, girl! Blame the blood! I chose to lie and looked at the door to my office. Maverick still watched us, only now, he looked disappointed. I know damn well this cat ain’t in there judging me!

“You’re worried about the cat?” Domino sounded as annoyed as Maverick looked. “Seriously?”

“I’m not going to leave him locked up in there all night!” I fussed. Not because I really cared about Maverick being locked up, but it gave me something to deflect from my real concerns.

“I’ll go.” He stood from the couch and suddenly, my heart was racing for a different reason. Fear.

“No.” I stepped in his path. “You can’t leave.”

“You don’t want me to stay, but you also don’t want me to leave.” He glanced at the door then back at me. “How exactly does that work in your mind?”

“You said it yourself; your vampire buddies may come back. They could be standing outside waiting for you to leave.” I flipped the focus from my safety to his. “What if they attack you?”

“What do you suggest?” He sighed. Maybe that was how I solved my vampire problem: annoy them all to the point of abandonment.

“You can take the bedroom. I’ll keep Maverick out here. He usually passes out on the cat tower after he’s fed anyway.”

“You want me to hide in your bedroom?” Domino chuckled. “I can’t believe this is what I’ve been reduced to.”

“I’m not the one who made cats hate you!” I shrugged.

“Fine.” He looked at me like he wanted to pick me up and take me with him. “I’ll wait for you in the bedroom.”

Wait for me. He would wait, meaning he wanted me to join him at some point. “Okay,” I said but wondered if I would be able to avoid spending the night in bed with him.

It took me two hours to get Maverick settled. The first half hour was me trying to keep him away from the bedroom door. Eventually, my offer of Korean tacos was enough to appease him. After he ate, Maverick became more affectionate towards me than he had ever been before. He cuddled my legs and pushed me onto the couch so he could jump into my lap.

“Oh, you're being friendly now. Is it because of the vampire?” I scooted from the couch to the floor, and Maverick rumbled in my lap.

“Look, I don't know the best way to deal with this. Apparently, you knew about vampires, but I didn't. If this is the time when you turn out to be a magical cat who can actually talk to me, go ahead. Because I don't know what to do.”

I wish he did talk. I wish he opened his mouth. It would scare the living hell out of me, but then, he could give me the road map to peace. Instead, he put his paw over my mouth, telling me to shut up, and curled up tighter in my lap. I rubbed his back as he relaxed and drifted off to sleep.

Long after my leg fell asleep from the weight of his body, I rubbed his fur. But my eyes kept drifting to the door. I knew Domino was still inside, and I knew he was awake. It didn't make sense to keep avoiding him. So, I pushed the weight of the cat to the side and joined the vampire in my bedroom.

“Did you really expect the cat to have a solution for you?”

“Did you really sit in here all this time waiting to ask me that question?”

“Got me there.”

“Look, nothing's going to happen tonight. You're here to keep me safe from the crazy vampires and to stop yourself from getting attacked when you leave. We're just gonna lay here and go to sleep.”

“You're going to sleep. I don't sleep at night.” He pulled out a phone from his pocket and started tapping on the screen.

“What are you doing?”

“Outside of taking care of you, I have a business to run. Just making sure everything's in order.”

“Perfect.” I left the room, walked to my office, and returned with my laptop in hand. “We can both get some work done.”

Our silence filled with the sound of my laptop keys clicking while his gaze fixed on the world outside the window. He’d already finished his tasks on his phone and slipped the device back into his pocket.

“I don’t want this, you know.” I looked up from my laptop. It had been at least twenty minutes since I’d done anything of value. There were very few emails for the unemployed.

“I know.” He reached over and closed the laptop.

I shifted to look at him, crossing my legs as a safety line. “But you don't care, do you?”

“That's not true at all.” He smirked. “I care about your love of art, your passion for beauty, and your dreams of a creative future, but I want you. And I told you, I’m a monster and I'm selfish like that.”

“So you’re a man.” I stuck my tongue out at him.

“Yes. I’m a man who needs to get some rest now. The sun will be rising soon.” He looked at the bathroom door. “I suppose I can stay in your tub. If there is no direct sunlight, I should be okay.”

“What happened to you not sleeping?”

“I don’t sleep at night. I’m a vampire.” He tapped his temple with his finger.

“Don’t get cute.” I thought about letting him curl up in the tub. It was big enough, but he wouldn’t be comfortable. “Okay, have at it.”

He nodded and stood to walk away, but before he made it to the door, I flipped the switch on the nightstand that controlled the automatic curtains.

“You couldn’t mention that before?” He pointed at the moving track above the window.

“Yes, but I also could have let you sleep in the tub.” I winked.

Domino narrowed his gaze at me. “You just wanted to look at my ass.” He undid the top button on his shirt.

“What are you doing?” My eyes tracked his fingers as he adjusted his shirt, undoing another button.

“Am I supposed to sleep fully clothed?”

“You want to take your clothes off?” My face warmed at the thought.

“Calm down. Nothing is going to happen. Besides, in a few minutes, I’ll be in a frozen state. That doesn’t give me much time, and you know I like to take my time with you.”

“You’re going to freeze?” As hot as what he said was, I couldn’t focus on that. There were more important things at hand. “Freeze like turn to ice? Become a statue? Can I watch?”

“You’re a freaky little voyeur, aren’t you?” He pulled this shirt off and folded it neatly before placing it on the chair next to the bathroom door.

“I am not!” My face felt red hot. “I mean, I’m curious. You would be too if you were in my position!”

“This is your bed. So, I can’t stop you from staying and performing your perversions.” He nodded at the door with a teasing expression. “Unless you’re worried about your cat again.”

“Maverick will be just fine.” I waved my hand dismissively as I readjusted on the bed. “Okay, do it.”

“It doesn’t work like that.” He chuckled and finished undressing. Domino carefully laid his pants across the armchair. Then, he returned to the bed wearing nothing but the black boxers that lifted and showed off his toned thighs when he climbed in the bed. When he pulled the cover over himself, I felt a wave of subtle disappointment. “You don’t have to stare at me. It takes some time.”

“Oh.” My shoulders slumped. I didn’t know why I thought it would be an instant transition.

“Lay with me.” He patted the bed beside him. “You should get some rest as well.”

“What?” I glanced at the covered window.

“You’re entering the world of vampires now. You need to get on my sleep schedule.” I could tell by the lift at the corner of his lips that he knew what he was doing by saying that.

“Oh, so I have to adjust my life to accommodate you and not the other way around? You’re such a–,”

“Monster? Yes.” He ran his tongue across his lips. “Don’t just sit there gawking at me.”

Dammit, why is that so hot?

“Does it make you uncomfortable?” I opened my eyes wider and leaned closer to his face. “Does this weird you out, Domino?”

“Yes.” He flicked my nose. “You’re like a child sometimes.”

“Fine. But if I’m like a child and you want to be around me so much, what does that say about you?” I moved to lie beside him, remaining on top of the cover and happy for the added space the king-sized mattress allowed. “Is that better?”

“Moderately, yes.” He turned his head to the side to look at me. “I’m trusting you with my life right now, Whitney.”

What the hell was I supposed to say to that? I understood what he meant. If he really did freeze when he slept, he would be in a vulnerable state. He had to trust that I wouldn’t hurt him while he couldn’t protect himself. Something about that made my heart race, and not because I was worried he would wake up and decide I was better for a snack than a companion.

He looked at me for a few moments longer before his eyes closed. My mouth fell open as I watched him. He didn’t turn to stone, but the life seemed to drain from him, leaving him empty and lifeless, right before my eyes. His life ebbed away, leaving behind a woody scent that seemed to embody the very essence of him. His rich brown skin turned a dull gray, and his breathing stopped. I couldn’t help myself. I poked him. He was stiff as a board and cold to the touch.

“Holy shit,” I whispered. “He really is a vampire.”

I couldn’t sleep. I just watched him for hours. And it wasn’t until Maverick scratched at the door that I realized just how long I’d been staring at the man. I stretched and grabbed my phone from the nightstand and headed out of the room to deal with the cat and to make a call to the one person I thought would believe any of what was happening.

“Lena?” I said as Maverick jumped at me, nearly knocking the water from my hand.

“Girl, your timing is perfect. I just stepped off the plane!” Lena sounded elated. Too bad I would have to ruin her day with vampire madness.

“Great, now get your ass over here! You’re never going to believe this shit!”