Chapter 15 #2
My stomach clenches, and it takes me several seconds to catch my breath. “I’m not your girlfriend.”
“Yes, I know. You told Sophia.”
“I didn’t like the way she cornered you. I understand what she was getting at, but it was manipulative.”
“You know what worries me?”
“What?” I ask softly.
“I thought about what she said—what I’d do if you were dying.” He looks over, briefly meeting my eyes in the dark car.
I draw in a shaky breath, waiting.
He pulls his eyes back to the road. “NIHA is my life, but I’m afraid I’d break the law for you.” He laughs darkly. “No, I know I would.”
“Noah…”
“If I were Reid…I would have probably made the same choice. And I don’t know what that says about me.”
I clasp my hands in my lap. “It probably says you should find a nice final-stage vampire to date, so you’re never confronted with that decision.”
He shakes his head. “It’s too late for that.”
I swallow. “It is?”
“I don’t want some random vampire woman.” Noah looks back. “I want you.”
Be still, my poor pre-vampiric heart.
“You’ll lose your job if you change me,” I say.
“Only if they find out.”
“All old vampires would be able to tell. You’re a new vamp, born long after Nicolau made his law. Any vampire you create would be an illegal one.”
Noah opens his mouth to argue. And then he closes it, realizing I’m right.
If I ever want to be a final-stage vampire—and I’m not saying I do—we’d have to be smart about it. Like the house that hired Sophia, I’d have to find someone from a different line to take care of that final bite.
I blink, realizing where my thoughts have wandered. I don’t want to be a vampire. I don’t want to take a billion medications and adopt a carnivore diet.
And even if I did—and I’m not saying I do—I shouldn’t leap into it too quickly. Becoming a full-blown creature of the night is a big step and not one to be taken lightly.
Everyone knows you can’t just become a vampire for some guy. (Okay, not everyone knows that, but if the general population knew about vampires, I’m sure it would be a common phrase.)
We arrive back at my house at nearly two in the morning. And though my body is tired, my mind is churning with thoughts I shouldn’t be thinking.
Noah pauses at the bottom of the porch steps, waiting for me. Several of my night-blooming vines perfume the air, and the landscape lights set a pretty scene.
“I’m sorry today didn’t go as planned,” Noah says. “So much for Day One, huh?”
I set my hand on his arm, running my palm over his sleeve’s soft leather. “I’m just glad you didn’t get shot tonight. I thought I might have to buy you another jacket.”
He chuckles softly, brushing my hair back as he pivots to face me.
My eyes move to his lips. His soft, perfectly kissable lips. His vampire lips.
No, Piper.
Forget last night. Noah is off-limits.
He’s dangerous.
He’s yummy.
“What are you thinking about?” he asks, his tone gritty.
I shake my head.
Noah laughs. “What does that mean?”
“It means I can’t tell you what I’m thinking.”
His hand moves from my hair to my side. “Now you’ve gone and piqued my interest.”
Noah’s hand is warm. A normal human’s hand would be uncomfortably hot. But Noah’s is perfect.
“I was thinking it’s weird that I’ve started referring to people as vampires and humans, just like Sophia did. But we’re all humans. You’re a human.”
“I’m still very human, yes.”
“But you don’t feel like it. You seem like more. You’re practically a mythical creature now. Like…a unicorn.”
Noah grimaces. “No.”
I grin. “What about a dragon?”
“Better, but still no.”
“Also, you’ve gone and added another sexy title to your resume. Bodyguard. Detective. Vampire.”
“Are vampires sexy now?” He raises a brow, his lips twitching with a smile. “I thought we were gross?”
“You’ve changed my mind.”
His hand tightens on my side, and his eyes become hooded. “What part of me is sexy?”
“Can I just say all of you and be done with it?”
“No.”
Needing to move, I begin up the porch stairs. He walks with me, staying close, his hand moving to my back.
He’s still touching me when we walk inside.
He’s still touching me when we close the door.
“Okay, night,” I say, preparing to run away.
Noah takes my hand, pulling me back. “You haven’t answered my question yet.”
I catch sight of his shoulders in the hall mirror, my eyes snagging on the vast expanse of black leather. And then there’s me next to him, so much smaller. And that shouldn’t fluster me, but it does. He’s so big.
Big and trim and toned and…
Where do I sign up to be a vampire?
No.
Bad.
Stop.
“How about I go first?” Noah wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me into him so my back is tucked against his chest. He moves his mouth to my ear, softly running his bottom lip over my skin.
“Go first at what?” I breathe, my head fuzzy with the feel of him.
“Your smile is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen,” he says. “It guts me.”
“You can’t start with my smile,” I laugh. “You’re supposed to say my legs or something, so I can roll my eyes and walk away. You’re playing dirty.”
“Your laugh is sexy.” He nuzzles my earlobe. “The way your breath quickens when I’m touching you—that’s sexy, too.”
“Noah…”
“The way you look in your gardening shorts, with dirt smudged on your skin and your ponytail all windblown.”
“Now, just stop—that’s not attractive at all.”
He presses a kiss to my neck. “Yes, it is. It flusters me every time.”
My resolve is like a dandelion, gone to seed, blowing away in the wind.
“Are you flirting or seducing this time?” I ask, my legs growing weak.
Noah turns me, sliding his hand to my back, pulling me flush against him. His amber eyes meet mine, forbidden honey. “Which do you want?”
Air whooshes from my lungs, and my knees get a little wobbly.
Okay, so this whole time, I’ve been consumed with vampire things. But there are some very human things to consider as well.
“I…I’m…” I swallow. “Waiting?”
Noah lifts his eyebrows, startled. “Was that a question?”
“No. It’s more of a fact.”
“You’re twenty-eight.”
I clear my throat. “Correct.”
“You had a serious boyfriend.”
I cringe, not wanting Kevin to enter this conversation. “Also correct.”
“But you never…”
“No.”
“By choice?”
“I mean, yes.”
Noah starts to laugh. It’s a deep, highly amused, rumbly sound that makes me think I’m going to be questioning my life choices very soon. Specifically, the one where I thought I could rent out a room to the hottest man I’ve ever met.
“It’s not funny,” I say, though I start laughing myself.
“No, it’s not.” He looks down at me with so much affection…and amusement. “But it is rather endearing. Maybe even a little bit…sexy.”
My mouth goes dry. “It’s what now?”
“Tell me what you’re waiting for.”
“Oh. You know. The usual.”
“Marriage.” The sparkle leaves Noah’s eyes, and I think it’s for the same reason my mood is suddenly plummeting.
I’m a human, and Noah is a dragon. And as much as I like him, I don’t know if we have a future.
Except…his hand is warm. And his blood is in the fridge next to mine. Noah is a dragon—but I’m not without scales.
“Down the road, have you ever considered getting married?” I ask, and then I quickly add, “Not to me! But…eventually?”
“At one time, I did, yes.”
“Before you entered the final stage?”
He nods, now very solemn. So solemn I want to kiss his frowning lips and bring back his smile.
“And do you think you’d ever consider marrying a little baby larva?”
Noah closes his eyes, smiling against his will. “We’ve got to be done with that.”
“Yes, or no?”
“Yes.” He opens his eyes, and our gazes catch and hold. “Yes, Piper, I would.”
“But I’d get old.”
He brings his hand to the back of my neck. So gentle. “You wouldn’t have to.”
“There you go again, talking about breaking the law for me,” I joke softly. “You promised you wouldn’t bite me.”
His fingers knead my muscles, sending warmth down my spine. “How about I amend my promise? I won’t bite you…unless you ask me to.”
“Okay…” I pause. “But not while you’re kissing me, all right? You have no idea how chaotic my thoughts are then.”
Noah barks out a laugh and then groans, his mind probably wandering where mine did. “Does this mean we’re dating?”
“No….but it does mean we’re responsible adults, and we talked about important things before leaping into a relationship.” I smirk at his look of pure annoyance. “I’m proud of us.”
Shaking his head, he starts up the stairs. “I’m going to bed.”
“Noah, wait.”
He turns back expectantly.
I grin up at him. “Don’t forget to take your blood.”