Chapter 27
27
T he drive back to Grace’s house is quiet. My mind races with things I want to say, but worry will overwhelm the blushing blonde confection in the passenger seat, who keeps reaching over and squeezing my hand.
I don’t like that she feels compelled to reassure me. It’s my job to be the solid, steady one. I should be squeezing her hand. Letting her know that I’m happy to talk about anything that happened tonight if she has questions. Telling her she was a fucking revelation, both in and out of the scene.
Instead, I’m staring at the road, trying to fight back the surge of desire at the memory of Grace kissing me not once, but twice. Neither time was part of a scene. It’s… I don’t understand …
“I thought you liked men,” I say, the words spilling out suddenly to break the silence as we sit at a stoplight. Shit . What’s wrong with me?
Grace giggles. “I do.”
“So, why do you keep kissing me?” I ask, glancing at her out of the corner of my eye.
“Isn’t it obvious?” she asks with another laugh, squeezing my hand again.
Her question feels like a trap. I want her kisses to be because of genuine attraction, not because it’s a novelty. “This is an experiment. Like the rest of the kink we’re exploring.”
“No,” she sighs, the humor evaporating from her voice. “I mean, yes, but also no.”
“Explain.” I’m even more confused now.
“I want you, Blair,” she says softly. “It’s true I like men. I’ve never had these feelings toward a woman before, and I wasn’t sure if I’d actually enjoy being intimate with a woman. But I’m ridiculously attracted to you and I knew I’d regret not trying. I’m sorry if that was wrong of me.”
“Ah.” Everything that happened tonight reshapes in my mind with that vital piece of information.
Grace is attracted to me. Grace was willing to try something to see what that attraction meant. It was more than a scene. She wanted to know what it’d be like to be with me, not just a domme.
Before I know it, I’m pulling into her driveway and still haven’t managed to formulate a response that is anything other than “thank god, I want you so much it aches”.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you,” Grace whispers when I cut the engine, startling me from my thoughts.
I shake my head adamantly. “You didn’t. Shit, please don’t worry. I’m… So I’m certain, you wanted to try being with me, even though you weren’t sure if you’d like it?”
“Y-yeah. I knew I shouldn’t have done that but?—”
“And the verdict was that…” I swallow heavily as I think about how she came undone beneath my tongue and fangs. “You didn’t hate it?”
Grace lets out a choked laugh. “Yeah, Blair. I didn’t hate it. In fact, you could say that I loved it.”
I feel simultaneously relieved and ridiculous for even needing to ask. “So did I.”
“Good. Now, that’s not to say that I won’t be awkward as fuck when I try to eat your pussy, but I trust that you’ll be patient with me.”
A snort bursts out of me. “Grace, I’ll let you take as long as you need to learn how to eat me out. But only if that’s something you’re interested in. I get plenty of enjoyment from giving you pleasure. Not all relationships need to be an equal balance of giving and receiving, as long as everyone is enjoying themselves.”
“Oh, I definitely want to try!” Grace flushes, then goes silent for a moment, worrying her lower lip with her teeth. “Do you, uh, not enjoy receiving?” she asks gently.
I reach out and free her lip from the abuse with my thumb. “I didn’t say that. If you want to use that pretty mouth of yours on me, I’ll make sure to put it to good use next time.”
Grace’s breath hitches. “O-okay.”
With the way she’s looking at me, I’d have her going down on me right here in the car if it wasn’t for the infernal latex catsuit.
We get out of the car, tension stretched tight in the air as I walk Grace to her door. I shouldn’t have risked getting out and escorting her, because it’s making it infinitely harder not to grab her and pin her against the nearest surface while I lavish her pretty pink-flushed skin with my lips and teeth.
Grace fumbles through her purse for her keys, her tongue darting out to wet her lips as she finds them and looks up at me. She hesitates before unlocking the door, and I swear I can hear the blood rushing through her veins as her heart beats faster. It calls to me, insistent, but without the same terrifying potential of losing myself to the mindless, insatiable monster.
“Do you want to come inside? Maybe, uh, spend the night?” Grace asks with a shy flutter of her lashes.
God, yes.
I swallow down that instinctive, foolish reply, and brush a lock of hair away from her face. Her breath hitches at the touch as she waits to see what I do next. Every fiber of my being wants to go inside and spend the rest of the night with Grace in my arms. But it’s not possible.
“I can’t,” I sigh, pulling my hand away and clasping it behind my back so I’ll stop touching her and making this harder than it needs to be.
“Says who?” she asks with a frown.
I sigh again, wishing I didn’t have to address the reality of my situation. “The sun. It’ll be dawn in a few hours.”
Grace’s eyes widen. “Oh! Shit. Right. I didn’t realize how late it was. I almost forgot about…that.”
I didn’t.
As wonderful as the night has been, the curse of my vampirism is never forgotten. It breaks my heart to see the disappointment on Grace’s face as she realizes the romantic end to the night she’d hoped for isn’t going to happen. I don’t want her to go to sleep sad. Or worse, rethink her desire to try for something more with me after being reminded that even the simplest parts of being in a relationship are much more difficult with a vampire.
“Next time, we’ll go to my place,” I blurt, panicking with the need to see her smile again.
She perks up. “Wait, really? I’ve always wanted to know what your place looks like! Even Mona hasn’t seen it.”
It’s been a long time since I brought a woman back to my place. Since Paloma, my ex who had me install the mirror over the bed, which was… shit, three years ago? And I only invited her over out of a begrudging sense of obligation and months of pestering.
That makes me sound like a complete asshole, and maybe I am. But I don’t like having people in my space. It’s the one place in the world where I don’t have to have my guard up. Maybe it’s a vampire thing, needing a lair or a secure sanctum. Or maybe it’s years of living in places where I never felt safe. Not wanting someone to come in and destroy the peace that I’ve worked so hard to build. Either way, the last person I let inside my house after that ex was Nic, and at least with him I can attempt to keep up the barrier of a client relationship without seeming like a jerk for not allowing him to explore.
So then why am I returning Grace’s grin with a small smile instead of finding an excuse to retract the invitation?
“It’s really not that exciting,” I say with a shrug. Even though it definitely is. Exciting and dread-inducing.
“Uh, yes it is! I bet it’s all sexy and gothic like you. Lots of dark velvet curtains, moody candlelight, maybe even some hidden passages, or gargoyles! Maybe a hedge maze?”
“You make it sound like I live in a castle, not a two-story Victorian in Moonvale.”
“You don’t need a castle to have those things!” Grace’s eyes sparkle with humor as she laughs at her own silliness. God, she’s captivating when she laughs. “Okay, maybe not a hedge maze…”
“I’ll have to hire a gargoyle to come sit on my roof when you visit. Though we’ll sacrifice some privacy if we do that because they have excellent hearing.”
“You’re joking!” Grace says, mouth falling open a little.
“I’m not,” I say, resisting the urge to laugh at her shock at the confirmation that gargoyles exist.
“Whoa. Alright, it’s decided.” She nods her head emphatically.
I raise a brow in confusion. “What is? Hiring a person to sit on my roof?”
“No! Next time there’s a monster night at The Vault, I want to go and, uh, observe. I can’t keep hearing about all these different creatures and then never see them for myself.”
“Sad you didn’t get to see any minotaur cock in the flesh?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest. It’s a joke, but also a nagging fear. What if she realizes she’s not happy with what I have to offer? After all, she’s said herself that she’s never wanted to be with a woman before me.
Grace shakes her head adamantly. “No! I mean, would I maybe like to see for curiosity’s sake? Sure. But I’m more interested in seeing the monsters in general. Not their, uh, cocks.”
Despite her denial, I make a mental note to shop for monster dildos when I get home. I’m not letting worries about Grace missing dicks paralyze me while I have her standing right in front of me, flushing so prettily. If she wants monster cocks, she’ll get them. I told her I’d give her anything.
“I’m happy to take you back to observe .”
Grace’s cheeks burnish even more and she covers her face with her hand. “God, it sounds so dirty when you put it like that.”
“I like it when you’re dirty,” I murmur, reaching out to pull her hand off of her face.
“Sure you can’t come in? Just for a bit?” Grace asks, looking at me through her lashes.
I shake my head. “I shouldn’t.” I kiss her palm before releasing her hand, and take a step back, even though it hurts to let go.
“Right. Gotta get back to your coffin before the sun comes up.” She smirks at her joke, but a moment later her eyes go wide. “Wait, you don’t sleep in a coffin, do you?”
I grin, flashing my fangs at her. “You’ll have to find out for yourself.”
“Such a tease,” she says with a bubbly laugh that makes it hard for me not to press my lips to hers and taste her amusement for myself.
She does it for me, kissing me for the third time tonight. There’s no heat, only pure tenderness and affection that leaves my head a little fuzzy when our mouths part. “Goodnight, Blair,” she murmurs. “I had an amazing time with you.”
“So did I. Goodnight.”
She unlocks her door and steps inside, giving me a small wave before closing it. I stare at the door for a moment, thinking of what an understatement that was. I didn’t have an amazing time. I had the best night of my life.