Chapter 58 A Picture Of Darkness
A Picture Of Darkness
Karson’s eyes were dark, so dark I almost stepped back. Then they changed and I saw relief, guilt, and something softer. It all flashed through so fast I barely had time to register it. Then his face was back to steel.
Dressed all in black, he was a picture of darkness.
A black shirt stretched across his broad shoulders and chest. His thick, dark hair was combed back.
The light from the club bounced across the sharp edges of his jaw and swooped over his Adam’s apple.
His gaze struck me like a bolt of lightning.
My heart stopped beating. It might sound clichéd, but it turned out the cliché was true, because his beauty hit me so hard my knees almost buckled.
It had only been two days since I’d seen him, but it felt like a lifetime.
I wanted to run to him, throw my arms around his neck, kiss his lips, bury my face into his chest. I wanted to have my body spark to life against his, to hold him and never let him go.
He was the one I would spend the rest of my life with.
I could feel the pull to go to him like the night sang for the stars.
We felt fated to be, our darkness and our light dancing for an eternity. Binary stars.
But his face was stone again, not a whisp of emotion. He had a role to play and so I’d play mine. Which was just to be me. I smiled, and he just stared as if he couldn’t believe I was here.
“Hey,” I said softly, knowing my voice would reach his ears.
He blinked, taking a step toward me. My heart charged forward again.
A tall, well-dressed, dark-haired man bounced between us, greeting him enthusiastically, kissing both of his cheeks and slapping his back.
They began to talk, Karson’s attention focused on the man.
He couldn’t show his love, not in a room full of vampires.
My shoulders sagged, my chest aching with the absence of his presence.
The moment I imagined we’d share was broken.
The photographer would have to wait, wherever he was.
“Let’s dance.” Ethan stood abruptly, placing his arm around my back and guiding me to the dancefloor.
We moved close to Georgie and Josh. She smiled at us, and I forced one back as we started to dance.
A love song slowed the dancing. Josh placed his arms on Georgie’s hips, she put hers around his back, and they swayed from side to side.
She laughed at something he said. They looked good together.
He’d be good for her. He was thoughtful, and kind, the type of guy you felt safe with, the type who would never let you down. Shame he wasn’t attracted to women.
Ethan wrapped his arms around the small of my back. “You doing alright,” he murmured into my hair.
My gaze drifted to Karson, Monique, and the others who had joined in the conversation with the man. I dragged my eyes away. “Never better.” I brightened my tone.
“You’re a terrible liar.”
I eased back a little, blanked my emotions and my face, and cocked an eyebrow. “Better?”
He smiled. “My student may be a slow learner, but there might be hope yet.”
“Ouch, are you calling me stupid?”
“No, not stupid, just …” He waved out a hand, grappling for a word. “Misguided.” He stepped back, grabbed my hand and swung me around. My foot shot to the side, and he pulled me into him before I lost balance.
“I’m letting you take the lead, so if I’m misguided that’s on you.”
“If I didn’t direct your every move, the way you dance, I’m pretty sure you’d fall over, or take out my toes.”
I laughed. “Harsh. I haven’t had years of experience like you.”
“You don’t need years of experience. You just need balance and coordination.”
I had both of those things, when it came to fighting anyway. The dancefloor was a level of challenge I couldn’t grasp. He twirled me again, chuckling when my heel snagged on the floor and I wobbled. His hands shot out to catch me and he drew me against his body once more.
“It’s the floor, it’s uneven,” I protested.
“It’s not the floor.” He nestled his face back to my hair, his breath warming my ear. “I will teach you to dance one day.”