Chapter 22
M atteo took me back to my apartment building. He’d taken off his jacket, placing it around my shoulders.
“Aren’t you cold?” I asked.
He pulled back his shirt sleeve, holding his arm out. I touched it, finding him warm this time. “I feel it. I’m not affected by it as you are. Blood keeps us warm,” he explained.
That explained the tee-shirt then at the bar. I pulled my hand back.
His words sunk into me too slowly. “So you fed, before?”
He nodded. “I wanted you to relax, to have fun. Being hungry as I sat across from you might have shown. You might not have enjoyed yourself as much as you did.”
“I did enjoy dinner,” I admitted. “The wine. The atmosphere. Oh, and the company.” I couldn’t hold back my grin.
“Wow, quite an admission,” he laughed.
We walked through the laneway that my apartment overlooked.
I let go of my worry slightly. “Despite you being a vampire, tonight was alright.”
“See, I’m not always a monster. When I choose to, I can be quite the gentleman.” He glanced up. “Perhaps you’ll allow me to do this again. I, too, enjoy your company.”
“You’re trying to court me. You really are old-fashioned,” I laughed. “Against my better judgement, I wouldn’t mind spending time with you again.”
He smiled and glanced up again. Confused, I looked up, too. “Why do you keep looking up?”
“I played the part of a human tonight in the hopes to put you at ease. But will you let me be me before I bid you goodnight?” he asked with a glint of mischief. “I promise no fangs. Just a little…fun.”
Before I could answer, he lifted me into his arms as easily as if I weighed nothing. His body was a wall of muscle, as I’d imagined, and warm. I was hit by that scent of cedarwood and sea again.
“What are you doing?” I asked, starting to panic.
“Going up,” he replied, and his muscles coiled before he launched us into the air.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and squeezed my eyes shut, pressing my head into his chest. “You can fly?” I gasped.
Laughter rumbled from him. “Do I look like a superhero to you? It’s not flying, just jumping. You can open your eyes, you won’t fall. I’ve got you.”
I opened my eyes as we landed on a balcony, light shining around the closed blinds. His muscles tensed again, pushing us up a second time. “Oh my god, what if someone sees us?” I whispered.
“Who would believe them?” We paused on another balcony.
“The entire world, if they catch us on camera,” I pointed out.
“Even if the world sees it, no one will believe it’s real. Everyone will think it’s fake. There are vampires who monitor such happenings, to keep us in the dark.” He pushed up again.
This time I recognised my deck chair on the balcony. He lowered me to the floor and remained perched on the railing. “Why do you not lock your door?” he asked as I pushed my door open.
“I live on the twentieth floor. Up until now, I’ve never had to worry about a visitor landing on my balcony,” I reminded him, with a grin.
“Don’t go inside yet,” He hopped from the railing. “Admire the view with me.” He held a hand out to me.
I hesitated. But again, I didn’t feel threatened.
“I can’t say no to that, it is a beautiful view.” I took his outstretched hand.
He pulled me to him, wrapping his arms around me from behind as we faced the cityscape. Glimmering lights of the buildings, emerging from the blanket of night. His warmth enveloped me, and I leaned into his embrace. Unsure why I felt so safe in his arms, I leaned my head back against his shoulder.
“Are you doing this?” I asked, my voice soft. “I feel so…at ease.”
He turned me around to face him, tilting my chin up. “Is that what you believe?” he asked.
I was trapped in his gaze and saw nothing there but sincerity. “No,” I admitted. “No, I don’t believe that.”
His attraction to me and attempts to woo me were getting to me. He was old-fashioned, and part of me liked that about him. I returned to leaning against him, looking over the city. My face was starting to go numb, and regardless of his jacket, the cold pressed in.
“You should go inside,” he said. “Before you do, I’d like to kiss you.”
My heart pounded. I turned my head, meeting his eyes. “But you said…”
“Not a vampire’s kiss,” he promised. “No fangs.” His eyes dropped to my lips.
There was definite appeal to that. That first kiss had had an effect I couldn’t deny. “Okay.”
He spun me around, a firm hand pressed in against my lower back. His fingers grasped my chin, and he brought his lips down to meet mine. His kiss was tender at first but became more demanding, and I gave in to it completely. His tongue pushed past my lips, meeting mine without hesitance. Warmth burst in my chest and desire consumed me as all else faded but him. I had never felt such a way about a kiss and wanted it to go on forever.
He started to pull away, and I grasped the back of his neck to indicate I wasn’t done. His hand on my back pulled me harder against him, and a deep shiver tore through me. I realised if he wanted to stop, he could probably have easily overpowered my attempt to hold on to him. Heat wrapped its way around my spine. A spark deep inside of me yearned for more. He pulled away — this time, with strength.
His eyes were red, and he was breathing hard, his fangs on display. He seemed as stunned as I was. “Sorry,” he breathed. “I became overwhelmed. Your scent, your blood.” A growl rumbled up that sounded more like a purr. “Your arousal.”
I decided to let it go, trusting that he hadn’t meant for the fangs to come out. But I was disappointed in the abrupt way the kiss had ended, leaving me wanting more. “Wow,” I gasped, breathless. “So that’s what it’s like to kiss a vampire.”
The shiver was not from the cold, and I wanted to kiss him again.
“My vampire’s kiss can be just as pleasurable, if not more so,” he whispered, his fingers brushing my throat. “But that was just a normal kiss. No vampire whatsoever. Until the end.”
“There was nothing normal about that.” I could still feel the softness of his lips. “You’re a good kisser,” I blurted and winced. You’re a good kisser? The kiss mixed with wine had turned my brain to mush.
His smile was suggestive. “I’ve got six hundred years on you, my little cantante . I’d be doing something wrong if I didn’t know how to seduce a woman by now.” His fingers caressed my cheek. “I do want to taste you, with every fibre of my being. But until you are comfortable with what I am, I will keep my fangs to myself. I will not bite you until you ask me to. You do not have to be afraid of me, Quinn.”
His words sent more shivers down my spine, and I had no idea what a cantante was. Despite everything, I was trying to resist my attraction to him and failing miserably.