Chapter 24
A lmost two weeks had passed since I’d taken her to dinner and then kissed her on her balcony. Every day I had left her a rose, stopping only to listen to her deep breathing and steady heartbeat, before leaving her my gift.
In the early hours of the morning, with a rose in my hand, I leapt to her balcony. I caught movement inside and found her walking through her living room, her back to me, completely naked. In the centre of her back was a tattoo of a rose with a music staff. As if sensing me, she turned around, and I dropped my gaze immediately. I only caught the briefest glance, but it was enough for me to memorise every curve, every inch of her body. There was a scurry of movement inside as she ran for clothes. I considered leaving and stared at the rose in my hand.
The door slid open. “Matteo? Um…” She stood there in a tee-shirt and pajama pants, at a loss for words.
I held the rose out. “I merely came to leave you a gift before the sun rose. I meant no intrusion.” Finally, I lifted my eyes, meeting her gaze. “I did not expect to find you awake or so…exposed.”
She stared at the rose in silence, then took it carefully. “Perhaps you should come inside, instead of skulking around on my balcony.”
She turned around, putting my rose in a vase with the other three I’d left that week. Their floral fragrance combined with the lingering aroma of burning candles. I stepped inside, and she sat down cross-legged on the couch.
The scent of her lust clung to her. I breathed in deep. “That smell,” I growled, my feral rising to the surface, but I fought it, resisted the need to strip her bare and plunge myself deep inside her, while I fed. “You’re…” My eyes dropped to between her legs.
“Oh shit, you can smell that?” Blood rushed to her cheeks.
“I can hear your heartbeat, smell your body wash, and yes, I can smell your arousal.” I smiled as the red of her blush deepened.
“Well if you must know then, I kind of had a … dream about you,” she admitted.
I chuckled. “It must have been quite the dream. I wasn’t aware I had that effect on you.” No more than the effect she had on me. I’d awoken from dreams of her with an erection and fangs. I knew the moment I claimed her body, I’d taste her blood too. But I wouldn’t take either until she asked me for both.
“You can sit down,” she changed the subject. “I won’t bi-” Her eyes widened and she slapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh god.”
I chuckled and took a seat next to her.
She turned around to face me, her eyes grazing over my face. “Maybe I should start closing my blinds. The thought never occurred to me that I’d have some peeping Tom on my balcony in the middle of the night.”
“Peeping Tom? No, you mistake me.” I turned around to face her, only to find her smiling.
“It’s okay Matteo, I’m joking.” Her body shook with laughter as she watched me again.
I couldn’t keep my eyes off her. Our gazes locked, and the sound of her heart filled my head.
“What is it about you?” she wondered aloud. “I should be terrified, but I… your presence is strangely comforting. Like I know you. Had we met before? Did you compel me or something?” There was no accusation to her question.
I wanted to reach for her, caress her cheek, her throat. “I can assure you that the first time we met was at that bar.” Her presence warmed me. “Although I saw you a few months ago outside a music studio when I met with a model.”
Her eyes lit up. “Oh my god, yes. The blonde. I remember that now.”
She lifted her hand towards my face and stopped. “I have a vampire in my apartment at some god-forsaken hour, and all I can think about is that kiss. Why am I not afraid of you?”
She should be afraid. She should be terrified. But I couldn’t find the words to tell her such. I would never willingly hurt her. “I too think of that kiss.”
Her hand slipped into my hair, the movement pleasant. I reached out, my fingers brushing her throat. The two of us leaned forward, but she stopped.
“I still need time,” she whispered.
The yearning in her eyes told me exactly what she wanted. What we both wanted.
“Time?” My mind was foggy with need for her.
“To come to terms with what you are.” Her gaze remained on my lips, hers parted, her breaths soft.
She was resisting what she wanted. “You desire me,” I declared.
She licked her lips. “I’m not denying that. I need to see who you are as a man, to know you aren’t just a monster trying to seduce me. For my blood, or for my body.”
I sat back . “You know that I’ve killed. That scares you.” Again, I hated the feral nature that set me apart from other vampires. If she could ever look past the vampire, she’d find that part of me, and it filled me with shame.
She pulled her lip through her teeth. “Someone was killed two nights ago. Puncture marks in their throat, blood missing. Just round the corner. I know you watch to make sure I get home safely, so you were here. Was it you?”
Her unexpected change of direction and question left me reeling. She’d pulled back. She was asking if I’d killed someone. “No.” I told her. “I didn’t kill.” That would be impossible with Carlos on my trail at all times, but I refrained from telling her that. Maybe there was a blessing to the supervised feedings after all. I had followed her, as she said, but I left when my hunger became too great, calling for Carlos. Had the red haze risen before he arrived? I couldn’t recall, and I hoped that was not the case.
“How many vampires are there in Melbourne?” she asked. “I saw one watching me, when I had lunch with my parents.”
Someone was watching her. I wanted to growl, but it would only frighten her more. I needed to claim her soon, for all to see. The clan had to know she belonged to me, so they’d know they were forbidden to touch her.
“We have a clan here, we’ve been here for a year,” I admitted. “I cannot speak of them.”
“A year?” she frowned. “How have you been here this long, and we’ve never met? Oh my god, how do I know a vampire hasn’t already fed on me?”
“None have.” I grabbed her hand, bringing it to my lips. “Even if it had been years ago, I’d know.” I kissed her hand. Her heart fluttered.
“Can you smell that, too?” Her discomfort over my picking up her scent of lust still embarrassed her. She averted her eyes.
“Humans who have been fed from do have a certain scent.” I released her hand. “Do you want me to leave?”
“I want to say no.” She sighed.
Admiration for this woman for her honesty rose. “I will give you what you need,” I told her. “I will make you mine, Quinn. But not while you hesitate like this.” I stood. “I know you will sing tomorrow. I’ll be there. If you’ll allow me to.”
She beamed at me. “I’d like that.” She climbed to her feet. “Thank you, Matteo. I appreciate that you’re not being forceful with this.”
I allowed a small smile. “It’s not easy. But at least this time you’re not just saying no. I do believe you’re warming to me. ”
“Maybe.” Her lips twitched. “Thank you for the roses, they’re beautiful, but maybe limit the gifts you leave on my balcony.”
“You don’t like them?” I glanced at the vase.
She followed me to the balcony. “I do, it’s touching, but it’s a lot. I mean, a lot !”
I hesitated before leaving her and lowered my lips to her forehead. Her heart soared, and I wanted to pull her into my arms. Instead, I let myself drop the twenty floors and raised my eyes. She leaned on the railing, looking down at me.
“What have I gotten myself into?” she wondered aloud.