Chapter Thirty-Three
Monday morning, Bryn couldn’t think of anything but the taste of Conor’s blood and his assertion that if she drank his blood from time to time, it would slow the aging process. She couldn’t believe she was even considering it, but she couldn’t think of anything else. Including her work.
She sat up straight and pretended to look busy when Mr. Cummings stepped into her office.
“The Moretti file,” he said. “Where is it?”
“Moretti?” Bryn swallowed hard. “I’ll get it for you right away.”
His brow furrowed. “Are you all right, Miss Davis? You seem...distracted. Is something wrong?”
“No,” she said quickly. And then sighed. “Yes.”
“Can I help?”
“I wish you could. The man I’m seeing is getting serious and I’m not sure we’re a good match.”
“What’s the problem? Different religion? Different backgrounds? Different ideas for the future?”
“All of the above, I’m afraid.”
“In my experience, like must marry like for an enduring relationship.” He cleared his throat. “Do you need the rest of the day off?”
“No, sir. I think I’d rather work.”
He lifted one brow.
“I’ll get right on that file, Mr. Cummings. I promise.”
“Very well.” He gave her a concerned look before returning to his office.
~ * ~
Bryn thought the day would never end. It took every ounce of concentration she possessed to put Conor out of her mind and give her full attention to the work at hand. Mr. Cummings bid her goodnight, with a hope that she would be on her game in the morning.
With a sigh, she shut down her computer, gathered her things, and left the office. How was she ever going to decide what to do about Conor?
~ * ~
“How’s it going with Bryn?”
Conor glanced at his father over the head of the woman he was preying on. “Okay, I guess. She’s having trouble with what I am.” He brushed the woman’s hair away from her neck. “I don’t know how to change her mind.”
Saintcrow sealed the tiny punctures in his prey’s neck and sent her on her way, oblivious to what had happened.
“In the end, it’s up to Bryn. Either she can live with what you are or she can’t.
It shouldn’t be too hard. She works days while you’re at rest. You can be together nights until you get past the sunlight aversion.
” He shrugged. “You can make it work, if she’s willing to put up with a few eccentricities. ”
Conor shook his head. “Eccentricities? It’s not like I sleep with my shoes on or only wear red.”
Saintcrow chuckled. “Are you done there?”
“What? Oh. Not yet.” Drawing the woman into his arms, Conor bit her gently and took what he craved, wishing all the while that it was Bryn in his arms, Bryn satisfying his need.
~ * ~
Bryn had just finished dinner when Conor called. She felt a curl of anticipation in the pit of her stomach when she heard his voice.
“Are you busy tonight?” he asked.
“I hope so,” she said, a smile in her voice.
“What time shall I pick you up? Or would you rather stay in?”
“Let’s stay in. I had a kind of a stressful day.”
“Sorry.”
“You should be. It’s your fault.”
“My fault? How so?”
“I can’t think of anything but you. It’s affecting my work. Even my boss is asking what’s wrong. How soon can you be here?”
“I’ll be there before you open the door.”
She ended the call and ran toward the front door.
When she opened it, he was standing there, a big grin on his face.
“You were already here when you called, weren’t you?” she said, taking a step back to allow him to enter.
“No. But I was close by.”
She closed the door and when she turned around, he took her in his arms. “I missed you.”
He brushed a kiss across her lips. “Tell me you missed me.”
“You know I did.” Tugging on his hand, she led him to the sofa and sat down.
He settled beside her and draped his arm around her shoulders. “What would you like to do?” His gaze moved over her face and settled on her lips. “I know what I’d like to do.”
“So do I,” she said, with a knowing grin. “But not tonight.”
“Ah. Another hope crushed.”
“We could play cards. Or watch a movie. Or you could tell me how you...I mean, when you....”
“Are you trying to ask me how I satisfy my thirst?”
She nodded, her cheeks reddening with embarrassment.
“Funny you should ask. That’s what I was doing before I called you.”
“Oh?”
“Are you sure you want to know?”
“I think so.”
“It’s easy, really. I find someone, usually a female who’s alone. I call her to me, assure her that she’s in no danger, and take what I need. It isn’t much, just a few swallows. Then I wipe the memory from her mind and send her away. It doesn’t take more than a few minutes.”
Bryn nodded slowly as she tried to picture it in her mind. “It’s not like that in the movies.”
“Movies!” He grimaced. “Hollywood makes us out to be monsters. In a way, I guess we are. But not like those ravening creatures on the screen, tearing out throats.” He shook his head. “They’ve given us a bad rap.”
“What’s it like when you rest during the day?”
He shrugged. “It’s the only part I don’t like.
It’s kind of like being swallowed by darkness.
I’m not aware of anything until the sun goes down.
After a while, I won’t have to rest during the day, although I don’t know how long I have to wait.
” Even as he said it, he wondered if telling her these things was a good idea.
“Are you sorry you let your father do it?”
He took her hands in his. “Only because it might keep us apart. For your sake, I’d undo if I could.”
She leaned into him, touched by his words, by the love in his beautiful midnight-blue eyes. She sighed as he wrapped his arms around her, lifted her face for his kiss as he lowered his head. Right or wrong, vampire or not, in his arms was where she wanted to be.
Conor held her close, inhaling the fragrance of her hair and skin, loving the way she responded to his kisses. The scent of her blood called sweetly to him, but he ignored it, wanting only to hold her and caress her, to lose himself in her warmth.
Inevitably, his desire grew stronger, more compelling. He waited for her to back off and when she didn’t, he called on every ounce of self-control he had and released her.
Bryn looked up at him, her eyes cloudy with desire, her lips slightly swollen from his kisses.
Conor took a deep breath. “Unless you’ve changed your mind about tonight, I think we’d better slow down a little.” Even as he said the words, he couldn’t believe he was saying them. “Another thing about vampires, the desire for blood is aroused by other desires, as well.”
She stared at him, uncomprehending, for a moment. And then she blushed, remembering she’d told him ‘not tonight.’ “Oh.”
“Yeah.” He took a deep breath. “Why don’t you tell me a little about yourself. Your family.”
“Well, there’s not much to tell. You know I have a sister, Rae.
We’re very close. My parents are just average, I guess.
My mother was a stay-at-home mom. My dad is a corporate lawyer.
He wanted me to work for him, but I wanted to be on my own.
” She shrugged. “I had a normal childhood. I wanted to marry a cowboy when I was a little girl.” She grinned at him.
“I guess you’re as far from a cowboy as I could get. ”
Conor laughed. “I’ll buy you a horse, if you like. We can keep it at Morgan Creek. Lots of open country and trails in the mountains. Shoot, I’ll put on a Stetson and boots and buy you a ranch if you want one.”
She grinned at him. “Can you afford that? Really?”
He nodded. “Really.”
“A vampire cowboy,” she murmured. “I’d like to see that.”
Conor was whistling when he left Bryn’s house an hour later. For the first time, he felt he might win her heart.
~ * ~
Bryn smiled as she got ready for her date with Conor.
They had spent almost every evening of the last few weeks together.
The more time she spent with him, the more she was sure she loved him.
He was kind. He was funny. He listened to her thoughts, her hopes and dreams and promised to make them all come true.
From any other man, she would have doubted his ability to do so. But Conor wasn’t like any other man.
He treated her with kindness and respect.
Somewhat apprehensively, she decided it was time for him to meet her parents, although she wasn’t sure how that would work.
Dinner was definitely not an option. When she saw Conor tonight, she would ask him about going to meet her mom and dad.
Thinking about her own parents made her wonder what Conor’s mother was like. Bryn was anxious to meet her.
~ * ~
They went dancing that night, and then for a walk under the stars. As it turned out, it took her most of the evening to summon the courage to suggest he should meet her parents. And it wasn’t until they were back at her apartment that she brought it up.
Conor blew out a sigh. He knew her parents wouldn’t be able to tell he was a vampire, at least he didn’t think so. Most people weren’t able to sense the otherness that surrounded him.
“Well?” Bryn prodded. “Just say no if you’d rather not.”
“I guess it’s a good idea,” he decided, thinking it might be good for Bryn to see that he could relate just fine to her mom and dad.
“How about tomorrow night?”
“Sure. Where do they live?”
“About thirty miles from here.” She smiled at him. “After you meet my folks, I’d like to meet your mother. Maybe we could do both the same night.”
That took him by surprise, but he could hardly refuse. “Sure.” Drawing her into his arms, he kissed her lightly “I love you, Brynlee. You’re the best thing in my life.”
Her heart warmed at his words. “I love you, too. More than I thought I could love anyone.”
Drawing her body against his, he kissed her again, longer, deeper, with all the yearning in his heart. “Sweet dreams, love.”
“Do you dream?”
“No. But if I did, they’d be of you.”
She grinned at him. “You say the nicest things. No wonder I love you.” Rising up on her tiptoes, she kissed his cheek. “See you tomorrow night.”