Chapter 10 Shopping Spree
“Welcome back,” a teasing voice greets me from the foyer.
I barely had my key out of the door when Gray peeked around the corner of the kitchen. He was fresh-faced and well-rested, by the looks of it. Not a hair out of place or a single wrinkle in his borrowed shirt. I wonder what it’s like to wake up and look so damn perfect.
“Where have you been?” He quirks one brow up, amused. I wonder if he can see the shock on my face. I’m having sudden flashbacks to my high school days when Granny would catch me sneaking through the door after curfew. It makes me shiver.
“At a friend’s,” I say. “I meant to be home earlier, but I lost track of time.”
It’s the truth. I wasn’t watching the clock as closely as I should have been. Dax was too distracting, and if I’m honest, I wasn’t going to tell him to stop licking the cherry juice off my tits after he poured it on them. That’s just bad manners.
Gray appears unconvinced by the lie, but doesn’t press me any further on the subject. I’m grateful for that. Instead, he unfolds himself from the door and approaches me. All six feet and some inches of him towers over me, and as he leans in, head tilted, I catch the perfume of his skin.
It’s like spice and smoke, I think, trying not to inhale him. And warm, melted chocolate.
“I hope you enjoyed your time away,” he says, then adds with a sly grin, “Though I can guess by the color of your cheeks that you more than enjoyed yourself.”
My eyes widen and my stomach flutters, which earns me a laugh.
“So what if I did?” I swallow. I enjoyed it more than he can imagine.
“Regardless, you’re mine the rest of the night.” He smirks, straightening before he breezes past me into the living room. The way he says it gives me tingles, but I ignore them.
I follow him with my eyes as he sits cross-legged in the same chair he took up last night. My head is still swimming from post-sex brain rot, so I’m having a hard time refocusing. I wasn’t expecting him to be awake when I finally stumbled through the door.
“Isn’t it still kind of early for you?” I ask. By the time I finally left, it was around six in the evening. A quick look out the window behind him shows how dark it is now. Duh, Millie. It’s November.
“I wake at dusk,” Gray replies, leaning back in the chair and spreading his long legs wide.
I can hardly believe it’s already that late.
Morning had quickly blended into the evening with Dax, which more than made up for our argument.
We hung out, played a few games, made out on his couch, ruined his sheets, drank a few beers, and ate burned pizza.
Dax had an endless amount of energy, all of it in reserves.
The second he was done, it seemed like he was ready all over again.
I spent some time bent over his couch before we ever got anywhere else.
In the moment, it was bliss. Now though? I’m acutely aware of how filthy I am, covered in sweat, sex, and other fluids. We might have gone a little overboard with some caramel sauce, whipped cream, and a jar of maraschino cherries.
“Dusk? Good to know,” I say, wrapping my arms around myself. “Is that normal?”
“Not for all of us.” He shrugs. “The older we get, the earlier we can wake.”
I’m sure I look confused because he adds, “Of course, the sun still weakens and hurts me. That will never change, no matter how old I am.”
“Since we’re on the subject, you never did tell me how old you are.” I can’t believe I didn’t think to ask such a basic question. Going off of his century-long slumber, I just assumed he was around that age, give or take a few years.
“I was turned some time around the eleventh century. During the Crusades, I think,” he says. “It’s been a long time.”
Holy shit. “I’m sorry, but what? The Crusades?”
“Don’t worry. I didn’t participate in the fighting. I’ve never been the self-righteous, blinded-by-faith type.”
“No? For someone who has a poor sense of ‘when not to murder,’ I would have guessed the opposite.”
At that, he chuckles, humor dancing in his eyes. “A battlefield is a good feeding ground.”
“But?”
“I preferred my blood more… noble,” he emphasizes.
Looking at him in the living room, I can see how he would stand out in a crowd.
His otherworldly beauty would draw as much attention then as it does now.
It isn’t so far-fetched for me to imagine him rubbing elbows with kings and queens, just for him to sink his teeth into their necks later. A shiver passes over me at the thought.
“You do strike me as the scheming type.”
“Do I?”
“Yes, but I’m not so sure that’s a compliment. So don’t take it as one.” Mentally, I chide myself for being so blunt with him. If I say one wrong thing, he could easily go back on his deal with me and find another human. Someone with less bite.
“Duly noted.” He smirks.
Awkwardly shifting from one foot to the other, I try to inch my way toward the hallway. I desperately want to shower. “So, about tonight.”
His eyes light up. “Yes?”
“I was thinking we could ditch the TV shows and get you some clothes that actually fit.” With the time off, I may as well be proactive.
Gray fakes a pout and tugs at his shirt. “After you went to all the trouble of washing these for me?”
“I mean, you’re more than welcome to look like last week’s estate sale special. Just thought you might like something that fits,” I say, crossing both arms over my chest. “Ya know? Something more in-fashion.”
“The answer is yes.” He stands up in a flash of movement. “No offense to dearly departed, Henry, of course.”
“None taken.” I smile, holding up my hands. “I’m going to take a quick shower and then I’ll meet you back out here in fifteen. Okay?”
He nods, red eyes watching me as I go. Once down the hall, I hurry into the bathroom and strip.
I’ve never felt so relieved to be alone, out from under his prying eyes.
If I had waited any longer, I was sure he would have noticed my squirming.
After all, I did imagine it was him at one point, not Dax, stuck between my thighs.
Keep it together, I tell myself as the shower pours hot water down my body. Maybe it was just some lingering effect from his blood.
Yet, even as the thought crosses my mind, I somehow doubt it.
A shower and a forty-minute drive in my Zippy brought us to a quiet strip mall outside the lively city center.
A few stores line the block, some closed for the day, but a few still have their lights on.
The shop I’m looking for, though, has its little neon ‘open’ sign in the window still lit.
I hurry over to it and push the door open, the little bell jangling overhead as both Gray and I step inside.
The constant aroma of Emma’s cedarwood incense fills my lungs as I breathe deeply.
The store, Pandora’s Black Box, is one of my favorite haunts.
I stumbled across it one day by accident while I was shopping for new pieces to wear to the club.
They specialize in a number of things, but their collection of goth-chic is my favorite.
It screamed ‘modern vampire’ a la straps, leather, chains, and flashy fabrics.
“We’re ten minutes to closing!” someone shouts from the back.
I know who it is before I even see her. The store is owned by two sisters, Jill and Emma, who also happen to be two of my favorite people.
Outside of the girls at work, I don’t have a lot of friends, but after I started hanging around enough, the three of us became fast friends.
I wanted to hang out with them more, but Ronnie had a roundabout way of avoiding the sisters altogether.
It never really made sense as to ‘why,’ but I could guess it was because of the way they encouraged my dancing career when she would have preferred the opposite.
“I know, but it’s an emergency!” I shout.
Emma, who is older than me by two years, and taller by a couple inches, pops out from behind the racks in a deep green button-down dress.
She looks annoyed at first, but as soon as she sees it’s me, she beelines it to where I’m standing.
Within seconds she has me wrapped up in a hug so tight it feels like my ribs could bruise from the pressure. Small, but strong.
“Hi!” I wheeze.
“Millie! Where have you been?” She pulls back, her face beaming with excitement. Her dimple cheeks are ripe with pink blush and glitter, and her pointed nose crinkles with her smile. She’s literally the cutest person I’ve ever met.
“What do you mean?” a second voice asks, joining us a moment later. It’s Jill, Emma’s sister. “She was here two weeks ago splurging on the new line of lingerie we got in.”
“Two weeks too long!” Emma huffs.
“So, what brings you in? We were about to close for the night,” Jill asks, ignoring her sister.
She’s the exact opposite of Emma. Tall, athletic, and heavily tattooed.
In a way, she reminds me of a modern-day Morticia Addams. If it wasn’t for their eyes or matching dimples, which Jill has pierced, then no one would ever know they’re related.
“I, uh, well, I was hoping you could help my friend out,” I say, struggling to find the right words. I shift to the side and grab Gray’s arm, pulling him forward. “He needs some new clothes.”
Jill whistles. “What in the actual fuck is he wearing?”
“Jill!” Emma covers her mouth in an attempt to hide her shock, but really, I can tell she wants to laugh. She follows up with a breathy, “That’s so rude.”
“I don’t care. It’s rude to walk in here looking like you’ve raided the dumpster behind the Goodwill.” She rolls her eyes and scoffs.
“It’s nice to meet you, too. My name is Gray,” he says without missing a beat.
Jill gives him a far less scathing look as she appraises him.
She must see in him what I do, which is the irrefutable beauty hidden behind the poorly fitted clothing and uncut hair.
When she drops the stony look from her face, I feel myself relax. The scowl, I’ve learned, is permanent.
“I’m Jill, and this is my sister Emma,” she says, sauntering over to us. Emma gives a small wave. “What happened to you?”
Gray doesn’t answer. Instead, he defers to me with a curious look.
“He lost his home,” I start, surprised by how easily the lie rolls off my tongue. “In a fire. A huge house fire.”
Emma gasps. “That’s awful!”
“Indeed, it was,” Gray agrees. “So awful that I’ve put it from my mind. I hardly remember it at all.”
“And what? You’re just helping a stranger?” Jill asks. I bite my bottom lip, knowing full well that I’ll never get over this bridge without paying the toll.
“He’s not a stranger. Gray is a friend from college.” I give his arm a quick pat and smile through the lie as hard, and as sincerely, as I can. “We recently reconnected.”
“Are you dating?” Emma asks bluntly. She has all the wonder of a wide-eyed child in her expression.
She isn’t so innocent, though. I know her well enough to guess that she’ll flirt and hit on Gray while we’re here.
He strikes me as the type to flirt back, so I’ll be at the mercy of their banter the whole time we’re here.
I open my mouth and stutter, “We aren’t—”
“Millie doesn’t date, Em.” Jill sighs with exasperation heavy in her tone. She turns on her big chunky heeled shoes and gestures for us to follow. Emma hops into step and trails after her. “Come on then. Let’s get the guy a few decent pieces and then burn that atrocity.”
“Clothes sound good, but let’s not burn anything.” I laugh nervously. Part of me feels like burning a dead man’s clothes is inviting bad juju.
“What? Afraid dear old Henry will come back from the grave for his stuffy box of moldy belongings?” Gray’s voice is like a breath against my ear and neck.
He’s there one second and then gone the next, blurring ahead of me without a care in the world.
I slap a hand over the cool spot where my neck and shoulder meet, shivering from the sensation.
Did I imagine it, or did his lips actually skirt across my skin when he was talking?
My stomach tightens and a warm rush of heat floods into my cheeks. He’s definitely the type to flirt back.
Keep it together, girl, I tell myself. He’s a vampire. They’re supposed to be flirty and charming.
The mental pep-talk isn’t helping. I know what he is, but for some reason, that knowledge has no walls when it comes to Gray.
I don’t know why. Maybe it’s his voice, or maybe it’s the way I can still feel his teeth in my neck, sucking the blood right out of my veins.
For whatever reason, part of me craves that feeling again.
I know it’s an insane thought, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting a repeat of what happened between us in the attic.
The memories are still fuzzy and I want to fill in the blanks.
I’m too curious for my own good.
“Millie! Are you coming?” Jill’s voice rises above the racks and shakes me from my thoughts.
“Yes!” I call back and quickly follow after, altogether burying the fantasy deep inside my mind. A mantra takes it place: No biting.