Kiss and Tell Page 8

  She’d had every intention of going home and packing a few things to use at his home. Instead Seth surprised her the next night by taking her shopping. When she modeled the clothes for him in the store, he’d whispered in her ear how much he enjoyed watching her walk around his home wearing one of his shirts and nothing else. She was still blushing when he paid for the few outfits she had picked out.

  After their trip to buy her clothes, he’d taken her to the grocery store, convincing her to fill the cart with foods she liked. She’d been stunned. His thoughtful gestures told her better than words could that he wanted her to stick around. It revealed how much he enjoyed having her in his home. He’d been so generous with her, she felt guilty, almost as though she were taking advantage of him. But any time she mentioned paying him back, he’d pull her into his arms and kiss her until she melted. Then he would smile and nibble on her shoulder.

  Walking to where she’d placed her shirt for the night, Willow dressed in his favorite color, burgundy. More amazing to her was the fact that not only did he not care if she went through his closet or drawers to pick something out, he’d even made room for the items she’d begun to accumulate. In his shower, beside his shampoo, he’d surprised her one night when she woke up with her own bottles of shampoo and conditioner. Walking into the bathroom, she smiled at the gradual signs there was now a woman using the room. Her favorite fruit-scented lotion sat on his pristine counter near the brush he’d bought for her. His toothbrush now had a mate as well.

  Stretching, she smiled before she began her attempt to tame her hair. Her muscles were getting much more limber, her body less stiff, and she couldn’t be happier. She’d grown used to his daily massages with a wonderful oil, which always seemed to turn into foreplay.

  I am definitely becoming spoiled, Willow thought with a smile, thinking back to his tender kisses and caresses. But he wasn’t always gentle. When they fucked, he knew he drove her crazy whenever he pounded into her body, making her scream out in pleasure as she experienced orgasm after orgasm.

  Once she finished brushing her hair, she walked out of the room and headed for the dining room, where she knew he would be waiting for her.

  Seth watched her walk into the room and once again gave thanks that she was in his life. After her confession, he’d done much thinking about her answer. He decided it didn’t matter what brought her over to his table, only that she had joined him.

  As he waited for her to sit down, his conscience began to scold him yet again. Ever since she’d revealed her secret, he’d felt like an ass for deceiving her. Too many centuries had passed since he’d last been tempted to entrust a mortal with the truth about who he was. He felt certain Willow would want—no, that isn’t right, he corrected, she would feel she deserved to know I am a vampire. Thus far she seemed content to only know what he was wiling to say, never pressing him if he didn’t wish to discuss a subject. At least not since she asked those uncomfortable questions about why he had been sucking on her thigh. His conscience had begun to grow more insistent that he reveal the truth.

  Staring at her as she proudly wore his favorite deep red shirt, his hunger swelled yet again. Despite the fact that she now had clothing in his apartment to wear, she’d consented to his request that she only wear his tops. Since the first time he’d drank from her, he’d been unable to slake his thirst with another. No one’s blood tasted as sweet as hers, none satisfied him as completely—or at all it seemed—but he continued to drink from them, fearing harm would come to her if he didn’t. And he’d long ago decided no harm would come to his woman. He wasn’t exactly sure when she’d ceased to be Willow, a woman he was merely having fun with, to Willow, his woman. In the end, it didn’t mater. As far as he was concerned, she was his woman now, and he didn’t want to lose her.

  And in a moment of honesty he admitted that was the real reason he hadn’t told her the truth yet. Because he was afraid she would leave and he would never see her again. That she would think he was some crazy man, or someone looking for a free meal. Just the thought of never seeing her smile again made his chest become tight and caused his heart to ache.

  “Wow, that looks delicious. I do believe you are trying to spoil me, sir.”

  Smiling, he seated Willow at the table then placed the fresh plate of linguine he’d ordered in front of her. He had completely forgotten about it as he looked at her, enjoying her beauty.

  “It smells wonderful,” she sighed, taking a deep breath.

  Nodding, he agreed completely with her. Something did look delicious. But to him, it was her.

  “It has been my pleasure to spoil you. You are very easy to please.”

  Willow blushed at his double entendre and his cock began to harden just thinking about tasting her the way he had all those nights ago. How it had been, letting the cream from her sweet pussy linger on his tongue as her blood blended perfectly to create the most intoxicating taste he’d ever experienced. His mouth watered as he thought of drinking the cream from her body then driving her over the edge by drinking from her upper thigh. It still amazed him how easily she’d found pleasure, how hard she’d orgasmed simply from his bite. He’d never known that to happen with another woman. At least, not without a little “help” from him.

  He’d restrained his desire to taste her completely for almost a week. Five incredibly long nights had passed. Five nights filled with temptation. The temptation to drink her blood; to change her into his eternal mate. If he was careful, he believed it would be safe for him to drink from her again. His teeth lengthened as he thought about drinking from her with her consent, not having to hide what he did and being able to share his pleasure with her.

  How would it feel to not have to hide behind smoke screens any longer? Would her blood become more intoxicating to him? Would she still accept him for who and what he was? Could he ever let her go if she didn’t?

  “Seth?”

  Smiling, he forced back the serious thoughts. “Yes, sweetheart?”

  “I asked if you were going to eat anything.”

  “I’m not hungry right now. I’ll grab a quick bite later.”

  “Okay,” she said and let the subject drop. The look on her face told him things were not okay. Willow was beginning to wonder about him, if the questions hadn’t already begun.

  An hour later they sat cuddling on the big, soft, comfortable couch by the phone while Willow spoke with her sister. It had become their ritual. When he tried to give her privacy, she stopped him. She told him she took comfort in feeling his arms around her as she argued with her sister.

  Looking down, he couldn’t help himself. He was drawn to her, felt as though an eternity had passed since he last tasted her. Watching her neck, he could see the vein there throbbing in time with her heartbeat. He could smell the lotion he’d grown to love all over her skin. Calling himself a weak fool, he acknowledged that he’d fed regularly to avoid this exact situation. But now, with her pressed so close, he felt as though he were starving and she were the only one who would—could—be able to satisfy his thirst.

  Lowering his mouth to her neck, to the spot she loved for him to kiss and tease, he traced a light design on her flesh. He only intended to kiss her, to nibble gently and enjoy the husky tone that entered her voice as she tried to maintain the conversation with her sister. Through the phone he could hear Roxy arguing with her, telling Willow yet again that she shouldn’t run away from her problems, that she needed to come home and fight back. Her sister told her she should go back to her former employer and go after the jerk who had gotten her fired, or at least come home so she knew Willow was safe.

  His lips caressed Willow’s skin, his hunger growing as her pulse fluttered gently beneath his lips. Willow’s breathing had changed, quickening as she pressed back, closer to him.

  “I have to go. I’ll talk to you later.” Willow hung up before her sister could say anything else. Tilting her head to the side, she gave him complete access to her neck. “God, I love it when you do th
at,” she moaned. She squirmed slightly from her position between his legs.

  Tell her now. Tell her the truth, how much you want her and how no one else has been able to satisfy you since you met her, his conscience screamed.

  I will tell her. I’ll tell her everything, he promised himself, lingering over the delicate pulse point. But I just need one more taste. I’ll die if I don’t get one more taste of her and she runs away from me screaming.

  Despite his good intentions to tell her the truth, the temptation to taste her at least one more time proved to be too great to resist.

  His teeth lengthened, sliding so easily into her neck that he had to force back a groan. As he suckled, drinking deeply, he had to silence the moans of ecstasy that threatened as her blood filled his mouth and he felt her arch back against him. Her ass started to rub against his hard cock as his suckling grew more insistent.

  Silencing the voice inside his head that still continued yelling at him—promising him he only needed to confide in her and things would work out—he lost himself in her taste. Seth forced himself to close the wound before he got carried away. He was about to lick any remaining traces of blood from her neck when she surprised him by pulling away.

  Pulling away from Seth, Willow was no longer lost in the pleasure of his lips on her flesh as something sharp slid across her neck. When she looked backed at him, her confusion increased.

  His eyes were glazed, like he had just finished an entire bottle of wine in just a few minutes. She was about to question him about what he had done when she noticed a drop of something rolling down his chin. Putting her finger to his mouth, she wiped it away, growing anxious when she noticed it was red. Placing her fingers gingerly on her neck, in the spot that felt somehow scratched, she rubbed. Her eyes grew wide when she saw blood smeared across them.

  She didn’t wait for an explanation. Jumping off the couch, Willow practically ran across the room.

  “You bit me! I’m not sure I want to be involved in something that kinky.” Feeling slightly more comfortable now that there was a significant amount of space between them, she took a good look at him. Did his teeth appear longer, sharper than they had earlier? She allowed her hand to return to her neck. “What are you?” Her voice sounded higher than usual, even to her own ears as her hand remained protectively on the spot he’d just suckled.

  “I can explain…”

  “Explain what? You bit me! You—you bit me and I just wiped some of my blood off your mouth. Oh my God! What are you? Are you into blood games, because I don’t remember any of this happening all week.” She needed to calm down. She could feel herself becoming hysterical. She’d always thought that was more of an exaggeration, that people didn’t still react that erratically in this day and age.

  “Willow, please, calm down. I promise there is nothing to be afraid of. Please, come sit down and I promise we’ll discuss this like mature adults.”

  “Like hell there isn’t! There is no way I’m sitting back down beside you. I want some answers. Why did you bite me? Were—were you drinking my blood?”

  One word was flashing across her mind.

  Vampire.

  Seth is a vampire. Or at least he thinks he is. It makes sense, part of her reasoned. “Oh my God. You’re a…you’re a vampire,” she stuttered, her hand lowering from her neck. “But vampires aren’t real.” In her anxiety, she started wringing her hands. She looked down when she felt something sticky on them. Her fear grew as she saw traces of blood on both her hands thanks to her nervous habit. It looked like much more now that it was smeared over both of her them. Oh my God, this guy thinks he’s a vampire!

  “I don’t think I’m a vampire, Willow, I have always been one.”

  Willow almost swayed as Seth threw her own thoughts back at her. “It all makes sense now,” she said, her voice low, as she spoke her thoughts aloud. She was talking to herself more than she was to him. “Why you never ate, why you said those things about vampires after that movie. Why you stay up all night, and sleep all day…” Her voice rose as her panic increased. “God, no wonder you were willing to do anything for me. What was I—an all-you-can-drink buffet?”

  “Willow, sweetheart, it wasn’t like that. I was going to tell you …”

  “When? When you had almost drained me? Or when you’d decided whether or not to change me? I can not believe I am having this conversation. I’d really like to wake up now, please.” Closing her eyes she gave a humorless chuckle. “You know, if you’d asked me a week ago what I thought I would be standing in a room arguing with a guy about, I can pretty much guarantee that it wouldn’t have ever included anything about a conversation about fictional creatures. Of all the things I thought I had to worry about with you, I never once even considered the possibility that you would kill me by draining my blood. I trusted you.”

  “Sweetheart, I’m not fiction. I am the figment of no one’s imagination.” He slowly stood and approached her. Looking into her eyes, Seth reached his hand out toward her. “And if I wanted to drain you of your blood, I could have easily done so the first night you slept in my home. Sweetheart, please, just calm down.”

  “Don’t do that. You don’t get to do that anymore. You don’t get to try to make me melt with your voice—or touch me anymore.” She could feel her fear growing. “This wasn’t the first time, was it? That you drank my blood, I mean.”

  He shook his head no.

  “Tell me,” she demanded, only barely resisting the urge to stomp her foot.

  “I don’t see how…”

  “Tell me,” she screamed.

  “The first morning you were here I drank from you.” He didn’t look very happy with the confession.

  “That’s why I slept all day, isn’t it?” Her panic increased as he nodded. “When else? When you ‘kissed’ my finger?” He nodded again. “Any other times?”

  Seth shifted his gaze to her thigh. Her hand automatically followed his gaze.

  “That’s why I was so sore?” She lifted her hand to cover her eyes, but the sight of her blood had her quickly lowering it again. “This can’t be happening to me. I’m a good person,” she said to herself. “I—I have to go.”

  “Please, wait. I’ll get a car for you.”

  “No! Stay away from me!” Willow ran to the elevator and continuously pushed the down arrow until the doors opened. “Just stay away from me.” Inside the elevator she repeatedly hit the close doors button until the doors shut. She was terrified Seth would try to touch her again and she would simply melt into his arms. Even knowing what she did about him now, she could feel her body struggling. Unlike her mind, her body didn’t know if it wanted to run back to him or start shivering with his betrayal.

  Running out of the elevator as soon as the doors opened, she sped out of the lobby without paying attention to her surroundings or any stares she may be receiving. When she was safely outside she hailed a taxi, uncaring that she was only wearing Seth’s shirt; that she didn’t have shoes to protect her feet from the hard street or any money to pay for the ride. Giving the driver her address she pleaded with him to hurry, constantly looking over her shoulder to make sure Seth wasn’t following her.

  Her fear must have motivated the driver because in no time they were weaving through traffic in a manner that would have scared her if she weren’t already afraid for her life. She didn’t start to feel safe again until her building came into view.

  “If you just wait right here, I’ll get your money,” she promised.

  Exiting the cab with her, the driver stuck close to her side as she greeted the doorman, asking him to page her sister.

  Ten minutes later Willow’s sister was ushering her to the bathroom inside their apartment to clean her up.

  “What the hell happened to you? Why is there blood smeared all over your neck and hands?” Roxy asked her voice filled with concern.

  Before Willow could stop her, Roxy put a washcloth under warm tap water and began to clean her neck.

  �
��I see a rather dark mark on your neck,” Roxy scolded her sister, “but no real wound. What happened? How the hell did you get blood on your neck? And where did you get the small scratch from? That couldn’t possibly have been deep enough to leave any blood, much less enough to smear across your hands! Hell, it’s already healing,” she said leaning closer to Willow’s neck. “I’ve seen deeper paper cuts.” Roxy asked one question after the other, barely giving Willow time to answer.

  Staring at her reflection in the mirror, Willow couldn’t tear her gaze off the mark Seth had left. It was the only indication, other than the small scratch and the streaks of blood on the previously white cloth in her sister’s hand, that she hadn’t simply imagined the entire thing.

  “I’m not… It’s not mine,” she stammered. She never had been able to lie well.

  “Then whose blood is it?”

  “That guy’s. The one I was with. I guess I must have busted his lip when I was trying to get away from him earlier. While he was sucking on my neck,” she added lamely. “His tooth must have grazed me when I pulled away.”