Dark Secrets (54 page)

“
Jesus Christ, Ara.”
He became as taut as a statue. “You don’t know how close you are to
losing your innocence right now.”

“
Maybe I’m ready for
it.” I lifted my dress a little.

David stood taller,
looking down at my floral-print undies. “To lose your virginity in
a closet space?”

I parted my legs a
little more, inviting his touch to where his eyes and thoughts
lingered. “Yes.”

His heavy breath
stopped, his hand slowly reaching toward my upper thigh, then he
grabbed it firmly, letting his thumb fall against my delicates.
“You shouldn’t play games like this with a dangerous
predator.”

“
A dangerous predator
shouldn’t bring young girls into dark spaces—alone.”

“
It wouldn’t be a
problem if that girl would stop showing the vampire parts he’s
wanted to see for the longest time.” He lowered my dress and
smoothed it over my legs.

“
Did you ever think maybe she’s wanted to
show
him for the longest
time?”

“
What is wrong with
you?” he said with a smile. “Why do you say things like that? I
want to do any number of unsavoury things to you, right now,
including kill you. Can you comprehend that?”

“
That’s what makes
this so romantic. I know you won’t, even though you want
to.”

He shook his head,
frowning over a smile. “Only
you
could think something like that is
romantic.”

“
David.” I ran my
fingers from the tip of his hairline, over his skull and to the
back of his neck, feeling his hair slip through them. “You’re a
vampire. Don’t even pretend you don’t think it’s
romantic.”

A breathy laugh parted
his lips. “I really love you, Ara. You are just so perfect for
me.”

I rolled my head to
the other side, lengthening my neck. “Good. Then show me what it
feels like to be under the spell of the vampire.”

“
I—” His eyes met
mine with hesitation. “I’m afraid I’ll enjoy it.”

“
Isn’t that…a good
thing?”

“
No. I mean…” He
looked at my neck, running his thumb over the pulse. “You know my
teeth are sharper than yours. Even if I only use my front teeth,
chances are I’ll cut you.”

“
You won’t.” I
smiled. “I know you can control yourself when it comes to
me.”

“
Perhaps, but…I’ve
wanted to—for so long.”

“
What, cut
me?”

“
Yes. Eat you, feel
your blood pulse under my teeth, see the life leave your eyes,
breath leave your lips.”

I let out a slow huff.
“Whoa.”

“
I know.” He laughed
timidly. “It’s a vampire thing, and I—I’m afraid I might enjoy
hurting you, Ara. If…if we do this, and the vampire in me takes
control, there will be no going back.”

“
As in…you’ll kill
me?”

“
Perhaps. Or I will
not be able to stop thinking about killing you—hurting you—even
after the day is done and we’ve parted ways.”

I thought about that
for a second, feeling a mischievous smile creep its way into the
corners of my eyes. “Then it’ll be a true test of our love, won’t
it?”

“
No,” he said,
sweeping my hair away from my shoulder. “It will be a test of my
willpower.” And before I could respond, his teeth started my heart,
coming closed tightly around my flesh. I squirmed, a cold shiver
running down my spine while hot blood rushed up under the grip of
his bite. Everything in me from toes to shoulders tensed, the
tendon in my neck going rigid like wet rope, and all the nerves
under it screamed out in agony while my heart pleaded for more, my
flesh burning in an intensely good way. He kept his fangs distant,
but every now and then, they brushed against me like the pointed
tip of a blade run softly over flesh.

“
Bite me harder,
David.” I grabbed his arms, digging my nails in, half pushing him
away, half pulling him closer. I felt his body turn cool against
mine, like the heat of desire pushed his hunger deeper, making him
icy between my legs. And he became more ferocious, losing himself
to the bite, his hands searching my body wildly, travelling under
my dress, demanding my craving skin crawl into his touch. I crossed
my ankles over his hips, imagining my clothes were gone and I could
feel his bare chest smoothly against mine.

“
David?” I squeaked
as he bit down harder, pressing me against the chairs stacked on
the table. “David, it’s hurting a bit.”

“
Shh.” He shoved the
chairs off with a quick push and rolled me onto my back as they
crashed noisily to the floor. The people outside laughed raucously,
their familiar, human sounds setting my heart on fire.

“
David.
Stop.”

My neck burned where
he pulled away, but he didn’t stop; he moved to the other side and
wrapped his lips hard around my skin as I pushed against him. I
felt the scrape of his fangs, sharp, as if he’d cut through,
stinging like a thousand hot little needles under my
skin.

“
David. It’s
hurting.”

He cupped a hand under
my bottom, slipping my underwear past my hip on one side as he
dragged me closer, thrusting his pelvis into mine. And though I
wanted him to—wanted him to make love to me right here on the
table, I also wanted him to kill me. I could see it all, as if his
intentions became my thoughts. But I didn’t want to die. I didn’t
want David to have to live with the regret of killing
me.

“
David!” I burst into
tears. “Please don’t.”

“
Don’t what?” He
looked down at me, confused.

I shoved him away and
rolled up to stand—darting across the room to the safety of the
wall. “Why did you do that?”

“
Do what?” He
appeared in front of me, eyes wide, pupils completely swallowing
the green. “Do what, Ara?”

“
Why didn’t you
stop?” My voice broke.

“
Oh, my love.” He
reached for me; I yanked away, the energy between us turning stone
cold. “Ara, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realise you were
frightened.”

“
I asked you to
stop.” I looked up at him. “That’s a pretty clear indication, don’t
you think?”

“
Yes. But, I—” He
rubbed his brow. “I didn’t hear you. I only tasted your
tears.”

“
What?”

“
I
was drawn in completely. Compelled by the scent of adrenaline—the
fear—it makes the hunger
unbearable
.”

“
But—” I cupped my
hand to the burning on my neck; he hadn’t broken through. “You
didn’t bite me.”

“
Ara?” He frowned as
if the suggestion insulted him. “I would never do that. I always
had control over that. I just—” he turned away, “—I couldn’t
control the vampire.”

“
Isn’t it the same? I mean, the bite
is
the vampire?”

“
No.” He scratched the back of his neck. “The bite is the
hunger. The lust
before
is the vampire.”

“
Oh.” I touched my
collarbone. “So, you wouldn’t have bitten me?”

He rushed in close and
cradled my face in hands. “Not in a million years.”

“
Then, why couldn’t
you hear me?”

“
I—” He closed his eyes. “I can hear the resonance of your
voice in my head
now
, but I was so lost in your velvet touch, I could think of
nothing but…”

“
But
what?”

He shook his head. “It
doesn’t matter. I wouldn’t have done it, anyway. Not with
you.”

“
Not with
me
? What do you mean?” I folded my arms as he walked away.
“What wouldn’t you have done with me?”

Ignoring my question,
he leaned against the table and reached his hand out.

I hesitantly took
it.

“
I’m sorry I scared
you, my love. But have no doubt that my lips, my teeth, or my touch
would not have done anything you didn’t want me to.” He held back a
cheeky grin. “Except maybe tear your clothes off.”

I smiled, feeling my
cheeks tingle.

He pulled me into his
chest, and the cool of his skin through the thin fabric of his
shirt surprised me. “From now on, my love, if I’m in that state,
use your thoughts to reach me—it’s clearer.”

I nodded against
him.

He let out a breath,
pressing each digit of his fingertips firmly over my face and neck.
“I’m so,
so
sorry
I scared you.”

“
I’m okay.” I rolled
my face upward to look at him. “Well, now I know you wouldn’t have
bitten me, I’m okay.”

He clicked his tongue.
“Look what I’ve done to you.”

“
It
stings.”

“
You’re bruising
badly.”

“
You were pretty
rough.” I smiled, holding my hand to the mark.

“
I won’t do that to
you again. Ever.” He looked up from the bruising, the promise of
his words filling out the green in his eyes again.

“
What if I want you
to?”

His jaw tightened, but
his smile remained soft. “No. Not ever again.”

“
But, I liked it.” I
pulled my hand down from my neck and gasped, seeing a red
smear.

“
I know.” He caught
my wrist, holding it away from him. “I was hoping you wouldn’t
notice that.”

“
What…I mean…how…did
you cut me?”

“
No. It’s just from
the er…sucking.” One corner of his lip quirked upward. “I drew your
skin a little too…eagerly.”

“
Can’t you smell
it—the blood?” I held my hand up to him.

“
Yes.”

“
Didn’t you taste
it?”

He shook his head. “It
broke through as I pulled away. I was trying to ignore
it.”

“
Does it make you
want to bite me?”

“
It
makes me want to
taste
you—to see if you taste the way you smell.”

Holding my hand near
my nose, I sniffed. “I can’t smell anything.”

“
That’s because
you’re not a vampire.”

“
Here.” I held my
hand up in front of his lips. “Taste it.”

“
Ara,
don’t!”

“
David?” I frowned at
the empty space in front of me, then spun around a few times until
my eyes found him leaning against a stack of chairs across the
room. “What’s wrong?”

He inched away from me
as I approached. “I can’t do that. One taste could be enough to
make me lose control.”

My nose crinkled and
I looked down at the bloody smudge on my hand, then pressed my
tongue to it.
Erk!
“Gross. How can you drink this stuff? I taste like a
coin.”

David laughed softly.
“You silly girl, of course you won’t like it.”

“
Well, how do you
know you would?”

With a deep, heavy
sigh, he reached across and wiped his thumb over the
bruise.

“
David, what are you
doing?”

“
Tasting you.” His
shoulders lifted once, dropping as he popped his thumb in his mouth
and closed his eyes.

“
David?” I said in a
shaky voice, taking one step back.

His eyes flashed open;
I jumped inside. “Just like I thought. Vanilla and honey. Kinda
like a cupcake.”

“
Are you…” I took
another step away. “Are you okay?”

“
Actually?” His lips
turned down as thought washed across his face. “I’m fine. No sudden
urge to kill you.”

“
Really?”

“
Strangely, the
vampire is screaming for me to suck the life out of you—” He rolled
his head to one side and studied me quizzically, “—But the human me
wants to kiss you and tell you how much I love you.”

“
Well, I always have
liked the human you.” I wrapped myself in his arms.

“
Then, the human me
you shall have.”

“
But,
David?”

“
Yes,” he said
distractedly, kissing my hairline.

“
You were scary as a vampire, but only because I didn’t know
what you were capable of. But now I’ve seen it—” I smiled at the
memory of him losing control, “—I
liked
it.”

“
You’re not serious,
are you?” He whipped me out from his body and held my shoulders.
“Ara, are you joking? Please? Because, I can’t take that kind of a
joke.”

I frowned, shaking my
head. “Why would I joke about that?”

“
Oh, God.” His hand
fell to his knees.

“
What’s
wrong?”

“
Ara. You don’t know
what that means to me.”

“
Is that…a good
thing?”

“
It’s amazing, that’s what it is. You—” he held my face and
dropped a quick kiss on my lips, “—are amazing. Do you have any
idea how precious you are to me? I never knew such a creature could
exist, and now I’ve found you…” His voice slowed. “I have
no
idea how I’m going to
let you go.”