42nd & Lex (13 page)

“You know what’s funny about this whole
thing? You could kill me at any moment, in a variety of ways—electric shock in
the tub, draining me of blood—and here I sit worried about you buying me
something. Most girls in this town would expect a guy to buy them expensive
things.”
What I dork
, I finish in my head.

 “You are a dork Abri Elizabeth Cole.” Lucan
splashes me playfully. “A dork that apparently considers herself my girlfriend.”

“Must you listen to everything I say?” I
splash him back to distract him from my reddened face. Never get into a splashing
match with a vampire. Lucan returns my volleys before the water even reaches
his side of the tub. Water is spilling over the sides at an alarming rate. “Okay,
okay. I give up! You win!”

Lucan stops splashing and pulls me back into
his lap. The faucet turns on and warm water begins filling the tub again. “It’s
automatic,” he points out before I ask.

“Cool.” I settle back against him and let
the water flow back over my body. The city lights are beautiful. Even if I
moved to Chelsea, my apartment would not have near as nice a view. On my budget,
it will probably be of a brick wall or someone else’s window. Geez, I need to
start looking if I am actually going to move. My brain is wondering as I track
a plane crossing our air space on final approach to La Guardia.

“Abri, does that brain of yours ever shut
off?” Lucan playfully rubs the top of my wet head. 

“Eh, no, ‘fraid not. Occupational hazard. Always
something to do, something to think about.”

“Just wondering.” He drops his hands to my
shoulders and starts rubbing. I fight to turn off my thoughts while we watch
the moon creep across the sky. It doesn’t last.

“Tell me about the tattoo on your arm. What
does it mean?” I am almost too relaxed to make conversation, but I don’t want
to fall asleep in the tub.

“It’s my family crest. I got it a few years
back just to remember them by.”

“I like it. I’ve always wanted a tattoo, but
they seem too… well, permanent.”

“I never really thought of it that way.”
Permanency on a vampire seems rather ironic actually. He is still rubbing my
shoulders and I am very sleepy. If I can’t stay awake, I will be staying over
again. That’s probably the point.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to
turn into a prune.” I show Lucan my hands and then lift up one foot to examine
it. I lose my balance and my backside slides off the wide step we’ve been
resting on. Lucan’s reflexes have me steadied faster than I can react but our
hands have come to rest in places very contrary to my request to take things
slow. I’ve been leaning against Lucan’s naked body for an hour or more, but this
is infinitely more intimate. We have both managed to keep our hands in
respectable places until now. He is gaping at me, a look of shock and longing
on his face. It does something to me.

I slide my hands further up this legs and he
takes a ragged, albeit unnecessary, breath. “This is not taking it slow,” he
warns. His voice is barely above a whisper. His eyes are wide and unblinking.

“I know. Maybe a little faster than slow is
okay.”

He doesn’t resist as I seize his mouth with
mine, thrusting my tongue inside, capturing his. He groans under me and I feel
the rumble of his voice all the way to my toes. His hands are in my hair but
they are not pulling me back. I straddle his lap and lean into him to gain a
little traction against the slick sides of the tub. His hands grip and knead my
ass.

Fireworks are going off in my belly and I
have to come up for air. Shifting back on his lap I run my fingers down his
chest. Thank God, he can’t amp me in the water or I am sure we would both be
toast by now. Maybe this is why he’s letting me touch him this way.

I quickly scuttle any thoughts he might pick
up on and end our fun. His eyes are closed and he’s arching into the stroke of
my nails on his pecs. I glance down between us in the water; he is completely
aroused. Emboldened, I stop stroking and reach down to grasp him in my hands.

Lucan’s eyes fly open and a pained hiss
escapes his lips. “Abri, if we go down that road I will not be able to stop.”
His voice is dark and sexy. His eyes are on fire, pleading with me to make up
my mind and end his torture. I can hear my breath, ragged as it escapes my lips,
and my heart thundering in my ears. This pause saps my courage and I let go.

“You’re probably right,” I pant. “And I am
still pruney.”    

The air is colder than expected when I pull
away from Lucan and stand up. Lucan points to the vanity behind the tub. Two
fluffy robes, like the ones in fancy five star hotels, are draped across it
next to a stack of towel. I hop out and grab the nearest towel, careful not to
slip and fall on the marble floor. Even though it gives off the impression that
I am settling in for the evening, I cannot resist putting on the fluffy robe
after I’m dry.

“Are you coming?” I ask Lucan who’s sitting
like a statue in the tub. He’s breathing again. Slowly in and out. “I’m thirsty.”

He nods slowly and begins to rise. Suddenly
embarrassed, I turn and head for the kitchen. Lucan is beside me in a flash
fastening a towel around his waist. My eager hands want to snatch it and run.
But that only lead to more not slow behavior.  

The fridge is stocked with a various
assortment of beverages. I select a bottle of water and offer one to Lucan. He
declines with a shake of his head. I look around for anything that might be of
interest to him. There is a small Styrofoam soup container with red liquid
inside. 

“That’s
not blood, Abri. It’s sweet and sour sauce. To-Go blood would be barbaric.”
It’s the first thing he’s said since warning me to stop.  

“Convenient
is more like it,” I retort. This is his least human quality, and thus the one
that should bother me the most, but it doesn’t. Lucan frowns. My cavalier
attitude is obviously bothering him. “I’m just saying—”         

“Here’s a thought. You’ve seen my place, how
about I come and see yours?” He effectively cuts me off, giving me something
else to think about.

“Ah, well, it’s more like a storage closet
than an apartment compared to this place.” I say gesturing around. “Is
everything okay? Do you want me to go?”

“Aye, everything’s fine. I just thought if
you wanted to go home I could at least give you a ride and you could give me
the grand tour.”

“Okay, but I wouldn’t park the Evora in
front of my building very long, it’s liable to be gone or spray painted by
vandals in ten minutes.”

“We can take something else. I wouldn’t want
anything to happen to your new car before your friend Brooks has a chance to
gawk at it again.”

“My. New. Car.” I stutter, my mouth falling open
after the last syllable. “You’re giving me a car. That car. And you’ve known me
for two days. No, I can’t accept that, Lucan. Honestly!”

“I will not take no for an answer. You’ll
just keep it parked here and use it when you want.” His tone is firm and I
really don’t want to argue. It’s not as if he can force me to drive it after
all. If saying yes will make him happy I will do it. I probably owe him this
much after nearly molesting him just now.  

“Okay,”
I relent. “But it is really too much, Lucan.”

***

Lucan opens the door to a Honda Civic for me
deciding nondescript is the best mode of travel for my neighborhood. It is
nondescript indeed, cloth seats and a stock radio. It still has that new car
smell. Leo waves goodbye to us from his office and we’re off. The streets are
empty again but Lucan doesn’t push the Civic like he did the Evora. I switch on
the radio hoping to find a song I can hum along to that will disguise my
thoughts. While I want to spend the night with Lucan again, I need some space
to digest everything that has just happened. Mostly, I am just mad at myself
for stopping. I think I catch him raising an eyebrow at me out of the corner of
my eye.

We find a parking spot near my building and
Lucan expertly navigates a parallel parking maneuver. I am again reminded why I
don’t have a car in the city; parallel parking is not something I excel at.
Lucan has been quiet the entire ride. I think he may be in shock.   

“Okay, here we are. It’s not much, but it’s
home.” I unlock the front door to my walk-up and hold it open for Lucan to
follow me in. “We have to walk up the stairs, the elevator’s busted.” Not that
Lucan will mind, four flights of stairs is nothing for him. 

When we get to my front door, I hesitate. “Don’t
be shocked. It’s no Cloud Club,” I warn as I open the door.  

My living room consists of a battered couch
I salvaged from friend in college and some cinderblock bookshelves. An old
school, tube TV that was a high school graduation present from my dad sits on
top of a plastic milk crate I
borrowed
from Chen’s Deli the week I moved
in. Lucan is surveying the room. A small smile tugs at the corners of his
mouth. 

“Why Abri, I love what you’ve done with the
place. What is this motif? Early Frat House?” I know he is kidding but I feign
a pout, crossing my arms and sticking out my lower lip. 

“Oh ha, ha,” I huff. “So I haven’t exactly up
graded since I left school. I have student loans to pay back.” I know my
apartment is sad, but my plan had always been to hold off until I met The One
and just buy good furniture with him. Lucan smirks as that thought crosses his
airwaves. 

“I’d offer you something to eat or drink
but…well, why don’t you sit down? I’m going to change out of this suit. I’ve
been professional enough for one day.” As I walk into the bedroom, the thought
crosses my mind that what I did the last time I took off this suit was very
un
professional.
I hear Lucan chuckle in the next room. Relief that he is not upset with me
floods my chest. Shaking my head, I shut the door for some mental and physical
privacy and let out a silent, happy scream.  

There is a pair of cotton shorts and a faded
law school t-shirt left over from some class fundraiser on my floor so I put them
on. They are not exactly alluring, but a hell of a lot more comfortable than
suits and heels. When I open the door again, Lucan is looking at the various
family photos sitting on my makeshift bookcases. 

“Is this your mom?” he asks, pointing to a
picture of my mom and me.

“Yeah, that was at her house in Dallas last
Christmas.”

“Dallas is a nice town. The Enclave has an
outpost there. Do you visit her often?”

“Not as much as I should. She’s remarried
now so it’s not like she’s alone, but I know she misses me.”

I flop down on my couch, a small cloud of
dust rises around me. I hope Lucan didn’t notice, but I am sure his keen eyesight
picked up on it. He doesn’t react, which is nice of him. “Sit,” I offer,
pushing a blanket my grandmother knit for me off to one side. 

Lucan sits down and I tentatively lean into
him, putting my head on his shoulder. He relaxes and leans into me as well. I
can feel the hum of the amps coursing between us and it’s dragging me under. Before
we can really start up a conversation, I feel my eyelids growing heavy. 

“You should go to bed. I’ve kept you up too
late this week.” He tries to shift out from underneath me without disturbing me
too much. 

“Okay,” I murmur. With that, Lucan picks me
up and carries me to bed. I am too sleepy to put up a fuss at being carried or
be embarrassed by the twin bed I sleep in. Lucan kisses my forehead and pulls
the comforter around my shoulders before turning out the light. “I’m sorry I
molested you earlier,” I say as I snuggle deeper into the covers.

“I’m not,” he whispers. “Goodnight, love.”

Thursday I have hearings all day and I am
too tired to do anything more than call Lucan when I get home. I can hear the
disappointment in his voice but he respects my need for sleep. I want to see
him too, but it feels so good to lie in my own bed. I am asleep by seven
thirty. 

Friday is a complete blur. The weekly staff
meeting runs until nearly lunch and my afternoon is full of missed phone calls
and emails. Max has taken the afternoon off so I am on my own. I am mentally
drained by the time I shut down my computer at seven o’clock. Lindsey’s office
is empty so I head down to Brooks’ office. Nada. His computer is on and the
Lotus website is on the screen. I will have to let him in on my little secret
soon, maybe even let him sit in the driver’s seat. I gather my purse and head
to the elevators. Since I am alone, I head straight upstairs.

Lucan isn’t home so I take the liberty of
making myself a drink from the wet bar and turning on the enormous flat screen
that hangs on a half wall near the couch. Within minutes, I am zoning out to
some show on the Food Network. The chef is making double chocolate chip cookies
and my stomach starts to rumble. I toy with the idea of searching the kitchen
for the necessary ingredients but realize I will be the only one eating them. Lucan
has done so much for me already and there isn’t anything I can think to do in
return. Where I come from girls bake cookies for new beaus but my new beau isn’t
going to eat any cookies, no matter how good they look. My stomach growls again
so I go in search of a snack.

In typical Lucan fashion there is a note on
the counter offering up the contents of the kitchen for my snacking pleasure.
The pantry is full of all the basics, popcorn, chips, pretzels, cheese doodles,
and candy. Lucan’s note doesn’t mention when he will return so I send him a
text after opening a bag of popcorn.

               “
I’m home. ;o)
” I type
into my phone.

               “
Be there soon
.” Is
his reply.

The elevator wakes me when it rumbles to
life at the far end of the room. As soon as the gate creaks open, I know
something is wrong. The air is heavy with a strange acrid smell. A man steps
off the elevator and looks around as if he is unsure of his bearings. Lucan is
obviously wealthy enough to have a staff of some kind but surely he would have
warned me of anyone coming up to the apartment. Whoever it is, they have an
inhospitable air about them. My eyes dart around looking for something heavy
and weapon-like in case the need arises.