Darkness (16 page)

I smiled. “I still can.” And I did while he turned and pulled me close against him. Every part of me wanted to rip that towel off and really see what was under it. But I kept my hands in his hair.

I sat on the counter as he readied himself. I enjoyed the view, but I tried to do it slyly. I wanted to kiss and bite every inch of his body. And I wanted him to do the same to me.
Okay, I just caught that look, that glance of acknowledgement he gives me when he catches what I’m feeling.
I could feel the burn in my cheeks. It had been too long since we’d really been alone and I was in desperate need of it with no hope in sight. I stared at my hands, hoping I could focus on anything else and control myself.

“You okay?” He asked as he closed the small gap between us. He wrapped his naked upper half around me while I wrapped my legs around his loosely toweled lower half. This was not helping me manage my need to be with him.
Is this what Julz feels all the time?
How could one live like that?

He tipped my chin up with a single finger. “What’s wrong?” His brow was furrowed with concern. “I’m getting a whole mess of emotions coming from you.

I eyed him skeptically. But before I could say anything else he was slowly kissing my lips. Gently and softly. I felt all my emotions stir back to that of pure and utter hunger for him and he reacted to it. He pressed himself against me. Only his towel was keeping me from him. I heard that familiar rumble deep and low in his chest. He kissed down my neck, little pricks telling me his fangs were extended. I was willing. I kissed my way across his chest and up his neck, biting him lightly. I whispered in his ear, “Please, Oliver. I need you.”

He was stunned. Actually stunned when I said it. He pulled away and looked at me, wide-eyed. I was confused. “What?” I felt that familiar burn creep up into my face again.

“What did you just say?”

Still confused, I repeated what I had said, but red-faced and less seductively this time. He still just stared at me fully perplexed. “Wha…” I began, but I heard the bed shift from the other room and Carter’s sleepy voice saying, “Get a room.”

“Nothing.” Oliver said quietly to me and smiled. “I thought I heard you say something else.” He took my hand as I scooted off the counter. “Good to see that death isn’t nipping at your heals anymore,” he said jokingly to Carter. At least he was treating Carter decently now. He was off to our room while I visited with Carter. That faint desire for Oliver was still lingering. I couldn’t shake it.

Carter started telling me how he’d had a rough night and wasn’t feeling all that great. It was clear to see that he was hiding how bad he truly felt. I tried my best to give him all of my attention. I focused on his healed injuries. He’d always have a scar, a pretty gnarly one, across his left eye and we joked about him getting an eye patch to cover it and how he’d make everyone call him Captain Carter. It was comforting to see him with his sense of humor back. After Carter had drifted off to sleep I was ready for lunch.

Oliver was in and out most of the day, a was Felix but at different times. There was still no sign of Julz. I overheard Oliver telling Felix that he had found her car at the mall but there was no sign of her and her scent was so faint it couldn’t be traced. Good!
Maybe she was gone forever. I felt bad for Isaac who was visibly worried. The first couple days he was able to cover up his concern but now he wasn’t doing such a great job. Hayden was scarce most of the day.

That evening, as the sun began to set, I put on some shoes and grabbed a sweatshirt, then Oliver and I headed out the door. Oliver had his keys and a medium size glass bowl full of fruit with a lid. Felix and Hayden were nowhere to be found, which made me wonder. Lola was sprawled across the chaise looking unhappy. I gave her some love and kissed her big fluffy head, then I waved bye to Carter and Isaac who had been “jamming” in the living room for the past couple hours.

“Wait up, we’ll walk you out.”Isaac said and gave Carter a gentle tug to pull him off the couch.

“Yeah, I could use some fresh air.” Carter grinned.

Isaac asked Oliver a few things about Julz and what to do about her being gone. Playing around with Carter had only been a means of distraction for him. I overheard Oliver say there was nothing he could do to bring her back if he couldn’t get a hold of her. And since he didn’t tell her she couldn’t leave she had no rules to obey. “Plus it’s not like she ever obeyed them anyways. I’m sorry.” He patted Isaac, then took my hand and we headed for the car, but not before I stopped in my tracks and turned back to Carter.

“You need to call Kiera.”

“I know,” he sighed. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his pajama pants and lightly kicked at the ground. “I don’t want her to see me like this.”

“Let’s go.” Oliver took my hand again before I had fully let go of Carter. He seemed almost jealous. Overly protective, even…Over Carter? That would just be ridiculous…

Chapter 20 - Dinner with Lilly

Once we were on our way to Lilly’s I blocked it all out. I didn’t want, nor did I care to hear about, the psychotic gothic princess anymore. I didn’t want to think about Isaac or Carter’s troubles and I certainly didn’t want to know what Felix and Hayden were up to. It was time to focus on Oliver. I finally had him all to myself for about the next forty-five minutes. That’s when I had a realization. “What are we going to tell Lilly to explain why you aren’t eating?”

“We’ll just tell her I have severe food allergies. That’s why I brought the fruit salad.” He shot me a quick smile.

I sat back and relaxed in the SUV that was less impressive to me than his previous car. I asked him about it and he explained that the SUV was coven issued. It wasn’t really his but that he kept it at the house just in case.

We chatted about a few unimportant things and it was nice that it was just us.

The sun was low in the horizon and the houses began to get farther apart as we got closer to Lilly’s. It had just gotten dark as Oliver pulled into the gravel driveway. Lilly was on the porch instantly.

She hugged me tight as I stepped onto the top step. “I’ve missed you,” she said and then nodded and said hello to Oliver.

“I’ve made fried chicken, mashed potatoes, macaroni salad, buttered peas and a green salad with sprinkled parmesan.” She seemed pretty proud of herself as she rattled off her menu. Every one of those items was full of dairy or meat. And not that Oliver would’ve eaten any of it, he for sure couldn’t now. We explained that he had food allergies and that the fruit salad would be enough for him.

It was an uncomfortable dinner. No one really spoke and Lilly had several glasses of white wine. She asked about school. There was nothing to tell. She seem to be a little on the high-strung side and irritable to top it off. I just wanted to leave. I didn’t want to deal with anyone else’s drama. I felt done. So very done.

After I’d finished eating I excused myself to use the restroom and to get a couple things from my old room. I stood in my bedroom for a few minutes trying to relax. I felt full of stress. The past few weeks had been so nerve-racking and I couldn’t even remember what I wanted to grab from my room. There was nothing in it that I needed…Maybe it had just been habit to go to my room after dinner. I was feeling a little confused as I descended the stairs.

The room was quiet and full of tension when I returned. Oliver’s jaw was set tight and Lilly’s arms were folded across her chest in an angry way.

I began cleaning off the table, and as soon as the door closed behind him Lilly started in with me; “I want you to come home while the school is closed.”

Her head sank and she sat heavily in a seat at the table, resting her elbows on it and her head in her hands. “I’m afraid he’s going to hurt you.”

“Why would you say that?” I was appalled.

She looked up at me. “He’s very protective, almost possessive.”

Yeah, well, that’s how vampires are.
Wouldn’t she just die if I actually said that out loud? “You’re being ridiculous.” I picked up the plates, stacking them on one another, and headed to the kitchen. She was right on my heels. “You’re being safe, right.” Oh, God no. Not this again.

“It’s not like that.” Yet.

“Yet.” she pointed out, and I had a fear that maybe she’d picked up some mind reading skills. Who knew anymore?

I threw my hands up. “Whatever! I’m done having this conversation with you. I love him and that’s all there is to it. Just deal!” I gathered Oliver’s bowl and my sweater and headed out the door, leaving Lilly staring after me from the kitchen.

Oliver was on the swing that hung from the huge walnut tree in the front yard, swaying slightly. I crossed the yard to him and he took my hand as I reached him and looked up at me. “Everything okay?”

Once we were on the road, and I’d calmed down, Oliver reached for my hand and intertwined his fingers with mine. We were alone again. I sighed in relief, closed my eyes and put my head back.

“Nothing,” he smiled sweetly. “I just wanted to extend our alone time for a while longer.” He opened the moonroof and turned off the car. We reclined our seats just enough to see out the open roof. “The stars are so much brighter out here with no houses or street lights to drown them out.” And they were. They sky seemed darker, too. He leaned over and kissed my cheek. I turned towards him quickly and caught his lips with mine before he pulled away.