Rylie Cruz 2 - How to Date a Vampire (8 page)

He stared straight ahead, not meeting my
gaze. “I’ve always had this fear that I’d someday be affected by
something. It’s this strange sensation that I’ve never been able to
shake. Maybe somewhere deep down I knew something would happen to
me one day. But is this real or am I just imagining it?”

I retained my calm, even tone. “You know I’m
a werewolf.”

“Are you? Or did I just dream all that up?
God, maybe I have more issues than I ever imagined.”

“Of course I’m a werewolf.” Unfortunately, I
couldn’t deny it. I had tried when I was young to pretend I was
normal, but my denials didn’t make it any less real. “Jack, you
need rest. You’ll be able to think more clearly then. This has been
a traumatic event.”

He didn’t move, but continued to stare
blankly at the wall. I took his hand in mine. “How long have you
felt this way?”

He paused, then looked me in the eyes. “For
a while, I guess. With all my patients, I see how easily it is to
let day-to-day life get the best of you. It’s hard to fight it
off.”

“We all have a tough time with it.”

“I know, I know, but I guess I’ve always
worried that one day I wouldn’t be able to fight back any problems
I might have. Is this the day? The day I can’t handle it?”

What could I say? There was no easy answer.
“Oh, Jack. You are the strongest person I’ve ever met. You always
see the positive in everything. I know you can handle anything that
comes your way.”

He touched his finger to my chin. “You’ve
got a lot of advice, huh?” He smiled and I couldn’t help but notice
his front teeth.

“I do have a lot of advice. Mostly not good
advice, but advice.” I laughed.

Jack attempted a weak chuckle.

“Why don’t you get some rest? I know you
didn’t sleep well last night.” I stood, then sat on the arm of the
chair, draping my arm around his broad shoulders.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Would you care
to join me?” He winked and my heart thumped faster.

“I wish I could, but I need to call to see
what I can find out about this whole vampire thing. I’ll go back to
work, make some calls and be back soon.”

Jack ran his hand up my arm, caressing as he
went. His touch made my whole body tingle. He pulled me down until
I was sitting on his lap, facing him. Jack cupped my chin in his
hand and lowered his lips to mine. He traced his lips along mine. I
was powerless in moving away from him. Work could wait, right? It
was lunch break, after all. And his vampire status certainly wasn’t
going anywhere. Jack’s mouth tasted of minty toothpaste. He ran his
hands through my hair and I wrapped my arms around his neck.

At this point, I was straddling Jack. His
body felt so delicious pressed close to mine. Jack stood, lifting
me up with him. I wrapped my legs around his waist. My heart
thumped. This was actually happening. I’d thought of this moment
since I first laid eyes on Jack. Despite the craziness all around
us, my emotions were uncontrollable. I wanted Jack. And by the way
his lips were moving against mine, I knew he wanted me, too.

He carried me into his bedroom, and we fell
onto the bed. The comforter was pulled back and the white sheets
crumpled. It looked as if Jack had jumped out of bed in a hurry.
Jack pulled the shirt over my head and exposed my skin to the cool
air. I wore a black and cream-colored lace bra that he snapped off
with ease. His fingers traced along my collarbone. I let out a soft
moan of approval.

Jack’s tongue slowly moved down the length
of my neck. He licked and nibbled and I couldn’t force myself to
stop him. At that moment, I didn’t care if he bit me. To hell with
it. How bad could it be? Would it be any worse than Johnny Reardon
giving me a hickey in ninth grade? He hadn’t had the slightest clue
what he was doing.

“I haven’t had anything this tasty since…
never,” Jack whispered.

Jack’s teeth grazed my neck and I pulled
away, finally coming to my senses. “I’m not your appetizer,” I
choked out.

His teeth definitely appeared longer. In a
period of hours they’d become pointier, and probably sharper. I
wasn’t going to volunteer to test how easily they could puncture
skin though.

I jumped up, grabbing my bra and shirt.

“I’m so sorry, Rylie. I don’t know if I can
control myself. Maybe you don’t need to be around me. I’m obviously
dangerous.”

“No, you are not dangerous. Don’t say such
things. You’ll be fine.” I slipped back into my bra, then pulled on
my shirt. “But maybe we shouldn’t do this until, well, you’re
feeling better.” Oh, but he felt so good to me. Yet I knew the time
wasn’t right.

“You’re probably right. But I can’t help the
way I feel for you.”

Okay, that statement made me want to dive
back on top of the sheets with him. It was as if his bed was a
giant magnet and I was a tiny piece of metal. I. Had. To.
Resist.

“I’ll get help for you. We’ll work this
out,” I said as I stepped backward toward the door.

He nodded. “Okay. Thank you, Rylie. For
everything.”

Ugh. Yeah, thanks for having him turned into
a vampire.

“I’d do anything for you, Jack. I promise to
make this right. Now get some rest and I’ll be back.”

He didn’t answer. His body had already
lapsed into a relaxed state with steady breathing. At least with
him asleep I wouldn’t have to worry about what he was up to. No
sneaking off to purchase a bloody side of beef. Or a visit to the
blood bank.

Tiptoeing out of his apartment, I slipped
across the hall. That uneasiness I’d felt earlier still lingered in
the air; it had followed me from Jack’s. I unlocked my apartment
door and stepped inside. As soon as I clicked the door shut,
Jennifer called to me, “Oh, thank goodness you’re here. I have
something for you.” She waved me over to the kitchen table and
motioned for me to sit in the chair next to her.

“Should I be afraid?” I asked.

Chapter Eleven

How to Date a Vampire, Rule #11:

Learn to sleep during the day.

“No. Look what I got.” She shoved a book at
me.

It was a red hardback with gold letters
across the front and the spine. The book could have passed for any
regular textbook.

“Vampires: Myths vs. Facts?” I quirked an
eyebrow. “So you found a book about vampires at the library?”

“Yeah,” she said around an excited chuckle.
“Isn’t that freakin’ fantastic? It’s not much, but it’s a start
because let’s face it, you can’t babysit Jack forever.”

She pulled the book over and opened it to a
marked spot. Obviously she’d already done a little reading. “This
section talks about the living dead… or half-turned vampires.” She
pointed at the page.

I leaned in closer. “It has a section for
that? What does it say?”

“Well, I just started reading. It’s
fascinating, by the way. There are different types of vampires
according to their blood type from when they were regular humans.
For instance, some can go out in the sun and some can’t.”

“Huh. I didn’t know that. That explains a
lot.”

“Like I said, I just started reading and
it’s a little hard to understand because of the way it’s written,
but it gives each one different abilities. Things they can do or
can’t do.”

So maybe you’ll find some answers about Jack
and how to help him.”

“That is interesting. Thank you so much,
Jen. You’re a true friend.”

She patted my hand. “That’s what friends are
for. Well, I have to jump in the shower. Are you sure you’re okay?”
she asked.

I nodded.

“No offense, but you look like crap. Have
you slept? Have you eaten?”

“I’m fine.”

She shook her head. “You have to take care
of yourself, too. I know you’re worried about Jack, but if you kill
yourself, you won’t be of any help to him.”

“Yes, mother.”

“Don’t mock me. I may be human, but I’m
still tough.”

“You got that right.” I winked.

After she left the room, the sound of a door
closing caught my attention. I slipped over, opened the door and
stuck my head out, but didn’t see anything. No noise came from
Jack’s apartment, so that was a good thing. I had hesitated on
leaving Jack alone in his apartment. I never knew what might happen
next. Although I wasn't sure if it would get much worse than what
had already went down. I needed our lives back to normal—as normal
as they could be. Not to mention I couldn't babysit Jack forever as
Jennifer had said. It served me right for getting him involved in
the first place. But there was no sense in beating myself up over
it now. What was done was done. It was time to move on and try to
correct my wrong.

At that moment, I had no idea how I was
going to do that, but as my father always said, “You're a creative
girl, even if you don't want to admit it.” I probably tried to deny
any creativeness just because my parents had enough for an entire
city block and me. They took creativeness to a whole new level. I
didn't want to go to that level. I was fine on my own level. As
boring and bland as it may be. My mother was a massage therapist
and my father owned an art shop where he sold werewolf paintings
and other weird paranormal art. In other words, they were
eccentric. My parents were paranormal freaks to the human world.
Heck, and maybe to the paranormal world too.

Just as I'd settled down on the sofa to read
more of the book, curling my legs up under me and positioning the
pillow just right, I heard a voice slide through from the outside
hallway. The female voice sounded familiar, although it was faint.
I would have guessed it to be Lily, but this voice was too raspy to
be her.

I stood from my position on the sofa and
moved to the living-room window. After pulling back the silk
curtain, I peered down, but only saw a couple people passing by. I
slid over to the front door and leaned in close to listen for where
the voice was coming from. It was closer from the door, so I
figured the sound must have been drifting over from the
hallway.

I opened the door and peeked out, but no one
was there. After easing my door shut, I tiptoed into the hall, and
the noise grew louder. The tinkle of a woman's laugh cascaded
across the hall. The voice came from Jack's apartment.

A knot formed in my stomach. I rushed over
to his door. Did I knock first or just bust the door down like some
kind of crazed jealous girlfriend. Of course I was jealous. That
was something I couldn’t deny. But forget about the crazy
green-eyed monster on my shoulder. What if someone was in there
killing him? Then the other thought forced its way back into my
already too crowded brain. What if he had another woman there and
they didn't want to be interrupted?

No, Jack wasn't like that. Plus, in the
condition I left him in, I doubted he was up to entertaining
guests. Something didn't seem right, but I just couldn't barge on
in unless I heard Jack screaming for help, could I? If he needed my
help, I’d definitely break the door then.

The door was slightly ajar. I knocked and
the woman’s voice turned quiet, which meant only one thing: I
hadn't been imagining that the voice had come from his apartment.
Maybe it was Jack's mom coming for a visit? An aunt, or a cousin? A
co-worker? I’d take any of those options. But a vampire? I
swallowed hard, then raised my fist and knocked on the door
again.

The door inched open and I saw legs dangling
off the side of the living room chair. By the red stilettos and
long legs, I knew that wasn’t Jack. Unless he was into
cross-dressing and I didn’t know about it. Did I knock again and
announce my presence? Walk on in since the door was already open? I
cleared my throat and tapped on the door. Was Jack even in there? I
didn’t see him. Maybe I’d walked in on a lunatic burglar… no, more
like a lunatic vampire.

A shuffling sound, a few muffled words, then
more shuffling sounded from the other side of the room until Jack
finally appeared in front of the door.

“Hi, Rylie, what are you doing here?”

What was I doing there? Well, let's see…
tending to a vampire baby? What did he think I was doing there?
Selling Girl Scout cookies? Then I saw her.

Chapter Twelve

How to Date a Vampire, Rule #12:

Invest in a good concealer for those nasty
neck bruises.

Isabella was in Jack’s apartment and she
looked more radiant than ever. A tinge of jealousy hit me like a
slap across the face. What was she doing there? Had she come to
take Jack? She’d acted like she really wanted to be my client.
Obviously, she just wanted to get to Jack. Why the charade?

I didn’t want to sound like a crazy jealous
girlfriend, I'd seen the outcome of that at my dating service time
after time. I wouldn’t be one of those offenders.

The door opened the rest of the way and Jack
stood in front of me. His skin had lost that pale effect that had
appeared after the bite. Maybe he was feeling better and this mess
would resolve itself—like a twenty-four hour virus. “Jack. I
thought you’d be asleep. Are you feeling better?” I looked over his
shoulder and glared at Isabella. “I thought you were going to take
a nap? Shouldn't you be lying down?”

He flashed his gorgeous smile at me.

“I decided I wasn’t that tired, after all.”
He glanced over his shoulder at Isabella. “It was as if Isabella
sensed that from me because she just showed up at the right moment.
She’s an old friend of mine from Texas.”

What! She knew Jack already? That dirty
little rat. She was playing games with me. The only games I liked
to play were Monopoly or Scrabble. I wasn’t about to get involved
with this little pastime of hers.

I guess I hadn't sensed Jack’s inability to
sleep like Isabella did because I didn't show up at the right
moment. The right moment would have been before Isabella had showed
up—Miss Long Legs Who Loves Faux Leather. At least she was kind to
the animals, but no matter she probably wanted to drain every human
she came into contact with.