But thoroughly enjoy.
When we stepped out of the building, she stopped and gasped. I turned to see what had caught her attention. A thick haze enveloped the street, making it difficult to see more than a few feet ahead of us. She couldn’t stop staring at the limousine. I hadn’t considered it would surprise her. It had been too long since something so mundane had wowed me. It was just another reminder that she was not part of my world.
So why was I dragging her into it?
“Where are we going?” she repeated.
“A party,” I said simply. “I forgot I had a prior engagement.” That wasn’t precisely true. I’d willfully ignored the social calendar Celia had tried to present to me. But avoiding the Rites wasn’t going to make them go away. I needed her for that. By the time my family realized I wasn’t going to marry Thea, the social season would be over, and I would be saved from dozens of hopeful familiars.
At first, I’d seen Thea’s virginity as a problem. Then I realized it was an opportunity. I would never risk enslaving her to me. It was a line I wouldn’t cross. Perhaps, though, I could make it easier on myself to resist temptation when picking out her dresses.
“What?” She whirled toward me, catching the skirt of her dress on a heel and careening into me.
I caught her easily. Steadying her, I let a hand linger on her waist. Even through the fabric of her dress and my gloves, electricity sparked in my fingertips. I should have released her, but I didn’t.
“You don’t have to take me.” She turned wide doe eyes up to look at me. “We can reschedule.”
“But I want to take you,” I murmured. In more ways than one.
She blinked rapidly, sending her lashes fluttering. “But why?”
“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?” I brushed a finger down her arm, searching her eyes for the answer to my question–and the dozens of other questions crowding my brain. She didn’t speak, and before I could stop myself, I bent to search for the answer in her lips.
Her mouth parted, accepting the kiss eagerly. The floral scent that hung on her skin like a delicate cloak deepened into something earthy and intoxicating. I swept my tongue over her teeth, and she allowed her own to tentatively slide across mine. She gasped as it caught on the sharp end of a fang, and I drew back quickly. If she’d drawn blood, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop myself. I’d have her on the nearest flat surface, relieving her of her pesky virginity before I could think better of it.
“Careful, pet.” I fought the darkness swelling inside me. “I might lose control.”
She pressed her lips together and swallowed, the movement sending the tangy scent of iron to join the perfume surrounding her. I turned my head, trying to clear my nostrils before I lost control.
Why was I convinced this was the perfect plan?
“What if I want you to lose control?” Thea’s breathless answer sent a fresh jolt of desire through me. Christ, she was acting like I’d fed her my venom. I needed to get a handle on this situation. Fast.
I spotted her lower lip tremble and hated myself. “Thea, I–”
“It’s nothing,” she cut me off. Shivering, she wrapped her arms around her shoulders. “Once we’re in the car…”
I’d been cut off from humanity for far too long. She wasn’t upset. She was cold. It hadn’t even occurred to me that she must be freezing. Whipping off my jacket, I draped it around her shoulders, relishing how she clutched it tightly against her.
“Let’s get in the car,” I suggested. “I’ll tell you about the party.”
Thea nodded, but instead of starting toward the limo, she took a deep breath. “And we need to talk about the cello.”
“What about the cello?” I asked slowly.
“I can’t keep it,” she blurted out before falling silent. Her answer stunned me.
We stayed locked in a silent battle of wills for a moment before I forced myself to speak, “We can discuss it in the car.”
“Julian, I–” she started, but I’d already crossed to open her door. Thea’s shoulders slumped as she made her way to me. She stopped with one hand still clutching my jacket and turned to me. “Maybe this isn’t a good idea.”
Before I could stop myself, I laughed so loudly it echoed in the night around us. “No, Thea,” I said softly, gazing into her eyes, “it’s a terrible idea.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
THEA
His words hit me like a slap in the face. Wasn’t a man supposed to soothe your anxieties about things like that? I made a mental note never to ask him how my butt looked in jeans.
“Come,” he urged me toward the limo.
The limo! Limos were reserved for weddings and funerals, not dates, where I came from. What had I gotten myself into? Julian thought this was a terrible idea, I was about to be surrounded by vampires, and I hadn’t even delivered the bad news to him yet.
I wasn’t going to keep the cello. I couldn’t. It just felt...wrong.
I snuggled into his jacket as he guided me toward the back passenger door. A hint of exotic, spicy cologne lingered on it, combining with something that could only be described as Julian. It was the centuries of experiences he’d lived before me, the places he’d seen and I’d only read about, the people he had met, and then, strangely, the music. There was something that hung on him that I’d only ever known when I was playing my cello or listening to music. I’d tasted it in his kiss, too. I wanted to taste more of it. I wanted to experience his lifetimes, one lingering kiss at a time. It was going to be hard to keep my head on straight around him. It didn’t help that his hand rested on the small of my back. Between that subtle contact, the memory of his lips on mine, and the scent of his jacket, my head was swimming.
The chauffeur jumped out of the car as we reached it. He dashed over to open the door, but Julian angled himself between us. The driver paused, his eyes widening, as Julian drew to his full height, squared his shoulders, and...growled.
It was more of a low rumble–a warning–than anything else. But it had its intended effect on the man. I was stunned.
“Did you just growl?” I asked him slowly.
He ignored my question. I couldn’t tell if he didn’t want to answer me or if he felt he needed to keep his eyes on the driver. His jaw tightened, but he didn’t take his eyes off the other man. Julian opened the door for me. “Get in the car, pet.”
“As long as you stop acting like a Neanderthal,” I grumbled.
It turned out that getting into a limousine while wearing a dress wasn’t all that easy. Or maybe I, as a limo virgin, didn’t know the trick. Regardless, I found myself a bit relieved that Julian was too busy with his pissing contest to watch my less-than-graceful crawl across the limo’s back seat. I bumped my head against the felt roof liner, and static electricity prickled all over my head. Given the slightly squat seat, it took me a second to arrange my skirt. I quickly tidied my hair which was trying to fly away from the static. Julian slid in just as I settled, and I did my best to look casual.
