“...and I can show you the world,” he continued. His choice of words echoed what he’d said earlier, but this time I listened. “Next week, I need to travel to Paris. There will be events in Venice, London, Hong Kong, and a dozen other cities around the world.”
“You mean, you need me to leave San Francisco?” My throat went dry as I considered this. “I can’t leave. School. My mother. Auditions.”
“Can all wait for a year,” he coaxed. “I’m offering you something most people could only dream of, and your obligations here will be seen to.”
“Wait, are you saying that you’re going to pay my bills?” After the picture he’d painted for me, this felt like he’d thrown cold water on me. “I can’t leave my mother. She just finished radiation and–”
“Thea,” he stopped me. “We will be traveling on one of the family’s jets. Anytime you need to return home to care for her, it can be arranged instantly.”
“My roommates and the quartet.” I was scrambling for reasons to stop myself from saying yes because each barrier he removed made it that much easier to picture what he was offering me.
“Rent will be paid, and I’m sure the quartet can find another broke cellist,” he said dryly. “You’re looking for excuses. What do you want?”
I wanted the world at my fingertips, and I knew experiencing it with Julian would be beyond my wildest fantasies. He hadn’t just been to those places before; he’d lived there. He didn’t know history; he’d lived it. I would be taking the trip of a lifetime with access to parts of the world most humans didn’t even know about. But there was just one problem.
“And all I have to do is pretend to be your girlfriend?”
His blue eyes sparkled in the dim light of the limo as he spoke. It was clear he knew I was attracted to him.
“What about the right to get married or whatever?” I asked.
“The Rites?” His bemused smile faltered into a frown. “The Rites are why I need you with me. If I’m already off the market...”
“No one will try to catch you.” I’d stumbled into a really screwed-up Jane Austen novel.
“Exactly.”
“Wouldn’t you rather ask someone you’re attracted to?” I picked at a piece of lint on my velvet skirt.
“Why would you think I wasn’t attracted to you?” he asked slowly. “Or did I misunderstand that kiss?”
I flushed so deeply that I wanted to crawl across the limo and hide on the other side. I was the one who had brought it up. Tactfully. Why did he have to be so direct? I screwed every ounce of courage I had and looked directly into his beautiful eyes. “You wouldn’t sleep with me.”
“That’s complicated,” he muttered. “You’re a virgin.”
“Not a leper.” Despite everything, courage burst through me. He did find me attractive. He wanted to kiss me. He wanted to put me on a private jet and fly me around the world. If this was a dream, I prayed Olivia didn’t wake me up.
“You’ve waited–” he held up a finger to stop me from interrupting “–for your own private reasons. That is a gift you should save for a man who deserves it.”
“Oh.” I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Julian thought I deserved better than him. He needed to adjust his standards. “So, I will accompany you to parties, and then we’ll say good night?”
Julian shifted in his seat and pressed his lips together. “I never said I would keep my hands off of you.”
“But you won’t take my virginity?”
He studied me for a second, the brightness of his eyes fading with each second that passed. Was the monster overcoming the man? Or was I only hoping he would? “How far have you gone with a man?”
“I don’t know why you think...” I spluttered as I tried to come up with a response that covered up the truth.
“Or a woman?” he added apologetically, misreading my reaction.
“I’ve done things,” I hedged.
Julian’s tongue licked across his lips as if he could taste my lie. God, I hoped vampires didn’t have that ability. He moved closer, angling his head so that his mouth was near my ear. “This is very important, pet,” he whispered. “I sense your embarrassment. That’s unnecessary. I’m simply asking you to answer one question. Has anyone ever made you come?”
I gulped, suddenly thankful that the angle of his head kept him from seeing my face. Finally, I forced out a small “no.”
“I see.” He placed a gloved hand on my knee and stroked it with long, soothing sweeps. “Have you made yourself come?”
My body tensed, readying for battle. There was no way I was going to answer that question. Then again, not answering it was probably answer enough. Julian continued his gentle touches as I waged war against myself. I had–not that it was any of his business–hadn’t I? I took a deep breath and tried to shrug it off. “Of course,” I said, laughing nervously.
He lingered without another word until I swallowed my pride.
“I don’t know,” I said quietly.
“If you don’t know, then you haven’t.” He wasn’t teasing me, although I couldn’t guess why. The hand stroking my knee slid higher up my thigh, and I stopped breathing. “Tonight, I would like to rectify that.”
Oh my...
“But first, we need to attend this party,” he whispered. He moved slightly and brushed a kiss over my lips, “and appear madly in love. Can you do that?”
Could I cling to him like I was living for his touch? Something told me I could. “Can you? You’re the one who doesn’t want relationships and love and all that baggage.”
“Yes,” he agreed, and I ignored the pang in my chest, “but I will be thinking of all the ways I’m going to introduce you to pleasure. Not a vampire in there will question that you belong to me. You’re covered in my scent, after all.” He fingered the tuxedo jacket I still wore. “And I have a feeling I won’t be able to keep my hands off of you.”
I bit my lower lip, and Julian swore under his breath.
“I’m not sure I can wait until later,” he growled.
