“It’s not sudden—not for me. I just…I like you.” I walked forward and linked my fingers together behind his neck. “And I’ve kinda come to terms with this vampirism thing, I think.”
“You think?” he said through a smile.
“Yeah. I guess…I guess I’m ready to know all of you.”
“No matter what—even if it scares you again?”
“I don’t know if it would, David. I…can’t you tell?” I touched a hand to my chest. “I trust you.”
He took a breath and cast a long glance to the darkest corner of the closet. “That’s a pretty convincing argument, I must admit.”
I grinned at him. “So you’ll do it? You’ll bite me?”
“Even if I show you the vampire, Ara, I can’t actually bite you.”
“Why?”
“Because if my fangs break your skin, you’ll be injected with venom.”
“So?”
“So, if you’re injected with venom, you’ll…it’s just a bad idea.”
“Oh.” We stared into each other, both of us clearly thinking it all through, and in the dim light of the room, his eyes almost looked black, as if the pupils had flooded the green, like dark desires overshadowing sensibility.
He unlatched my hands from around his neck. “We should get back out to rehearsal.”
“Wait.” I grabbed his sleeve. “What if…I mean, when humans bite playfully, we don’t actually break the skin.” I looked at his neck. “Can’t you do it like that?”
“I—” He frowned, thoughtful. “I don’t know. I’ve never done anything like this with a human before.”
“Well, here.” I leaned closer. “Let me show you how it’s done.” Before he could stop me, I pushed his jaw to one side, rising onto my toes as my teeth glided over his flesh, coming closed again with a mouthful of David between them. Under the moisture of my tongue, his sweet scent became his flavour—the lovely orange-chocolate replacing the gritty, salty taste I’d expected.
I bit down harder then, with every ounce of force I could muster, catching the tendon in his neck, feeling his jaw stiffen, his arms tense, his ear move away from my cheek as he opened himself up to me, and I loved it.
“Oh, Ara, you have the sweetest little bite.” He placed his fingers loosely around my face, but they went tight suddenly and he pushed me away. “Ouch!”
“What’s wrong?” I wiped my mouth dry with the back of my arm. “Did I hurt you?”
“Yes, you little leech.” He cupped his hand over the bite then looked at it. “I may not have a heartbeat, but I still feel pain.”
“You’re bruising.” I squinted through the dull light to see his neck.
“I know. I can feel that.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Are you kidding me?” He laughed, scooping his hands under my bottom, lifting me so my legs wrapped around him. “That felt amazing. It hurt, but damn it was hard to control myself.”
“Control yourself?”
“Yes.” He looked down to where the apex of my thighs met his stomach. “I wanted to do…things to you.”
“What kinds of…things?”
He reached up slowly and slipped the shoestring strap of my dress down my shoulder. “Very bad things.”
“Show me, then?” I closed my eyes and tilted my chin up—exposing my throat. “I’m not scared.”
“I know,” he said. “Which is a very big turn-on.”
I giggled.
“Urgh.” He rolled his head back. “Don’t do that adorable giggle. You’ve no idea how crazy it makes me.”
I did it again, laughing louder when his upper lip and nose pressed into the sensitive hollow of skin between my collarbones, the stubble on his chin scratching my chest. “That tickles.”
He grazed his teeth playfully along my flesh; they felt sharp, like the edge of a blade. I knew the control he would’ve used to stop them cutting, but for some reason, a deep part of me, a part that rose too close to the surface, really didn’t care if he cut me. I wanted to be cut by him.
“David?”
“Yes.”
“Is it normal for me to think this way?”
He laughed into my skin, kissing but not biting. “Yes.”
“But, you won’t, right—you won’t cut me?”
“No. I won’t. But I am going to feel your flesh against my teeth.” He turned us to the side and placed me on the table, stepping in closer until his hips once again rested between my thighs. “Do not scream,” he warned. “It will only excite the monster.”
“Is that not a good idea?”
His hands flew up and tangled in my hair, his thumbs on my cheeks, holding my face in front of his. “If you do…you will die.”
I held my breath, lost in the intensity of his penetrating gaze. But something inside told me not to worry. Maybe it was the way he held me, his hands so tight around my face, or maybe it was the concern in his own eyes that made me sure he would never let himself destroy me. My jaw jutted forward a little, my bottom lip catching his in a delicate kiss—a wordless reassurance. He kissed back, his eyes closed, his lips soft, moist, cold, like the lips of a person who just ate ice. And as it intensified, as his hands slipped beneath my dress again, finding my hips, bare and waiting, I grinned playfully, resting back on my hands. Undress me.
“Jesus Christ, Ara.” He became as taut as a statue. “You don’t know how close you are to losing your innocence right now.”
“Maybe I’m ready for it.” I lifted my dress a little.
David stood taller, looking down at my floral-print undies. “To lose your virginity in a closet space?”
I parted my legs a little more, inviting his touch to where his eyes and thoughts lingered. “Yes.”
His heavy breath stopped, his hand slowly reaching toward my upper thigh, then he grabbed it firmly, letting his thumb fall against my delicates. “You shouldn’t play games like this with a dangerous predator.”
“A dangerous predator shouldn’t bring young girls into dark spaces—alone.”
“It wouldn’t be a problem if that girl would stop showing the vampire parts he’s wanted to see for the longest time.” He lowered my dress and smoothed it over my legs.
“Did you ever think maybe she’s wanted to show him for the longest time?”