* * *
The pink top was sleeveless silk and fit like a glove. It was also one of those that came to the top of your pants or skirt, as long as you were standing upright and perfectly still. Otherwise, it showed the barest hint of midriff, now and then. I'd never worn it or the short, black skirt. I wore both for my outing with Gavin, thinking I must be out of my mind to accept his invitation. I also had low heels I hadn't worn before, bought in a moment of weakness at the mall in Oklahoma City. My feet didn't bother me anymore so I could wear heels as much as I liked. That in itself was a blessing.
My hair was French braided again, too. Still no jewelry, though. I didn't want to spend any money on it—who knew if I'd need the cash I had for something desperate someday?
Gavin wore a suit, something I hadn't seen him in until then and he wore it as if he were used to it. He looked really good in it, too. The white of his shirt contrasted with his skin color, which was several shades darker than mine—like he had European roots or something.
"You look quite nice," he said as we walked down the steps to the guesthouse together.
"You still haven't told me where we're going," I said.
"It will be a surprise," he said, handing me into the passenger seat of one of the SUVs.
It certainly was a surprise; Gavin took me to a wedding reception. "Do you know the couple?" I asked as we pulled into the parking lot of a nice hotel.
"I do not," he said. "You have no idea how difficult it is to find a place to dance in this city. That sort of thing doesn't exist as a regular venue. Therefore, we are attending a reception where there is a live band."
Gavin likes to dance. No way would I have ever guessed that in a million years. No way. I was glad I had heels on since he's so much taller than I am. He dances well and leads nicely. We toasted the bride and groom with champagne, just like everyone else and the last dance we danced before Gavin pulled me away was to The Dream, one of David Sanborn's best pieces. The band had a great saxophone player and he did a wonderful job. Gavin pulled me close against him as the music wound its way through the ballroom. When I stole a glance at Gavin's face, his eyes were closed and my hand was held tightly inside his, snug against his chest.
Gavin loaded me into the SUV as the reception was breaking up, and took me driving. We ended up at a Park Ranger's station where we had to pay to drive onto Padre Island National Seashore. The truck went into four-wheel drive and we drove down the wild, natural beach for nearly an hour, leaving everyone and everything behind. Gavin parked the truck on the sand, slipped his suit coat off, rolled up his shirtsleeves and then removed his shoes and socks. We were getting out. I slipped my shoes off too and opened my door.
The water was beautiful—washing up there on the beach in the moonlight. The moon was close to full and cast a nice trail over the gulf.
"Come," he said and lifted me onto the hood of the SUV before hopping up to sit beside me.
"I only got to see the ocean a few times in my life," I said, "before now."
"Your husband was ill, wasn't he?"
"He was. He was born with a heart defect and had problems all his life. That's not what killed him, though," I said.
"I investigated that. He died of complications from a procedure."
"Yes, he did. I went to a bar to get drunk for the first time in my life when they turned off the machines. And here I am, a bloodsucking vampire."
"Lissa, as you told me quite eloquently last evening, that does not define what you are."
"I don't feel like that's what I am." I sighed. "I miss the sunlight, Gavin. Those bright, sunny days with fluffy clouds floating in a blue sky. I can only see that in movies and photographs, now. And food? I used to love to eat. That's why I'm a good cook. No way was I going to waste something by cooking it badly." I swung my legs out in front of me, over the side of the hood.
"You have beautiful ankles," Gavin said. That stopped me in my tracks. Nobody had ever looked at my ankles before.
"I think I'll take a walk, now," I said, slipping off the SUV.
"I made you uncomfortable," Gavin was beside me in seconds.
"Nobody ever found anything about me attractive, before," I said. "So it's just a shock, that's all."
There were a few jellyfish washed up on the beach, so we stepped around them. "Is there anything you like about being vampire?" Gavin asked as we walked. The sand was soft under my feet—I was digging my toes into it from time to time.
"I like not having to go to the bathroom," I said. That made him laugh.
"Of all things, to pick that one," he squeezed my shoulders.
"You have to admit that you never have to leave a movie in the middle, just to run down the hall," I said. "That's definitely a plus. I like the way I can smell things, now. Like Winkler's scent. That's what I was depending on when I went looking for him the night he was kidnapped. It was just a fluke that I found the Jaguar instead. I definitely smelled the decay around the truck those kidnappers used. I got the scent off the dead security guard. It was all over the truck. That's how I knew it was the right one. And then I recognized the scent of two of those men when they came out of the restaurant. Their smell was inside the Jaguar."
"You have a sensitive nose, then," Gavin said. He still had an arm draped loosely over my shoulder.
"If I'd known those schmucks were werewolves, I would have forced them to go with me when I went looking for Winkler that night. We might have found him sooner. But I was afraid to give myself away."
"You must always protect yourself, no matter what," Gavin said, his voice and his gaze gentle.
"Where were you and your good advice when I was wading into an angry pack of werewolves?" I asked.
"Doing what Winkler was doing and worrying over you," he said.
"Well, that doesn't make me uncomfortable or anything," I muttered.
"Lissa," Gavin stopped and turned me to face him, both hands on my shoulders. A finger went under my chin, tilting my head up so my eyes would meet his. "You have no control over how others may feel about you, most of the time. If they know what you are, they will either love you or despise you. That is the way of what you are. Unless you deliberately go out of your way to make enemies, that is, and that is not a part of you. Some believe that vampires are a darkness, but there is a light in you."
"I have so many vampire acquaintances to compare myself to," I grumbled, looking away.