I stepped in front of Sully’s tombstone. “Sully, you knew what Marsala was when you brought her into my life and knew I was defenseless against her, yet you chose to bring her into my home, without a hint of warning or consideration. I have spent years blaming you and hating you for what Marsala did to me, but now I choose to forgive you. I love you, brother, and I miss you.”
I placed my hand upon Sully’s stone, my way of saying goodbye, and a light breeze blew toward my face. I detected something unexpected and inhaled deeply to better identify the source. Someone had recently been at my family’s burial places, and not just any someone, it was a vampire I didn’t recognize.
* * *
It was dusk when the four of us arrived at the park. Shelby and Chansey saw a few of their girlfriends and went over to the group to speak. I recognized many of the same people from the beach gathering and I wondered if Crosby dared to show his face. Drew read my mind and said, “He’s not coming because he’s too embarrassed to face everyone after he acted like such a jerk.”
Crosby was an adult and capable of making his own decisions, but I was partially responsible for his poor behavior. “I hate that things got out of hand. I knew he was trying to show me up in front of Chansey and I accepted his challenge because I didn’t want to look weak in front of her,” I confessed.
“What do the two of you have going on?” Drew questioned.
“Who said anything was going on?” I questioned, secretly hoped he was about to share information he heard from Shelby.
“No one has said anything and that’s why I’m asking, because it’s easy to see there’s something there,” he prompted.
“She’s a great girl and we have fun together,” I generically replied.
“Come on, can you give me a break here and give me something to report. I’m on a mission for Shelby, to find out how you feel about Chansey,” he confessed.
My feelings were still a mystery to me and I wasn’t ready to profess my feelings for Chansey to anyone. “What can I say? I enjoy spending time with her. We’re getting to know one another and I look forward to exploring the potential of our friendship.”
“That answer is not going to make Shelby happy. She wants illicit details,” he warned.
“Sorry, she will have to wait and see what happens, just like the rest of us.”
He saw I would not be making illicit confessions and moved on to the topic of graphics, then the girls returned and I felt relief just by having Chansey back by my side.
The band was four songs in and I was pleasantly surprised by how good they were. The crowd seem to really enjoy their music and the young girls in the audience looked ready to swoon at any moment. I wasn’t familiar with the songs they played, but the audience, including Chansey, seem to know them well as she sang along, never missing a word.
Shelby leaned over and said something into Chansey’s ear, then Drew announced they were leaving. After they walked away, Chansey said, “When they are on, they are really on, if you know what I mean.”
“Do you want to leave since they’re leaving?” I asked.
“I’m having a great time, but we can go if you’re ready.”
I looked to the sky. Dark clouds toward the Southwest threatened to spill rain at any moment. “It looks like rain could force us home at any moment, but we’ll stick it out a little longer.”
Another four songs later, the wind picked up and lightning flashed across the sky, then the band regretfully announced they would end their performance prematurely, due to the weather. We had only begun our walk home when the bottom fell out of the sky. I took her hand in mine and we made a run for it. Fifty yards later, we both stopped running, seeing the uselessness in it. We stood, facing each other on the sidewalk, drenched in the rain, laughing at our ridiculous attempt to outrun the sudden downpour.
She stood with her arms stretched, looking to the sky while rain fell upon her lovely face. “I haven’t done this since I was a child.”
The smile upon her face brought joy to my heart and I wanted to take her in my arms and never let her go. I yearned for her kiss and wanted her to long for the closeness that would lead to it. Her eyes penetrated mine, granting me permission to do what it was I desired most.
I stepped closer, placing my palms on each side of her face as my gaze deepened, showing her my intentions. She lifted her chin, in acceptance of the kiss I offered, and closed her eyes, waiting for the brush of my lips against hers. As I slowly leaned forward, to place a kiss on her lips, a car of teenagers flew past us on the street, laying on the horn while screaming, “Woohoo!” With each of us startled by the abrupt display of immaturity, our moment was lost, without a kiss.
Neither of us spoke and she took my hand, leading me toward the house after her eyes reassured me that our kiss was not lost, only postponed.
I unlocked the door and opened it, allowing her to enter from the rain first. She walked through the doorway and turned to me as I entered and shut the door behind us. She stepped closer, catching one of my hands in hers, and intertwined our fingers before raising them to rest over her heart. “Can you feel how fast my heart is beating?” I didn’t have to feel it because I could have heard the pounding from a mile away. “Kiss me,” she whispered.
I didn’t need further encouragement as I reached for her face, cupping each side of her face with my palms. My thumbs caressed her pouty bottom lip before I brushed my lips against hers. She placed her palm on the back of my neck and pulled me closer, deepening our kiss. My mouth left her lips and followed her jawline to her neck, then I moved lower and hesitated over the pulsation of her carotid. The rapid palpation in her neck beat against my lips and I lingered there, testing the beast within me.
The essence of her blood remained unchanged, leaving me void of a desire to bite her or drink from her. This pleased me greatly and I returned to her lips as a familiar fragrance invaded my senses. It was the same scent I noticed when I was intimately close to her in the kitchen, and although different from blood essence, is was no less powerful. The scent encouraged me to lose control and do what felt good, which at this moment, was kiss her harder and pull her closer.
I backed toward the couch, leading Chansey to follow and I dropped to the couch, bringing her to sit across my lap. Our kiss deepened and she was no longer content with sitting across my lap, so she raised up onto her knees and slung one of her legs across me, straddling me. She placed a hand on each side of my face and looked into my eyes while she caught her breath. Her eyes told me everything I needed to know; she wanted me, as badly as I wanted her. She closed her eyes and leaned forward to kiss me again and my palms started at her knees and moved upward. Her skin was so soft and warm, almost hot in comparison to my cool touch. I slowly worked my hands under the denim skirt gathered at the top of her thighs until I reached her hips and pulled her against me, separated only by thin material between us.
I was driven by a force I couldn’t identify and I was consumed with the urge to be closer to her. I wanted all of her hot skin against mine, but touching her was not enough. I wanted to become one with her and I was shocked, yet delighted by what my body urged me to do.
She stopped kissing me and stared into my eyes and I touched my finger to her mouth, gently tugging on her lower lip. She caught my finger in my mouth and rolled her tongue around it, before holding it hostage between her teeth. Her mouth released my finger and she pulled my shirt over my head. Her touch was driving me to do what my body commanded and the monster inside of me understood the need to satisfy my urge; I wanted her and he encouraged me to have her.
She placed her palms against me, exploring my chest and abdomen with her hands. “You are the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.” Her words ignited a battle between my conscience and my desire for her. I wasn’t a man, as she believed me to be and it was wrong to allow her to believe otherwise, so I knew I had to stop. I gently pulled away, breaking our kiss. She looked at me, trying to find the reason for my retreat and a
sked, “Did I do something wrong?”
My peripheral vision caught the image standing inside the doorway and my heart dropped to my stomach as I looked over to see Solomon, wearing a mask of shock and horror. When Chansey saw my eyes looking toward the door, she turned to see what drew my attention from her and quickly left my lap to stand and straighten her clothing.
Solomon showed no sign of anger in front of Chansey, but I felt it strongly. “Well, Curry, I can see you’re getting settled in just fine.”
There were no words to describe the feeling I had at that moment as I predicted the conclusion he would draw from what he witnessed. I left the couch and found my shirt, pulling it over my head as I said, “Chansey, this is my oldest friend, Solomon Alexander. Solomon, this is Chansey Leclaire.” Solomon smiled at Chansey and without doubt, believed he just saved this young woman from her impending doom.
Chansey extended her hand. “It’s very good to meet you, Solomon, because I didn’t know Curry had friends. He’s so secretive and selective with the information he shares about himself.”
“The pleasure is all mine. Is it Leclaire, as in French, meaning bright or light?”
“Yes, it is. My father’s family is French Creole from New Orleans.”
“Very interesting,” Solomon murmured in a voice too low for Chansey to hear.
There was a lull in the conversation, no one quite certain what to say after the awkward situation. Thankfully, Chansey turned to me and said, “I think I should go up so you can visit with your friend. Would you mind walking me to the door?” I didn’t blame her for wanting to leave this awkwardness and I wished I could join her in leaving. I followed her to the doorway and she turned to speak to Solomon before she left. “It was very good to meet you, Solomon.”
“And you, Miss Leclaire. Perhaps I will see you again, soon.”
The rain was still heavy and we sprinted to the coverage of the porch. She smiled up at me, rain dripping from her hair onto her face and said, “Well, that was embarrassing.”
I couldn’t help from laughing. “That’s the understatement of the millennium. At least you don’t have to go back down there and face him.”