Craved (15 page)

“Don’t you dare shed
another tear over a man who’s stupid enough to let you slip through
his fingertips.” As if my tear ducts had a rebellious personality
of their own, tears began to fall. I dated a handful of guys but
Micah was most definitely my first love. The pain was worse than
any physical injury and I just wanted it to go away. Aiden’s thumb
caressed the salty tear away. My eyelids were heavy from crying and
sleepiness. Tired of holding them open, I drifted off to
sleep.

The next memory quickly
filed after the last one and Aiden and I were standing within
inches of each other in his backyard. I stopped by for a reason I
couldn’t remember.

“Look at me,” he sternly
ordered. I turned to look at him, not wanting to see the fire in
his eyes that was directed at me.

“I can’t give you what you
want, Aiden,” I told him.

“You won’t even try. You
know we’re perfect for each other, you felt it that first night in
the café. I want you, Gwen; I knew that at first sight. Don’t let
what Micah did ruin what we could have.”

“It’s too soon and I will
not go through the heartache again, I can’t.” My voice had started
off strong but at the thought of how it felt to have my heart
shattered, my voice dwindled to nothing more than a
whisper.

“It’s been five months,
Gwen,” Aiden said, his voice soft. Tears welled in my eyes and I
willed them not to fall but the sons-of-bitches betrayed me and
flowed freely down my cheeks. I stared into Aiden’s eyes and wished
it were as easy as he wanted it to be. I would love nothing more
than to forget all about Micah and see what developed between Aiden
and me.

“I can’t,” I said again
softly. Aiden stepped closer and placing a finger under my chin,
tilted my face up. I couldn’t look at him so I focused on his yard.
The truth of it was that I did have feelings for him, and had since
I met him. But that didn’t change the fact that I was currently
hurting over Micah. It wouldn’t be fair to Aiden if I agreed to
date him while I was still thinking about another man.

“Kiss me.”

I shook my
head.

“Kiss me and if you don’t
feel what I’ve been feeling, then I will leave you alone, you’ll
never see me again.”

At his words, I brought my
eyes back to his and saw that he was serious. I knew I couldn’t
stand not seeing him but I also knew that wouldn’t happen, I felt
the same as he did. He leaned down and his lips hovered so close to
mine that I could feel his breath caress my skin. I suppressed the
shiver that crept along my spine and didn’t move. He softly pressed
his lips to mine, just a brush of lips to lips. I closed my eyes
and felt his energy swirl around me like he had a million hands
beckoning me to give in to him. He sucked on my bottom lip and
goose bumps broke out along my arms. He deepened the kiss, his
tongue darting into my mouth and I massaged it with my own. He
wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me into the hardness of
his chest. We kissed for what seemed like hours but had only been
minutes by the time I put my hand on his chest and pushed him away.
His eyes had gone black with desire and I stood frozen in place as
I replayed what had just happen. My breathing was labored so I took
in a deep breath to calm my sporadic heartbeat.

“I have to go,” I told him
and quickly left with Aiden watching my retreat.

My eyes grudgingly opened and I stared
at my bedroom wall. My dream had left me sad and confused. The
remembrance of Micah wasn’t welcomed and my relationship with Aiden
was terrifying. Aiden was definitely close enough to break my heart
if he chose to. My dream had made me realize that I’d had feelings
for him since day one and those feelings had only become stronger
over the years. I had forgotten about most of those memories, I
thought, but they’d stayed safely filed away in the corners of my
mind, waiting for me to realize what they meant.

The royal blue dress that Aiden had
gotten for me clung to my body as though it were painted on. The
bust area showed off a lot of my cleavage and the light captured
the Swarovski crystals to make them sparkle like a million
diamonds. My hair was pinned up, something I’d seen in a bridal
magazine and magically repeated.

Fiona left twenty minutes earlier,
while I sat at our kitchen table and waited for Aiden. I hadn’t
spoken to him since the previous night and a small voice inside my
head wondered if he’d done more with his dinner than just eat. I
heard that a vampire’s bite could drive an orgasm to skyrocket;
something in their saliva acted as an aphrodisiac. I also knew that
most vampires got turned on whenever they fed. I knew by the way he
watched the tourists the night before that he was going to feed,
but what else had he done?

Two small knocks sounded at the door
and made my jealous thoughts disappear. I carefully got up from the
table, trying not to step on the small train that followed behind
me.

“It’s about time,” I said when I
opened the door. I expected Aiden to be standing on the other side
of the threshold but it wasn’t him. A tall man with dark blonde
hair and crystal blue eyes looked back at me. He was amazingly
beautiful and I was momentarily speechless.

“Gwen Sparks?” he asked with a sexy
smirk.

“That’s me,” I said.

“My name is Ian. Aiden is running late
and asked me to escort you to the Gala.”

“Running late?” I asked
suspiciously.

“He apologizes, something to do with
business. Shall we?” Ian said, holding out his arm. Aiden owned
three businesses and it would make sense that something might have
come up, but of all the nights for something to happen! I
considered Ian and after debating on whether I should show up with
him or by myself, he won. I waved a hand in the air to shut the
lights off and then grabbed my small purse.

We made small talk while Ian drove his
black Mercedes to the party. When we arrived, Ian walked around the
car and opened my door, with a hand outstretched to help me out. I
gave him a small smile and stepped out. The party was in the middle
of the forest that made up Willow Creek Park. That would seem
strange to most but in a community full of magical creatures, it
was the norm.

My heels made it hard to traverse the
wood-chipped parking lot. Ian held onto me so that I didn’t trip
and we made our way to the path entrance. We stepped through a
curtain of shimmering white lights to the worn path. It seemed
every tree was aglow with twinkling orbs of lights, most likely
pixie glitter. A stroll in such magical woods seemed a little too
intimate to be sharing with a stranger. I silently grumbled that
Aiden had stood me up but only allowed my bad mood to surface for
seconds before I reined it in. Tonight was a celebration of Flora
and otherworldly existence; and I was going to enjoy
myself.

“You are very beautiful tonight,” Ian
said. I looked up and noticed he was watching me. He was a couple
inches taller than I, making him around six foot. His cheekbones
were more defined when he smirked at me and his eyes seemed to
sparkle as he thought about something I didn’t care to question. A
smile escaped my lips and I quickly looked away, unable to stare at
him and walk at the same time.

“Thank you,” I told him and then shot
him another look. “You look very nice also.” He was wearing a black
pinstripe suit with a black dress shirt underneath and an icy blue
tie.

“I take it you’re one of Aiden’s
vampires?” In the 615 years Aiden had been a vampire, I knew he had
changed a handful of willing people. I’d met a couple of them over
the years but there were a lot I hadn’t. Ian chuckled and stared
ahead as we neared the entrance of the party.

“I am over eight-hundred years old.
Aiden and I are old friends.” He didn’t comment further. An elf
waited at the entrance to the party and upon our arrival, held out
a short arm to stop us.

“Name?” he asked with a high-pitched
voice.

“Gwen Sparks and Ian Despereaux,” Ian
answered. The elf held out a small microphone and waved us through,
announcing us as we walked through a screen of purple orbs. All
heads turned toward us, making me feel uncomfortable at the
attention. It was amazing to see the woods transformed into such a
beautiful ballroom. Normally, there isn’t a clearing in the forest
but with magic, the trees had been replaced with wood floors. White
linen covered tables sat on the right and left while the middle was
open for dancing. An orchestra played itself on an upraised stage
while aerialist silk dancers twirled and did impressive acrobatics
from a ceiling that didn’t exist. The ceiling was just a mirage of
ivory and crystal chandeliers.

“This is amazing,” I said to
myself.

“Not compared to you,” Ian leaned down
to say. Who the heck did this guy think he was? He was supposed to
be Aiden’s friend but he was hitting on me? I removed my arm from
his and took off to find Fiona; I couldn’t deal with Mr. Smooth
Talker anymore. I politely pushed through the crowd and searched
for my best friend. There were well over three hundred attendants
and more coming. Pixies patrolled the perimeter, their wings aglow
with pixie glitter.

I spotted Fiona sitting at one of the
tables, looking less than entertained. Her elbow supported her
head, a cheek resting in her palm as she stared at the dancers.
Liam was in the middle of a discussion with people who looked
important.

“Boo!” I said from behind her. She
jumped slightly and I laughed. She looked absolutely beautiful in
her light green gown. Her blonde hair was pinned up with a few
curly tendrils dangling gracefully against her neck.

“Excuse us, Liam, we’re getting a
drink,” Fiona told her date and then grabbed my hand. We
practically flew through the crowd and as far away from her table
as possible.

“Thank you for rescuing me,” Fiona
said.

“Not going well?”

“He’s so boring! If you hadn’t come
along I would’ve fallen asleep.” I laughed and grabbed a drink from
an elf that was carrying a silver tray full of champagne glasses.
The tourists would have had a field day at our little
party.

Witches, vampires, and
ogres, oh my!

The Founder’s Gala was specifically
for otherworldly residents though. Fiona was checking her makeup in
her compact so I scanned the crowd. I spotted Micah with a brunette
woman on his arm. She was pretty enough, just average pretty, but
they looked happy together. He caught my glance as I was observing
him and his date and I quickly looked away.

“Will you get over him already?
Besides, you have a yummy new vampire to play with,” Fiona said,
following my gaze. “Speaking of, where is Aiden?” I turned my back
towards Micah and his new girlfriend and took a sip of my
champagne. I knew I was completely over Micah, but I still wasn’t
comfortable seeing him or a new woman on his arm.

“Dealing with business supposedly, he
sent a chaperone,” I said, pointing at where Ian stood by a tall
pillar. His eyes were riveted on me and a slight blush colored my
cheeks.

“Aiden must be really confident to
send someone that looks like that to escort the woman he’s been in
love with for two years,” Fiona said.

“We’re not in love,” I
argued.

“You might not be, but Aiden’s
definitely head over heels in love with you,” Fiona said with a
smirk. I shook my head, not ready to believe that Aiden felt that
way. I knew I had strong feelings for him, and had since day one,
but I couldn’t let myself fall in love, not ever again, if I had
anything to say about it. I’d date Aiden and have fun with him but
I’d try my damnedest not to say that stupid four-letter word that
could cause my heart to shatter again.

“What’s his name?” Fiona asked. I
banished my thoughts and brought my attention back to our
conversation. She was staring at Ian, her eyes swimming with
lustful interest. A small smile broke against my lips; her father
would have a heart attack if his daughter dated a
vampire.

“Ian Despereaux.” I spared a look at
the man in question and saw that he was making his way toward us.
He was very good looking but I wasn’t interested in listening to
him use cheesy pick-up lines all night. I decided that I would save
my anger for Aiden. He was the one who stood me up and left me with
a tempting playboy.