Dark Secrets (56 page)

I waited until he
dared to take another sip, then showed him what we’d be wearing if
Vicki trusted me alone upstairs with a boy in my room.

Brown liquid burst all
over Sam’s homework, spraying from David’s mouth as he jerked up
out of his chair, wiping his chin on his sleeve. “Ara!”

That’ll teach
you
. I giggled, covering my
mouth.

Vicki stared between
David and I, and Sam, oblivious to all other life forms aside from
himself, simply shook his head, sighed, like
we
were immature, then went back to
his homework.

“
Ara,” Vicki said,
handing David a dishcloth. “What did you do to the poor
boy?”

“
Nothing,” I said
innocently.

“
I’m
sure.”

David placed the cloth
and his cup in the sink, shaking his head the whole time, then
popped up beside me when Vicki turned to the stove, and whispered
quietly in my ear. “You need a filter on your thoughts,
Ara-Rose.”

I scraped the side of
my face down his chin, closing my eyes for a second when his soft
lips left a kiss behind before he walked back over and sat beside
Sam, still shaking his head.

“
So, Ara,” Vicki said
casually, “you have the girls coming for a sleepover this Saturday,
right?”

“
Mm-hm.” I nodded,
quickly looking back at my homework.

“
When are we going
dress hunting then? I assume you’ll want to do it soon, before Mike
arrives?”

“
Did Ara tell you,
Mom?” Sam interjected, winking at David. “David’s gonna buy her a
dress?”

My head whipped up to
look at my vampire; he smiled behind his book, keeping his eyes on
the text and nowhere near my infuriated glare.

Vicki looked at me,
then at David. “That’s a very kind offer, David. Are you
sure?”

“
I’m positive, Mrs
Thompson. If you take her shopping, I’ll cover the
costs.”

“
Dresses can be
expensive,” she said in a remarkably condescending tone.

David leaned back in
his chair and lopped his arm over the backrest. I knew he was
looking at Vicki, probably thinking,
I’m
about eighty years older than you, lady. I think I know what things
cost
. “There is no price too high. I want
Ara to have the prettiest, most extravagant dress money can buy,”
he said instead.

Vicki stared, her
mouth gaping. “How much do you want her to spend?”

Don’t, David, please
don't.
Vicki would definitely spend
exactly what he told her to, without any hint of remorse. I, on the
other hand, would feel like a dirty thief.

He grinned, completely
ignoring me as he ripped a corner of his notepad, scribbled
something down on it, showed it to Sam, who nodded, then passed it
to Vicki. “No less than this.”

Vicki
gasped.

“
What? Vicki, how
much? Tell me?” I whined.

She folded the paper
and slipped it into her pocket, spinning back to the stove with a
bounce in her step. “So, we’ll go shopping on Saturday morning
then, before your friends arrive?”

I folded my arms and
looked at David.

“
What?” He shrugged,
holding both hands out, looking so cute and human my heart
melted.

You’re cheeky, David,
but I love you.

While David had
mastered the styles and behaviours of the twenty-first century,
practicing them well at school, when it came to automatically
switching to ‘good boy’ mode around a girl’s parents, old habits
died hard. He ate with the perfection of his inner English Lord,
talking topics over dinner that had my dad more than a little
impressed, and even complimented Vicki’s cooking. I kept watching
his fork go from his plate to his mouth like a graceful bird
flying, wondering how it affected him to eat human food. But when
it came to the apple pie, I don’t think he was lying about it being
his favourite, because he ate mine too. Then, he scored extra
points with the parental units by helping me with the dishes,
forever winning Sam over by giving him the night off. Didn’t earn
enough trust for my dad to leave the kitchen, though. Instead, he
decided to ‘read his paper’ while David and I stood by the sink,
trying to talk about ‘human’ stuff.

David finished wiping
the counter and re-rolled his sleeves before sticking hands back
into the water, then handing me a soapy plate.

“
Is it awful?” I
asked, taking it in my towel-covered hand.

“
Is what
awful?”

I leaned closer,
keeping one eye on Dad. “Eating?”

David let out a short
breath of laughter. “No. It’s very normal for me. I mean—” He bent
his knees so his lips came in line with my ear. “It’s not totally
necessary, but I still enjoy it.”

“
Really? So, it
tastes okay?”

“
Yeah.” He laughed.
“I guess it’s like chocolate; you don’t need it, and you can’t
survive on it, but you can enjoy it now and then.”

“
Oh.” I nodded. “I
thought it’d be like vamp—I mean, like your kind in the movies, you
know; how it tastes like ash.”

“
Nope. Things
actually taste better,” he added, handing me another plate. “My
senses are very finely tuned, so, taste is enhanced, touch is
enhanced. Everything.” His smile was oh-so incredibly
suggestive.

“
So?” I said slowly, running one finger at a snail’s pace down
his spine, feeling the soft silk of his shirt bunch up as I glided
along. “
This
feels better when you’re a vampire?”

“
Shh.” He nodded
toward my dad, his shoulders lifting with the slow breath he took
after. “And, yes. That feels incredible.”

Dad stood up suddenly
and walked out of the room.

I held my breath. “Did
he hear me?”

David listened for a
second, then shook his head. “No. He’s gone to talk to Vicki about
Mike coming to stay.”

“
Well, what about
it?”

“
He just realised he
might need some help getting that giant sofa out of the spare room.
He’s going to ask me.”

“
So he trusts you to
help move furniture and do dishes, but not be alone in the kitchen
with his daughter?”

“
Sounds pretty
standard for dads, Ara.”

“
Yeah, well, maybe we
should tell him you’re a vampire—at least then he’d stop worrying
about me getting pregnant.”

“
Why wouldn’t he
worry?”

“
Because you’re a
vampire. Vampires can’t have babies.”

“
That’s…” He grinned.
“Not entirely true.”

“
What!” My eyes
nearly bulged out of my head.

He laughed and looked
at the pile of dishes. “You know, I can think of at least three
better ways to be spending our evening. You want me to get this
done in record time?” A hint of mischief shimmered behind his
eyes.

“
Okay,” I said
slowly.

He grabbed both my
shoulders and gently directed me to stand centre to the room.
“Count to twenty,” he said, then disappeared into a blur of grey
and black, like watching the road out the window when driving down
the highway. The faucet ran, cupboard doors shut and opened, and I
stood, mouth open, towel and plate still in hand, until David
grabbed it and placed it on the shelf, closing the cupboard door
after, dusting off his hands as he stood beside me. “All
done.”

“
I only counted to
ten!” I said.

“
Told you.” He jerked
one shoulder up and dropped it. “I’m fast.”

“
Hm.” I wrapped my
arms along the sides of his waist and pressed my cheek to his shirt
buttons. “I knew there was a reason I should keep you
around.”

“
Shall we go
upstairs? I’ll give you a few more.”

“
Tease.” I smiled,
squeezing him tighter. We both knew he wouldn’t come upstairs with
me. It was past ten o’clock, and he had his rules.

“
It’s out of respect
for you, Ara.”

“
I know, but it’s
annoying.” I pulled my scarf away from my neck a little, allowing
the bruises to breathe.

“
Look at you.” David
ran his thumb over the skin just beside the mark. “We shouldn’t
have done that. You’re going to have bruises for weeks.”

“
I’m
fine.”

“
No, you’re not.” He
covered the bruise again. “I watched you fidget with that all
night. I know it’s bothering you.”

“
It was worth
it.”

“
No. I was way too
rough with you.”

“
I
liked
it.” I looked up, my voice and my eyes filling with all the
guilt of a child who just stole the last cookie.

He let a breath out
through his smile. “You’re not the shy, meek little thing I thought
you were, are you?”

“
No, I’m really
not—and, you know, when you did that to me, it made me feel—I don’t
know.” I shook my head, lost for the right word.

David smiled warmly.
“I do. I believe the words you’re looking for are excited,
lustful—” his voice lowered before he said, “Aroused.”

My cheeks turned hot
underneath. He was right. “What does that mean, though? That being
bitten makes me want to…to have
sex
with you?” I whispered the ‘s’ word.

“
Yes, but I prefer to
think of it as—” he stroked the backs of his fingers slowly over my
cheekbone, “—making love.”

My breath shuddered.
“Surely that’s not right—for me to be
turned on
by you doing dangerous
things to me?”

“
Of course it is.
It’s called human nature. What’s not right is taking pleasure in
taunting me when I’m about to kill you.”

“
Is
it—” I chewed the inside of my lip. “Is it wrong for me to
want—”
Gah!
I
huffed the rest of my words out in one gust.

“
Ara?” David stepped
closer, towering over me a little, eyes of concern stealing his
smile. “S’il te plaît, mon amour? What is it?”

“
I—I want you
to—”

“
Ara,” Vicki called
before she walked through the doorway. “It’s late, time you were
getting to bed.”

My shoulders dropped.
“Sure, Vicki.”

“
Ara, please?” David
said quietly. “What were you going to say?”

Come
back
? I looked up at him.
When she’s gone to bed
?

David nodded.
“Goodnight, Ara.”

“
Night.” My smiling
eyes stayed locked to his as he backed away, kissing my
hand.

“
Goodnight, Mrs
Thompson, and thank you for a lovely meal.” He smiled at Vicki with
all the charm and sincerity of an eighteenth-century prince. She
totally fell for it.

“
Well, you’re
welcome, David. Any time. Maybe next time I’ll cook something a
little more interesting.”

“
To be perfectly
honest—” the prince bowed his head, “—I’ve not had a meal that
delicious in a long time.”

Vicki’s chest puffed
up, and the smile on her face spread so wide I pictured her as a
big feathery chicken that just laid an egg.

“
I’ll see you
tomorrow.” I linked arms with him and led him to the
door.

“
You will. Until
then—” he bowed his head, “—tu es dans toutes mes
pensées.”

I heard Vicki gush
behind me. Sucker.

But as the door
closed, my heart fluttered and a pathetic girlie giggle shook my
chest. I didn’t even know what he said, but I bet it was romantic.
All I knew, from growing up with Mike saying stuff like that all
the time, was that
S’il vous plaît
was please, respectfully, and
S’il te
plaît
was for addressing a close friend, while
mon amour
was my love. Not that Mike
ever said that to me, but I heard him groaning it to other girls
when I slept over his house. He really used his French upbringing
to his advantage when it came to girls. I wondered if David was
doing that—trying to woo me, or if it was just a habit for him to
speak French.

“
Ara?” Vicki stood
beside me.

“
Hm?” I looked away
from the front door, shaking off that little shiver David left
behind in me.

“
Stop staring at
nothing. Go to bed.”

“
Oh. Right.” I rubbed
my head. “Sorry.”

As I took the first
step, Vicki gently grabbed my hand and smiled up at me. “And by the
way, David is a very lovely boy.”

“
Thank you.” I
smiled, gripping her hand for a second.

“
And he’s more than
welcome here anytime.”

“
Cool.” I tugged my
hand away and ran upstairs; I just wanted to be in his arms again.
Having him in my room past nine at night was a real treat. I wasn’t
going to waste even one second more talking to Vicki, even if she
was actually being nice.