Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) (166 page)

“
Why didn’t you get us out
of the house right away?”

“
If I would’ve dragged you
out of there, they would’ve attacked me. I had to play it cool and
pretend like I was enjoying the party. I was only there to sneak
you guys out.”

“
Why was that guy chasing
us?” I asked.

“
He wanted Julie. He had a
taste of her blood and wanted more. He tried to fight it off
because he didn’t want to worry about any fatalities being
reported, but he couldn’t stop himself. I got shot trying to
protect you from him and his kind.”

“
What about the
wolves?”

A serious expression came over his
face. “I don’t trust them, but for one reason or another, they were
protecting us.”

“
When I tried to leave, one
lunged at my foot.”

“
They were only trying to
keep you inside so Jonathon wouldn’t kill you or Julie. They knew
he’d have to leave at sunrise.”

“
So Jonathon survived the
wolf attack?”

“
He’s almost 1,000 years
old and very experienced. He had no trouble outrunning
them.”

Mixed feelings rattled in my chest.
“Will he come back?”

“
No. He went back to
Washington, and he apologized. I’m sure he’s out hunting where he
lives though.”

I just stared at him, almost unable to
believe it. “I’ve got lots of questions.”

“
And I’ve got plenty of
answers,” he said.

“
Do you sleep in a coffin
or change into a bat?”

“
No. Those are just myths.
Besides, coffins are too industrial these days, not comfortable at
all,” he tried to joke, but nothing about the conversation was
laughable.

I couldn’t stop staring at him. Even
though I’d suspected him for a while, the whole thing was so hard
to believe.

Worry lines crossed his features. “Say
something, Taylor. Anything.”

“
I-I can’t believe I was
kissed by a vampire.”

He stared at my lips. “Did you like
it?”

“
Yes. I’ve never felt
anything so…sexy and arousing, and all you did was touch my lips.”
I couldn’t even imagine what an open-mouthed kiss would be like.
Pushing my fears to the back of my mind, I took a deep breath and
tried to focus. “Do you…drink blood?” I finally found the courage
to ask.

He inched closer. “Are you asking if
I’m dangerous?”

My heart thundered. “Yes. Are
you?”

His brow furrowed as he pondered the
question. “I could kill you before you knew what happened. Yes, I
can be very dangerous.”

“
So…what kind of vampire
are you?” I asked.

“
I’m not sure what that
means. I’ve already explained that I’m not a regular
one.”

“
Are you the sexy, brooding
type with a troubled soul, seeking forgiveness for your sins, or
are you more of the scary type, the one who rips into flesh without
conscience, ready to devour the whole town? Are you a manipulative
vampire or the kind that sparkles?”

“
I’m just Jesse…and I
refused to be labeled.”

“
Point taken.” I gripped
the doorframe and met his gaze. “Do you have to kill me now that I
know your secret?”

“
Why don’t you invite me
inside and find out?”

My voice went flat. “You haven’t told
me what you really eat.”

“
Do you really want to
know?”

I swallowed hard against my racing
pulse and forced myself to stay calm. The realization was that I
was completely and utterly attracted to a paranormal creature who
could easily rip my neck apart, and that made me shiver. “I do. I
want to know. I need to know, Jesse.”

“
Come outside, and we’ll
talk about it,” he said.

My breath caught in my throat. I
wasn’t that dumb. Even though none of it seemed real and I felt
like I was living in one of those B-movies I’d downloaded on my
iPhone, I wasn’t about to take any chances. “I-I can’t accept this.
I’m going through so many emotions right now. Maybe we should take
a break for a little while. I just…I’m not sure what’s going on
between us, if anything.”

As soon as the words left my mouth, I
was stunned. There I was, on my doorstep, dumping the hottest guy
I’d ever known. As open-minded as I tried to be, I simply couldn’t
handle who he was. I was suffocating, finding it impossible to
breathe as he stared at me with those blue eyes of his.

“
Taylor…”

I loved the way he said my name, and
that made it all the harder. “This isn’t the movies, television, or
a novel,” I said. “It’s not just some little road bump. I’ve got a
lot to process here. This is huge, and I need some
time.”

His gaze softened. “You know
what?”

“
What?”

“
Take all the time you
need. I’m not going anywhere. I will wait, and I will only go far
as you let me.”

He held his hand up, and my palm
touched his right at the imaginary line. I could feel the invisible
shield, yet I could feel Jesse’s warm hand. Electricity and warmth
sparked through my hand, as if I’d touched a live wire. It was
weird, something I couldn’t explain it. It was absolutely, 100
percent paranormal.

“
You feel…human,” I said. I
worried that I was being slowly sucked in, compelled by the
darkness that I was sure lurked inside every single one of us. He
possessed a mystery and darkness that drew me in slowly, breath by
breath. Though I was weary, I was drawn in by his tall, dark,
handsome beauty. But I had to remember one thing, and that was just
how dangerous he was.

“
We have more human traits
than any other vampire. Even still, I drink blood once a
week.”

“
Does that mean you’ll
drink mine?”

He stared down at my neck. “Is that an
invitation?”

“
I’d rather you just run
your tongue and mouth down my neck.”

“
You have no idea how badly
I want to suck and devour your neck…”

“
With your
teeth?”

“
With my
tongue.”

“
Will you bite?”

“
I’ll lick, suck, and
nibble, but I won’t break your skin. You’d enjoy it.”

The way he stared at me tripled the
rhythm of my heartbeat. His gaze was so sensual, so sexy that I
could feel my body flooding with heat. “I can imagine your mouth
against my neck,” I said, meaning every single word.

His eyes flickered with desire. “I
need you so bad, Taylor.”

“
I need you worse.” More
hunger, more need flooded through me, sending goosebumps all over
my body.

“
Then let me run my lips up
and down your neck and whisper your sweet name in your ear.” When
the words froze in my throat, he continued. “Let me give you those
sparks and that fiery passion your ex could never give
you.”

My nerves were electrified, dying for
his touch, for his kiss.

“
I want to kiss your
earlobe, then trail my tongue down your jaw and your neck.” He
stared at my mouth. “Just two steps, Taylor. I promise you won’t
regret it, but it seems we have a trust issue now that you know my
identity.”

I couldn’t move my gaze from his face.
“You’re a bad influence on me, Jesse.”

Ever so slowly, he leaned as close as
he could to the invisible wall. “I could be the best thing you ever
had, but you’ll never know if you don’t give me a fighting chance,”
he said with great and convincing determination in his
voice.

I couldn’t breathe, and
the room seemed to grow hotter and four sizes smaller.

Chapter 22

I stood inside my house with the door
open, safe inside my sanctuary. The vampire couldn’t come in
because I hadn’t invited him, one part of the lore that was working
to my advantage.

Jesse looked into my eyes. “I can hear
the loud crash of every single beat of your heart.”

“
What!?” I gasped and
clutched my chest.

He stared at me intently. “I can hear
your heart beating, racing, thundering.”

I inhaled deeply to steady my pulse,
but it didn’t seem to help much. “What do you want with a mere
mortal?” I asked. “Surely entanglements with us are bound to cause
you trouble.”

“
Yes, we live by a code
that requires our existence to remain secret, and I slipped up by
getting shot. But what am I supposed to do? Keep my shirt on for
the rest of our relationship? I’ve never desired to tell anyone my
secret to before, but I want you to know everything about me. I
don’t want to lie to you, to keep secrets from you. You’re special,
Taylor, someone who will keep my secrets safe. Why wouldn’t I want
to be with a mortal like you? You’re beautiful, funny, caring,
intelligent, and…” He smiled. “Do you want me to keep
going?”

“
Please do. You’re doing
such a fine job.”

“
You’re amazing. And it’s
just not your physical beauty. You have a wonderful personality.
I’ve never met anyone like you before in my life.”

Emotion overwhelmed me. “I’m moved. I
really am, but what if this isn’t for me? Will you let me go on my
merry way? And how can I when I know what’s out there, now that I
know humans are at the bottom of the food chain?”

“
What if you were destined
to be in my world?”

“
No. I want to grow old,
Jesse, and you’re not gonna want me when I’m eighty. I know I’m
taking it to extremes, though, ‘cause we probably wouldn’t even
last that long.”

“
Who says?”

“
Tell me what to expect…and
please don’t sugarcoat it. Be upfront.”

He let out a long breath. “You’re
walking into a major train wreck,” Jesse said.

“
I love your
honesty.”

“
I’d be lying if I told you
everything will be roses and candy. Nothing about our relationship
would be typical.”

“
You know it will be hell,
yet you still want me to walk down the fiery path?”

He towered above me with a desperate
look on his face. He peered into my eyes, as if I was his only
hope. “It’s your choice, and it won’t be easy, but I can’t stand to
be apart from you.”

“
Jesse, please tell me you
didn’t kill those women I keep hearing about in the
news.”

He sucked in a breath, then let it out
slowly. “I didn’t.”

“
If you say you didn’t, I
believe you, but have you ever killed anyone? I have to
know.”

“
No. I’m not a
murderer.”

“
That makes me feel
better.”

“
I’m also not perfect,
Taylor. A war rages in me constantly between human compassion and
the vampire urges I was born with. I feel like I need to make more
changes for you to even consider being with somebody like
me.”

“
You don’t need to change a
thing,” I said. “You’re the most wonderful person I know. When I
see how you act with those animals at the zoo, I couldn’t imagine
you hurting anybody.”

He lifted his hand to the invisible
barrier, his lips settling into a serious line. “I’m
broken.”

I touched his hand that was resting on
the invisible wall. “Who isn’t?”

He took a deep breath, then continued,
“You couldn’t begin to fix me.”

“
Who says you need fixing?”
I said. “Perfection is overrated anyway. For me, you’re perfect
just the way you are. I want you for you, the guy I’m staring at
this very second.”

“
But I’ve messed up,
and—”

“
Who doesn’t? Heck, I’ve
messed up a million times. When I do, I just get back on my feet
and try again.”

“
It’s hard to keep moving
forward when life has thrown so many disappointments at me.
Sometimes I think I’m, uh…”

“
Misunderstood?”

His lips pressed into a grim line.
“Yes.”

Our eyes connected, and we held the
gaze for a long moment.

“
I don’t know what I’d do
without you. You’re the only one who gets me.”

“
You get me too,” I said.
“We can’t use our mistakes as an excuse to avoid getting back up.
We can’t undo the past, but we can always start over
again.”

“
Let’s forget all about our
pasts.”

“
And begin again…together?”
I said softly. “Do you believe in fresh starts, in new
beginnings?”

“
Yes.”

“
Just remember, Jesse, that
life is what you make it. Even if you’re gonna live for thousands
of years, you must make every day count.”

“
Do you believe in fate?”
he asked.

“
I do.”

“
You and me are already set
in motion, Taylor. We couldn’t stop if we tried.”

I stared into his eyes, and I couldn’t
deny the truth of his words. “You’re far more than the charming
vampire from Big Bear Lake, California.”

“
Do you trust me, Taylor?”
he asked.