Kissing with Fangs (13 page)

Claudia didn't look ready to leave the office, though. She sat in the chair next to him and laid a hand on his arm. “What's wrong, babe? Whatever it is, I'm here for you.”

Yeah, but would you stay here if I told you I was a vampire?
He wished he could revel in the fact that she'd just used an endearment for the first time. Instead he was so pissed off and worried that he had to put his mental energy toward damage control.

She angled her body toward him, reached out, and took both of his hands in hers. The gesture nearly did him in. She wasn't the least bit afraid of him. Not yet, but he couldn't kid himself anymore. The beautiful little bubble he'd been living in was about to burst.

“Claudia. I—”

The door opened and the weasel poked his head in. “Uh, Claudia. We should speak.”

“Get out, Maynard,” she said.

Wow.
That's not how Claudia would have acted toward a customer in the past. Even a troublesome ex.
Brava, darling.

Maynard's jaw dropped. When she glared at him, he retreated but left the door ajar. “I'll be right here if you need me.”

“I don't need you—for anything. Please, leave.”

Anthony rose and shut the door. For good measure, he turned the lock. When it clicked into place, Claudia looked even more concerned, if that were possible.

“What's going on, Anthony? I want to hear it from you.” She rose and strolled over to him. Her arms slipped around his waist, and she held him while searching his face for answers.

If
only
I
could
mesmerize
her…

He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. Inhaling her minty shampoo, hoping it wouldn't be the last time.

A loud knock sounded on the door again.

“Oh, for the love of…” Claudia marched over to it. “This crap is not good for my serenity.” She closed her eyes for a moment and took a few deep breaths before unlocking and opening the door.

“If you don't leave me al—Oh! Hi, Nick.”

Nick tipped his head in confusion. “Bad timing?”

“Sorry. I was being pestered, but not by you. What's up?”

“Three of your customers just walked out without paying. Angie wanted to run after them, but I stopped her.”

“Good,” Anthony said.

Angie's voice from behind the door said, “Can you put me down now?”

Claudia swung the door open wide, revealing the six-foot-three ex-cop holding the diminutive waitress under his arm like a football.

Claudia covered her mouth as she tried not to chuckle.

“Yeah, yeah,” Nick said and set Angie on her feet.

Angie set a hand on her hip and addressed both of her bosses. “Are you just going to let customers leave without paying? Because word will get around that we're serving free food.”

“I doubt it,” Claudia said. She faced Nick and continued, “Maynard is an old boyfriend of mine, and when he kept bothering me, I practically tossed him out on his ass.”

“Oh.” Nick's eyes narrowed. “Did you say, ‘Maynard'?”

“Yes. May-nerd. Emphasis on the ‘nerd.' Why?”

“What's his last name?”

“Wisenheimer. Oh, wait. That's just what we called him. It's really Oppenheimer.”

“Shit. That's the guy I'm looking for!” Nick took off and almost mowed Sadie down as she was coming in. He mumbled, “Sorry, Sadie,” and charged out the door.

Angie's eyes were wide. “
That's
the guy who kidnapped Tory?”

“Anthony, why on earth would a Cambridge researcher kidnap an ex-NFL player?”

Anthony shrugged.
Should
I
make
up
something
stupid
like
he
might
be
studying
the
effects
of
steroids
on
head
injuries?
In the end, he opted for silence.

“Maybe the nerd wanted a muscle transplant.” Angie shook her head. “I can't believe I waited on him…and was nice to him despite what an ass—Oh sorry, Claudia. I didn't mean to call your old boyfriend an ass.”

“Don't worry. He deserves it.”

“I hope Nick tracks down the ass, then. If he's got Tory…” Angie's lips thinned and her eyes shimmered.

Claudia grabbed and hugged her. “Nick will find him. Don't worry.”

Anthony wanted to get Claudia out of there before there was any more speculation. He also didn't know how much Claudia had heard regarding their scientific equipment. If Maynard called her later…
Shit. I
have
to
tell
her.

“Claudia, you've had a rough day. Why don't you go upstairs and I'll take over here. Don't go anywhere, though. I need to talk to you.”

“But I was going to…” She glanced at Angie who was still standing there, listening intently. “Never mind. I can cancel. Come up as soon as you can.”

***

Ordinarily Claudia would have refused to leave in the middle of a situation, but she was emotionally spent. AA taught her not to get too hungry, angry, upset, or tired. They called it HALT. Wait a minute…what she'd spelled was HAUT. Okay…so it was hungry, angry,
lonely
, and tired. Either way, it seemed appropriate to go to her apartment and take a load off.

She was supposed to meet her sponsor later and go to a meeting with her, but Anthony said he needed to talk. Considering his earlier reaction, she felt she needed to be there for him.

She could say she wasn't feeling well but she was a terrible liar, so she decided to sell it by holding her nose as she spoke to her sponsor on the phone.

“Gaye. I'b sick. I can' go out todight.”

“Oh, no. I'm sorry to hear that. You seemed fine yesterday.”

“Yeah, it cabe on sudd'nly.”

“Would you like a visit? We could have our own meeting in your living room.”

“Uh'd no. I'b contagious an jus' wanna go to bed.”

“Okay…”

Somehow Gaye didn't sound convinced, and Claudia got the impression that her sponsor suspected there was more to it.

The program asked members to be rigorously honest with themselves and implied that they should be honest with other human beings too, and yet there was that little loophole…“except when to do so would injure them or others.”

She'd fess up later.

She signed off with a polite “Good 'ight” and told herself that when she found out what was bothering Anthony, she could tell Gaye.

She had just decided to make two cups of hot cocoa when a knock sounded at the door. She thought it was too early for Anthony, so she looked through the peephole. Anthony stood there, gazing at the floor with a pensive expression on his face.

She opened it and stood aside. “Why didn't you use your key?”

“I figured I'd give you the option of letting me in or not. It's your place, after all.”

She chuckled. “Why wouldn't I let you in?”

He shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. “You might not after you hear what I have to say.”

A ripple of uneasiness made her nerves tingle. “Why don't you have a seat? I was going to make some cocoa. Do you want some?”

“No. My stomach is too upset.” He sat on the sofa. “Go ahead and make some for yourself, though.”

She decided to skip the beverage and sat next to him. “Babe, what is it? You're making me nervous.”

He stared straight ahead and his spine stiffened as if facing a firing squad. “I lied to you.”

She leaned away and studied his face. He seemed perfectly serious. What on earth could he have lied about? His feelings for her? Did he want her to go back to Maynard? Did he want to go back to Ruxandra? She told herself that was ridiculous, but the longer she waited, the crazier her ideas became.

“Well, don't stop there. What did you lie about?”

“I don't have Xeroderma pigmentosum.” He dropped his gaze to the floor and his posture slumped.

“Oh. Isn't that good news? Why do you still look so sad?”

Uh-oh. Maybe he really was spending his days with Ruxandra. Any minute now he's going to tell me he's in love with her, and adios, Claudia.

“You may not believe me, but I swear what I'm about to tell you is the gods' honest truth.”

She waited for what seemed like days. The anticipation was killing her. Suddenly she wanted a chocolate martini, not a hot cocoa.
Stop
that
right
now
, she told herself.
Whatever
it
is
can't be that bad.

“You and I have been through a lot together,” he began.

She nodded.

“You've always been the bright spot in my…life.”

She cocked her head, still not sure where he was going.

“But even though…” He stopped and raked his hands through his hair. “I'm afraid there's no way to sugarcoat it.”

“Anthony, honey, whatever it is, I want you to tell me.”

He took a deep breath, turned, and looked directly into her eyes. “I'm a vampire.” His eyes searched hers as if waiting for some kind of condemnation.

Of all the things he could have said, that was
not
what she was expecting. “Um… You're a what?”

“A vampire. Creature of the night. One of the undead.”

She bit her lip.
Any
minute
now
he's going to crack a smile, and the joke will be on me.
But why would he do that? Then she remembered a documentary she'd seen once. Apparently there
are
people who think they're vampires. They sleep in coffins during the day, cut themselves or each other, and drink blood…
ewww.
But on some level, they know they're not
really
undead.

“Are you saying you belong to some cult where people act like vampires?”

He sighed. “No.”

“Okay, maybe ‘cult' is the wrong word. I know there are people who sleep in coffins and drink blood. Usually they wear goth makeup to make their skin white.” She swiped his cheek and checked her finger.
No
makeup.
Not that she thought he wore any. His skin was naturally pale and she blamed that on his “condition,” which she now knew he didn't have. Apparently he just reversed his sleep patterns.

She shrugged. “I'm okay with it, Anthony. I mean, you gotta be who you gotta be. Right?”

His posture straightened. “Are you serious?”

She cupped his cheek in a loving gesture. He turned into it and kissed her palm.

“I can't believe how well you're taking this. I mean, I expected the very worst. I thought you'd scream. Run from me. Never want to see me again.”

She chuckled. “Of course not, silly. I…” She stopped herself half a second before she said,
I
love
you.
For one thing, she wanted him to say it first, and for another…

He swept her into a tight embrace, and as his lips crushed hers, she forgot what she was thinking. All she could do was feel.

Gods, I love this woman, and it's time to tell her so.

As soon as he broke the kiss, he cupped her face and said, “I love you. Truly. So much.”

She smiled and her expression grew into a grin. “I love you too. I have for years.”

“Really?” He scrutinized her and saw nothing but complete sincerity. “Is that why you didn't date anyone seriously?” He caught himself. That was assuming a lot. “Well, not that it was any of my business. I wasn't keeping track of what you did every minute of every day.”

Her gaze dropped. “I tried to. I told myself it was useless waiting for you to notice me. You had Ruxandra.”

He snorted. “Since the day I met you, I've wanted no one but you. I held off as long as I did because of her. I didn't know if I could keep you safe, and I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you because of my
former
relationship with her.”

“Are you saying you and she haven't been together since we met?”

“Yes. That's what I'm saying. Furthermore, I moved to Boston to get away from her, but somehow she tracked me here.”

“Tracked you?”

“Yes. Vampires have superior senses of smell, vision, and hearing. I thought taking a train from New Orleans would mask my scent. Perhaps it did. Maybe Boston was just a lucky guess on her part. After all, she knew I lived here in the seventeenth century.”

Claudia leaned away, and confusion wrinkled her pretty brow. “You mean it was so long ago that it
felt
like the seventeenth century. Right?”

After a long pause, her eyes widened. “Right?” she repeated a little louder.

“Uh, no. I actually lived in the seventeenth century. I was born in Avon, England. I sailed to America as an indentured servant in sixteen-seventy-two. You should have seen the seventies, back then. Waaaay different.” He attempted a smile, but she didn't move a muscle. Her jaw hung slack, and he had to snap his fingers to be sure he hadn't accidentally mesmerized her. She blinked.

“I, um…” She never finished her sentence. She just turned away and appeared to be pondering deeply.

“I suppose I should have mentioned that vampires are immortal. Did you not know that?”

She bit her lip and stared at him.

“Claudia, say something.”

“What do you want me to say?”

“Say that you believe me. I'm telling you the gods' honest truth. Say you don't hate me just because I revealed what I am. Say
you
know
I'd never hurt you.”

“I…”

Apparently she couldn't say any of those things. Or anything else. Anthony took a deep breath and scrubbed a hand over his face. “I shouldn't have told you so much and expected you to accept everything all at once.”

“No. It's not that…”

“Then what is it?”

“I—I don't know what to do. I've never had to tell someone they needed professional help before.”

He straightened his spine. “Professional help? Oh, my gods. You think I'm delusional?”

“Well…” She gave a little shrug and blushed. “Lil' bit.”

He let out that deep breath he'd taken in a whoosh. “I knew you were accepting this too easily. Did you believe any of it?”

“Some. You said you're a creature of the night, and since I've never seen you during the day, I figured that was true. I've never seen you drink blood, but I was willing to give you that one. I figured it was probably tomato juice that you pretend is blood. Or wine. Superior senses? Okay. But immortality? Really?”

“Really.”

“I, um…”

“What?”

“I need to talk to my sponsor about this.”

“No!” He regretted shouting immediately.

She jumped backward about a foot. “I'm sorry, but I have to. Don't I? I'm supposed to tell her everything that might affect my sobriety.”

His jaw dropped. “You're going to drink? Because of me?”

“No. Of course not.”

“Then why should you tell your sponsor? Would you tell her if you got a letter in the mail?”

“If that letter said something life-altering, yes. If it was another sale flyer or credit card offer, or a charity begging for money I don't have, then no. I'd toss those letters in the trash and never give them a second thought.”

He rose and paced. “Claudia, you
cannot
tell Gaye. It's not your secret to tell.”

“Oh,” she said quietly.

When she didn't say anything more, he reseated himself beside her. He took both her hands in his and was relieved when she didn't recoil. “My touch is cool, isn't it?”

“Yes. It usually is. I just thought you had poor circulation.”

“You could say that. I haven't fed recently. I'd warm up if I fed from a live source. However, I rarely do that… And when I do, it's from a pig or chicken.
Not
humans.”

After a long pause she relaxed slightly. “Well, I guess that's something.”

“Yes. I do what I can.”

She bit her lip and searched his eyes.

“What is it?”

“Ruxandra. Is she…”

“A vampire? Yes. I'm afraid so.”

“Does she have the same—um—ethics about drinking blood from humans?”

Holy
shit. What can I say, honestly?
“I don't know what she does anymore. And I don't care to.”

“Do you know where she lives…or un-lives? Is that a word?” She shook her head. “I'm so confused.”

Anthony pulled Claudia into a gentle embrace. “You are my only concern. You and Sadie. She's my niece, not my aunt. My seventh great-niece.”

Claudia slapped a hand over her eyes, as if to say she'd had enough of this. But there was more he had to tell her.

He tipped up Claudia's chin so she could see the sincerity on his face. “I know I'll outlive you, and that's another reason I tried to stay away. Some vampires lose so many friends and lovers over the centuries that they decide not to get involved with humans at all. It's grim going through heartbreak after heartbreak.” He swept a lock of hair behind her ear. “Please don't break my heart before we've had a chance to enjoy what makes the risk worthwhile.”

The expression on her face could only be viewed as sympathetic. “So, have you? Gone through heartbreak after heartbreak, I mean?”

“No. I've had plenty of casual affairs with humans, but nothing serious. Especially not if Ruxandra was around. She's sabotaged every relationship I ever had a chance at.”

“How?”

Anthony rolled his eyes. “She's very creative, and I think she considers it a game. She wrote a letter to one woman saying she'd won thousands of dollars and had to go to Denver to claim her prize. She made others think we were married. She told a whole group of women I had syphilis. Basically, she'll stop at nothing to get in my way.”

Claudia worried her lip again and looked at the floor.

“What is it, honey?”

“Has she ever killed anyone?”

Fuck.
That was the one question he didn't want to answer.

As if she'd read the answer in his eyes, she continued, “Do you think she'd kill me if she could?”

He stroked her cheek. “Kurt assured me you're safe.”

“That's not what I asked.”

He hung his head. “I know.”

She straightened. “I know what you're thinking.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. You're thinking we should never have taken our relationship beyond friendship. That you put me in danger. Right?”

He nodded.

“I want you to know I don't regret a minute of it. I wouldn't do anything differently. Well, except maybe not wait five years to tell you how I feel. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. She can try to ruin it if she wants to. I won't let her.”

Claudia cupped his cheek in a loving gesture that he didn't deserve. How could she be so understanding?

He remembered their conversation about her sister. Perhaps that's what made her…
her
. Someone able to empathize. Someone able to love. Someone he could love forever—if only.

He dove for her mouth and she reclined out of necessity. His kiss made her weak in the knees and her head spun. Hands were everywhere. One of his arms held her tight against him while his other hand traveled down her back, over her bottom, down her thigh, and back up. He dragged her skirt up almost to her waist.

Meanwhile, she was fondling his muscled chest with one hand and using the other to shove at his jacket, trying to push it off his shoulder.

She felt a sharp prink on her tongue and retracted it. But just the pressure of their lips and the vacuum produced by the suction felt delectable in and of itself.

He broke the kiss just long enough to whip off the restricting garment and fling it. She didn't know or care where it landed. She simply wanted the rest of his clothes to join it.

He was more adept at removing her clothing. He had unbuttoned her blouse and was massaging her breast without her even feeling a tug. Her bra popped open in the back and her skirt's zipper rasped.

I'd better concentrate on getting his clothes off, or I'll look like I lost the world's fastest game of strip poker.

She had to use both hands to unbutton his shirt and lost the tenuous balance that was keeping her on the couch. Anthony reached beneath her and caught her before she hit the floor. Instead of hauling her back up, he lowered her gently and joined her on the thick area rug.

He swept her hair back off her forehead and stared into her eyes as she finished fumbling with his shirt buttons.

“I love you, Claudia. I never thought I'd say those words to any woman.”

She'd just started grappling with his belt and stopped. “What? You've never said ‘I love you' before?”

“Never.”

Claudia was speechless. Just as well. He used the opportunity to finish what would have taken her another few minutes. In seconds, they were both naked on the floor.

He leaned over her and kissed her at length. His hand fondled her breast and created electric sensations within her. After caressing the other breast, his hand slid lower. When he touched her sweet spot, she arched and moaned into his mouth. He leaned back and smiled.

She seized his cock and began stroking it. His eyes closed and he let out a low groan.

I've never imagined a cock could get so big.

“I'm glad you're impressed.”

Had he just spoken? Had she? Claudia stopped what she was doing. He opened his eyes and stared at her, even though his lids were only half open.

“Did…did you just read my mind?”

“I think so. Yes.”

“And you replied in your mind?”

“Yes. I didn't speak.”

“Holy…”

Claudia was about to sit up, but he grabbed her arm.

“Where are you going?”

“Nowhere. I just…” What
was
she about to do? Sit up and talk?
Yeah, right. Talking could wait.
Lovemaking was what needed to happen now, and knowing how much pleasure his body could bring, she didn't want to wait.

He smiled and said, “I agree.”

“Shoot! Are you reading my mind again?”

“Don't worry about it. There's only one thing on both our minds.”

He crushed his lips to hers in a deep, drugging kiss, and she forgot everything except how he was making her feel.
Good. So good.

He broke the kiss and his tongue swept over her nipple. She shivered. When he latched onto her breast and sucked, his fingers found her opening. He inserted first one and then two fingers while she writhed in pleasure.

He added his thumb to the frenzy and rubbed her clit. She arched right off the floor and let out a surprised gasp. He moved to the other breast and suckled as he continued what he was doing with his hand. The onslaught to her senses had her moaning uncontrollably.

She was close. There's no way she could hold off until he was inside her. He seemed to understand and rubbed harder, faster, until she came apart in his arms. Her cries of ecstasy continued, and her thighs vibrated as she rode the wave of sensation. When she didn't think she could take any more, she whimpered, “Stop…please.”

He withdrew his fingers and held her close while she came back to earth.

“Oh, my God,” she said.

He grinned and kissed her again. When he let her up for air, she murmured, “I love you.” With a glow in his eyes she hadn't seen before, he said, “I love you too.”

There was nothing like it. She'd never made love while she was
in
love before. Suddenly she understood a quote she'd heard: “For men, sex is ninety percent below the neck, but for women it's the ninety percent above that counts,” or something like that. Anyway, it made sense to her now.

Thinking about Anthony's ninety percent, she opened her legs, as wobbly as they were. “I'm ready,” she whispered.

He kissed her forehead and asked, “Are you sure?”

“Try me.”

They both grinned as he positioned himself at her opening and entered her slowly until he was fully seated.

She cooed—that was the only word she could think of to describe the sound that came out. He felt so right filling her.

“It feels good for me too,” he said, and she was reminded about that mind-reading thing. At the moment, she didn't care. She just wanted him to make love to her.

He began a slow rhythm of thrusts and parries until they acclimated to each other and moved together. She wanted to satisfy him as completely as he had her. The desire in his eyes was so authentic that she could feel it. Or maybe it was just her own yearning for him. Either way, having sex with him was more beautiful than she could have imagined, and she'd imagined it plenty over the years.