The Thirst Within (15 page)

I see movement across the courtyard, and
Thierry emerges from his bedroom onto his smaller balcony
shirtless
—ohmigod—and
carrying a towel. I don’t ogle only because he’s far away and I can’t see him
properly.

He closes the door behind him, waves at me, and
jumps over the railing. I jump back a little, scared for a split second, but
then he’s standing perfectly upright on the stone tiles below.

I smile at him and lift a leg over the railing
in front of me, pretending I can do the same. He disappears, and I hear him
below me. “Go on,” he calls. I look directly down and there he is, his arms
outstretched as if to catch me, the towel spread between them. I’m grinning
like a fool because he moved faster than I could follow, showing total vampire
prowess.

Trusting him completely, I bring my other leg
over and let myself fall backwards. My heart jumps in my chest and a second
later he catches me easily, absorbing the energy with a simple swig of his arm.

I pretend that my hand that rests on his bare
arm doesn’t feel amazing.

“Woo! Thank you,” I say, my heart racing. “That
was awesome.”

“If you think that was awesome, you’re dating the
right person. We can do that any time you want.” He kisses me softly before
setting me down.

“It was! Next time I jump from the roof.”

“No, next time, we jump
to
the roof.”

“Whoa.” I look up, imagining the jump.

He takes my hand and guides me to the water. I
stare at his back and it’s so perfectly chiseled that I have to look away for
fear that he’ll hear my heart go crazy. I distract myself; I see the water
moving, the bubble jets making a muted hum. Also, I notice that he added the
same type of satiny foam that he dropped in my bath the night I found out he’s
a vampire; I smell the rose and lavender infusion. I inhale the sweet scent,
while he takes my towel and sets it on the glass top of the nearby iron table.
I try not to gape at him. Even in the dim light I can still see his perfection,
covered only by blue swimming trunks. I had never seen his chest or his legs,
and they are better than I imagined. I’m doubly embarrassed to remove my robe,
because I’m ordinary, and because I know he can see much better than I can in
the darkness.

Since I can’t move, he takes the few steps back
to me, and grabs one of the strings of my bathrobe. I don’t stop him, only look
at him. While looking into my eyes he undoes my knot, and slowly removes my
robe behind me. He turns and throws it casually on top of the other towels.

Then he places his cool hands on my waist.
“You’re so beautiful, Tori,” he says, admiring me.

“Thank you,” I mumble. I shiver, because the
evening is cool, and because I’m also very much aroused for the first time in
my life. I feel parts of me responding to him that have never been this
interested in anything before. He notices the goose bumps in my arms, and
climbs in the hot tub, taking my hand and helping me in.

“Ah,” I say as I take a step in. The water is
perfect.

“Good, isn’t it? Have a seat,” he offers.

I sit on a surprisingly comfy built-in bench
that follows the entire perimeter of the little pool. Inside, the floor and
walls are lined with four-inch-square tiles, except the top foot or so, where
the tiles are smaller, round one-inch-diameter with a glossier texture, creating
an attractive pattern. When I’m settled in, the water reaches just below my
shoulders, and I recline back with a huge smile on my face. The wall behind me
is slightly sloped so my back rests against the smooth tiled surface. The lip
of the hot tub is rounded, with the smaller tiles conforming to its round
profile. I lay my head back slowly over the edge; the curved profile cradles my
neck comfortably. I’m in heaven.

Thierry sits across from me, his toned arms
resting on the outer rim. With my head bent back and eyes half closed I can
still see him, and he looks delectable. I’m having trouble staying where I am.
The jets of hot water and the tantalizing scent are only further stimulating my
senses. I bring my arms to my chest and grab my breasts underwater, circling
slowly over my bikini with the palms of my hands. I close my eyes fully and
take in the sensations assaulting me, enjoying the pleasure currents that run
up and down my body. I don’t recall ever feeling like this. My lips are parted;
my smile is still in place.

I don’t feel him move, but his lips are
suddenly on my neck. I possibly moan softly; I can’t hear over the thrashing of
my heart. He’s sitting next to me and I lean to him, freeing one of my hands to
touch his muscled chest, his arm, his back. One of his hands replaces mine over
my breast, and he squeezes softly. With the other he pulls me towards him and I
end up straddling him. He’s so warm, warmer than I’ve ever felt him. He brings
my face to his and kisses my cheeks, my chin, my lips.

“Tori,” he breathes. “You make me feel things I
haven’t felt for so long.”

His words reverberate in parts of my body I
didn’t even know I had. “You make me feel things I didn’t even realize I could
feel,” I respond. I wrap both my arms around him. “Thierry, this hot tub is
amazing.”

“Definitely. But only because you’re here.”

“If I lived here,” I say, looking down at him,
then around me, “I’d come out here every day.”

“You know, I thought so at first, too, but it’s
not really that nice if it’s just me in it. If you lived here, well, certainly,
I’d come out here every day. Even if it was just to see you in that red
bikini.” He leans forward and kisses me on the collarbone, right next to the
halter strap of my top. “It’s a fantastic color on you.”

I look down, hoping he can’t notice me blush.
“I can barely see the color in this light,” I say.

“I wish I could show you what you look like to
my vampire eyes. You’re a vision, Tori.”

He clasps the back of my neck and brings my
lips down to his. He parts my lips with his tongue, and I return the kiss
eagerly, my passion finding an outlet as my lips move over his. I press myself
against him with a trace of agony. Because it’s not enough. I want to get
closer.

His hands find the knot of my bikini top at my
lower back, and slowly, while still kissing me, he pulls on the strings. The knot
comes free, but the triangles still cover my breasts loosely, pressed between
us. My heart is beating in overdrive, but he’s taking all the time in the world.
After another small eternity, a hand finds the top knot at the back of my neck,
and he undoes that one as well. He grabs the small piece of fabric and fully
removes it, placing it off to the side. I exhale audibly, a breath that I
didn’t realize I was holding.

The feel of my bare chest against his is
excruciating. It fills me with a delicious combination of pleasure and dread,
dread of the unknown, and desire to discover it. He holds me back a few inches,
and as the cool air reclaims my skin my nipples harden. Thierry cups my
breasts, and caresses me with his thumbs. He leans down as if to kiss them, but
I feel his teeth grazing my skin tenderly instead. I moan, and I wonder if he’s
about to bite me, when he suddenly lifts his head.

His eyes travel to his apartment behind us, and
then back at me.

“Is something wrong?” I ask.

“The whole world is perfect, because you’re
here, and I’m holding the most beautiful breasts I’ve ever seen in my life,” he
says, as he places me on the bench next to him, holding me by the chest. “But I
think it’d be better if I cool down for a bit over here.” He lets go
reluctantly.

“Okay,” I say, and smile at him.

I don’t know if I’m disappointed or relieved or
what, but I’m perfectly okay to lie back to my original position, this time a
little bit more naked. The bikini top is within arm’s reach, but the water is
foamy and it covers my whole chest, so I feel it’s okay to leave it off.

After another minute, Thierry groans. “Okay, it’s
not working. I think I need a cold shower, literally.”

I laugh, feeling empowered.

“Will you be okay for a few minutes? I’ll be
watching you. I mean…” he says as I laugh again, “
hearing
out for you.”

“I’ll be fine, Thierry,” I say, and I want to
thank him for making me feel like a goddess, but I don’t. I just smile, still
reclined back.

Thierry leaves the water with his back to me,
and I take the chance to ogle him shamelessly. His body is lean enough to give
a supermodel a complex; I wonder if it’s a vampire thing or if it’s just a
Thierry thing. He places the towels and my robe closer to me in case I need
them, and winks at me; I blush, thinking that he knows I was checking him out.
But the next second I realize he was just preparing me for a show because he swiftly
jumps
to his balcony. As graciously as I could jump one foot in the air.

My jaw drops and it possibly stays that way for
a whole minute. It’s simply mind-blowing to witness him in action, and even
more that I’m allowed to. And when I think that this gorgeous supernatural
creature had his tongue in my mouth a minute ago, I shiver with pleasure. Life
is good.

I stay another ten minutes in the ridiculously opulent
water before I decide that I’m too hot and would like to drink some cold water.
I don’t bother putting on my top, since I doubt anyone can see me, it’s dark
out, and I’m going to put on my robe right away, anyway. Thierry comes back out
fully clothed as I’m wrapping the robe around me. He jumps down next to me.

“Want a lift?” he asks casually.

“Sure!” I put my arms around his neck and he scoops
me up easily. He walks over to the main balcony, crouches down a few inches,
and
jumps
.

Ah! I shriek like a coward; my heart stays a
floor below as we soar through the air, and then we land neatly in front of the
main entrance. The ride is over in two seconds, but I’m shaken, trying to get
my bearings.

“Thanks; sorry I yelled.”

“No problem,” he says, and he’s smiling, but
something about the smile is off. “Can I get you anything?”

“Some water, please.” I try not to think about his
apparent change of attitude, and hope it’s just my imagination. He brings me a
glass of water and I drink it in one long gulp before going to the first
bathroom. I hang my bathing suit on the shower door handle. There’s no separate
bathtub like there is in his bathroom, but the shower is huge, and handsome
enough.

After I rinse off and change, I join him in the
main living space. He calls me from the kitchen and points to the dining table,
asking me to take a seat. He brings me more water, crackers and some fancy cheeses
to munch on. Then he takes a seat next to mine and watches me eat.

“This is great,” I tell him. “Thanks, Thierry.”

“No problem. Sorry it’s not more; I don’t buy
much fresh food. Hey, I’ll take you out to dinner,” he offers.

“Thanks, but nah,” I say dismissively. I want
to stay here with him.

“You should eat,” he insists. “How about I take
you to that place you liked on Magazine?” The place on Magazine Street he
refers to serves only raw foods. It was pretty good, but it’s not like I asked
him to take me back. I haven’t even complained that I’m hungry. Maybe he just
wants to go out.

A dark thought crosses my mind—that he’s
pushing the issue because he wants me out of the house. My heart is going down
this negative route because I’ve noticed he’s not his usual cheery self. As I
sit there eating my crackers, I try to make conversation with him. But after a
while I realize he’s
sad
.

“What’s wrong?” I finally ask.

“I’m sorry, Tori.”

“About what?”

“I feel bad… for letting things get carried
away downstairs.”

“Nothing happened, Thierry,” I say cautiously.

He scoffs. “I took off your top,” he says.

I laugh fitfully. “Well, okay, but
I
don’t feel bad about that. Should I?”

“No. You didn’t do anything wrong.
I
on
the other hand… I’m the older one—by a long shot—so I should be more careful.
Exercise restraint. I didn’t do that today.”

Oh shit. He really feels bad. I take his hand.

“What’s the matter, really?” I’m afraid. What
did he do when he went inside?

Thierry sighs, and looks away. After a few
seconds he speaks. “Corben called me. I didn’t answer it,” he adds quickly,
“but his phone call makes me feel like he’s watching me.”

Damn it
, Corben. “And?”

“And it makes me feel… I don’t know. Sad.”

“
Sad
?”

“Yeah. And well, also a little nervous. About
what he thinks. He hasn’t said anything to me, but I know he’s still not
dealing with this the way that I’d like him to… in a perfect world.”

By
this
he clearly means us. “What’s he
doing? What did he say?”

“He’s acting like a fool….” He stops. I wait,
but he doesn’t give any further explanation.

“How so?” I ask him.

“I can’t tell you.”

“Oh, come on!” I shove him with the palm of my
hand, but of course he doesn’t budge, and it hurts me more than it hurts him.
He picks up my hand and kisses it briefly.

He takes a deep breath, and doesn’t meet my
eye. “I think you’ve figured out that Corben didn’t want me to be with you when
we first went out.” He looks at me for confirmation. I nod, biting my lower
lip. “I told you he was acting weird, but didn’t give you more information.
Well, I didn’t
need
any more information. If Corben wanted me single, or
in Chicago, or even gone, for the matter, all he has to do is
think
it.
Wish it.”

I inhale sharply. This doesn’t sound good. “Is
that because he’s your maker?”

“Yeah. But it’s not an alpha male thing,” he
says, addressing the very next thought that I have. “He doesn’t
force
me
to act; at least, it doesn’t feel that way to
me
.”