Twilight Dreams (19 page)

Holly started to say there was always adoption, but then she paused. What kind of life would that be for a child, having a father who was a vampire? A father who would never be able to attend school functions unless they were held after dark? Who would never be able to play ball with his son in the park, or spend summer vacations at the mountains or the beach or go to the zoo?

“So, what's it to be?” he asked quietly.

“Lots of couples can't have kids, and they manage to live happily ever after. And there are already plenty of kids in your family,” she added, smiling. But she couldn't ignore a little pang of regret that she would never have a baby of her own.

“I will love you as long as you live,” Micah said, his arm tightening around her.

As long as you live.
Holly repeated the words in her mind. How long would that be? Another fifty years? Sixty? Seventy, if she was lucky. When she was old and wrinkled, he would still look twenty. She recalled asking Kadie if she had wanted to be a vampire, and Kadie's answer—
sooner or later, I'm sure I would have asked him to turn me because it was really the only way for the two of us to stay together.

Holly closed her eyes. If she stayed with Micah, sooner or later, she would have to make that same decision. “There's just one thing,” she said slowly. “If we decide to stay together, will you marry me?”

Chapter Twenty-Four

“You want to marry me?” Micah asked. “Seriously?”

Holly nodded. “I'm not comfortable having a long-time affair. I want a real relationship, something solid, with a future. I guess I'm old-fashioned, but I want a piece of paper that proves I'm yours and you're mine.”

“Fine by me,” he said, smiling down at her. “Tomorrow too soon?”

“I don't want to rush into marriage, either. I want to make sure that what I feel, what we have, is real. We haven't really had a chance to try living together under normal circumstances. Now that Braga is no longer a threat, and your parents know what you are . . .” She shrugged. “I want us to spend time together, like ordinary people.” With anyone else, she wouldn't have suggested moving in together, but these weren't normal circumstances. Micah was a vampire, and she wanted to know what living with one was really like before making any lasting commitment.

“Ordinary,” Micah repeated, chuckling. “All right, sunshine. I'm game if you are. Where do we start?”

Holly swallowed as his gaze met hers. He was so beautiful, and she wanted him so desperately....

His words went through her like lightning.

“Make love to me, Micah,” she murmured.

He arched one brow. “You sure this time?”

She nodded, too nervous to speak.

“Holly!” Wrapping his arms around her waist, he drew her down on top of him. Their clothes disappeared as if by magic as he murmured love words in her ear. She reveled in the touch of his bare skin against her, shivered with pleasure when he kissed her, his hands lightly stroking her back, delving into her hair. His tongue played over her lower lip before slipping inside.

Heat shot through her at his touch. Why had she waited so long for this? Her hands were impatient as they explored the broad expanse of his chest, the width of his shoulders, his hard, flat belly.

His kisses grew hotter, deeper, until she was afraid she might go up in flames.

With a low growl, he rolled over, carrying her with him, so that he was on top. When he gazed into her eyes, the most remarkable thing happened. She knew what he was thinking, feeling. Knew he loved her, as she loved him. Knew this was right. She sighed as he kissed her again, his body now a part of hers, carrying her away to places she had never imagined.

She was his now, she thought, really his, and there was no going back.

* * *

“Micah?”

“Hmm?”

“Where are we going to live?”

He brushed a kiss across her cheek. “I haven't thought that far ahead. Any preference?”

“Well, I don't have any income these days. Do you?”

“Not really.”

She nodded. “Then it seems to me we only have two options—we can stay at my place or here, in Morgan Creek. You don't want to stay here, do you?”

Micah shrugged. “Saintcrow and Kadie are here. I know you're not crazy about him, but they're the only friends I've got.”

Holly considered that a minute. She had friends at home, but maybe it was best to stay here, at least for the time being. “I need to find a job. Is there a town nearby?”

“Yeah, about twenty miles away.”

Holly chewed on her thumbnail. Twenty miles wasn't that far. And staying in Morgan Creek might be best while they sorted out their relationship. If they lived here and it didn't work out, it would be much simpler for her to leave Morgan Creek and go home than to ask Micah to move out of her house. “I need to go back to my place and pick up some of my clothes and things, stop the mail delivery, and ask my neighbor's son to water the yard again.”

“No problem. So, are we staying?”

“Yes,” she said, smiling. “For now.”

* * *

Saintcrow propped his elbows on the porch rail of Shirley's house, his chin resting on his folded hands “So, you're going to be here for a while?”

Micah nodded. “Yeah. If it's all right with you.”

“I don't have a problem with it. How'd you talk Holly into staying? I was pretty sure she'd be eager to go back home.”

“I thought so, too, but . . .” Micah made a vague gesture with his hand. “She lost her job so we decided to stay here until she figures out what she wants to do next. Oh . . . she asked me to marry her if we decide to stay together.”

“No shit?”

“Yeah, but first we're going to play house and see how that works out.”

Saintcrow snorted softly. “Good luck with that.”

“You think we'll need it?”

“A little luck couldn't hurt. Marriage isn't easy under the best of circumstances.”

“And ours aren't the best. I get it.” Micah paced the length of the porch, back and forth, then sat on the top step. “What would you have done if Kadie hadn't become a vampire?”

“I would have stayed with her as long as she lived. Kadie's the best thing that ever happened to me. She made me remember my humanity. All the people we kept here have her to thank for their freedom.”

Micah nodded. “If something happened to her, do you think you'd ever fall in love again?”

“No.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I lived a long time before I met Kadie. Maybe too long. I've got no interest in going on without her.”

“So, what are you saying? That you'd destroy yourself?”

“Yeah. But don't tell her that. She wouldn't like it.”

Micah stared into the distance for several minutes, thinking about what Saintcrow had said. He hadn't lived nearly as long as his friend. Maybe he never would. But whether he lived another year or a thousand, he wanted Holly at his side. Another few minutes slid into eternity before he said, “Did I tell you my sister wants to be a vampire?”

Chuckling, Saintcrow dropped down beside him. “What brought that on?”

“She's always been into vampires. Funny ones, scary ones, it doesn't matter. She thinks it would be fun. Fun!” He shook his head in exasperation. “The woman I love doesn't want to be a vampire, but my little sister does. I get the feeling that fate's having a good laugh at my expense.”

Rising, Saintcrow slapped him on the shoulder. “I think you're right.”

* * *

Holly sorted through the piles of clothing on her bed, trying to decide what to keep and what to donate to the local homeless shelter. Moving in with Micah was the perfect excuse to clean out her closet and get rid of skirts, sweaters, shoes, and jeans that she hadn't worn in years.

Earlier, she had filled a box with a few of her favorite books and movies to take to Morgan Creek.

Holly folded one last sweater and dropped it into her suitcase, then went to the dresser and began sorting through her underwear. Spending a month or so in Morgan Creek had seemed like a good idea when she and Micah had discussed it. Now, she couldn't help wondering if she was doing the right thing. She had to work. She had to pay for the upkeep on her house, taxes, groceries. When she got a job, she wouldn't be able to keep Micah's hours. No staying up until three or four in the morning, not when she'd have to get up early and drive twenty miles to work. Assuming she could find a job. And then there was her house. She didn't want to sell it. She supposed she could rent it....

Looking up, she frowned at her reflection in the oval mirror above the dresser. “Stop it. He loves you. You love him. No relationship is perfect. Every couple has problems to work out. So, Micah is a vampire. It could be worse,” she muttered under her breath, then bit down on her lower lip when she saw him standing in the doorway.

“Yeah?” He lifted one brow. “What do you consider worse?”

“Someone who squeezes the toothpaste from the middle?”

Micah frowned. And then he laughed. Taking Holly in his arms, he kissed the top of her head, thinking that, as long as they could laugh together, everything would be all right.

“Are you about done here?” he asked.

“Yes, except for my toiletries.”

It didn't take long to pack her toothpaste and toothbrush and cosmetics. She took a last look around to make sure she had everything she thought she might need. She had put a hold on her mail, asked Josh to water the yard and keep an eye on things until she returned.

One last turn through the house to make sure everything was closed and locked, and she was ready to go.

* * *

“We don't have to stay here if you'd rather not,” Micah said when they arrived at Shirley's. “There are lots of other houses for you to choose from.”

Holly shook her head. “I like this one. It feels like . . . like home.” She carried her suitcase into the bedroom and dropped it on the foot of the bed.

Micah followed her, then stood in the doorway, one shoulder propped against the jamb as he watched her unpack.

“Do you think Saintcrow will rebuild the bridge?” she asked. Earlier, Micah had transported her and her belongings across the ravine. She hadn't realized how deep it was.

“I don't know. I doubt it.”

“So, I'll be trapped here during the day.” Why hadn't she thought about that before agreeing to stay? If she couldn't leave Morgan Creek, how would she find a new job? What would she do for fun or recreation on weekends when she wasn't working and the vampires were at rest? Of course, she could keep their hours on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. Lately, she had been doing that anyway. But she wasn't a vampire and she didn't want to spend the daylight hours in the dark. She needed something to occupy her time and her mind. And she liked working, feeling useful, meeting new people.

“I'll talk to Saintcrow about the bridge.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem.” Taking Holly into his arms, he kissed her lightly on the cheek. “What would you like to do tonight?”

“Go grocery shopping.”

“Not very romantic,” he said with a wry grin, “but necessary, I suppose. Get your coat.”

* * *

It took only moments for Micah to transport them to the store in the next town. He trailed behind Holly as she pushed her cart up one aisle and down the next. So many things he had once loved and would never eat again—lasagna, apple pie, ice cream, a good steak, spareribs, potatoes, cheese. He often caught a taste of some of his favorites on Holly's lips.

Micah paid the bill with a credit card Saintcrow had given him, then pushed the cart outside.

“I shouldn't have bought so much,” Holly said. “How do you plan to get all this home?”

“Not a problem. Wait here. I'll be right back.”

He was gone in the blink of an eye, taking the shopping cart with him. Holly glanced up and down the street. It seemed like a nice town, the stores and roads well maintained, the parkways green and neatly trimmed. When the bridge was rebuilt, she would come here and look for a job.

She jumped when Micah appeared beside her, the cart empty. “Would you like to take a walk?” he asked, taking her hand in his.

“I'd like that, but . . .”

“Don't worry, I put all the perishable stuff away.”

“Well, then, what are we waiting for?”

It really was a nice town, Holly thought as they strolled down the sidewalk. People they passed nodded and smiled. Music spilled from an Italian restaurant.

Holly slid a glance at Micah, wondering if he had ever preyed on any of the men and women they passed, if any of the town's inhabitants had ever been held hostage by the vampires in Morgan Creek.

“You look worried,” Micah remarked. “Is something wrong?”

Holly lifted one brow, surprised that he wasn't reading her mind. “No.” She bit down on her lower lip, then blurted, “Have you ever hunted here?”

“Once or twice. We usually went farther afield. Never a good idea to hunt too close to where you live.”

“That makes sense, I guess.” She grinned inwardly, thinking her idea of “close” was probably a lot different from his. She glanced at the pretty young woman walking toward them. “What are you going to do about your sister?”

“I don't know. But if she's determined to become a vampire when she gets older, I want to be the one to bring her across.”

“You'd do that?” Holly exclaimed. “To your own sister?”

“Better me than some stranger. I need to talk to my family about this, let them know what Sofie's thinking. Somebody's got to keep an eye on her.” He swore under his breath. “And it should be me. None of them can protect her.”

“Micah . . .”

He shook his head. “I need to be there. I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner. She's eighteen. Technically, she doesn't have to answer to anybody but herself. And if she moves out of the house . . .” Micah came to an abrupt halt, his arm snaking around Holly's waist. “Dammit! I've got to go home! Now!”

“Now? But . . . we just bought groceries!”

“They'll keep for a few days. We can stay with my folks tonight. They've got lots of empty rooms since only Rosa and Sofia are still living at home. Come on.”

Before she could argue, they were standing in front of the Ravenwoods' home.

* * *

Holly was a little hesitant at the idea of bursting in on Micah's parents unannounced, but Lena and Luciano welcomed the two of them with open arms.

“This is a surprise,” Lena said when the four of them were seated in the living room. “Is something wrong, Mikey?”

“Yes and no, Ma.”

Mr. Ravenwood leaned forward. “What is it?”