Chapter Sixteen
Bringing Home a Vampire
Steam rolled out of the bathroom door as Stefan stepped out, toweling his hair. He stopped and stared, surprised to find her sitting crossed-legged on the bed. Buck naked, he made no effort to cover up.
Her eyes went wide. Red patches bloomed on her cheeks. Still her gaze wandered over him and quickly returned to his face.
Finished toweling his hair, he wrapped the towel low on his hips. “Enjoy the view?” He sauntered over to the bed and eased in beside her, his hand caressing her arm as he leaned in to trail kisses up her neck, across her jaw, and trace her lips with his tongue.
“Uhh…maybe,” she stuttered. “I mean, you said maybe about going to Ireland. Is that close to a yes? I need to get tickets. Call my parents with the wonderful news tomorrow, uh…today before we go to Hannah’s. Do you have a passport?”
“Sure, I do,” he said in a low, seductive rumble. “But when did maybe turn into yes?” He tilted his head and looked at her with interest, tracing his finger along the curve of her shoulder, around the swell of her breast, dipping into the cleavage bared by her negligee. “Will you tell them a vampire is coming to celebrate Christmas with them?”
She licked her lips, shook her head slowly, and caught his hand. “Perhaps it isn’t something I should spring on them over the phone,” she said hesitantly. “Rather tell them in person.”
“Probably a good idea.” He kissed the side of her neck below her ear.
“Um…provided I can convince my sister to keep her mouth shut. Stefan, you are making it very hard to concentrate.”
“Oh, sorry.” A devilish grin spread across his face as he eased down beside her. “You were saying.”
“My parents should hear it from me. Hannah probably has an idea what you are, but she won’t say anything till she can confirm it.”
“If your parents talk to her before we see them, she won’t tell?” Hannah may, but Tristian sure as hell knows what I am.
“No, I don’t believe she will. That’s one reason I insisted on staying in a motel and left her with the impression that we’re intimate. At that point they have no choice but to accept our relationship, and she no time to confirm what you are.”
“She won’t know that we’re not? I mean, you seem to be able to tell anything about anyone when you meet them.”
“That’s true, but if you play your part well, she won’t know for sure. She doesn’t have the same abilities I do.”
He raised his arms above his head and let them drop to his sides. “How the hell am I supposed to do that?”
“Just follow my lead. We’re openly affectionate people when committed.” She smiled shyly, stifling a yawn.
“Brandy, we’re not. Not due to my lack of trying.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “I won’t let you lie to your family. Tell them the truth, or the trip is off. Or we can…”
Ignoring his innuendo, she protested. “I won’t be lying.” Her full lips formed a pout. “It’s not my fault if Hannah jumps to the wrong conclusion. Trust me. It will be easier this way, especially with Tristian. I’ll tell my parents and Hannah the truth when we arrive in Ireland. I promise.”
“It is if you deliberately mislead her, especially when my scent is all over you,” he muttered. “Are they coming to Ireland for Christmas too?”
A mischievous grin spread across her face. “Yes, they just don’t know it yet. We’ve a very busy day tomorrow, and I need some rest. But I wouldn’t mind a pair of strong arms around me as I sleep.”
“I don’t think that is a good idea. There’s no guarantee I can control myself.” His quick frown turned to a slow seductive smile. “Unless you are willing to….”
“I can’t.”
“What are we going to do about this physical impasse?” He leaned into her and trailed kisses lazily down her neck, unwilling to concede defeat yet. If I have my way, she’ll need a cold shower. Or maybe…
“There is nothing to do about it,” she said a bit testily, then gazed into his heavy-lidded eyes and murmured, “I guess we’ll have to work on that.”
Was he ready for the type of commitment a physical relationship required? But she wanted him badly. He could sense it. All he had to do was convince her.
He reached between her legs, gently unfolded them, laid her back, hovering over her, and whispered, “Let me pleasure you, my love. I can do it without us becoming one, but intimacy would be required. We’ll go no further than you are comfortable with.”
“Oh, you can, and what about you?” she said softly. Her fingertips caressed the muscles across his bare, sculptured chest as she moved her hand down his well-defined abs, finally sneaking her fingers beneath the towel.
He stilled as her fingers explored closer and closer to him. “Oh, we’ll think of something.” Nudging the strap of her silky negligee off her shoulder again, he slid his hand over her full, round breast. His other hand gathered her gown above her waist, and he slipped between her legs on bended knees as he caressed the inside of her thighs, spreading her wide, and leaned in. “You are absolutely beautiful.”
He saw the war in her eyes, but her body had a mind of its own. She arched toward his touch, straining to accept more as his fingers gently teased and stroked. Eventually, she gasped in sweet ecstasy.
Her fingers wrapped around his hard, thick length as she learned what pleasured him.
****
The morning sun was warm, shining brightly through the window when her eyes blinked open. She stirred and peered up at Stefan through her thick lashes as the heat rose in her cheeks. Her body was draped across his bare chest as she recalled the pleasure they’d given each other until the wee hours of the morning.
“Good morning,” she murmured.
“Good morning, sunshine. Did you sleep well?” He brushed a strand of hair from her face and brushed his lips over her temple.
She stretched and sighed, turning her face up to brush her lips against his. “I feel wonderful.” Snuggled against his chest, she took a deep breath, drawing in his musky sent, not feeling any of the anxiety she’d expected, only a warm glow of belonging. Whatever happened next, she would never regret last night and the pleasure they’d shared. Though he’d been the one to insist they stop short of mating as set forth by her people. “What time is it?” She wriggled and twisted, trying to look at the clock.
His arms held tight around her as if he wasn’t ready to let her go or let the world intrude on this feeling. “A little after eleven a.m.”
“Wow, it’s late. Hannah will be pounding on our door soon if I don’t call her.” Brandy tilted her head and tried to concentrate. “It’ll be about six o’clock in the evening in Ireland. Da should be home. I want to talk to Ma and Da at the same time and before Hannah shows up.”
Reluctantly, he released his hold and sat up in the bed, leaning back against the headboard. The corners of his mouth turned up in a satisfied smile. Brandy slipped out of bed and padded across the room to pick up her cell phone. She scooted back to the bed and yanked up the blanket, curling up next to him, her head resting in the curve of his shoulder, letting the sun warm her.
She tapped the phone’s screen, touched in the number, and waited for the connection, chewing nervously on her bottom lip.
“Ma, how are you?”
“Doing well. Are you okay? Is something wrong?”
“Oh…no…nothing is wrong. Everything’s fine. Is Da there too?”
“Aye, that he is,” her mother answered cheerfully.
“Stefan and I would like to come to Ireland and celebrate Christmas with you.”
“You would? That would be absolutely wonderful! Then you and your young lad worked things out?”
“Aye, we did.” Brandy felt Stefan’s anxiety rise and knew he could hear the conversation.
“Ma, you were right. Things are much better, and I’m so happy.”
“I’m glad. We so look forward to meeting your young lad.”
Then Brandy hesitated and drew in a deep breath. “He’s a good man, but he’s not one of us.”
Her father’s gruff voice came over the phone. “We knew you weren’t looking for one of your own when you left Ireland. You were looking for something else… I guess you found him.”
“Funny you should say that, Da. Someone else made that very same observation recently.” She rolled her eyes and glanced over at Stefan.
His lips twitched to keep from smiling. “Boy, is that a double standard. They didn’t get in near as much trouble for that observation as I did,” he whispered.
“We’ll be pleased to meet him. When will you arrive?”
“Not sure yet. Haven’t made the reservations. I’ll let you know as soon as I do. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t have other plans for Christmas.”
“Is he like Tristian then?”
“No, Ma, he’s not like Tristian either.”
“She doesn’t know the half if it,” Stefan commented in a low voice. Brandy reached to slap at him. Only a breeze of air brushed his face as he moved out of range, a wide smile on his face.
“Well, you are of legal age, and you know what you’re getting into. Do you love him? Is he good to you?” Her father’s voice boomed over the line.
“Da, we’re just coming to visit, and yes we know exactly what we’re getting into.”
“You’re not going to run off and get married like Hannah did, then tell us afterward. Are you?” Her mom asked anxiously.
Brandy laughed. “Ma, it’s not like that.” She sighed again. “No, I am not going to run off and get married.”
“Thanks be to God for that. I want you to know, when you get around to planning your wedding, your father and I want to give you a traditional Irish wedding over here.”
“Ma, Da, could you do me a favor?” She blew out a breath. The hair fallen over her face bounced to the side, where she tucked it behind her ear.
“Sure, darling.”
“Stop talking of marriage. You’re going to scare Stefan off. He is already nervous about spending Christmas with you. Let’s take one step at a time, and don’t embarrass me anymore. He’s right here and can hear every word.”
There was a long pause. “Are you planning to stay with your sister?”
“No, probably not. We’re staying at a motel just a mile from her place. They don’t know Stefan. To be honest, I don’t feel very comfortable around Tristian right now. It’s probably best if we get acquainted before staying in the same house.”
Another long, uncomfortable pause and her mother said flatly, “I see.”
Those two little words spoke volumes, and Brandy chose to ignore the implications. “Please don’t tell Hannah we plan to spend Christmas in Ireland yet. We’ve just arrived in Maine and plan to spend the day with them. I’m kinda hoping to convince them to join us at Christmas time since you’ve never met Tristian.” Laughing, she said, “You can call Hannah later and get the scoop on Stefan.”
Her mother’s melodic laugh flowed through the phone. “We love you.”
“I love you too. Bye for now.” Brandy tapped the screen to disconnect the call and sighed, holding the phone to her chest for a few moments, a faraway look in her eyes. Then she laid it on the nightstand.
“Well, how did it go? Your mother’s tone of voice changed for a bit.”
“Good, they’re looking forward to meeting you.” Smiling, she slid to the edge of the bed, leaned over, and picked up the jeans she’d laid out last night.
“So I heard. Are you sure this is a good idea?” He rolled his shoulders and rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he stood and dressed.
“It’ll be fine. They’ll love you.”
“Yeah, until your parents learn I’m a creature of the night.”
“Stefan, that won’t matter once they meet you. I was heartbroken when I went home months ago, so they know we’ve had problems. Ma convinced me to try to work it out. She knew more about us than I did at the time. Besides, I’d like to visit with my family. We’ll have a wonderful time. Even better if I can convince Hannah and Tristian to join us.” She caressed his arm reassuringly in hopes of alleviating some of his anxiety.
“Brandy, are you forgetting I’m a vampire? I crave human blood. I’ve just now been able to control my thirst again. It’s uncomfortable for me to be around warm-blooded creatures for a long time. Gryphons fall into that category. It’s not safe. I am dangerous. You know that.”
She felt his gaze on her scars and waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “You won’t hurt us.”
He hissed out a breath. “Meeting your large family would be stressful enough without flying three-thousand miles in a plane full of warm-bloods to do it. I’m not ready for that. May never be…” He trailed off, shaking his head, and strode across the room, reaching for the doorknob.
“You don’t have that much trouble at work,” she pointed out, a slight challenge in her voice.
Stefan whirled around to face her. “That’s different and you know it. I come in when Cody is ready to leave. Rocky or Russ comes in minutes before I leave. Other than that, I’m alone, just the way I like it.”
“What about the baseball game?”
“That was for your benefit.” A sly smile formed on his lips. “It worked didn’t it?”
She grinned mischievously. “You know what I think?” Pulling him to her, wrapping her body around him, she brushed her lips against his and trailed them across his cheek, whispering, “I think my tall, handsome, ultimate predator is afraid to meet my family.”
He shoved his fingers though his hair. “Brandy, don’t joke. You know what I am and what I am capable of.” He turned and paced across the room.
“Yes, and I also know you can control yourself. We’ll hunt often. Believe me, it won’t be a problem,” she said in a soothing voice. “Now, I better call Hannah to come get us. I don’t want to give Ma and Da too long. They’ll call Hannah and poke at her until they find out what she thinks.”
“Do I have a choice?” He shoved his hands in the front pockets of his jeans, resigned to his fate.
“Nope! You said you were ready for all of this. A new beginning I believe you called it.” She smiled radiantly and held out her wrist, watching the sunlight bounce off her bracelet, creating rainbows that danced across the walls of their room.
For a fleeting moment, a little voice in her head asked, was he ready to settle down? Would her family accept him for who and what he was, as she did? She straightened. They had to, so she pushed that annoying voice aside and picked up the phone and touched her sister’s number. “Hannah we’re ready whenever you are. Just so you know, we’ll be staying in the motel at least one more night. See ya soon.” She touched the screen and ended the call.
****
Stefan was thankful to be spending another night at the motel. The constant scent of human blood other than Brandy’s made him extremely uncomfortable. Not to mention the thirst and burning would be difficult in addition to the fact that he didn’t know Hannah. While he’d worked with Tristian once, talked with him at the overlord’s wedding, he wasn’t sure where they stood given the fight with Brandy. Stefan had seen Tristian’s work firsthand. Regardless of Brandy’s positive outlook, things didn’t bode well for him.
“Brandy, we will…”
“Aye, Stefan, we’ll hunt tonight.” Brandy pulled the curtain aside and glanced out the window. “They’re here.”
Tristian pulled into the parking space in front of Brandy and Stefan’s room.
“Let’s go.” Brandy put her arm around Stefan’s waist and gave him a squeeze. “It’s going to be fine.”
Stefan sighed and kissed the top of her head, draping his long arm across her shoulders as they walked out. In the car, she scooted all the way over next to him. After she settled, he slipped his arm around her. Tristian frowned at Stefan again. Yep, Tristian is going to be a problem. When they settled into the backseat, Hannah turned around in her seat so she was facing them.
Hannah’s eyes flew open wide as she caught sight of the bracelet. “Brandy, that’s some bobble.”
“Yes, it signifies a new beginning for us.” Joy bubbled in her laughter and shone in her eyes.
“That’s different, but it is beautiful. Do Ma and Da know about him?” Hannah jerked her head in Stefan’s direction.
“Thanks. Yes, we talked to them this morning,” Brandy said smugly. “Actually, Ma and I had a long talk about him before I returned to the states.”
Tristian turned up the driveway to their home, his face unreadable, but the frown was now a smirk.
Wow, demon hunters must do well. Stefan surveyed the house and land it occupied. The home resembled a stone castle less the moat. It sat on a large piece of land overlooking the ocean to the front and bordering a lush forest in the back. Even in the autumn, you could tell the manicured lawn and gardens had been well cared for during the growing season. Stefan leaned over and whispered to Brandy, “You may want to reconsider your choice. You could do a lot better than me. All of our stuff won’t fill up a small moving truck.”
Brandy glared back at him and whispered, “No way. I put too much effort into you. Besides, material things don’t guarantee happiness. You’ve never settled long enough anywhere to accumulate stuff. That could change.” She reached over and caressed his face, brushing her lips over his right in front of her sister and brother-in-law.
Stefan returned the kiss, deepening it, and caressed his hand over her cheek. I could get used to this. Brandy usually was quite reserved. Public displays of affection were not something she engaged in until recently.
“All right, you two give it a rest.” Hannah laughed. She seemed to be warming up to him.
However, Tristian remained aloof. His glances in the rearview mirror alternated between puzzlement and piercing.