Date with a Vampire (13 page)

She leaned back on her elbows and looked up at the sky. “Let’s say—hypothetically, of course—that I chose you. What would you say?”

“Do you mean would I accept your lei? Or would I become your husband?”

“Both.”

“Why do you doubt me? Didn’t I tell you the very first time I laid eyes on you that you were going to be my wife?”

She dug her toes into the sand. “That was you just being arrogant and flirty. And that’s exactly what has me concerned. I’m not sure if this is just a game to you. One—being that I can tell you’re highly competitive—you’re going to win.”

He reached over to her and removed her hairpins one by one, letting her hair stream down her back to reflect the moonlight like spun gold. “What’s it going to take to make you believe me? Don’t you believe in love at first sight?”

She sucked in her breath, shrugged her shoulders, and stared deep into his eyes. He leaned in toward her and brought his mouth down on hers. Her lips tasted as sweet as he remembered. Then he tasted the buttery soft skin of her throat, and it too was like honey.

He brought his kisses lower, to the tops of her softly rounded breasts where her cleavage showed from the V-neckline of her silk dress. Gently, he pushed open the silky material, exposing to him even more of her beauty. He cupped her breasts in his hands, then kissed each nipple until it turned rosy and hard.

She arched her back, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him until the beating of her heart blended with his own and he could no longer tell where one stopped and the other began.

He ran his hands over her hips, pressing her against his thigh, then he slipped his hand under her dress and pushed the material up over her knees. In the faint glow of the moon, he admired her satiny smooth skin. With his fingers he traced circles on her thighs and her legs quivered beneath his touch. He moved his hand up over her taut, flat belly, then slipped it down inside her panties. The area between her legs was moist and warm, and she did not so much as flinch when he touched her there.

This woman, this wonderful woman, seemed willing to accept his lovemaking. Yet, an unfamiliar deep ache stirred in his chest. While he lay aroused and ready to enter her, his heart said no.

Melody trusted him. She believed he was as he appeared, when everything about him was a lie. His mouth went dry. Cold horror froze him. Was this guilt that he felt? Why should he care if he took advantage of her? Soon, he would take her life, plunging her into the black abyss of eternal hell.

He jerked back his hand, then pulled down her dress to cover her nakedness. He couldn’t hide from his feelings any longer. He did care. The thought of her looking at him with eyes full of anger and despair when she learned he’d been dishonest with her and had used her as a pawn would be more painful than a stake driven through his heart. No, if he were to have her, she would have to come to him of her own will, knowing the monster that he was and loving him in spite of it. If he must take her mortal life, at least he could leave her with her dignity.

She lay there beside him, unmoving and silent, the only noise the gentle waves lapping against the shore. Her brilliant blue eyes questioned him. “What’s wrong?” Her voice was husky with emotion.

He wanted to take her back in his arms and kiss away her fears, but he couldn’t do that. “Nothing. It’s late. I should take you home.” Guystof stood, brushed the sand from his clothes, and held out his hand to help her up.

She slapped it away. Those eyes that had looked lovingly at him only moments ago had changed as quickly as storm clouds blowing in over the sea. “How dare you dismiss me like that, as if I have no say in this? Do you think I take this lightly? I was willing to give myself to you, as I’ve never done with any man. Do you know how hard that was for me?”

Melody was a virgin! He could hardly believe his good fortune. Imagine spending centuries with a woman who’d never been spoiled by another man. She would belong to him and only him forever. But at this moment, he didn’t know what to say. Any response would have to be a lie, for he couldn’t tell her the truth. And hadn’t he told enough lies already? “I’m sorry. It’s not you. It’s me.” He couldn’t stand the pain he saw on her face and the distrust in her eyes, so he turned his back to her and looked out over the sea.

Less than a minute later, she was beside him, her sandals clenched in her hand so that her knuckles had turned red. “Walk me home, or don’t. I really don’t care.” She stormed down the beach where the water met the sand, her feet shooting out little sprays of water with each step she took.

Guystof did not blame her for being angry and hurt. But his compassion may have just cost him the game.

— : : —

Melody’s emotions were running helter-skelter. She wanted to lash out at Guy for hurting her, and the next instant she wanted to beg him to take her back in his arms. She’d been so sure he wanted her as much as she wanted him. Lord knew she’d never felt like this before. So she’d thrown caution to the wind and look where it had gotten her. A slap in the face and a thank-you-very-much-ma’am, but-no-thank-you, from the man she was falling in love with. How could she have been so wrong? How could she have misread him so?

Guy had been coming on strong from the instant she laid eyes on him when he stepped from the ocean like a Greek god. Telling her she was going to be his wife. Talking about love at first sight. Well, it looked like she was the only one feeling that way. She must have been right all along, thinking he was too good to be true. She was a fool! Why would a handsome count want a naïve small-town girl? Well, he didn’t and now she looked like an idiot practically throwing herself at him. She’d waited twenty-four years to make love and she was willing to throw it all away for a wild night of passion on the beach. She should be thankful that he stopped her, for she had to have lost her mind.

Up ahead the lights of her
bure
cut through the dark like a beacon. She was on her private beach now and hurried across the sand. When she reached the path that led to her front door, she turned to Guy. He’d stayed about ten feet behind her, at least having the good sense to keep his distance. “You don’t have to come any farther. Good night.”

He nodded. “Good night, Melody.”

That was it. That’s all he had to say. He was going to let her go just like that. “All right then, good night.” She raced up the path not knowing whether he watched her enter her
bure
or not. What did it matter? For whatever reason, he must have decided she wasn’t the woman for him after all. At least there was one thing about him she’d been wrong about. He was a gentleman! He could very well have taken advantage of her tonight and then dumped her tomorrow. Thankfully, she didn’t have to experience that humiliation. She’d be the one doing the dumping. There’d be no lei for Guy at the next elimination ceremony.

Melody slammed the door shut behind her, then pressed her back against it and slid down onto the floor. Tears filled her eyes and she covered her face with her hands.

“Melody.”

She started at the sound of her name. Who was there in her
bure
? She fanned her fingers apart and looked between them.

Standing before her, tall and gaunt, his eyes dilated and dark, was the professor.

“What are you doing here? You have no right to be in my
bure
.” She hoped to sound strong and assertive, but inside she trembled like a helpless lamb.

He chuckled softly. “I’m afraid you’re wrong about that. For you see, I have every right to be here, because very soon you will belong to me.”

He sounded odd, unlike himself. Oh Lord, he must be drunk again. She pushed her back harder against the door and slithered up it so she could reach the knob. But when her fingers curled around it, the deadbolt turned, locking her in. Her eyes widened in fear and her heart thundered against her chest. She tried to turn the latch but it wouldn’t budge.

She shifted her gaze to the professor. “H-how did you do that?”

“It’s quite simple, my dear. Magic.”

Magic? What was happening? “What do you want?”

“Now don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m just making sure that you choose me for the last bachelor.”

Ha, fat chance. He was insane if he thought locking her in her hut would ensure him of that.

“Come.” He walked over to the bar and poured two glasses of wine, then held one out to her. “Drink with me. I can assure you this wine tastes like no other.”

Her mind was awhirl as she tried to think of ways out of this. “If I have a drink with you, then will you leave?”

“Absolutely.”

When she took the glass from him, her fingers brushed his, and they were cold as ice.

“Cheers.” He drank his quickly, then watched for her to take a sip.

As she lifted the glass to her lips, she was struck by the dark red color and thick consistency of the wine. She took a sip and gagged. Blood! He’d given her blood? The glass slipped from her fingers and crashed to the floor.

“You’ll get used to it, my dear. It just takes some time.”

She scrunched her face in horror and shrank away from him. “What are you? Some sort of monster?”

“Some think that, but I don’t like to. No one’s all bad. I must have some redeeming qualities, though I’m hard-pressed to say what they are.” He reached out and grabbed her by the shoulders.

“Let go of me,” she hissed.

He laughed and tightened his hold, his cold fingers pressing into her skin. “Look into my eyes.”

“You’re crazy.” She tried to turn away, but his glassy stare locked with hers and held her captive. His eyes were lifeless and seemingly pupilless. She opened her mouth to scream but her throat had closed up and no sound would come out. She tried to lift her foot to run, but it was as if it were cemented to the floor. All she could do was stare at his horrid pale face and pray that the power of movement would return to her.

His thin, shrunken lips moved and his voice sounded odd and far away. “You drank wine with me, a wine such as you’ve never tasted before. A wine that has bonded us. From now on whenever you hear my voice, you will come to me. Do you understand?”

The room seemed to tilt, and his sinister image faded in and out. When she wobbled, he pulled her into his arms.
Nooo
, she wanted to scream, but her lips were stiff and dry.

He whispered in her ear, “I asked you a question, Melody.”

She shuddered at the foul smell of his breath. “Yes.” The word came forth as if of its own accord.

“Good. Now repeat after me. You shall have no rival.”

“You shall have no rival.”

“I will only have eyes for you.”

“I will only have eyes for you.”

“That’s my girl.” He gave her a brief hug, then blew his stale breath in her ear.

And everything went black.

C
HAPTER
E
IGHT

G
uystof lay in bed. The pains in his stomach had returned, but they were nothing compared to the pain in his heart. What was happening to him? Not only did he look human, but he was feeling human too. These emotions he felt were like none that he’d ever experienced before, and he didn’t know what to do with them.

When he’d first met Melody he’d been attracted to her, and why not? She was a beautiful woman. Besides, marrying someone attractive was far better than spending centuries with someone he found distasteful.

This game should have been easy. All he had to do was get her to fall in love with him. What he never expected, though, was to be the one who fell.

He squeezed his eyes shut, and Melody’s lovely heart-shaped face appeared in his mind’s eye. How could he have been such a fool? He should have known from the last time he was alone with her that to get too close—to hold her, kiss her, touch her smooth, velvet skin—would mean nothing but trouble. She did things to him that no other woman had ever done. And now he’d blown it. She felt rejected, and he’d probably be the next bachelor asked to leave the island.

His chest tightened. The thought of never seeing her again hurt worse than the thought of losing his legacy. He would have to find a way to make her understand why he hadn’t made love to her tonight. And do it without telling her more lies. Guystof switched off the lamp on the bedside table and rolled onto his side. Perhaps a solution would come to him in his sleep.

Unfortunately, the next morning when he awakened, his problem still weighed heavily upon his mind. Today was the last group date and possibly the last opportunity he would have to talk with Melody.

He showered and dressed quickly and was out the door before Tommy had even gotten out of bed. Guystof hoped to beat the other bachelors to the beach and grab some alone time with Melody, but when he arrived, she was engrossed in conversation with the professor.

Melody looked as gorgeous as ever. She wore a bright yellow sundress and matching sandals. Her hair was loose and full, falling softly over her shoulders, just the way Guystof liked it best. She seemed in good spirits, laughing and flirting with Johnny. If this was how she planned her revenge, it was working. Pangs of jealousy already stabbed at Guystof’s heart. Deep down he knew she didn’t care for the professor, not in the way she cared for him, but that didn’t stop him from feeling hurt nonetheless.

Well, he wasn’t going to let her see that it bothered him. He walked nonchalantly over to them. “Good morning, Melody, Johnny.”

The professor offered a brief hello, while Melody remained silent, never taking her focus off the professor.

Guystof bristled. He understood that she was angry with him, but he hadn’t expected her to be rude. He stepped between them, forcing Melody to look at him. Her eyes, lifeless, lusterless orbs, seemed to look right through him.

He took hold of her arm. “Melody, what’s wrong with you? I know you’re upset with me, but you don’t seem yourself.”

She remained silent, simply staring past him to where the professor stood. Guystof turned, shifting his gaze to Johnny as well. The professor raised a brow, then smiled smugly. Something was wrong. Horribly so. It wasn’t like Johnny to gloat.