Page 41 of The Cursed Fae

One glance at the pajamas I'd been wearing all day, and I decided a meetup was a bad idea.

“You got a curfew or something?” he teased.

It wasn't that late, but I doubted Nana Essie would be too happy if I went out. And I was an adult, so climbing out the window just felt too juvenile.

“No, but...” I trailed off, not sure how the sentence should end.

“Let's compromise,” Laz suggested. “Essie has that gazebo near the back of her property. Meet me out there in twenty minutes?”

The gazebo was roughly thirty yards from the house. In this weather, it was not an ideal location for a tryst. Still, I wanted to see Laz. I also wanted to prove that I was an adult and could do as I pleased, even if I was the only one who needed to be reminded of that fact.

“See you soon,” I said into the phone.

The first floor of Nana Essie's house was silent when I crept downstairs fifteen minutes later, dressed in the warmest clothes I could find. Someone had switched on a lamp in the foyer, but the house was dark otherwise. My great-grandmother was nowhere in sight.

I slipped into the bitterly frosty night. Mom's SUV had yet to return to the usual spot in the driveway. Where was she? What was she up to? Her meeting with the Virgo wolves should've been over hours ago.

Snow crunched beneath my boots, and the icy wind stung my cheeks. Nana's house was closer to the water than the university's campus, and I heard waves crashing in the distance. Shadows crisscrossed the gazebo, creating a curtain of darkness that shrouded the structure from view.

Not until I was ten feet away did I see the outline of a figure standing in the center of the gazebo. The silhouette turned at my approach. I couldn't make out the features, yet the build was right for Laz. But more so, I sensed his presence. Like his energy called to mine.

My pulse quickened as I walked up the three steps into the gazebo. Hands shoved in his jacket pockets, Laz's breath came out in puffs of white air. He stepped forward and held his arms open wide. I didn't hesitate. Walking into his embrace felt natural, like this was a typical greeting between us. When his freezing lips found mine, the kiss felt right. Better than right.

Head spinning, I wrapped my arms around his neck and drew Laz closer. When he'd asked to see me, I'd thought he wanted to talk. But clearly conversation wasn't on his mind. Not that I complained. Between Nana Essie and Missy, I was through discussing the previous night. In Laz's arms, with his cool fingers crawling up my sides beneath my layers of clothes, the vampire attack didn't seem so important.

The vampires had hurt people, and a part of me would never stop feeling guilty about that. But everyone survived. Maybe it was the adrenaline from the kiss, but I felt more alive in that gazebo with Laz than ever before. Drunk with desire like I'd never experienced with other guys. I slid my hands down to his chest and nudged him toward the bench behind us.

Laz's fingers dug into my hips, both of us panting. The backs of his knees hit the wooden bench. He leaned back and fell into the seat, pulling me down with him. Our lips broke apart, and Laz grinned lazily, his pupils large and gray eyes unfocused.

With deliberate slowness, he reached for the zipper on my jacket and started pulling it down, watching my face even as he brought his mouth to my neck. His lips skimmed the place where two fangs had punctured the skin. There wasn't a scar, but I still shivered, as though the area was particularly sensitive. A small moan escaped my lips.

Then light flooded the backyard briefly before disappearing. Laz froze beneath me. This time, my groan was born of frustration, not pleasure.

“Who's here?” Laz whispered.

“I'm assuming that's my mother,” I said. “You should go. Fast.”

He offered me a lopsided smile. “Are you not allowed to have guys over?”

I considered the question as I climbed off Laz and re-zipped my jacket. “No clue. Never asked. It's more that I don't want to subject you to my mother.”

“I'm great with parents,” he protested.

“I'm sure you are.” I reached for his hand, and Laz let me pull him to his feet, albeit reluctantly. “You can meet Colleen another night. Right now, you need to go.”

I started to turn, but Laz's grip on my hand remained firm. He drew me closer, dipping his head so his mouth hovered just above mine.

“How about I pick you up and take you back to campus in the morning?”

I closed the distance, parting my lips as our mouths met. The kiss was brief, but achingly good.

“See you in the morning,” I said when we broke apart.

Laz brushed his lips across my cheek. “I'm glad you're okay.”

I watched as he melted into the shadows at the edge of the property, waiting until I heard the distant roar of an engine before retracing my steps back to the house. Practically floating after the brief rendezvous with Laz, nothing could dampen my mood. Not even when I ran into my mother in the foyer.

“Where have you been?” I asked, beating her to the punch since I expected her to have the same question for me.

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