Page 85 of My Vampire Plus-One

Would he lose control during intimacy if he didn’t feed now?Would he bite me? The small part of me still capable of sense was screaming at the rest of me that his failure to elaborate further was the reddest of red flags. I wanted him too badly to care.

“Just come back quickly,” I said. Begged, really. “Please.”

He groaned, sounding pained. “I don’t have it in me to keep you waiting long.” He chuckled. “Or myself either, apparently. I stashed my supplies in the garage so they’d stay cool. I’ll only be gone a few minutes. I promise.”

Then he raced from the room. I heard the door to the garage creak open, then slam shut behind him.

I took the opportunity to ransack my suitcase in the hope of finding something sexy to wear when he came back. Or at least, sexier than the mismatched pink and lime-green bra and panty combo I wore beneath my clothes.

It was a lost cause. Why hadn’t I followed Sophie’s advice and tucked something slinky into my bag? Other than bringing along a pair of hiking boots for hikes that the feet of snow outside had now rendered impossible, the only planning ahead I’d done for this trip involved thinking through which work files I’d need to take with me.

I hadn’t done any of the things Ireallyshould have done to get ready. Like check the weather. Or anticipate that I’d maybe want Reggie to touch me while we were here.

Frustrated, I tore off my shirt, and then my bra, hoping that the sight of my breasts would distract him from the fact that I hadn’t brought anything pretty with which to dress them up. The room was cold, the air hitting my bare skin making my nipples tighten.

Then I sat back on the bed, trying to arrange the blankets around me in an enticing way. And I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

TWENTY-THREE

Telegram sent from George, Treasurer of The Collective, to The Collective’s Board of Directors

Confronted quarry outside of WI house where he was hiding. Stop.

He flew off before we could apprehend. Stop.

Based on wind patterns believe he is flying back to Chicago. Stop.

(Wish I could fly too. Stop.)

(Would simplify this WHOLE endeavor. Stop.)

(Plus flying is just really cool. Stop.)

Am bringing back gift of foam “Cheesehead” as penance for losing quarry when justice was nigh. Stop.

Amelia

After waiting twenty minutes forReggie to come back to bed, I began to worry. I scoured the cabin and the areaaround it, but save for a few sets of footprints in the snow about ten feet away from the front door, there was no sign of him anywhere.

By early afternoon I gave up on waiting for him to come back.

Had I seriously been stood up for sex by a vampire? After I’dfinallylistened to Sophie and decided to give into my attraction? Reggie had seemed super into the idea of sleeping together when we were in my bedroom, and I didn’t think he’d faked it. But maybe he had?

God.

This was the exact opposite of what my self-esteem needed.

There was still a pint of chocolate sorbet in the freezer. Even if finishing it off in one sitting was cliché, I decided there were worse clichés to live out.

But once I had the sorbet in front of me, I thought of everything Reggie had done to get it.

I would brave a blizzard just to see you smile.

And then there was the mountainous stack of horrendous pancakes he’d left for me on the kitchen counter. He’d been right when he’d worried he’d used too much baking soda, but it didn’t matter. He’d made them for me, with no idea of what he was doing, just so I’d have something special to eat for breakfast.

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