Page 21 of Ghoul Kisses

He pauses for a second, watching me with hooded eyes.

“You.” his voice is hot and sweet like caramel. He wants sex.

“I want something more meaningful than just sex. I don’t want to be a casual fuck,” I murmur.

I don’t want to be that woman anymore, sleeping with men to fill a void. Ever since I met Eric, I want more. I need more than just a quick fuck. The waitress sets my meal on the table. The food looks delicious. I pick up a California sushi roll and dip it in soy sauce and eat it. The sauce leaves a sour taste on my tongue. The plate is so full I won’t be able to finish it all. Eric looks at my meal in disgust.

“You won’t just be a fuck to me.”

“You are King, Eric. Why don’t you want someone who is a ghoul?” I’ve seen the women of his race; they are beautiful. Odessa, Kate, and even the servants are drop-dead gorgeous. Compared to them, I look like an ogre.

“I’m not as beautiful as the women in your race,” I say, avoiding eye contact with him.

“Sarah, look at me,” he orders. When I don’t follow his demand, he tilts my chin forcing me to look up at him.

“Don’t ever say you’re not beautiful,” he continues. “You’re the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.”

He presses his lips against mine, threading his fingers through my hair. His tongue roams my mouth, making my body thrum to life. I have never been this intimate with a guy. His kiss tells me that he is telling the truth about how he feels, but it doesn’t stop me from feeling insecure.

I don’t know how relationships work in their race, if they do the girlfriend and boyfriend thing, but I shouldn’t be worried about that, right now. I just want to take things slow. Eric’s phone buzzes with a message, and he picks it up, replies to whoever it was, and sets the phone on the table.

“I have somewhere I have to be. While I’m gone, you should go to the spa,” he says.

“I didn’t bring my debit card.” I don’t feel right letting him pay for everything.

“Don’t worry about it. Just request whatever you want.”

The waitress gives Eric the bill, he signs it, and we leave.

The lady at the front desk greets us. Eric releases my hand as the woman gives me a list of available services. The prices here are outrageous. There is no way I would spend over two hundred dollars for a body treatment.

“I guess I’ll have the island glow,” I say to the lady.

The woman reaches behind her desk, providing me with a robe and towel.

“I’ll be back,” he plants another kiss on my forehead.

The massage and bath treatment were much needed. My skin feels soft like marshmallow, and my muscles are relaxed. I stand behind a woman with brunette hair and pale skin; she looks like the walking dead. The woman is wearing expensive clothing, and she looks vaguely familiar. She stands next to a woman with platinum blonde hair, designer clothes, and flashy pink fingernails.

“The auction was fantastic yesterday. I can’t wait to go back to the Hudson Coven,” the brunette says with excitement. She is the one woman who bid on the little box.

“Is that human Eric’s new toy?” the platinum blonde asks.

“I don’t know, but I will inform the coven.”

Eric was supposed to be here an hour ago. I have to inform him about them. The two vampires check out the spa, I move to the back of the line so they won’t recognize me. I toss my robe to the lady and hurry out the building. I can’t risk them catching me. Feeling on edge, I wander on the beach. The sky is dark and clouds hover over the moon. I spot two older couples holding hands. They are probably in their mid-sixties, and they’re both wearing white. Surveying them, they appear to be in love. My story would be they married at a young age, had two children, the woman was a stay-at-home mom, and the man had a topnotch job—working as a lawyer or a CEO. They travel the world now because their kids are grown, and they are enjoying their grandchildren. The normal life. The life I envisioned I would have eventually before it got turned upside down. Now, I don’t know what is going to happen to me. Do they know about the paranormal world; that we are not the only species on this planet? Everything you see is an illusion. Eric’s words rattle in my mind. Everything I’ve learned about ghouls seems unreal.

After my walk, I trudge to the lobby in the hotel. I spot Eric pacing back and forth. His shoulders are tense with worry.

“What’s the matter?” I ask. He leaps at me, dragging me into an embrace, squeezing tight.

“Where were you? I searched the hotel looking for you!” he exclaims, releasing me.

“I took a walk on the beach; no big deal,” I pat his shoulder to calm him down.

“Sarah, don’t ever do that shit again. I thought something happened to you.” He grabs our bags from the chair and we leave Kailua.

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