Page 51 of Road Trip with a Vampire
Even if some of them are frightening, I thought but didn’t say.
“I don’t remember much,” he said again. “Just that there was someone in my dream Ireallydid not want to see.” He shook his head. “Beyond that, nothing.”
The frustration in his voice was palpable.
“It’s something, at least,” I said, hoping my words were reassuring. “But I’m sorry you don’t remember more.” And then, because it felt like the right thing to say, I added, “If you want to sleep in the bed after what just happened, you can take it. I’ll sleep on the floor.”
“No, it’s fine,” he said. “But thank you for the offer. And for…everything.”
His voice had taken on an earnestness that made me blush. Slowly—so slowly I could easily have pulled away if I didn’t want it—he reached up and clasped my hand, which still rested on hisshoulder. His touch was marble-solid and ice-cold, the calluses ringing his palm suggesting that whoever he’d been before, he’d been no stranger to hard work. A rugged man, perhaps, not someone used to an easy life spent indoors.
Whohadhe been? I wondered. As Peter held my gaze and gave my hand a gentle squeeze that belied his obvious physical strength, I found I really wanted to know.
I should have looked away. Wished him good night and gone back to bed.
I did none of these things.
The kiss was featherlight, just a gentle press of my lips to the corner of his mouth that sent currents of sensation arcing through me. His mouth parted on a surprised gasp, but he didn’t pull away. His lips were so soft, the mint of his mouthwash and the way his hand gripped mine were twin tethers to reality and to the fact that this was really happening.
The only problem was, I wasn’t sure if itshould.
That thought had me pulling away, putting space between us.
“You…you gonna be okay?” I asked, breathless.
He nodded very slowly. Then he looked beyond me to the window. The curtains covering it were as threadbare as the rest of the room, letting us see the night sky almost as clearly as if we were out there ourselves. The sun still hadn’t risen, but the faint yellowish streaks at the horizon said that it would soon.
“I think so,” he said. He sounded as winded as I felt. “Yeah. I’ll be fine.”
“Okay. Well, good night, then.”
“Good night.”
A nervous giggle escaped me. Agiggle? What was the matter with me? I hadn’t giggled in centuries. “Good night for another hour or two, anyway.”
He chuckled. He was nervous, too. Then he lay back down on his makeshift pallet. “Good night for now.” A pause. “Zelda?”
I had already climbed back into bed. “Yes?”
When he spoke again his voice was barely above a whisper. “Thank you.”
Twelve
Two months earlier
From:[email protected]
Subject:HELP!!!!!!
Dear Mr.Elliott:
Greetings and Salutations! I hope this missive finds you well.
I wish to inquire about your availability during the last week of November. I have aPROBLEMwith my neighbor and am at my wit’s end. He seems to think that because I allowed him access to my piranha tank ONCE that he is at liberty to pilfer from it whenever he wants. I want to pay someone to DISPOSE of the problem entirely (if you know what I mean!!!!!).
Your skills come highly recommended. Money is no object. Please let me know at your earliest convenience whether you can take this JOB.
