Page 10 of Every Bite You Take
Tension from our earlier encounters faded away as our conversation flowed around music, travel, and where we were from. It reminded me of our dance last night. At first, we’d been stiff around each other, but then we’d found an easy rhythm. The memory of holding her in my arms again returned, a reminder of how she’d felt. Her body temperature. How she’d smelled. It had taken all my self-control not to ask her to go somewhere we could be alone—because I wasn’t sure I could trust my impulses around her.
“Kylie, there’s something about you I can’t place. You seem human and—something else.”
She sighed. “I have some witch blood,” she admitted. “But it’s two generations back, dating to my grandmother. Sadly, I don’t seem to have any of her magic.”
A bit of witch blood. That could explain her scent—but not my near-crazed reaction to it. I assessed her. She had to have some magic to bewitch me this way.
She lifted her wine and took a sip, drawing my attention to the shine on her lips. After she put it down, she asked, “What about you? How long have you been a vampire?”
I tore my gaze from her mouth and leaned back in my chair as I contemplated my response. Something about her made me want to share, but I also didn’t want to scare her off. “I was turned ten years ago. In New Orleans.”
“Is that where you’re from?”
“Yeah.” My lips curled as the memory resurfaced. “Many vampires inhabit the area, and when I met one at a show, I asked him to turn me. I’d wanted an escape, thinking it would lead to everything I wanted. I’d be able to pursue my music, without limitations. Who needed sunlight anyway when you were in a band? But I underestimated the negatives. The struggle.”
“For—blood?” Her voice lowered to a whisper.
“Yes,” I admitted. “Fighting an instinct to become something…darker.”
She stilled, watching me for several seconds, and I was terrified my confession might have scared her away.
Then she asked, “Do you feel…lost?” Her voice remained low, concerned.
“Aren’t we all?” I let out a nervous laugh and ran a hand through my hair. Then I met her eyes again, seeing compassion rather than fear or judgment. “Music helps. It’s always grounded me. Connecting me to something deeper. It helps me feel—human.”
She let out a slow breath. “That makes sense. I think we’re all probably struggling to figure out who we are.” After a pause, she added, “And what we want.”
Surprised, I asked, “Even you?”
She glanced around the dining room before bringing her gaze back to mine. “Yes,” she said. “You’re right—we’re all a little lost no matter what we project to the world.”
Henri arrived with a bowl of chocolate mousse for Kylie, and she smiled and thanked him. God, I was drawn to her.
Once he left, I grinned. “Whoa, I didn’t mean to get so heavy on our first date.”
She took a bit of her dessert slowly, the movement of the spoon sliding into her mouth entrancing. Once she swallowed and put her spoon down, she said, “I like it. Being real. It’s better than phony small talk.”
I kept things lighter as we finished our meal, talking about travels, me living in Nashville, and my favorite ports. When I glanced at the time on my phone, I frowned.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I need to head out to get ready for my set.”
“Oh, I thought you were done for the night.” Her voice dropped with disappointment.
“With the band, yes. But once a sailing, I perform an acoustic set on my own.”
She gave me a small smile, and her expression brightened. “I get it. You need to work. I had a great time talking with you tonight. Thanks for dinner, Damien.”
No, that couldn’t be the end of this. “Trust me, the last thing I want to do right now is pause this.” I motioned between us. “Come see me later.”
She tilted her head and gazed off with a thoughtful expression. “Well, I was going to go to the musical. Heard it’s a good show.”
Right. She was on vacation. She didn’t want to spend her nights listening to some guy singing cover songs in another bar.
“Hard to compete with a big production.” I forced a half-smile.
“I’m kidding, Damien,” she said. “Of course I’ll come see you play.”
