Falling From Eternity (A Paranormal Love Story) (12 page)

“
I was thinking that you
don’t deserve me,” I said without emotion. I risked a glance at her
face, only to find she was shaken by my words. “I meant that you
don’t deserve something like me. You should be with a movie star,
or…or a prince!” I truly believed she should. She might have been
stunning on the outside, but it was the beauty I found inside her
that genuinely won me over.

A tiny snort interrupted the silence,
and she slapped her hand to her lips as a fit of titters fluttered
out her. I sat up, looking at her with surprise, seeing the
amusement and embarrassment reddening her face.

“
Did you just snort?” I
repeated her earlier question, feeling the warmth of coming
laughter building inside me.

“
No.” She smiled through
her obvious humiliation. Despite my earlier protests, I lifted her
hand and clasped it in mine. I’d forgotten what I’d come to ask her
today. I had let myself get distracted thinking I should stay away,
that I didn’t deserve her.
And
I was certain I still didn’t deserve her, but she
was with me now, and I wanted to enjoy that while it lasted. In a
hundred years from now, when I was alone and wondering what my
purpose was, I could look back on these moments with her and know
that I had found happiness once.

“
So, tell me, William,”
she said, sinking back into her seat with a mischievous look on her
face, “what’s got you so nervous?”

Suddenly, I realized
I
was
nervous.
Not about asking her to dinner, but about what that meant. The more
time I spent with her, the more chance there was that she would
discover the truth. Did I really want to bring that nightmare into
her world? Was I really so selfish that I was willing to risk her
safety so I could have just another moment with her? I was a
vampire, so of course I
was
that selfish. Maybe it was just dinner…maybe
nothing would come of it.

“
You do realize I’m not
going to let you get away with not telling me, right?” she
announced, with authority.

“
I wanted to ask you to
dinner tonight,” I answered in one quick breath.

“
Really?” she eyed me with
amusement, crossing her legs as she swallowed the rest of her
lemonade. I waited anxiously for some other reply. I’d never been
refused by any woman, in fact,
I
had to refuse them. But, with Autumn, I was
uncertain.

“
I’d love to,” she said
sweetly, a tiny twinkle in her eye revealing that she had enjoyed
making me wait for the answer. Perhaps it was a test to see how
badly I wanted her to go. If that were true she’d never know how
much.

“
Wonderful!” A sigh of
relief blew out of me, and a weight lifted off my shoulders. I
could feel my nerves unwinding, my monstrous nature subsiding;
crawling back under the rock where I buried it.

“
Where are we going?” she
questioned, picking up her canvas and setting it back on the
table.

“
Um…well, I know you like
seafood so I was thinking we could go to The Anchor,” I replied,
hoping I’d picked a good spot.

“
Sounds good.” She twirled
her hair back up into a bun, poking two brushes through it before
carefully pulling her apron back on. “So, is this like a
date?”

“
Uh…” Was it date? It was
Valentine’s Day, so… “Yeah, I was hoping so. Is that okay with
you?” I asked tentatively, like I was venturing through new
territory. I guess I kinda was. I’d never wooed a woman before; at
least not in my entire vampire existence. It was new, scary, and
exciting.

“
Yeah, that’s okay,” she
answered, trying to play it off that she didn’t care either way,
but it was impossible not to see the blossoming grin on her sweet
face.

“
Alright. I’ll pick you up
at eight?” I asked, standing up, knowing I was well past my lunch
break.

“
It’s a date,” she
replied, winking at me.

~

8

Lovely

It took me nearly every second I had
available to get ready and figure out what I should wear. It was
difficult to decide between a full-blown suit, and a pair of dress
slacks with a button-down shirt. Plus, I never paid much attention
to what I wore before, I didn’t have to, women flocked to me either
way.

As I was walking out the door, I flew
back into my room and changed into the latter while grumbling at my
ridiculous antics. The more time I spent with her the more human I
felt; not counting my outburst of anger earlier of
course.

On the drive to pick up
Autumn I did everything I could to gain control of myself. I
refused to allow my temper to get the better of me, and to achieve
that I came to only one conclusion; I needed to restrain my
feelings for her. By nature I was selfish and territorial, but I
had to transform that. The truth of the matter was that I had to be
honest with myself. I wanted her, I needed her,
and
I cared for her more deeply
every day than I sought to admit sometimes.
But
, I cared more for her safety and
her happiness. Both of which could not exist if I was near. At the
first sign of trouble, I would have to leave and allow fate to
bring the good fortune that was destined to be hers. Until then, I
would watch over her and be her companion.

Fighting the urge to run my fingers
through my hair, I gripped the steering wheel tightly. Sure, I had
my resolve to be Autumn’s…well, I would be whatever she wanted me
to be, but I was still feeling the butterflies fluttering in my
stomach. What was I thinking? Butterflies didn’t belong anywhere
near me, perhaps a more accurate word would be bats. Yes! I had
wild, crazy bats flapping around in my gut. I’d never felt anything
like it. Those ridiculous bats carried with them one thought, one
idea that held with it the answer I had been most searching for.
The answer to my existence; the cure to my curse of
eternity.

Autumn.

Had I not been driving I would have
fallen to my knees at the sight of her. She was waiting for me at
the front steps of Shady Willows, looking like a snow angel. I
pulled to a sudden stop in front of her, the tires still slightly
sliding as I jumped out of the SUV to open the door for
her.

“
You look lovely!” I spoke
to her through the swirling wind and flaking snowfall. She was
bundled up in a snowy, white jacket, a crimson red scarf wrapped
around her neck in the most attractive and dangerously seductive
way. Had she known what I was, she probably would have chosen a
different color. Of course, I wouldn’t complain, it was my favorite
color after all.

“
Thanks. So do you...look
handsome I mean. Not lovely,” she said, taking my hand. Her cheeks
and nose were the most delicate shade of pink, and her hair bounced
in curly spirals around her heart-shaped face.

“
What? I don’t look
lovely, too?” I looked down at myself, then back at her with a
façade of injury in my expression.

She simply laughed in
response as I helped her into the passenger seat of the SUV,
closing the door before trudging my way over to the driver’s seat.
I jumped in easily, slamming the door shut and clicking on my seat
belt. The bats had started flapping again, sending waves of
nervousness charging through my body. It didn’t just feel like a
first date with Autumn, but my first real date
ever.
For all I knew, it was. I’d
been turned when I was in my very early twenties, and although I
couldn’t recall anything of my previous life, something told me I
was right.

“
Warm enough?” I asked
her, flinging my hand to the knob on the dash, ready to turn up the
heat. She nodded her head as she latched on her seat belt, and
looked at me expectantly.

“
How about some music?”
she asked, moving her hand to the power button of the stereo. She
scanned through the stations a few times before stopping on one of
the local indie stations that only played music from underground
artists a few nights a week, the rest of the time they aired
whatever was on the local television.

The acoustic whine of a guitar floated
through the speakers as we pulled out of the parking lot and onto
the main road. It was a short drive to the restaurant, since it was
only on the other side of the lake that was just a few miles away
from Shady Willows. Maybe I should have chosen a place further away
so we would have had the chance to spend more time
together?

“
It’s a beautiful night,”
she commented, staring out the window as the lake came into
view.

“
It is,” I agreed. “Are
you excited about dinner?” I asked, taking a chance. I wanted to
know how she felt, and besides the night she’d asked me not to
leave she hadn’t expressed any other feelings. All our
conversations were strictly plutonic; never getting into past
relationships or things of that nature.

“
I am.” She turned to
smile at me, tightly grasping the small purse in her lap. I didn’t
make her uncomfortable did I? We’d been talking for weeks, but
maybe she found it awkward that I’d asked her out? Maybe she only
said yes because she was afraid of hurting my feelings if she had
said no. Especially after how ridiculous I had acted.

“
Good,” I replied
awkwardly, not sure if I believed her. We’d always fallen easily
into conversation before, but all of a sudden it was different. I
didn’t know what to say to her, whether or not I should sit next to
her or across from her at dinner, or…even more terrifying and
tantalizing; kissing her at the end of the night.

“
Yeah, I can’t remember
the last time I went out to dinner.”

“
Really?”

“
Mhm. You seem surprised,”
she commented, turning her attention to several boats that were
floating in the middle of the lake.

“
I am. I would have
thought a girl like you would be going out all the time.” I
followed the lake road around the bend of the water until the docks
came into view. The restaurant was right alongside them.

“
A girl like me?” she
asked, turning to face me. There was something in her tone that
revealed she hadn’t quite liked my choice of words.

“
You know…beautiful.” My
heart raced as the last word spilled out of me.

“
You think I’m beautiful?”
Shock mingled with the rosy blush of her cheeks. Certainly she knew
how stunning she was, and she
had
to know I felt that way. It took everything I had
to keep from staring at her.

I smirked at her, as the SUV crawled
its way through the boatyard parking lot. No, there was no way she
couldn’t know how perfect she was.

“
Autumn,” I said her name
in a whisper, my blood pumping and my lustful nature commanding
control, “you know I think you’re beautiful.”

Putting the car in park after finding
an open space, I let it idle as we sat in silence; the radio
playing quietly in the background. I scanned the full parking lot,
grateful that I had the sense to call ahead and make a reservation.
Apparently everyone in town had thought to eat at the same
restaurant.

“
Ready to eat?” I blurted
out, anxious to change the subject. It was hard enough for me to
comprehend my unexpected and intense feelings for her, but
admitting them out loud was a totally different ball
game.

“
Absolutely!” she answered
cheerfully. Was she really that hungry, or just glad I changed the
subject?

After turning off the engine I rushed
out of the SUV and rounded the front to the passenger door. I
opened it, offering my hand to help her out. I’d been worrying on
the drive over whether or not I should hold her hand, and she
solved that debate for me. As we walked carefully through the
frozen parking lot, Autumn latched onto my arm. Maybe she was cold,
or maybe it was just for balance, but I enjoyed it either way. The
sweet smell of her delicate perfume filled the air around us,
making it extremely difficult to not kiss her passionately or latch
onto her neck; I couldn’t decide which. Although I didn’t drink
live anymore I still had the urge, especially when I desired
someone as much as I did Autumn. Just another reason I should stay
away from her.

Classical music tinkled in the air as
we entered the restaurant, trumped only by the chatter of happy
couples laughing and talking. The hostess seated us at the table I
had requested, handing us menus before she disappeared toward the
front of the restaurant. I’d chosen a private booth with a lake
view. The table was covered in soft, white linen, with red and
white roses creating the centerpiece among flickering candles. The
dim lighting and soft music made me suddenly realize how romantic
this restaurant was.

My body pulsed as I
watched Autumn unravel her scarf before pulling her jacket off to
reveal bare shoulders. Her hair danced across her naked skin and I
gulped loud enough for the entire restaurant to hear. Why was I so
nervous; wasn’t this everything I had wanted it to be? As much I
was trying to convince myself I should stay away from her, that I
wasn’t good, I knew this night was everything I had dreamed. I felt
guilty, like I had stolen cookies from the cookie jar. I was the
lion who had lured the lamb, and as wrong as it felt, I knew I
wouldn’t be able to say no to myself forever. I wouldn’t be able to
say no to
her.