My Immortal (12 page)

She nibbled on his chin. A wicked grin curled her kiss-swollen lips. “Probably good because I’m falling for you. You’re the best partner and the perfect man once you decide to focus. I’m glad I went through with the bet.”

“I’m not perfect.” His heart beat a wild tattoo. “I make mistakes
.”
Like not telling her his true identity from the start.

“Yes, but you’re perfect with me, and I love you.
You know how to touch me and make me scream. You’re honest and have good taste. Plus, you’re sexy as hell.”

He closed his eyes and swallowed to get a moment of silence. Her words shook him to the core. “Say that again.”

When he opened his eyes, Stevie scrunched her brows. “Say what?”

“That you love me.”

“Oh, that.” A wicked light sparkled in her deep blue irises. “We’re into some heady discussion. I might have changed my mind.”

His blood froze for a split second until he caught on to her game.
“Really?”

She tapped her chin with the tip of her index finger. “Nah, I’m sure.”

“You’re sure of what?”

“I love you, Storm Richardson.”

Emotions he couldn’t explain unfurled in his heart and pumped through his veins. Everything in his life felt right for the first time since the change.

He bit back a groan.
The change.
He needed to disclose his truths and fast. “I love you, too, Stevie, but there are a few things I need to tell you. We need to talk.”

She licked her bottom lip with a quick swipe. “Are you going to insist we get engaged or are you going for a non-commitment angle with this discussion?” She giggled and winked. “I love emeralds more than diamonds.”

Storm brushed his thumb against her bottom lip. Stevie felt like pure silk in his grasp. An oval emerald with diamonds surrounding it would make a beautiful engagement ring. He filed the idea away and pressed on with his admission. He needed to cleanse his soul. “Those girls meant nothing. They were drawn to me, but I didn’t desire any of them. I still don’t.”

“Why bring them up?” Her brows furrowed again. “I understand how they feel. I can’t keep my hands off you. I see the connection, sexy man.”

Sexy man.
Storm liked hearing those words rolling off her lips. He wanted to kiss her until she melted in his arms. He needed to taste her again.
To drink from her.

His fangs elongated in his mouth. Shit. He braced himself. His fortitude wasn’t that strong. Hell yes, he wanted to make her his permanently. “It’s not that easy. We naturally draw people, but I wanted the one woman who didn’t really want me.”

“We?
Were you a fashion model or a rock star before you met me? Those are the only men I can think of right off the bat who attract women in hordes. And you do look hot without a shirt. But then again, you probably needed to go through special training to be a PI, so—I’d better stop rambling.” She pressed her lips together and looked away. “Who didn’t want you? Whoever she was, she’s a fool.”

“I don’t think I could handle the stage or the idea of standing still in order to model,” He laced his fingers with hers. He peeked into her mind to see the lust and desire warring with a sliver of pity. He didn’t want her pity; he needed her love. “But, I meant you. I wanted you for so long.”

“You have me.”

Did he have her? He popped into her mind. Love and laughter cancelled out the sad feelings and swirled around their image. He cupped her chin and went for the brass ring. “Honey, I’m a vampire.”

Stevie’s eyes widened. Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times before she bothered to verbalise her thoughts.

“Wait. Did you just say
vampire
? You’re joking, right? Vampires don’t exist. They’re figments of Hollywood and the imagination—nothing more.” Stevie backed away a few inches. “If you’re for real, then show me the teeth.”

“They do exist, and yes, I am a vampire.” He opened his mouth and rolled his tongue over his elongated teeth. “See?”

“They aren’t real, but they feel pretty realistic.” She inched to him and slid her index finger over one of his fangs. “You have a denture or something.”

“They are as real as I am, sweetheart.” Her trepidation wafted around him in the scent of cayenne. Damn. How to get her to understand without freaking her out? He dragged air into his lungs and went with the truth. “Stevie, I wasn’t sure how to tell you the truth, but it doesn’t change how I feel. I love you.”
Please don’t go. Don’t walk away.

“Ha, ha.”
She rolled her eyes. “What? Are you one of those Goths that want so much to be a vampire that you got your teeth fixed? I mean, I never bothered to ask you about your teeth because there wasn’t a need, but I wondered.” Stevie cupped his cheek. “You don’t need to act like something you aren’t in order to impress me. I already like you.”

He knew deep down to his soul that she loved him with her whole heart. She wanted the white wedding and forever with him, if he’d just come clean to her and wasn’t a vampire. “Stevie, I can read your mind. It’s one of my gifts or curses, depending on how you look at it.”

“Really?
What am I thinking?” Her brows rose as she cocked her head.

“You think I’m pulling your leg, but I’m not.” How to not sound like a fool when all he wanted to do was curl up in her arms and never let go? “I can smell your arousal and your fear. You want to believe me because you’re in love with me, but you’re scared because you can’t understand what I am.”
I want you to take me as I am.

“That’s just another of your lucky guesses and a lot of baloney you want me to believe so you can laugh later. That’s what men do.”

“Why do you suppose I sleep all day and can stay up all night? Trust
me,
I hate living off the blood of others.”
I want to be normal for you.
His heart clenched and pain seared behind his eyes. He felt her withdrawal like a slap to the face. She wanted to understand, but in her mind, vampirism wasn’t logical. Hell, was it logical to him?

“That can’t be true.” Stevie’s hand slid down to his chest. As he expected, she shoved him away and scrambled to the far side of the bed. Panic suffused in her eyes. Her breasts heaved as she tried to catch her breath. “How did I not know this? You’re my partner and closest friend. You know everything about me. Why couldn’t you tell me? And why did you wait until we were naked to have this discussion?”

“I didn’t want to hurt you, but after Allan warned you and that crazy grabbed you at the bank, I couldn’t hold back any longer.” Storm grabbed for her hand and inched closer to her. His heart splintered. “Clothed or naked, I don’t want to lose you.”

She sat up and fumbled to cover her nakedness with the slippery satin sheet. Her entire body shook.
“Allan, the bartender?
He told me to keep my eyes open and to stay away from you after dark, but I laughed him off. Is he just a concerned citizen afraid that you’ll drain me, or is he one of you?”

“He’s a vampire, too.” Why the hell were they having this conversation in the nude? She picked invisible lint off the smooth sheet with trembling fingers. Her voice registered just above a whisper. “How can you love me? You lied to me.”

“I didn’t.”

The combination of her glare and the paleness of her cheeks pinned him to the spot. She continued to slide to the edge of the bed.
“By omission.
Your identity is one big lie. Who the hell are you?”

“Stevie, you’re my mate.” Storm sat up and scrubbed his fingers through his hair. “You’re the woman I’m meant to spend the rest of my undead life with.”

She tugged the sheet off the bed and backed into the door. “I think you drank the wrong blood type, buddy. Check your victim next time because I am not your mate. I’m a human being.” She brushed the tears wetting her cheeks away with the back of her hand and searched the floor for her clothing. “I don’t know who you are and I can’t stand the sight of blood.”

He stood and crossed to her. When he handed her the rumpled
Kent
State
sweatshirt, she yanked it out of his hands without looking up.

He reached out and cupped her chin, temporarily stopping her movements. “Stevie, look at me. I smelled it on you and tasted it in your kiss. Your essence mixed with mine the first time we made love.”

“Fucked.”
She poked his chest with her index finger. “We fucked.”

Her fire and sass turned him on more than he wanted to concede. “I should pin you to the bed and kiss the dirty words from your mouth after I spank you for being feisty.”

Stevie shook her head. “No, Storm. Don’t confuse what we did.” She tugged the faded denim over her shapely hips and brushed her hair from her eyes. “We didn’t make love because I’m a vessel to your kind, or something like that. Admit it.” Tears streamed down her cheeks once more. “Admit this is a lie to get what you want from me.”

“I love you.” He dropped his hands and stepped away from the door.

“You love my blood.” She yanked her purse off the rocking chair and raced down the steps. “I need to go. I need to process this shit.”

Storm ignored his nakedness and charged after her. “Stevie, wait.”

“Don’t touch me.” She brushed him off and threw the kitchen door open. “I need space and air.”

Spearing the garage door opener, she strode across to her vehicle. When the door clicked into the up position, she climbed into her car and drove away.

Storm leant on the doorframe and massaged his temples. The pain in his chest felt like his heart tore in half and left with her. Maybe he could erase the hurt and make her come back with the just the flick of his wrist. If he could erase memories, then why not create ones?
Because he wanted their love to be true, not forced to meet his own ends.
He needed her to accept him without prejudice.

The sound of her engine faded down the driveway. Who was he kidding? That kind of magic didn’t exist.

Why would she be any different? His family never bothered to look after he disappeared and became a vampire. His own family!

When he looked out the open garage door, the faintest glimmer of her taillights remained. He scrubbed his hand through his hair. Even if she didn’t want him, she owned his soul.

Part of him wanted to chase her down and make her see reason. Another part of him never cared to see her again. But could he live without his mate?

Never.

For the undead life of him, he wasn’t sure how to get her back into his arms. He dropped his chin to his chest and puffed out a ragged breath.

Abandoned.

Again.

Chapter Eleven

Three days later, Storm flipped the folder back onto his desk and checked his watch. Eleven p.m.
Too
damn early to go home and mope, but late enough to go to the Spitz to check on Jack Davis.

He tucked the folders into his desk drawer and locked it with a snick. Even though he managed to catch every red light on the main drag, the drive across town seemed to take only moments.

As he strolled into the dark room, the acrid scents of smoke, fried food and body odour met his nose.

Storm shook his head. He’d rather be at home.

After a moment, he located the man from Noreen’s picture. Jack sat at the third stool from the wall, nursing a beer. He raked his fingers through his salt and pepper hair. Condensation slid down the sides of the amber bottle.

“Hey, man.” Storm sat next to him and ordered a beer.

“Hey. You aren’t from around here.” Jack stuck out his hand. “I’m Jack. And you are?”

“Jacob. Jacob Preston.”

“Well, Jacob Preston, I’ve been a patron here for twenty years. No one comes into this bar unless they have something to hide or they have something to hide from.”

Storm puffed out a laboured breath. He held no secrets, as long as he could run from his broken heart. “I just wanted to whet my whistle.”

“Oh yeah?
My wife thinks I’m cheating on her, so I hide here. She has a private investigator tailing me.
A waste of money if you ask me.”

Storm peeled the label off his bottle with his index fingernail. “It sounds like she cares about you.”

“I agree.” The man nodded. He took a long drag from his bottle. “She’s a good woman.”

“You’re upset about her caring or that she’s spending your money?”

“I’m angry she doesn’t trust me.” He paused. “I lost my job with the Ford plant and it kills me because I can’t provide for my family like I used to.”

“So you drink?” Storm winced and made a mental note to give Noreen a steep discount.

“Nah, I come here to forget, but the beers don’t help.” He toyed with the cuff of his flannel shirt. “Alcohol doesn’t solve problems.”

Storm crossed his arms. He pushed his bottle out of the way. Maybe this meeting wasn’t such a loss after all. “Why don’t you take the first step and talk to her?”