Chapter Thirteen

I stood under the shower spray with my head tilted against the tiles. I'd woken up from a deep, dreamless sleep, part-relieved, and part-not. Relieved Charlemagne had had the wherewithal to stop before things went too far, and disappointed that he had. I'd never wanted anyone as much as I wanted him. Then. Now. What were we waiting for? A few more dates?

The conventional stuff didn't feel like it applied to us. The human/immortal dilemma alone gave us a neat, little shelf date. As if that weren't enough to keep a girl up during the day, last night had been long. Charlemagne's blood had healed my aches and pains on the outside, but inside, I still felt every last bit of it. And it would only get worse once Valentine and his pitbull, Holden, showed up.

That thought got me moving again. There was no time for wallowing when we still had to get ready. I turned off the shower spray, stepping out into a cloud of fragrant steam. I toweled off before slipping into the white silk robe Charlemagne had left for me. I was still working my way through the ends of my hair with the towel when I stepped out into Charley's bedroom.

He was waiting for me on the edge of the bed, wearing nothing but a pair of dark slacks, his hair still loose and damp around his shoulders. He'd laid out a lacy, white underwear set, the marigold yellow dress from Simone's, and two different sets of shoes beside him. I eyed the shoes. One set was a pair of wedged sandals. The other were my slip-on sneakers. The ones he called my silly shoes.

"Haven't decided yet."

I glanced up at Charlemagne as he held out his hands for me. His features softened, pulling me in, as I crossed the space between us to stand between his legs. "Decided what?" I asked softly, leaning up to kiss his chin, briefly remembering what it was like to have his face between my legs.

Charlemagne wrapped his hands around my waist. "Whether or not if I want to see you in what would please me, or in what would please you, and perhaps be a little more practical in the event I need you to run."

"Run?" I repeated, dropping my towel onto the bed beside him so I could raise my hands and slip them along his shoulders, into his hair. "You're worried about Valentine?"

He tilted his shoulders. "I know I have done nothing wrong, but it does not mean Master Valentine will not try to find a reason." He muttered. "I put my hands on him last night, he will not forget the slight."

I bit my lower lip. That reminded me of what else Valentine had said. And what Charley had lied about. "Charlemagne," I started, swallowing the words when he tilted his chin to kiss me breathless.

"Do not worry, mon coeur, I won't let anyone hurt you." He promised, pulling me into him to kiss me again deeply.

I kissed him back eagerly, letting my worries flutter away with a purpose. Avoiding the uncomfortable was something I had experience in. "I'll wear what'll please you." I murmured against his mouth. "I want to." I said softly.

Charlemagne made a pleased, little noise and caught my mouth again. "I'm going to reward you later." He murmured.

A grin twitched across my mouth. "With cookies?"

"I'm going to devour your cunt."

Oh. Holy shit. Hearing the word cunt roll off his aristocratic tongue nearly undid me as I dropped my head back with a noise. Heat flushed through my entire body, only made worse when he pulled me in tighter and pressed kisses along my exposed neck. "You liked it." He said, his breath warm against my skin. "I know you did."

I lifted my head back up to look at him. "I did." I admitted. "I've never... come like that before." I said, a blush creeping up my face all the way to my hairline.

A lazy, and utterly too pleased grin unfolded across his mouth. "I have so much more to show you, ma cherie."

I wound my arms around his neck and bit my lower lip. "Show me." I said, meeting his gaze. "Tonight. I'm sure."

Charlemagne swept his gaze over my face before returning it to mine. "Tonight." He agreed, reaching up to touch my chin and bring my mouth back to his. "Let me dress you." He sighed.

"Probably for the best." I teased, brushing my nose against his. "Any more of this, and we'll never leave your room."

"That would not be so bad if I did not know that Master Valentine would simply do his interview in here." Charley rolled his eyes. "Hold on to me." He said, reaching down between us to take one of my ankles to settle it between his legs on the edge of the bed.

I held onto his shoulders and balanced on my remaining heel. He twisted around to grab a small jar. I tilted my head, trying to see the label as he unscrewed the top and scooped out a dollop of white lotion. He warmed it between his palms before starting at the top of my thighs to work his way down my legs. I inhaled sharply. Just the touch of his hands against my skin sent spirals of warmth through me.

"Is that for my stretch marks?"

His brows bent as he continued to work down my leg. "Why would it be for your stretch marks?"

I bunched up my shoulders. "To get rid of them."

He fully paused to blink up at me. "Why would I want to get rid of them? I love your stretch marks." Charlemagne reached behind him for the jar and held it out to me. "It"s a moisturizer, mon coeur."

We stared at each other for a moment, my cheeks warming with embarrassment. "Oh." I bit my lip. "You know, I never really understood that. You're a vampire, you're perfect, why do you need moisturizer?"

His mouth twitched, his eyes shifting around in my face. "Even vampires can have a good skincare routine." He said, continuing down my leg to my ankle and foot. "You don't like them?"

"I don't really think about them." I admitted, tilting my head to the side. "But no one's ever kissed them before either."

Charlemagne's gaze flickered to mine as he set my foot down on the floor and reached for the other one to pull it into his lap. "Bien. That will be all mine too." He said, swooping down to kiss my knee. "I want all of your firsts."

I exhaled, trying to keep my breathing even. With the way things were going, he just might get them. And let's face it, would that really be a bad thing? How many girls get to lose their virginity to a Master Vampire? Maybe I could send out some kind of poll? Check this box if a Vampire King has seduced you. I pressed my lips into a thin line to keep from giggling.

"I love when you get that look on your face." Charlemagne said, dragging my gaze back to him as he finished with my other leg. "Like you're trying not to laugh at some clever joke only you might find funny."

I rolled my eyes at him. "First off, it was a really funny thought." I pointed out as he put more lotion on his hands to work on the rest of me. "Second, I didn't know you noticed when I did that." My features softened for him. "You are less self-absorbed than you let people believe."

Charlemagne grinned up at me. "Perhaps only when it comes to you." He tilted one of his shoulders as he spread moisturizer along my elbow and down my forearm. "Do you really think I'm perfect?" He asked, a playful edge to his tone. "What exactly do you think is perfect?"

Rolling my eyes again, I shook my head at him. "Your over-inflated ego really doesn"t need any more help from me." I said, letting my face soften again as I slid my hands from his shoulders into his hair. "You're wonderful, can we leave it at that until tonight?"

He reached for my waist to tug me towards him, and my mouth found his easily. I had a feeling getting ready was going to be next to impossible if we kept this up.

An hour and a half later, I stood in front of the full-length mirror, finally dressed. I ran my fingers down the hem of my dress, tailored to fit perfectly. Charlemagne had brushed out my hair, added mousse, and taken a blow dryer to it. Every dark ringlet sat perfectly on my skull, the top half tied back by a velvet brown ribbon. At least, the wedged sandals were comfortable.

I looked pretty, but I wasn't sure if I looked like myself. My Fair Lady bloomed in my mind. I drew the line at etiquette lessons. Charlemagne appeared in the mirror behind me, his arms slid around my waist, and he dropped his head until his chin was resting against my hair. He had tailored his outfit to mine. Deep, rich brown velvet and a marigold pocket square in his breast pocket.

For the first time in my eyes, I could imagine that we fit exactly right together. "We look like sunflowers." I whispered, my throat tightening."When will Valentine be here?"

Charlemagne hugged me close to him. "Soon." He said softly. "I hate to have to subject you to him and that woman, Holden."

Sniffing, I blinked at his reflection in the mirror. "Oh. You called her a dhampir? What is that?"

Charlemagne briefly bared his teeth. "Blood junkie. A human who has taken too much vampire blood and is now starting to Turn. Volatile, dangerous little day-walkers."

Blood junkie. He must have registered the sudden panic on my face because he squeezed me tighter. "I didn't give you enough to change you, ma cherie." He kissed the side of my neck, brushed his nose along the shell of my ear. "I have some control."

I relaxed against him, exhaling, as I slipped my fingers over his arms. "Only some." I agreed, biting my lower lip. The urge to ask him about Valentine was back. A reputation and a past were one thing, but lying to me was another. I didn't want him to hide things from me. "Charley?" I started.

"Hmm?" Charlemagne sounded; he'd lifted his head from my shoulder to look at the bedroom door. "Pardon-moi, a car has just pulled up to the gate." He dropped his attention back to me. "Are you ready for this?"

Nerves tightened in my stomach, but I nodded. "I'm ready." I said, and hoped it was true.

Charlemagne straightened, keeping one hand on my waist, he tucked me against his side. "Close your eyes." I did as he said, my stomach lifting at the sudden weightlessness of movement.

He squeezed my hip once we'd stopped moving and I opened my eyes. We were standing at the base of the stairs. Marcus and Bianca appeared on Charlemagne's right; the latter had been hanging around—no pun intended— and batting—oh, I need to be stopped— her lashes whenever she got the chance. And Marcus seemed to be encouraging it. How did I communicate More than just friends with my eyebrows? Marcus immediately moved to pull Charlemagne aside to speak to him. I shifted my gaze away from them as Nick appeared on my left.

An easy smile tilted his mouth as he slid his gaze over me. "That color looks good on you, Miss Braden." He said, drawing out the s in miss until it sounded more like mizz.

I smiled back at him. Tonight, he was dressed in jeans and an open flannel shirt over a black T-shirt. He seemed much more comfortable in it than the suit he'd worn when we first met. "Thank you, but call me Abby." I said. "Please."

He cocked his head, feigning consideration. "I don't know if that'd be proper or polite, you being the boss's girl, and all, Miss Braden." Nick said, a note of teasing in his voice.

Fully rolling my eyes at him, I clasped my hands in front of me. "If you're gonna insist," I started, affecting my best and sweetest Louisianan accent. "You'll force me to be impolite to you, Mister Deveraux, and the boss will like that even less."

A toothy grin flashed across Nick's mouth. "You have yourself a point there. Abby, it is." He said, touching a hand to his chest. "Now, Abby, how do you feel about shrimp and grits?"

My brows rose, my stomach immediately clenching with hunger. "I love shrimp and grits." I grinned, bouncing on the heels of my wedges.

"Lucky you, Beau just fixed up a plate." Nick said, holding his hand out for me.

I started to take his hand when I glanced back at Charlemagne. Marcus was still talking to him, but he'd been watching me, a curiously unreadable look on his face. Before Marcus could even finish his sentence, Charlemagne crossed the short distance between us. "I'll sit with you." He said, slipping his hand along my lower back.

"We don't have time for this." Marcus exhaled, shooting me a pointed look as if I'd called Charlemagne away. "Master Valentine is coming up the drive now."

I glanced back at Marcus before tilting my gaze back to Charley's face. "I can eat later." I said, leaning into Charlemagne and raising a hand to slip it along his chest. "I'm okay."

He made a little noise before he exhaled, dropping his head to kiss my forehead. "Non, you eat, and then join me as soon as you're done." He murmured.

I tilted my head back, leaning up the plateau of my wedges to catch his mouth. I kissed him deeply because I could, and I liked having the taste of him in my mouth. "If you get into any trouble just yell, and I'll run in with the silverware."

He grinned against my mouth. "My hero." Charlemagne kissed me again before he straightened and nodded for me to go with Nick. "Enjoy, ma cherie."

"I'll be quick." I promised, turning to take Nick's hand and follow him towards the kitchen. The savory, buttery scent of grits and Cajun shrimp were enough to make my mouth water. "That smells so good." I sighed as my stomach rumbled in agreement.

Beau and Madeline stood beside the counter, hip to hip, with bowls of food steaming in their hands. I arched my brows at them as Nick let go of my hand and moved towards the stove to fix me a plate. "You eat?" I asked, climbing up onto one of the stools beside the kitchen island.

Beau and Maddy shared a look before the former flashed me a grin. "We might not need food to live, darlin', but we can still taste." He said, gesturing to the bowl that Nick put down in front of me. "You'll understand once you take your first bite."

My mouth twitched. I fully believed him. I loved food. The thought of not eating, of never tasting another etouffee would heavily sway any ideas of wanting immortality. I spooned a bite with a nice, large shrimp into my mouth and shut my eyes. Nodding to myself as I did a little dance on my stool, I opened my eyes again to find the three vampires grinning down at me. "It's good." I said, bunching up my shoulders. "I wouldn't give up eating either." I sighed, digging into my bowl.

"A girl after our own heart." Nick said, dragging his gaze away to glance in the direction of the living room. "Valentine just sat down. Not alone." He grunted.

I glanced up at him and then followed the direction of his gaze. I couldn't see them from here, but I could almost feel them. That ancient, living power that Valentine emitted slipped into the walls of Fortuna. My stomach tightened. I pushed my bowl away and started to stand when Nick guided me back into my seat. "I need to be with Charley."

"I know but let them have a moment. Eat." Nick gestured to my food. "Five minutes. At least." He arched a brow. "Please?"

Exhaling, I picked up my spoon again. I was hungry. And if Nick wasn't worried, maybe five minutes would be okay. "Can you hear what they're saying?"

He cocked his head. "Exchanging pleasantries. Pouring wine." He muttered. "You're not missing much. Now, finish your food."

"Yes, sir." I muttered, returning my attention to the shrimp and grits in front of me. I scooped the next few bites into my mouth without tasting them, straining to listen, but I couldn't hear anything. "Nick—"

"I'd tell you if he needed you."His features softened as they swept over my face. "You really care for him, don't you?"

I lowered my shoulders as I met his gaze. "Yeah, I do." I said softly. "I want to take care of him just as much as he wants to take care of me."

He dipped his chin in a slow nod. "He's happy when he's with you."

I softened entirely, a balloon of warmth filling up my chest. "Thank you for saying so." I mumbled, glancing at Maddy as she set down a glass of sweet tea in front of me. "Are you all staying for the night?"I asked, taking a sip from the glass.

"Not exactly." Beau grunted, placing his and Maddy's bowls in the sink before the three of them started to clean up the kitchen. "We're on patrol duty, lookin' for our rogue vampire."

"We oughta get going." Nick muttered, quickly loading the dishwasher before he wiped his hands off on a dish towel. "Wouldn't want to be accused of not doing our jobs again." He added, glancing at his brother. "Would we?"

Beau rolled his eyes. "I don't know why you let Marcus get to you. He's just lookin' out for the boss." He muttered, reaching for Madeline's hand to lace their fingers together.

I made a little noise. "He gets to me too." I said, sharing a conspiratorial eyeroll with Nick. "And I was on my best behavior when we met. He was the one who tried to eat me and called me dinner."

"Pompous old asshat." Nick grumbled, shaking his head to himself, when Maddy slapped his arm. "What? Even if he hears me, what's he going to do?" He said, mouth twitching. "We should probably leave out the back to avoid any problems."

I rolled my eyes again, this time at him. "Happy vamp hunting." I muttered, climbing out of my seat with my half-eaten bowl. "I'll finish it later." I promised, starting around the kitchen island.

Nick appeared in front of me to take the bowl. "You won't. It's just not as good." He said, tutting at me before he shooed me out.

Offering him a soft, appreciative smile, I started around him into the short hallway between the kitchen and den. I still couldn't hear them, but the icky feeling of Valentine's power brushed up against my skin. Thicker than it had been at Julian's. A shudder walked down my spine.

I was halfway across the den when a jolt knocked me off my heels. There was a dizzying rush of air, my stomach contracted, threatening to send up everything I'd just eaten when the movement stopped. The momentum sent me spinning in the dark, my left ankle rolled and then my right as I slammed up against a shelf and hit the floor, jarring my elbow.

"We need to talk, human."