Chapter 12

Rosie

I pull my hand back, awkwardly realizing that's the second time I've fondled this man's mouth. I really need to learn some boundaries.

"Sorry," I say.

His eyes close and his nostrils flare as he inhales deeply. A swipe of his tongue cleans the tiny spot of blood on the tip of his prosthetic fang.

"Don't be." When his eyes open, the blue of his irises are practically glowing.

It's not scary looking, quite the contrary, they're mesmerizing. I had intended on asking him earlier if they were contact lenses, but then I got slimed. "Hudson?"

"I should probably explain a few things to you. About this little town most people now call Screaming Woods, and about me."

"Come lay in front of me so I don't get a cramp in my neck from tilting up so high to look at you. It's like you're in another time zone up there."

He chuckles and moves to the other side of the bed, but keeps enough space so we're not touching. "Have you ever heard of Screaming Woods?"

"It sounds vaguely familiar, but nothing specific springs to mind," I tell him.

He pulls his phone out of his pocket and taps on the screen a few times, then he hands it to me.

I scan the article on the screen. It's a bizarre tale of some sort of tainted energy drinks and Halloween and a town full of monsters. The more I read, the more little things fall into place in my mind.

"This makes so much more sense than the uber rich having an exclusive con with ridiculously expensive costumes," I say.

"Is that what you thought was happening?"

I shrug and the sheet shifts on my body, revealing the tops of my breasts.

"I take it you were here back when that accident happened, and now you're a vampire?" I ask.

"We're gonna have to circle back to why you're not more freaked out right now. For now, I'll answer your question. No, I wasn't here for that. But I am a vampire. Monsters exist outside of Screaming Woods, but there's a solid group of them here. It's why I moved here."

"So you could blend in more?"

"Exactly. It's hard to explain to people why I never age. I mean, forget the damn mullet that I can't change; my face never changes either. People will only believe ‘it's good genes' so many times before they start to get suspicious."

"Makes sense. I suppose you partake of the synthetic blood available now. I never realized it then, when it first hit the medical market, that it would not only help with a shortage in blood donations but feed vampires too."

"Right. So why are you not running away from me screaming right now?"

"I don't know. I guess I've always believed in other-kind. When I was in the hospital right after the accident, I was in and out of consciousness. Mostly out because of all the pain. But I swear there was a fairy in my room a few times. I tried to tell the nurses and doctors, but they all blamed the pain meds."

His blue eyes narrow in on me. "Does me being a vampire change the way you feel about me? The things you said in your voice memo?" He scoots a little closer to me on the bed.

"Are you asking if I'm afraid of you?"

He nods.

"I'm not. Not even a little bit. I feel safer with you than I have at any other time in my life. I think that was part of why I pushed so hard for the video conferences. Without even really knowing you, I craved your nearness."

I take a deep breath. "But I did drive here to apologize because it was very unprofessional of me. Maybe not quite as bad as when I offered to peg you. I'm a bit of a disaster in case you haven't noticed."

"You, my sweet Rosebud, are nothing short of a miracle." He scoots a little closer.

Hudson is a beast of a man…er, vampire.

Tall, broad, and impossibly thick with muscles and manliness, he is the most attractive man I've ever seen. His heavily lashed, crystal-blue eyes look at me as if I am the most precious thing in the world. Dare I hope he feels the same way about me?

He's still clothed, but he's laying closer. The covers on top of me prevent our chests from touching. His large and warm hand settles against the small of my back.

Instinctively, I want to pull away, pretend he hasn't seen how much of a mess my back is. I'm healed, and that's what matters.

Of all the things I shouldn't think about right now, that's the main one. If I let myself swim around in those thoughts, I'll drown.

He shared his truth with me. He's not hiding anymore. So neither will I.

His phone buzzes on the bed between us. It's a message from, I'm guessing, Chester.

Hudson picks it up and reads it. But he's so close and not hiding his screen, so I can read the whole thing.

Pain in my ass: I did research, boss man. You know on that website I told you about.

Pain in my ass: The one that has self-reports on different creatures.

Pain in my ass: Anyways, as best I can tell, all it takes is a single bite and she can be yours forever.

I gasp.

His eyes widen as he looks at me. "He's overstepping his bounds like the nosy fucker he is. I'm not going to bite you."

"What if I want you to?"

"We'll discuss it. Can I kiss you first?"

I don't answer, I just wrap my arm around the back of his neck and pull him down to me, locking our lips together. I have no idea what I'm doing because I've never done anything with a man before. No hand holding, no awkward first kisses, no fumbling gropes of my boobs over my shirt.

But vampires go straight to second base. At least this one does.