Waiting Read online

  “You don’t like the taste of blood?” I asked, whispered really.

  He snorted before releasing me, shoving his hands in his front pockets as he started to pace back and forth.

  “I love it! Crave it. When I was first turned it was all I thought about for months. The feel of it sliding down my throat. The burning desire disappearing for only minutes before rushing back with the same fever as before. If you don’t learn to control yourself it can drive you insane. If Francis hadn’t been there for me I would’ve lost it. We kept each other going, learning.”

  His steps were slow, measured, as if trying to remain in control now.

  “So you learned,” I encouraged with a smile. “You’ve mastered your new life and I must say,” I hesitated while swallowing the lump in my throat before continuing with my brave words. “It looks good on you.” I continued before the embarrassment caught up to me. “You’re a caring, kind, strong, beautiful man. A combination that would have any woman begging for your attention.”

  He smiled then. A bright smile that only heightened my own. My head was tipped backwards with my hair brushing the concrete roof as he dipped me back and stared into my eyes. My breath caught when his lips bent and kissed the hollow of my neck, pushing the pearl strand out of his way while his fingers dug ever so nicely into the small of my back and right shoulder blade.

  “And you? You’d beg for my attention?”

  His teeth lightly nipped at the vein pulsing against my neck before placing a gentle, warm kiss to the base again. I fought for composure.

  “Y-Yes,” I stuttered, probably beet red now.

  “Anything you want is yours,” he explained while setting me back upright. “You never have to beg me.”

  I smiled again while waiting for my heart rate to slow before a memory surfaced that I’d completely forgotten until now. The second man I’d had sex with…I’d practically begged. I was twenty two and was desperate to get Parker out of my mind. It was our second date and he’d been anything but subtle about his intentions so I’d dragged him inside and when he hesitated I found myself a bit disoriented. He’d stepped back and looked at me like I was crazy before I whimpered a please and roughly got down on my knees to take him in my mouth. A masculine chuckle held me in place and he’d said, “Well, if you’re going to beg.”

  A hot blush crept over my entire body now as I looked up at Parker with unease.

  “Were you there when…I mean…” I couldn’t even find the strength to finish my sentence.

  Parker held my gaze, his eyes a fierce black.

  “The first time, no. I’m sorry to say I would’ve lost it and probably would’ve killed the young bastard.”

  That pulled a small twitch of my lips.

  “I was sixteen and it was nothing memorable.”

  He nodded, not caring either way.

  “The second time, yes. I didn’t stay and listen or anything creepy like that. The guy was a virgin and was worried about how to get you to be with him. You threw him off guard.” I gasped. I’m such a loser and Parker was there at one of my most embarrassing times. My head buried in my hands as I tried to forget the conversation we were having. “The arrogant prick used…well, he’s still breathing as far as I know.”

  Parker seemed upset that the unimportant man had used me, but little did he know that I’d been using him too.

  “How many have you…been with?” I managed to ask without hesitating too much.

  He knew I was with two, obviously. It was only fair I got to know the same about him.

  “I…” he stopped and ran a hand through his beautiful, thick hair.

  “I know you’re old and everything and it’s bound to be much greater than my measly two times with two different men, but…. if it’s not in the thousands, I’d like to know.”

  My heart beat too quickly but I maintained a calm outer appearance. This did nothing to hide what I was really feeling to him of course, but it helped me feel better about myself.

  “Thousands?” he scoffed, grinning widely before taking my hand in his. “I’m not even in the double digits as far as partners go.” I closed my eyes and reveled in this bit of information. Not even ten in his two hundred and five years? “I’ve had eight partners, all of which came after I was turned and before you.”

  “You’ve only had sex eight times?” That didn’t seem right. Oh wait, it’s because it isn’t. Eight partners, not eight times. “I mean, how many times?”

  “Piper,” he began, making me grow uneasy. “I don’t want you to get the wrong impression about me and I fear my number will do just that.”

  I let the smile remain on my face, though my heart sank.

  “Too many to count. I get it.”

  He gripped my hand tighter when it started to sweat.

  Calm down, Piper. It’s not like you have some sort of claim over him. This was all before you were born, idiot!

  I took a deep breath and stopped my inner turmoil to look up at him.

  “These women,” I began, slowly gaining my strength back. “Were they your girlfriends? Wives?”

  Two hundred years was a very long time to live alone. It’d be natural for him to have at least one wife by now.

  “I guess two of them could be described as girlfriends. The rest were just there to help pass the time.”

  My heart was thudding so loudly against my chest I thought I’d explode. Another bad thing to add to the vampire list: he could hear and smell the effect he had on me.

  It wasn’t long before we made our way back down to make lunch. I kept asking him if he was sure he didn't have to feed and he kept assuring me he was fine. I have to admit, I was a little curious and kind of wanted to see him do it. My neck wasn't necessarily offered to him because of the pain I'd felt before, but to see him feed, that might be interesting. Especially since there'd be no killing or torturing.

  I was halfway through my sandwich, still trying to get my questions in between bites, when his phone rang. It was Francis. Since I could only hear one side of the conversation I tried to decipher what they were talking about.

  "Good. That's what we wanted. Why do you sound so upset?" His brows puckered together. "Is that really necessary?... No, I'll meet you somewhere." He stood, then sat back down. "Fine. Call me back in an hour."

  When he hung up he grabbed my plate, rinsed it, then set it in the dishwasher all at human speed before coming back to take the seat next to me again.

  "I have to meet him when he calls back. Something's up." He was worried, that much I could tell. "There's a lot I wanted to do today, but we can do it this weekend. Wana go back up on the roof for a bit?"

  I agreed then went into my hall closet and grabbed some blankets so we could lay instead of sit. He took them from my hands, grabbed my hand with his other, then started to lead the way back out. When he opened my front door we both stilled. I smiled once the surprise wore off.

  "Hey, Julie. What are you doing here?" I peeked my head out but didn't see anybody else. Bruce must be working.

  She eyed Parker, rubbing her belly while thinking until realization hit.

  "Parker? Parker Smith? Oh my God, it's been so long. How are you?" She wrapped her arms around him, him doing the same awkwardly around her belly.

  "I'm excellent and how are you Julie? You look wonderful."

  She rolled her eyes then smiled widely at me.

  "I knew you weren't sick. I'm so happy to see you happy!" She was smiling so wide, even happier than I was. "Sorry." She looked at Parker again, then back at me, silently praising me for my taste before turning back to Parker.

  "Do you live in the city? I haven't seen you in years." She grabbed my hand and pulled me back into the apartment while making her way to the couch. He followed and sat on the opposite side from us. "I married Bruce Teller. Do you remember him? This is our second child."

  I'm not sure I've ever heard her this excited and yappy.

  "Congratulations. Yes, Piper's told me all about you
. You're quite the help at the office and she absolutely adores you and Bruce."

  I'd never told him any of that but it was all true.

  Julie pressed a hand over her heart and looked at me thoughtfully.

  "That is so sweet. We love you just as much." A wicked spark lit her eye. "So are you two... are you dating?"

  Oh, wow. We hadn't even talked about the specifics yet. He'd told me multiple times that he was going to 'make me his', but that still seemed liked more of a possession thing, rather than an intimate thing.

  Since words escaped me, Parker spoke up.

  "It's in the works." He winked at Julie when she clapped in excitement. "She's a tough one to land. She's a work-a-holic and extremely picky about who she dates." Now it was me who gasped. "But I'm trying to get under that shell of hers, and it's working I think." Julie nodded as if agreeing with everything he was saying. "It's not like I bite, right Piper?"

  "Who knows? You might be a serial killer for all I know." His eyebrow went up. "I still need to get to know you better, you know, before I make you mine."

  His lips twitched when Julie scoffed out loud, like I was being pathetic.

  "I'm just happy you're giving him a chance." She abruptly stood and let out a huge gasp. "We have to do dinner! If not tonight, then tomorrow night. I insist."

  Instead of looking at me to answer, she waited for Parker, who winked at me before standing and taking her arm as he walked her to the door, me following behind.

  "We'd love to. We're free tomorrow night, at least for now. I have a bit of a brother issue but we'll make it works this weekend for sure."

  His body tensed before he opened the door to escort her out, stopping at the sight of another unexpected guest. Francis.

  "Hello brother. Julie. Sorry to interrupt but there's been an incident." He winked at me over Julie's head before smiling back at Parker.

  "Whatever it is, don't let them miss our dinner plans!" Julie spoke forcefully, her hormones springing to life. "I have to go, but please don't ruin my weekend."

  Francis nodded and assured her he'd try his best to not interfere with our lives, then walked her to the elevator and pushed the button, making small talk with her until it came and she left, waving to all of us with a huge smile.

  Ten bucks says she calls Bruce as soon as she hits the main floor.

  "Do I have to stand out in the hall or are you going to invite me in?"

  Before I could respond Parker held up his hand instructing me to wait, his playful mood completely disappearing.

  "What's this regarding? And did you bring trouble to her front door? Think before you answer since I already told you that her safety is very important to me, even if it means nothing to you."

  He said the sweetest things.

  "Relax. Nothing's after me. Quinn folded practically immediately after you left. I kept the silver around him until I thought everything through, making sure he wasn't out smarting me."

  He waited, Parker glaring him down before I finally rolled my eyes and pulled Parker back.

  "Come in, Francis." Parker looked like I'd just slapped him when he abruptly faced me. "I can always take it back. And you're here with me now, so there's no danger, right?"

  "No danger. I'd protect you with my very life if Parker wasn't around to do it." Parker turned to look at Francis, gauging his words. "It's true, whether you want to believe it or not. Now that I'm able to think clearly, not in a blood frenzy twenty-four hours a day, I'm able to see my priorities. The last thing we did right together was kill mum. Now we can protect your woman together. If and whenever you need me, I'll be there for you. Promise."

  Francis looked between the two of us before Parker broke his stare and decided to accept what his brother was saying was the truth.

  "Alright. We'll take this in steps, but for now, I believe you." Francis rolled his eyes then nodded. "Why did you come here?"

  We were all huddled in my living room. This time me and Parker sat together and Francis stood by the window looking out. If I would've known I was going to be having so much company, I would've cleaned.

  Stuck doing a mental checklist of everything that needed to be done, I almost didn't notice the silent conversation they were having. Both their faces were scrunched, like they were having trouble communicating.

  "What am I missing?"

  Parker blinked then squeezed my leg with his hand.

  "Not much. We're both dehydrated and having a hard time getting our thoughts across." He smiled sheepishly and Francis decided to take a seat.

  "Well we could just talk out loud. It would be less rude and less draining." He seemed tired already.

  "Fine. Quinn agreed to let you go, not hunt you and not send others to hunt you, but you're worried about me. I doubt he'll come after me. If he did you'd just call him out and kill him. He knows that. If he comes after anyone, you'll kill him. He wants to live too badly, that's why I picked him." His grip tightened on my leg until I let out a little squeak. "Sorry. I just don't like the thoughts Francis is putting in my head."

  "Fine." Francis stood again. "So he's not a threat to us. What about Sam? I know you visited a few weeks ago and guess who's missing now. That's right."

  I opened my mouth to suggest maybe Sam wasn’t missing since Francis had been wrong about Parker missing, but Francis looked right at me and shot me down while smiling.

  "The real missing. I talked to some of the local Fangs, like Tommy and Gunner, and they say she was on the phone when she screamed, like an actual scream like a little girl before the line went dead. They went in search of her but couldn't find her. Anywhere." He paused to let that sink in. "Do you think they followed you when you stayed with her?"

  Parker looked dazed. I could tell he was thinking, trying to replay it over in his mind no doubt, while I tried not to think about the fact that he'd stayed with another woman only a few weeks ago. I shouldn't care, didn't have the right to really, but it still stung.

  "And Tiny. I know you saw him a while ago. He's gone too."

  This seemed to surprise Parker even more.

  "No. He's not. I talked to him last week. But Sam might be missing. Since there's a chance that it was my fault, I have to look for her."

  "You don't have to do anything, but you will. And I'll help. Tommy and Gunner will be here tomorrow to help as well. I know you trust them, or you wouldn't have contacted them when you were there."

  "Yes, but if they plan on helping, why are you making them come here? We can start the search for Sam there."

  Francis walked around the corner to my kitchen then called for Parker to join him. He hesitated, then kissed my cheek and rose, quickly disappearing too.

  I flopped my head back on the couch, only it didn't hit the couch, it hit a solid chest that I soon learned was Francis'. Parker now stood in front of me, eyes blazing, a muscle ticking in his jaw while glaring at Francis behind me.

  "See. This is why I'm having them come here. You can decide who you want to stay behind with her. I can be one of the two but then you won't be able to communicate telepathically while being stealth." They could only talk to each other? It must not be a universal vampire trait then.

  Francis continued to sit, his legs on the outside of my body, a hand playing lightly with strands of my hair. He was trying to sway Parker's vote for them to go together and it seemed to be working.

  "You made your point. Stop touching her."

  Before he could explode I extracted myself and moved to stand by the windows. Parker's body visibly shed his tension. I loved his possessiveness, if that's what it was, though I didn't want to be the reason he fought with his brother, or was distracted while looking for his friend. I couldn't be jealous of a friend looking for a friend, right?

  "How long will you be gone?"

  Parker moved fast before coming to a halt right in front of me, taking the same chunk of hair Francis had and smoothed it against the rest.

  "A few days. Tops. If you need me I'll only be two hou
rs from you. Tommy and Gunner won't bother you. In fact, they might not even show themselves to you while they watch over you." I nodded, but must've still looked sad because he changed the subject immediately. "Tell you what. Why don't you call Jules and tell her we'll meet them for dinner tonight." He chuckled when I lit up. "Go call her while I let Francis out."

  A thought occurred to me before I made it all the way down the hallway and turned back to face him. Francis and him both looked at me questioningly when I hesitated.

  I’d watched plenty of relationships go down the drain while the woman was obliviously making long-term plans by themselves. That was a trait I planned on never having.

  "Umm... we don't have to do dinner with them." They both continued to stare. "I mean, you don't have to do anything you don’t…”

  Francis' lips twitched before excusing himself from this awkward confrontation. Parker walked slowly toward me, stopping less than a breath away, making me crane my neck to look into his eyes.

  "I know I don’t have to do anything. I want to date you. If you don't wana date then I'll court you, worship you, anything you want as long as you allow me in your life."

  He bent down when I stood on my tip toes to kiss him.

  "Dating sounds good." Though the idea of him worshipping me sounded like fun.

  NINE

  "So there I am, crouching down behind this massive boulder in the middle of Africa, just waiting for that lion to come rip me from limb to limb, when all of a sudden out of nowhere one of the guides on the tour bus comes charging toward me and fires three shots." Bruce and Jules both gasped. "The lion fell a few feet from me. Apparently he'd been in midair when the guide saved my life."

  "Unbelievable."

  "Wow."

  We were at dinner with my friends, Parker blowing them away with story after story, which I'm pretty sure were modified because he could've ripped a lion apart with his bare hands if he wanted to.

  When Parker showed back up at my apartment an hour ago, it was all I could do to keep breathing at the sight of him. He wore a tailored Armani suit, a white dress shirt sculpted to his form, showing me everything that I was missing. His new do fit perfectly with the fancy clothes and muscled form.