Immortal Dreams (5 page)

"Um, if you want to," I murmur a little shakily.

He smiles as he sits down, and they all start filtering out the door.

"You coming, Kane?" one of the guys asks.

"Nah.  I'll be home later.  Don't wait up."

I blush fiercely at the way that has to sound, and the guy chuckles in response, while the girl with a black, short bobbed haircut glares at me once again.

"We're supposed to do something tonight," she grumbles.

"Do it without me," he says nonchalantly.

She rolls her eyes and follows the others out, and then Kane props up on the counter as I cash out all the tickets and pocket the extra change as my tip.

"Are you sure she's not your girlfriend?" I ask with a tense tone, my eyes not meeting his.

They're supposed to do something?  What does that mean?

"Positive," he exhales very dramatically.  "She's just a roommate, but she's got a crush... like you do."

Blushing again, I roll my eyes and walk away from his teasing grin.

"I think you're a little full of yourself," I mumble.

"Hey, you're the one who blushes every time I say something," he menaces, and I turn to see his smoldering gaze burning through me.

"You're the one in my place of work asking to come home with me," I daringly counter, my own sizzling gaze meeting his.

"I never said I don't have a crush."

I blush again, and he leans back while propping his hands up behind his head.  The lone guy in the corner with his laptop finally stands and heads out the door without so much as a
thank you
.

"He sat in here all night, taking up a booth, and never even ordered anything," I murmur softly to change the subject.

"Are you ready?" Kane asks, his attempt to seduce me refusing to be deterred as he ignores my statement.

I glance over my shoulder to look at the clock, and see it's five minutes past eleven.

"I suppose so.  Just give me a second to wipe down your booth and ring out the register."

"I'll get the booth, you get the register," he says with a grin before picking up my rag and heading away.

I try not to smile like a fool as I rush through the closing process.  As soon as I'm done, Kane walks over to hold the door open for me.

Locking it quickly, I turn around to see him staring at me with a gaze so sexy I'm worried my eyes are going to shift again.

"So," I murmur, looking away, "what do you want to do at my place?"

He stifles a laugh, making me blush harder, and then I shake my head.

"Not what I meant," I mumble as he walks side by side with me.

"I didn't say anything," he murmurs, feigning innocence.

"You didn't have to."

He laughs harder as we cross the road in the quiet, still night.

"I thought a movie and popcorn, if you have either.  If not, we could just head down to the lake or something."

I'd love to go to the lake with him, but we'd have no privacy there.  That's probably better.  I don't need to be alone with him.  The lake it is.

"I've got a movie and popcorn, so you're in luck."

Apparently my brain and my mouth are no longer linked together. 
Good grief
.

"So I should probably ask for your last name," he murmurs while running a hand through his hair.  "It's not on your tag."

I chuckle lightly and then say, "Coldwell."

He tilts his head to the side, and then he nods.

"And yours?" I muse.  "I suppose I should have asked before inviting you home with me."

A devilish upturn of his lips makes me feel as though I'm coming down with a fever.  "You should have.  That's very irresponsible of you," he seductively plays.  Then he sighs out before answering.  "It's... don't laugh... Ice."

I do laugh because he's full of shit, and he lets out a laugh of his own.

"Seriously, what is it?" I giggle out.

He pulls out his wallet while smiling and hands me his license.  My eyes fall on his surname that truly says
Ice.

"Wow.  Kane Ice.  Unbelievable."

"I know," he says while putting his proof back in his back pocket.  "I've caught hell a time or two.  When people call me
Vanilla
I get a little agitated."

I giggle louder, and then I feel his hand grazing my back to turn me when I almost walk by my own house.

"Thanks," I murmur softly.

He bites back his grin for my completely stupid move, and he follows me up to the porch as I nervously fumble for my keys.

"If this is making you uncomfortable, we can go back to my place.  There will be plenty of people around."

Good idea.  Say yes.

"No, I'm fine," I lie, forcing a smile.

What's wrong with me?!

I push open the door, and then I quickly flip on the light to show him my very girly decorated home.

"The diner must pay more than I thought," he murmurs as he looks at my furnishings.

I smile lightly while shaking my head.  "Everything you see was a housewarming gift from my mother.  I paid for the house out of my savings, which was also started by my mother."

"Well, nevertheless, I'm impressed.  I'll wait here for you," he says while flipping on the television and sitting down on my couch.

Suddenly, the flashy sectional looks so much sexier with him on it.  His long, perfectly sculpted body makes my body start to sweat as I gape openly at his marvelous physique.

"Yeah," I finally force out, and then I quickly disappear into my bedroom.

I start tossing clothes around, trying to find something that doesn't scream
slut
, while also looking for something that won't make me look undesirable.  I suck at mediums.

I hear the shower turn on, and scowl at myself for letting my magic out.  The room flies into place, cleaning up my accidental mess, and then I scowl again.

Great.  Seeping magic in front of a human.  Just what I need.

My phone rings just as I walk into the bathroom, and I roll my eyes when I see who it is.

"Hey, Mom," I murmur casually.

"What are you doing with a boy in your house, Alyssa?" she scolds.

She's lost her mind, and Frankie deserves an ass kicking now.  Keeping my voice in a whisper too low to even be heard by an immortal not standing directly beside me, I answer with agitation.

"Tell Frankie thanks for ratting me out."

"It could be dangerous.  After last night-"

"He's human.  Besides, I'm sure you've got Frankie watching the house for any possible intruders."

"You're sure he's human?" she worries.

"Very.  I've been around him at midnight.  He's also been alone with me and hasn't tried anything"

She huffs out, not enjoying her total lack of control.

"Well, if something happens, just call for Frankie.  He's tuned in."

He might want to tune out.

"Sure will."

"And be careful.  Right now, you're less than a year away from your immortality.  Your emotions, hormones... everything will be a little out of whack.  Don't lose your innocence to some random guy simply because you don't have the control to stop."

"Not having this conversation," I grumble.

"If it gets too intense, just eat some of the carnations I left behind and a drop of honey."

I'm not eating flowers to keep from being horny.

"Got it."

I hang up quickly, and then I rush myself through the shower to cleanse away the burger and fries smell.

Staring at my drowned-rat imagery in the mirror, I sigh.  Against all my better judgment, I use my magic to dry and style my hair while also making my makeup appear.

"Breaking my own damn rules so I can hurry up and be with a guy," I mumble under my breath, disgusted with my eagerness.

Deciding not to dwell on my pathetic excitement, I pull on tight pair of jeans and a shirt that drapes off the side of one of my shoulders.  Feeling satisfied, I walk out to see Kane is no longer on the couch.  A twinge of worry spreads as the thought of the night stalker making his way into my house crosses my mind.

"Kane?" I say a little too crackly.

"In here," he murmurs from the kitchen.  "I hate burnt popcorn so I'm watching very closely.  I thought you were getting ready."

I smirk as I walk into the kitchen, and he turns to face me with a smile until his eyes fall on my fully redone self.  His smile falls, his eyes widen, and his mind becomes clogged with transparently scandalous thoughts.

"Something wrong?" I almost tease.

He swallows hard and then bites back a smile.  "Not at all.  I just wasn't expecting you to... well, you clean up fast."

"I learned to be quick, thanks to my mother.  She's constantly bouncing around from one task to the next."

"Well, I'm impressed again."

I grin as I smell the hint of something familiar, and then my eyes point to the microwave.

"I thought you said you hate burnt popcorn."

"Huh?" he asks with a stupefied stare, and then he turns to follow my gaze.  "Shit," he spews while jerking open the door.  He frowns as he opens the bag, and then he shakes his head.  "Sorry."

"I happen to like it that way," I say with a laugh while pulling down a bowl.

His body brushes up against mine as he pours it in, and I feel my heartbeat quickening from the accidental graze.  He swallows hard, and I look up to see him staring at me.

"You look... really good," he murmurs softly.

"Thanks," I murmur while blushing again.

His thumb reaches up to stroke my blushing cheek, and my breath catches in my throat.

"Pink really is a good color on you."

Considering I'm wearing a red top and blue jeans, it's obvious he's now referring to my blushing hue.

"Movie," I strain out, my whole body suddenly aching to feel his hands somewhere else.

He smirks lightly, and takes the popcorn from the counter to start heading into the living area.

"I picked a zombie flick.  I thought horror would be better than a chick flick, and those two were quite literally your only options."

I laugh a little and then nod.  "Sounds good."

He sits down on the large sectional with the remote in his hand, and I sit down a safe distance away from him.

"You won't be able to reach the popcorn from there.  I don't bite... unless you want me to," he jokes, his eyes sizzling through me.

I swallow hard and force a smile as I move in closer.  Our legs graze each other's and I stiffen up a little.  The smallest touch from him seems to be igniting fires all over my body, and unless he plans to extinguish them, I'll burn alive with too much contact.

"You okay?" he asks as the movie starts.

"Yeah," I shakily release while cramming some of the burnt popcorn into my mouth.

Bring on the blood and gore and kill this lust.

The movie is almost over,
and despite the blood and guts, I'm starting to burn worse than the popcorn I almost single handedly demolished.  My leg has pushed against his more, and he's slouched down with his hand resting on his leg, close to mine.

So close to my change, my hormones really are at an all time uncontrollable level.  This was so stupid.  I hate to admit this, but I should have listened to my mother.

"I'll be right back," I murmur uncomfortably while standing up.

He pauses the movie before tilting his head.

"Too much?" he asks, motioning toward the horror scene.

Not enough. 
I need something to completely kill my desire to rip his clothes off right now.

"Um, nah.  I just need something to drink.  You want something?"

"Do you have any wine or anything?" he asks curiously.

"Yeah.  White or red?"

"White, please."

I smile and nod while diving into the kitchen.  I grab the carnations that are resting in the window and bite through the petals while digging around the cabinets for my honey.  As soon as I find it, I turn it up and let the slow-falling, sticky mess fall into my mouth.

I swallow hard, and then cringe as the two combine.  I grab a cup of water to force it all down, and then I take in a deep breath.

Slowly, the intense feelings start to relieve, and I sigh almost happily.

"Need some help?" Kane asks as he walks in, making me squeal a little from the surprise.

"Sorry," he chuckles out.  "I suppose I shouldn't subject you to zombies and then sneak up on you."

I laugh uneasily, and then I turn to start pulling down the wine glasses.

"It's fine.  I'm always a little jumpy."

I turn back around to see him propped up, looking far too damn good, and all the relief the carnations and honey gave me dissipates.  The look he's giving me is just as carnal and raw as the one I'm giving him.

My control doesn't merely waver, it snaps, and I launch myself at him.  I grip him behind the neck to pull him down, and his hands curl around my ass to jerk my hips against him.

His perfect, soft lips collide with mine in the most incredible way, and then his tongue slips in with a commanding force, exploring my mouth.  Everything south on me heats up, and then he jerks me up and spins me around to put me on the counter.

I moan into his mouth, making him pull me tighter to him as my legs wrap around his waist, locking him to me.  His arousal digs into the center of my pants, making me all the hotter as my fingers slide up to tangle in his hair.

Before I know what's going on, his hand slides under my shirt, finding one of my breasts through my bra, making me moan all the harder.

"Damn, you taste good," he murmurs against my lips, and then suddenly my shirt is over my head and on the floor as his hands slip over my bra strap to unclasp it.

I should stop him.  This can't be sane
.

Instead, I jerk him tighter to me, bringing his lips back to mine as my chest becomes bare.  I hear the clap of my bra slapping the floor, and then I feel him lifting me from the counter and carrying me toward the bedroom.

I gasp when my back hits the bed, and then his lips start trailing down my neck, heating me to my core.  I suck in a breath when his hot, wet breath finds my nipple to send tingling shots of excitement shooting through me.