The Turning (29 page)

We got back to my apartment, not a word passing between us all the way home. It was after eleven pm when we walked in. I felt deflated from my fun and not getting Brian’s support. I could almost hear the wheels in his head turning as he processed what I had told him. We really were alike. I was processing the whole night, everything I’d learned, everything I’d done, and I remembered the gun.

Shit, I’d come home with a gun the night I was moving. I pulled out the clip and popped the bullet out of the chamber, and put everything in one of the dressers.

“I’m taking a shower,
alone
,” I informed Brian, and he flinched at that last word, but I didn’t really care. I wasn’t
mad
, I just wasn’t
happy
and I needed some alone time to sort this all out in my head. I turned the water on pretty cold. I needed to chill out, but I knew Brian was just trying to protect me and keep me safe.

I wasn’t a child, though. It was weird, in some ways I was like his daughter, but I was his lover too. It was hard to flip that switch in my head. I know he made me, but I had a dad, and I loved him. I wasn’t looking for another one. If he wanted to be a big brother and my boyfriend at least that was a little less weird.

Turning the heat on the shower higher, I shaved my legs and deep conditioned my hair. When I was done, I switched the cold water on high, and let out a little yelp but kept it streaming over my face another minute before I shut it off. I grabbed a towel and threw it around me, walked out of the bathroom and saw Brian sitting on the couch waiting for me to let it out.

“Okay, I get what you are saying. You want to keep me safe, but you need to choose. Do you want to be more like a vampire father to me or my boyfriend? I can take advice and guidance because you obviously know more than me, and I appreciate the teachings. That being said, I’m not up for the commands.

“I have a dad, Brian. I’m part of him. Hell, people always tell me I’m just like him, and I’m proud of that. You are not my father, and if you are going to try to be, we are not only going to have a problem, I’m going to get wigged out and I won’t be able to let you touch me.”

He took a deep breath and scrubbed his hands over his face before leaning forward and resting his forearms on his knees. “I am sorry and you are right. I am used to other young vampires who need their hand to be held the entire time. You are not like that, and I respect that. I will try harder to keep what I say to suggestions and guidance. I want you, every part of you, Kelly. Just be careful, you have limitations, you are still very new, and I worry.”

I nodded, reached behind me, grabbed one of the towels in a box I hadn’t sealed yet, and threw it to him. Things felt calmer now, maybe a little tension still, but fight over. I started combing my hair once he was in the bathroom, leaving the door open, and I went to dry my hair, seeing his naked outline in the shower, all the frustration in me left. He had apologized and he wasn’t lying. He’s allowed to make mistakes too.

Once my hair was half dry, I went to put on my pajamas and changed my mind. He’s been good to me and my family—I included Nicole in that—and that got him the benefit of the doubt with me. So I picked out one of the pieces of lingerie that I hadn’t packed.

It was a long deep green sheer nightie that had the whole back open. It had lace strings all up the back not covering much of anything really, and open up to the top of my butt.

The front was low cut and didn’t cover much of the girls, but had extra material that hung down in the front. The cut was low enough to almost reach the middle of my stomach. It was down past my knees and had huge slits in it all around. I put on a black garter and black thigh high hose, clasping them on. I slid on the see through robe over it, not tied off, half hanging on my shoulder, and I heard the water stop.

He came out in nothing but a towel, and I lay on the top of the couch, letting most of my nightie hang off me so he could see my hose. His jaw almost hit the floor.

“I really do not want you to think of me as a father, nothing even close. I would not miss this for the world.” I could see how happy he was about my appearance by the bulge of his towel. Water dripped down his perfect chest, and off his hair that stuck up all over the place, and I couldn’t help but check out his abs and muscles. “Sit,” was all I said. He started walking over to me, reaching his arms out to grab me. “No, no touching until I say so. Now sit your ass down.” He bit his bottom lip and went over to the lounge chair I had in the living room so he was facing my back. I started stroking my thigh and worked up to my ass, letting my hand graze up my hip to over my head.

Then I turned to face him, grabbed a long scarf I had left out, got off the couch, and walked over to him. I wrapped the scarf around his chest with his arms at his sides, and tied the scarf so he was strapped down. He could get out, of course, if he wanted, but he knew he had to play the game.

I ran my fingers through his hair, walked around to the front of him, and leaned over to nibble his bottom lip. I turned around and sat on his lap, letting the robe slip off my shoulders, so he could see my back. I got up and faced him, and the robe fell off to pool around my feet.

Then I put my foot up on his thigh, unclasping one of my hose, I rolled it down my leg, pulled it off my foot, and put it over his shoulder. I did the same with the other leg, then I let one strap of my negligee fall off my shoulder and sat on the coffee table facing him.

Sitting there, I let the material slip off my legs as I spread them. I started massaging my chest and let my other hand slip down my stomach. I stopped between my legs and let him watch me take care of myself. Making sure I put on a show for him, I moaned loudly and let my head drop back so he could see the arch of my neck. I bit back a smile when the result was him squirming in the chair… And that was before I leaned forward and let my chest fall out of the nightie.

I rose from the coffee table and lay across his lap before I continued. Every so often moving my lips within an inch or two of his. At the same time I wiggled on his lap, moving the towel from covering him.

Apparently, that was all he could take. He broke the scarf and lifted me up, only to lower me onto his lap facing away from him. He moved my hips so they aligned perfectly and slid inside me. For a while, I let him lift me up and down, moving me faster and landing me down harder than I ever could.

I let my legs take over for him and moved up and down on him while I moved his hands over my chest. I leaned back so my head was on his shoulder and let out a profound moan that came from deep within me.

Shortly after that he climaxed, and I collapsed on him. He wrapped his arms around me and we sat there a bit. When he recovered, he stood, picking me up and putting me into bed, then lay down next to me. I curled up around him and put my leg and arm over him. I drifted off to sleep snuggled in his arms.

I woke to knocking at the door and realized Brian had already gotten up. I heard voices and assumed it was the movers. I hurried and threw on some clothes to join them. By the time I got out there, they had already moved the furniture. Man, they moved so fast it made me wonder if they were vampires too. That seemed unlikely given movers had to be in the sun a lot.

“Morning, honey,” I greeted Brian, giving him a quick kiss. “These movers are moving really fast. Do I know the reason for that?”

He smiled and nodded. “Yes, they are like us. You just have to give them some blood as tip. They should be done in a few and then we’ll go over to Nicole’s. They will slow down then.”

“Let me give her a call and let her know.” I grabbed my phone on the way to brush my teeth.

I dialed, and when she answered, I said, “Hey, lady, we are wrapping up here. We’ll be over there pretty soon.”

“Cool, I’m almost done packing. Your parents should be here soon,” she replied.

“Okay, I’ll call you when we pull up so you can open the door. You excited?”

“Yeah, can’t wait until we can give up our keys. Have we gotten the paint and stuff?”

“I have a feeling that Brian already took care of it,” I drawled, looking over to Brian who nodded. “We’ll see what else we need to do when we get there.” We said our goodbyes, and when I hung up, I looked around and everything was already gone.

I finished up what I needed to, grabbed my bag, and locked up. We dropped off the keys on the way to Nicole’s and drank our breakfast. I called her when we pulled up, and my parents pulled up right behind us.

“Hey, guys, my place is already done. Just Nicole’s now,” I filled them in, giving them each a hug.

It took a couple of hours for us to finish Nicole’s and my parents took her to drop off her keys to the old apartment. Brian and I drove with the movers to the new apartment. We raced up the stairs, but of course, I lost. I laughed at his smirk while I was opening the door, and I froze. It was like a whole new apartment. There were new hardwood floors, and everything was already painted.

“You snot,” I accused, turning to Brian. “Thank you, you didn’t have to do that!”

“It was my pleasure, love,” he coaxed, and I melted at his Irish accent again. Damn he always won me over with that. “I told the movers to get as much up as they could before your parents get here.” I nodded, and we got to work, and the next few hours seemed to fly by. We unloaded and the guys took the extra furniture to the Salvation Army.

We left the unpacking of the kitchen to my mom. Brian and my dad handled the TVs, hooking mine up in the living room and Nicole’s in her room. I didn’t really care to have one in my room, because I used it to sleep, and we weren’t going to be home enough to watch too much TV.

Watching Brian lift everything with ease and hold the big TV while my dad attached cables might have gotten me wound up. And I could have hypothetically gestured him to follow me into the kitchen and jumped him. Which possibly led to a heavy make out session my mom walked in on.

Yeah,
that
wasn’t mortifying. Then again, better Mom than my dad.
Yikes!

Then I tackled my closet because I just always have to do that first because there’s a certain way I want stuff hung up. It was really nice to have a walk in closet. I hung all my work clothes on one side, and my other clothes on the other.

It seemed we were breaking down boxes at a very fast rate, but with three women unpacking well-labeled boxes, it shouldn’t have surprised me. What also shocked me was that even with the new wood floors we now had rugs and everything we needed. My mom and Nicole decided where to hang what pictures, since I really didn’t care. Next thing I knew it was dinner time and we were wrapping up.

I said goodbye to my parents, and we all just about crashed the minute they were out the door. After some time talking over plans for the rest of the week—the four hour orientation on Friday and cocktail reception Saturday night—Brian and I headed to bed. As I picked out pajamas to change into, I finally remembered what I wanted to ask him.

“Hey, Bri, there is something I want you to help me with, if that’s okay?”

“Of course, Kelly. I am hoping it is getting your clothes off you,” he teased, leering at me.

“No, but good try, maybe later. I want to show you something.” I walked into the closet and he followed. “I want to put some type of hidden fridge in here, maybe with a keypad entry? Can you hook me up with something like that, or point me in the direction? I figured you’d know a guy who did that kind of thing.”

“Yes, I can get one installed while you guys are at your orientation. Until then, I have a small dorm fridge being delivered tomorrow. I thought of this as well. Living with a human can be tricky, but I will ask for one thing in return?” he hedged, lifting an eyebrow.

“Ok, shoot,” I snickered.

“Break-in your shower together,” he purred.

“You can have the shower but not as payment for helping me, that would be too much like accepting money for sex,
dear
.”

“Of course, I did not mean it like that. I just was trying to think of a way to get you in the shower. Kelly, I meant no offense. I would never try to buy you like that. I care about you too much,” he rambled.

“Brian, I know. You’re over four hundred years old and still somewhat socially inept. I’m just trying to show you how your words come off sometimes. I give you the benefit of the doubt, remember?” I teased, smirking, and then walked over to him and started taking off his clothes. Once he was naked, I started taking off my own, leaving a trail to the bathroom. I turned on the water and the second it was warmed up he pulled me into the shower with him.

Thank god this was a real shower, unlike the tiny one I had. I loved my parents and I loved this apartment! I had already unpacked enough of the bathroom to take a shower but it also made me realize how much I still had to do. Set up the desk, get the rest of the towels out, unpack all my books… My thoughts got interrupted when Brian started washing my hair.

“You always start with the hair because you know it makes me putty in your hands, don’t you?”

“Really? No, I never thought of that at all.” I knew he was lying even before I felt the wave from him, but he was being sarcastic, and he knew that I realized it. When he finished shampooing and rinsed out the soap, he put in the deep conditioner, and started washing my face. Then he worked on my shoulders and back while massaging my muscles too. He picked up my razor, which made me look at him funny. “I have always wanted to shave your legs. I think it would be something nice and sensual.”

“Okay, have at it. Fine by me, but if you cut me, never again,” I warned. He started while I shampooed his hair and washed his back. It was kind of fun and all about taking care of each other. It wasn’t about sex, but really about helping and caring for each other. I just wish he’d done my hair last, because it made me weak in the legs. We finished and he hadn’t cut me.

Five minutes later I threw on my pajamas and we crawled into bed.

I still had the nightmares, but normally one a night. Which was actually an improvement. Now if I could just get them to stop I might finally feel as if the whole ordeal was over and I could move on with the rest of my life.