by Kailin Gow
“Ro’s already in the living room if you want to join her. I’ll be in in a minute with tea.” Sadie handed him the platter of cookies. “You can bring this in.”
The moment he disappeared through the door Alexis smiled and said, “He is simply delicious!” Her fangs protruded slightly as she imagined what she’d like to do with Keegan. Then she glanced down at her attire. Clearly dissatisfied with the degree of sexuality she was exhibiting, she pulled her shirt over her head, tossing it to the floor as she headed out. Keegan was too delicious of a boy for her not to try to seduce, especially since Sadie was so into him.
“What are you doing?” Sadie demanded.
“I can’t go to your meeting looking like this. I need a more appropriate outfit.”
“You mean a more revealing one?”
“Call it what you like.”
Sadie bent down to pick up her sister’s discarded garment and hurled it at her. “Don’t mess things up with Keegan,” she hissed. “And don’t mess up my house with your junk. I spent over two hours clearing away your trash.”
“Your house?”
“I swear, Alexis, don’t ruin this.”
“Oh, don’t mind me, little sister. I’ll just try to blend into this human charade and act like one of them. This will be fun.”
The whistling kettle called to Sadie and with a final determined glare at her sister, she turned and poured the boiling water into her favorite silver teapot. Taking a deep breath to forget her sister’s antics, she stepped into the living room to find Keegan and Ro already immersed in an interesting conversation.
“Hey, don’t get started without me,” Sadie said with a teasing chuckle as she set her silver tray down.
“Without us,” Alexis corrected. She strutted in wearing a tight low-cut tank top that was clearly meant to impress Keegan.
“Tea?” Sadie offered through tight lips.
Ro nodded. “That’s a great teapot. My mom loves those kinds of things, you know, old and antique.”
“Thanks.” Sadie poured tea into elegant little china cups. “I’ve always loved it.”
Keegan glanced skeptically at the delicate cups.
“Would you prefer a soda, Keegan?” Sadie realized her ways probably appeared old-fashioned.
He reached for a cup. “No. This is cool. Tea time at the Stoker’s.” He winked at Sadie, causing a warm tingling in her stomach.
She smiled, so pleased to see how he humored her.
“So what were you guys saying?” Alexis picked up the last cup of tea and settled herself on the arm of the sofa beside Keegan.
It was all Sadie could do to control her anger. She returned to the kitchen to retrieve an additional cup and hurried back, eager to assure Alexis didn’t steal the entire show.
“We were arguing the validity of the book. Written the way it is, with diary entries, personal letters and newspaper articles, it gives the reader the impression that it is an entirely true story,” Ro said. “I had to keep reminding myself that this is fiction.”
“I enjoyed Jonathan Harker’s diary entries,” Keegan added. “Though I do find him to be a bit wordy. Sometimes I just want to say, ‘come on, get to the point already.’”
“I totally agree,” Alexis purred. “I like a man who says what’s on his mind then takes action.”
“Of course the whole fantasy of it is rather romantic,” Ro said. “I don’t know what it is that is so appealing in this Count; his endless love for Mina, the danger in his eyes, the pain in his heart. There were times when I actually rooted for him. I didn’t want him to get caught and killed.”
“Yeah, well you wouldn’t say that if you were a victim,” Keegan shot out.
Alexis raked her fingers through his hair and leaned in close. “Don’t knock it, Keegan. Most women dream of meeting someone like the Count. I mean, just read any of Mina’s diary entries and you’ll understand. It’s in our DNA to want a man who has such power, such control and such passion.”
“Such death.” Keegan, with his strong arms and huge fingers, took a tiny sip of his hot tea.
“Oh, pooh. You’re missing the point here. It’s romantic. It’s mysterious. I mean, look at Lucy. Don’t you just love her? She’s the best thing in the book.”
“The love interest is Mina,” Sadie argued.
“But it’s Lucy who spices everything up.” She winked at Keegan, putting her hand on his knee, lightly drawing a circle with her fingertips on his thighs. “I just love that.”
“You would,” Sadie grumbled.
Keegan jumped up, dropping his cup, which crashed into sharp pieces. His index finger was cut, and a small drop of blood flowed out.
The smell of Keegan was intoxicating, and Sadie’s eyes were riveted to that single drop of blood flowing out of his finger. She wanted to lung at it, to take his finger and suck the blood out.
Without notice, Alexis had already taken Keegan’s finger, stared into Keegan’s eyes, and said, “Poor Keegan. Let me help you there.” She took his finger into her mouth sucked on it while keeping her eyes straight on his. Keegan appeared surprised, but mesmerized for a second until Alexis released his finger. He looked down, and the bleeding had stopped, the cut was closed. “There,” she said huskily. “It’s better now.”
Without notice, Alexis bolted out of the room leaving Ro and Keegan to turn their questioning glances to Sadie.
She shrugged. “She can get very passionate about her literature.”
Moments later Alexis startled everyone by walking into the room with her fangs bared and her eyes amber, looking hungrily at Keegan and Ro. Horrified, Sadie felt certain her sister had gone mad and had jumped up, ready to fight Alexis if she made a move on either of her friends.
After her initial squeal, Ro laughed. “That is some pretty great make up. Where did you get those fangs?”
Alexis panted softly, deciding to play along…giving her audience plenty of time to take in the full effect of her appearance.
“Forgive my sister,” Sadie said steadily. “She never did get over the fact that my parents had a second child. She’s been sorely lacking attention ever since.”
Alexis glared at her and actually growled.
The room fell silent and the fear was palpable. Sadie felt the blood drain from her face and wanted to throttle Alexis. Was Alexis actually challenging her?
“Wow!” Ro said, still clinging to her seat with tight fists. “How d’you do that?”
“She has a lot of spare time to practice such silly tricks,” Sadie said, warning Alexis to back off, while ready to spring at any moment.
Alexis stared back at Sadie, equally tensed. “I think the lasagna is ready, little sis. Why don’t you go check on that?”
“It won’t be ready for another twenty minutes. Now why don’t you stop your silliness and go wash up?”
“Sure smells good,” Ro said. She seemed uncomfortable with the sibling roe and twisted and turned nervously in her chair.
After a long, heavy silence that left everyone fidgeting uncomfortably, Alexis finally left the room and returned looking more like a live human being.
Sadie quickly read the vengeance in Alexis’ eyes and wondered what she’d try next.
“Have you tried my sugar cookies?” Alexis asked Keegan, looking deep into his eyes. No doubt she would try to use compulsion on him. She reached for the plate and retrieved one cookie. “Only real butter.”
“Sure.” Keegan smiled at her, a sensual and wicked smile, and Sadie felt her heart wither within her. She should have known better than to invite him here. Why had she thought Alexis would behave properly in front of her guests?
Settling back on the sofa’s arm, Alexis leaned over Keegan and fed him the cookie, careful to let her fingers touch his lips before bringing the sugary digit to her own lips.
Sadie had seen enough. “Well, I think we’ve run through pretty much everything. How about we do this again next week.” She turned to Ro. “Maybe we could do it at your pl
ace.”
“What about dinner?” Alexis asked. “We don’t want to let Keegan’s hard work go to waste. Besides, I’m absolutely famished.”
Famished? Aside from treating her sweet tooth on occasion, Alexis only ate real food when she absolutely had to.
“Right,” Keegan said, heading to the kitchen.
Ro followed him and before Alexis could take a step, Sadie grabbed her.
“We’re going to have a pleasant, civil and tame dinner. You’re not going to make any vampire jokes. You're not going to make any sexual innuendo. And you're not going to sit next to Keegan.”
Alexis simply smiled and gazed up at the ceiling, trying to look innocent. “Just having some fun – vampire style.”
“I mean it Alexis. If you ruin the rest of this day, I’ll be the one hunting you down.”
Chapter 12
When Keegan arrived and honked the horn, Sadie feared Alexis might wake up despite the early hour. It was almost ten o’clock and Alexis wasn’t set to get up for another two hours. Sadie wanted to have time to steal away without Alexis knowing where she was going or with whom.
Grabbing her beach bag on the way down the hall, she whipped into the living room, picked up her straw hat and headed out the door, careful to close it silently behind her.
Once in Keegan’s SUV she let out a small squeal of delight. “I can’t remember the last time I went to the beach.”
“Then you’re going to love this. I’m taking you to a secret little spot that few people know about.” He reached for her hand, gave her an affectionate squeeze and brought her fingertips to his lips.
Tingling all over, she giggled as they took off. It was like going on an adventure and she greatly needed one. The stress of living with Alexis was beginning to show and, while she was an excellent student, the strain of leading a teenager’s life was more strenuous than the adult life she’d adopted in Ireland.
Though Keegan initially took a route she was familiar with, he eventually turned onto a dirt road and twisted and turned, bringing the salty scent of the ocean closer and closer. When they emerge in a cozy cove, deserted save for a few seals toasting on a scattering of rocks, Sadie immediately fell in love with it.
“This is spectacular, Keegan. I didn’t even know there was a place like this.”
“It’s my favorite place to be.” He beamed with pride and seemed especially happy to be sharing his secret with her.
“I can see why.”
Getting out of the truck, Keegan grabbed a picnic basket from the back seat then led Sadie between too large boulders that created an intimate lunch setting while allowing a fabulous view of the crashing waves.
“Hope you're hungry. I brought a great assortment of salads, sandwiches and some drinks.” He shook out a large thick blanket.
“Wow, Keegan. You're too much.” Kneeling on one corner of the blanket, she reached back to pull her sandals off.
“My mom used to say you can never have too much food when you're treating guests, so…” He pulled out the bottle of wine and expertly popped out the cork. “And every meal has its wine.”
Sadie looked at the ruby red content of the glass he offered and thought of the last time she’d properly fed. She was walking a thin line and knew it, feeding just enough to keep her going, but never feeling fully satisfied.
Keegan held his glass up to her. “Cheers.”
Reluctant to bring up the underage argument, Sadie simply feigned taking a sip then set the glass aside.
“So what’s your story?” she asked.
Setting his gastronomical picnic out on the blanket, Keegan glanced up at her. “Story?”
“You cook, you seem to live alone, yet you’re still in high school, yet you're able to go out and buy wine.”
“I guess, in a way, my story kind of resembles yours.”
Taken aback, Sadie tried to understand the connection. She rarely spoke of her childhood or of her time in Europe. How much did he know about her?
“I’ve always loved to cook,” he said. “As a kid I was always in the kitchen helping out.” He unwrapped a sandwich and smiled with pride at the work he’d done. “My parents died in a fire when I was eight.”
“How dreadful.”
“Yeah, it was rough. But I guess you would know that, right?”
A bit of the tension that had raced to her shoulders began to dissipate. “All too well, yes.”
“For a long time I felt guilty for having survived.”
“And where have you been since?”
“Around. Caretakers, guardians…I moved from home to home, from place to place. But in October I turned eighteen and was on my own.”
“No offense, but what are you still doing in high school?” She picked away at her salad, separating the onions from the macaroni then setting the green peppers to another corner.
“I started a year late because of my birthday. Then I lost another year after the fire. I was out of school for over four months and fell too far behind.”
She felt the pain of his loss, for his parents and for his childhood. Having to go from foster home to foster home must have been rough, too. Remembering her own loss, she brought her hand to his shoulder. “Your parents would be incredibly proud of you, Keegan. You're a remarkable young man.”
He cracked his crooked smile. “Well, before you shower me with too much praise…” He lifted his glass of wine to his lips. “I did get a friend of mine to buy me this. I wanted to make today special.”
Sadie looked thoughtfully at him. After a moment of contemplation, she reached for his glass and set it aside. “We don’t need this to make today special.”
His eyes narrowed and he seemed exceedingly pleased to hear her say that. When he licked his lips, it was all Sadie could do to keep from devouring him. He was adorable and suddenly so vulnerable, yet she saw the strength and independence he was so proud of.
Feeling wild and wanton under his steady gaze, Sadie knelt back on her heels and began slowly unbuttoning her shirt. His eyes were riveted to her motions and while she felt a hint of uncertainty, she didn’t stop. Once she’d completely exposed the bright yellow top of her bikini she stood and shimmied out of her short denim skirt. The bikini bottom was skimpier than she was comfortable with, but she was pleased with the effect it had on him.
Keegan’s jaw dropped and his eyes didn’t seem to know where to look next. They wandered up to her breasts, trailed over the trim curve of her waist, stared into the core of her belly button and finally traced their way down the toned line of her legs. “Wow,” he sighed.
A playful smile on her lips, Sadie cupped his chin and set it back into place. “Last one in has to give up his dessert.” Before Keegan could even register what she’d said, she was sprinting towards the shore. Conscious of the true speed she was capable of, she paced herself as reasonably as she could while still maintaining a competitive speed.
Just as her toes made first contact with a salty wave, Keegan came up behind her, swept her up into the air and ran into the crashing waves with her in his arms. His strength surprised her, almost frightened her as his motions were effortless.
He looked at her with a victorious grin while boyish mischief alternated in his eyes with lustful hunger.
Clinging to his neck, Sadie’s eyes widened as a flash of her time with Ashwin suddenly hit her. The water. The breeze. The power of his arms. His water soaked clothes. Her desire to get closer.
She could feel the damp fabric of her dress clinging to her breast and the weight of her skirt as it trailed in the water. In the distance she saw Stoker Manor and felt the fear of having her father find her in the young Lord’s arms.
His damp curls tickled arms that held her tightly, inviting her to run her fingers through each tendril.
“Never try to outrun a running back.” Keegan laughed and held her closer.
Sadie laughed along with him, but knew her distant thoughts had to be apparent. Keegan’s eyes clouded over a brief moment a
nd she felt the weight of the moment descend on them. Guilt engulfed her as she looked into the intensity of his gaze. He was fully there for her and she was reminiscing about an ancient love.
“Where did you go?” he asked.
“Not very far, thanks to you,” she answered, trying to be as flirty and flippant as possible.
He pecked her on the temple. “In there.”
A large wave crashed into them, causing Sadie to squeal and tighten her hold of his neck, but Keegan held steady and waited for a response.
She hated the thought of lying to him, but realized she couldn’t tell him the complete truth. “When I was a young girl, we lived by the sea. It was grand and marvelous and I miss it more than I’d realized. Being here brought me back to that special time.”
Satisfied with the answer, he smiled and headed back to the shore where he set her on her feet. “You seemed sad for a moment there. Sorry if all this brings back bad memories.”
“I wasn’t sad, Keegan and don’t ever be sorry for bringing me here.” She brought her fingers to his lips to cease his apologies. “I love it. It’s perfect.”
Keegan took her fingers and pressed them to his lips, kissing the salt away.
“It’s perfect,” Sadie whispered. Wild sensations zipped from her fingertips to her toes and her eyelids felt incredibly heavy.
Pulling her fingers away, Keegan held her hand in both of his, his fingers weaving and threading through hers repeatedly as though he couldn’t get enough of touching her. Taking each digit one at a time, he kissed them, leaving her middle finger for last. With one slow, deliberate and exquisite motion, he passed his tongue over the length of her finger.
It took every ounce of control to hold in the sigh that swelled inside her. He was amazing and she didn’t want the day to end. His every touch felt perfect, as if they were meant for one another and she longed to feel more of him.
Her free hand trailed up his arm and stopped to play at the nape of his neck, twirling a curl. His lids seemed suddenly heavy as they shielded his eyes and Sadie realized her touch affected him just as his did her. With a will of their own, her feet tilted up onto her toes and she leaned into him, eager to have his lips over hers.
