by Lane Hart
"Is that why you've never turned any of your husbands?" I asked.
She shrugged, "I don't know. Probably."
"Oh, Joselin." I wrapped my arms tighter around her, pulling her down against my chest. "You are a jackass magnet, but I'm glad, since that must be how I ended up sharing a bed with you."
She laughed against my chest, and then I rolled us over until her back was on the bed. Holding myself above her I leaned down and kissed her, softly and lightly at first, then our tongues met and mingled, sending the spark of arousal through my body again.
"I'd really like to make love to you one more time tonight," I told her.
"Tom, you can make love to me all night long if you want," she said with a smile.
"If that was physically possible I would, but I'm just a tired old man."
"What if I told you that a few drops of my blood will not only take away your fatigue but also make that possible?"
"Count me in," I told her without hesitation. "How?"
"Once I get a little more, ah, aroused I won't hold off the fangs. I can bleed my tongue and all you have to do is kiss me."
"That I can easily do. Will you drink from me?" I was surprised at how eager I was for her to sink her fangs into me.
"If you're okay with that, then yeah."
"Deal," I told her as I kissed her flat stomach then slipped down to lick her right between her legs.
"Oh God!" she screamed as her hips came off the bed. I gave her a second to recover before I held her hips down and lapped at her center again.
"Yes! Oh! Please!" she cried out a plea with every thrust of my tongue in her. I could tell her fangs were already down but I wasn't going to stop until she came.
Her back arched up off the bed. Needing something to hold on to, her hands grabbed her breasts, fondling them as I continued swirling my tongue in and out of her. I was so worked up just watching her come that I almost lost it.
I desperately needed to feel the warmth and tightness from inside of her while she came. Raising up, I plunged my cock into her before I leaned down to cover her mouth, swallowing her increasing moans. The coppery taste of her blood swept over my tongue when hers twisted with mine. Instantly I felt the way it shot through my body like a lightning bolt, making me feel stronger, wide awake and not able to get enough of Joselin. When her next orgasm hit she pulled her mouth from mine and reached for my neck. I felt a sharp and quick piercing before she latched on and started sucking.
"Oh fuck that feels good!" I groaned as I felt her wet suction increase on my neck at the same time her legs locked around my waist and her drenched sex tightened and squeezed the orgasm out of me.
When we came back down I felt Joselin's tongue lick across my neck before her body relaxed around me. I laid to the side of her as we both panted and recovered, and couldn't help but reach up to my neck to feel the marks, but there was nothing but smooth skin.
"They're gone?" I asked.
"Yeah, I closed them with a drop of blood."
"Wow. The fact that you've erased that from the memories of men is just plain evil," I laughed, feeling completely satisfied for the first time in, well, a long fucking time.
"Glad you liked it," she said as she snuggled up to my chest.
"You weren’t joking about your blood. I feel fucking amazing, and I'm sure as hell not tired anymore."
"Good, because that's all the break you get," she said as she climbed on top of me, lowering herself on my erection that was up and ready to go again.
"Oh, Joselin," I moaned softly as she started moving above me. Looking up at her I felt like I was in a dream. This woman here with me was just too good to be true.
Anxiety tried to surface and ruin the moment but I pushed it down. I wasn't going to fall for her and then lose her, like I had Elizabeth. She was almost immortal, and thank God for that.
…
"Alright, that’s it. Despite what's going on down below I need to call a timeout to rehydrate and eat something. Shit, what time is it?" I asked Joselin, after maybe our eighth or ninth round of the night. I’d actually lost count.
She rolled over to the table beside the bed, flashing her incredible bare backside and grabbed her phone. "Oh, it's just about seven a.m."
"Jesus Christ. We've been in here what, twelve hours?"
"Yeah, pretty much," she said with a smile.
"How about we get a shower together then try and make some breakfast?" I asked her.
"Sounds good. I don't think I've ever been this sweaty in my life, but I’m not complaining. That was by far the best night of my life.”
“It was one of the best nights of my life too. I’ve never dreamed of being with someone that many damn times, much less a beautiful woman like you.” I told her placing a kiss on her forehead. I was determined I was not going to feel guilty, or try and compare the life I had with Elizabeth to what I now shared with Joselin.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Joselin Clark
After a longer shower than necessary because we couldn’t stop kissing each other, and each time we kissed we ended up screwing each other, Tom and I finally made it quietly into the kitchen to make breakfast. The man was incredible, and I'd started falling for him the moment we had unexpectedly met. Everyone, including all the reports, assumed he'd been killed by now. In person he looked even better than the serious, handsome man whose face had been broadcast on television for weeks. As soon as Sam told me the story of what was happening over the phone I knew he was the stricken, heartbroken man I'd talked to nineteen years ago, the day Liz died. Even now he radiated gentleness and kindness, which was totally at odds with his former employer. It was amazing he'd been able to blend in there for this long.
"Wow," I said when I opened the fridge. "There's actually food in here. Kate must cook because I know Sam doesn't."
Tom laughed. "Kate doesn't either. Maybe she's trying to eat better for the baby."
"Maybe so."
We found everything we needed for omelets, and working together, we were sitting down to enjoy them in no time.
"We make omelets almost as good as we make love," I told Tom as we finished our breakfast. The chemistry between us was undeniable and intense, like nothing I'd ever felt in all of my two hundred and sixty years. And I really didn't want it to end anytime soon, I thought, while studying the remarkable man in front of me. I couldn't get enough of him, and wasn't sure if I ever would.
When we finished eating I took our plates to rinse them in the sink, and on the way back to the dining table Tom grabbed me and pulled me onto his lap. He wrapped me up in another mind-blowing kiss which I accepted eagerly. It had never been so difficult to sit down and eat a meal without touching the man across from me.
"Uh-um."
I looked up when I heard Sam clear his throat. He and Kate were both standing in the doorway. Kate's mouth was hanging open and Sam was grinning. I made a move to jump up from Tom’s lap, but his arms tightened and held me in place.
"Good morning," I finally said in the silence.
"It looks like you two are having a damn good morning," Sam teased. "And the entire neighborhood could hear you having a good night."
"Sam," Kate and I warned him at the same time.
"Kate, are you feeling okay?" Tom asked her, ignoring Sam’s teasing.
"Yeah, I'm ... fine."
"No she's not. I had to wake her up when she started screaming during a nightmare, but you two were probably too preoccupied to notice."
"I'm fine, it's just so fresh, okay?"
"What you went through was a traumatic fucking experience. It's not something that will just go away, and you can't keep it all bottled up," Sam told her.
"I'm sure I'll be fine in a few days. Dad, you look … different. You’re all happy and it's freaking me out," she told him and we all laughed.
"I am happy. You're finally safe and happy, which is a relief. I don't have to work for the D.R.A. anymore. Life's pretty good."
"Say
s the man who was ready to commit suicide by turning himself in just a few weeks ago," Kate responded curtly.
"What?" I exclaimed in shock. I looked back at Tom for his explanation.
"I thought I was," he said with a shrug. "I guess it's a good thing that asshole showed up and I followed him or-"
"They would have killed you!" Kate yelled at him. "Do you have any idea how much it hurt when we left you?"
"Yeah really,” Sam added unhelpfully. “She took it out on me, blaming me for your stupid-ass decision."
"I'm sorry I put you through that sweetie. It was stupid, and now I'm really glad I ended up here instead of dead," Tom conceded. His arms around my waist tightened before he kissed my cheek.
"Seriously, Dad, I don't think I've ever seen you like this. You've never ... I didn't even realize how depressed you'd been until now."
"Yeah, getting laid does wonders for depression. A hell of a lot better than prescription drugs or therapy," Sam added with a chuckle.
"Sam!" Kate and I both yelled at him again.
Tom laughed and we all turned to look at him. "What? It's the truth," he said, looking unabashed.
Kate covered her ears. "For the love of God, please stop. I was hungry, but now I've lost my appetite."
"Oh, no you don't. Tell me what you want, because you're going to eat something baby."
"Sam? You cook?" I asked.
"At eighty-four I thought it was maybe time to figure it out," he said with a smile.
"He is extremely pushy when it comes to me eating," Kate told us.
"Baby, there is a person growing inside of you, so you need to eat, and at least eat healthy some of the time." Sam's hand caressed her lower belly lovingly as he kissed her. I could tell just from his concern and that gesture that he was already getting attached to their baby.
"See what I mean?" she asked with a smile.
"So, what's it going to be?"
"Cereal," she told him and he laughed, giving up and getting out a bowl and the milk.
Tom lips suddenly went to my neck, sending a shiver down my spine.
"You ready to go back to bed with me?" he whispered as he pushed my bottom down against his erection.
I nodded maybe a little too eagerly and stood up.
"Where are you two going?" Sam called out with a smirk.
"Kate, would you like to hear some of my old stories about Sam? I have over fifty years to pick from. Huh, where should I start? Maybe when he lived with me?"
"Yes, tell me!" Kate said at the same time Sam yelled, "No! I swear I'll shut up!"
"Well played," Tom chuckled as we left the kitchen.
"Hold on!" Sam yelled before we made it back into the bedroom.
He caught us in the hall, looking uncharacteristically anxious. Nothing ever got to him.
"Before the two of you lock yourself in there for the rest of the day, I wanted to ask if you'd like to go to the beach with me and Kate for a few days. We thought we could leave in the morning and stay a few nights just to get away and relax."
Tom smiled so I was pretty sure he was all for it.
"Sounds good to me. Tom?"
"Sure. That sounds great. I think we could all use a vacation."
"Good, so I guess we can plan to head out around ten in the morning? If that's okay?" Sam asked, sounding almost nervous.
Tom's eyes widened and then he cleared his throat. "Are you sure the two of you wouldn't rather be alone?" he asked.
"What? No. I'd like for you both to be there, I mean go with us," Sam responded quickly, and I was confused.
"Then we'd love to go with you," Tom answered.
I couldn't follow along with the cryptic conversation they seemed to be having. I looked back and forth between the two until Sam just turned around and walked away without another word and Tom led me to the bedroom.
"Did I miss something?" I asked after he closed the door.
"I'm pretty sure he's going to ask Kate to marry him," he said with a half-smile.
"What? Really? How do you know?"
He looked away and sat on the bed with his head hanging. "Because it's how I did it, too."
Oh. Elizabeth.
"Has he even bought her a ring yet?" I asked. I couldn't believe Sam hadn't mentioned this to me. He usually told me everything…well, all the good stuff at least.
Tom shook his head. "No. I wanted Kate to have her mother's ring. Even though we never got a chance-" He ran his hands over his face.
Oh wow. I couldn't imagine how tough this was for Tom. He'd loved Elizabeth more than anything, and she'd been taken from him after only a few months. I wasn't sure what to do. I wanted to comfort him but thought he might not want that right now. Being with me probably made it worse.
"Do you want me to leave you alone? I can go."
He looked up at me and the sadness on his face made me ache. "What? No! I'm sorry, it's just, the memories slammed into me. Good ones, but still."
"Of course, I know what it's like. Well, I never loved anyone the way you probably loved her, but I still loved them and miss them. The memories, they make me go from happy to sad, then to angry that they were taken from me, then to guilt that I've moved on and started to forget about them as time goes on, to regret that maybe I should have turned them."
"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up," he said with a sigh before looking back up at me. "I'm really glad you're a vampire."
"Because I'm not going anywhere?" I asked, figuring he'd find comfort in the fact that I'm not aging and I'm damn hard to kill. But he is aging, and he's not at all hard to kill. That thought hurt worse than anything I’d ever felt before. Especially after what Kate said earlier about him turning himself in to die. I was pretty sure it was because he wanted to just give up after losing Elizabeth. I couldn't stand to think of him doing something so drastic, especially since last night was probably the best one of my life.
"I hope you’re not planning on going anywhere. Joselin, being with you makes me happier than I've been in a really long time, and I don't want you to leave my sight. I'm afraid that if you do, I'll go back to being miserable."
I felt my eyes start to water. "You were ready to die?" I asked him.
Tom hung his head and nodded. "I wanted to die. Ever since the day I lost her I've thought about it." He shook his head. "Talking to you helped me get through that first night. I forced myself to think about Kate and taking care of her, but I came really close to ending it. Jason, Elizabeth's brother, took my gun from me. Not to keep me safe, but to make me live and have to suffer. Either way it was probably for the best. If I'd had it, the temptation would have been there ..." he trailed off.
"I wish you were a vampire," I said, then wished for the ability to take the words back.
Tom looked up at me for a few seconds without saying anything. His bright blue eyes were so warm and intense I felt like they were searing into my soul.
"It's quite a jump to go from wanting to die to wishing I could live forever," he said as he stood up and pulled me to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him, hoping he'd maybe consider the possibility someday.
…
The next morning we were up bright and early, ready for a vacation at the beach. Sam insisted we take two cars because he said he didn't want to be trapped in such a small space with me and Tom making out.
When we checked into the hotel Sam told us he was going to ask Kate on the beach the next morning at sunrise. Of course Tom and I set our alarm and were awake, standing on our balcony a few minutes before.
The beach wasn't crowded, and we spotted them holding hands as they walked along the shore. I was standing in front of Tom with his arms around me as we watched.
Sam was holding Kate's left hand and he kissed their clasped hands before he pulled them to a stop, and actually went down on one knee. Tears had already started falling from my eyes, when we heard Kate's shout of "Yes!" all the way up at our room on the fourth floor. She launched herself at Sam, and they wr
apped their arms around each other just as the sun rose bright and warm over the ocean.
"Wow," I finally managed to say.
Tom cleared his throat but didn't say anything. I knew he was happy for Kate and Sam, but at the same time this without a doubt had to cause him overwhelming sadness as he remembered Liz. I turned around in his arms, and thought he looked like he was doing pretty well holding it together.
"How are you doing?" I asked.
He smiled. "I'm good. I'm happy for them. But it reminds me I've got work to do."
"Oh, what's that?"
"I promised Sam I wouldn't give up until I found a spell for Kate. However long it takes I'm not going to stop searching until I find a way for her to live as long as possible with him."
Witches couldn't be turned. Our blood would probably heal her to an extent, but she wouldn't live much longer than her normal lifespan.
"Would you like some company on your mission?" I asked. I couldn’t think of anything I’d rather do for Sam and Kate. Spending more time with Tom was just an added bonus.
"God, yes," Tom responded with a grin and a kiss. “Traveling the world with you? Now I can't wait to leave," he said with another longer kiss.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Tom and I stood there on the balcony in each other’s arms, until we heard a knock at the door to our room.
"That must be them," I told him, as I rushed to the door and opened it. Sam and Kate looked happier and more in love than I ever could have thought possible.
"Congratulations!" I told them, giving each one a hug. Tom was right behind me.
"Congratulations sweetie," he said as he hugged Kate.
"So you both knew?" she asked as Sam wrapped her up in his arms again.
"We had an idea," I told her.
"I didn't, but I couldn't be happier," she told Sam. "The ring fits perfectly. When did you even get it?"
Sam looked at Tom, giving him the chance to tell her.
"It was your mother's, and I wanted Sam to give it to you when he asked," Tom told her.
