by Shannon Bell
“Say something,” he said, looking right at me now.
I rubbed the bridge of my nose with both hands and then stood my ground. “I’m sorry if it came out harsher than it should have. I love being married to you. I’m excited about what my life is going to become with you. But you have to admit that I haven’t had many choices along the way. You had us married without a ceremony. That weighs on me sometimes. There was no real proposal. There was no vows. So yeah, sometimes I feel a little cheated about the way that things went down.”
“You never said this to me.”
“It’s a shitty conversation to have.”
“I see.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I should say that I am sorry, too,” Nico said, reaching for me.
We kissed, but it seemed forced on both ends.
“We good?” He asked.
I nodded and we headed for the check-in desk.
It was a quick check in and we made our way to the terminal where we were fortunate enough to find them loading the plane already. We approached with tickets in hand. Nico walked on first and put our bags in the overhead.
We were in first class, so I didn’t have to worry about being squished against anyone. He let me have the window and then took a seat beside me.
“I don’t like this,” I whispered to him.
He put his hand over mine. “I am sorry. I will try to consider your feelings with everything and will start providing you with more information.”
“Maybe you and he can be friends,” I said, hope in my voice.
“I would not count on that, mia mortale, but it is always possible.”
The flight attendant made a few comments in Italian and then in English. I let out a deep breath and closed my eyes.
“You know that this is our first flight together?” He asked.
I nodded, not opening my eyes.
“And you do not like to fly, do you?” The concern in his voice was evident.
I shook my head. “It’s the takeoff. After that, I’m fine.”
He kissed me on the cheek. “I will keep you safe.”
The plane shook during takeoff and I gritted my teeth. I grabbed his hand harder and finally the plane leveled out. A little later, the plane shook again and Nico swore I drew blood.
I hated flying, but flying into Paris was exciting. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see the Eifel Tower from the plane, though. Something about the airport being too far away and the flight paths not going over the city.
Chapter 15
When we got to the airport, we went to the rental car counters. This was the first time I would be driving into the city as opposed to taking the metro or train. It was a lot easier and for the most part, Nico was a good driver.
We got an SUV because there was the possibility of needing to transport a few people with us and potentially some supplies if things went bad with the zombies tomorrow night. I prayed like hell that there would be no complications, but every day they were up, there was the possibility that they would be spotted by someone for what they really were.
The drive into the city would only take about thirty minutes.
“You will have to navigate for me,” Nico said, handing me his phone.
“You haven’t been to Paris before?” I asked. He seemed well-traveled, though we had never really discussed it.
“Of course, but it was about thirty years ago.”
Now that was kind of funny. He was in Paris before I was even born.
“I’ll do my best to follow along with what’s on the screen,” I said. “But I never had a car either time I was here before.”
“We are staying at your hotel?” He asked.
I laughed. “My hotel?”
“Well,” he smiled. “It is the hotel you stay at when you are here.”
“Yes, well then we are going to my hotel. And you are going to love the shower heads,” I said.
He rested his hand on my knee. “I look forward to trying them out with you.”
Just like that, my heart started racing in anticipation. I wanted a shower so fucking bad the moment we got into the hotel. Well, and maybe a cookie.
We made it down the A3 and through most of the turns relatively easily. Nico didn’t see the left turn for Rue de la Bidassoa, so we had to circle around and try it again.
There was no parking at the hotel. That’s one thing I hated about Paris. It was more convenient to be a pedestrian than a driver because parking was either on the street or in the underground garages. And parking was never available where I wanted to be.
We found a spot a block away and parked the car.
“Will it be safe here?” Nico asked.
I nodded. “I think so. It’s a good neighborhood that we’re in.”
“Okay, good,” he said and opened the trunk to get our luggage. He locked the door and then asked me to walk in front of him.
I proceeded to walk the block to the hotel with all of the flags in front and the dauntingly large entry doors. The smell of fresh-baked cookies wafted through the air, welcoming me home.
Leuc was nowhere in sight and for that I was thankful. Maybe he had the week off for vacation or something. A girl could hope.
Nico went to the counter to check us in and I crossed the lobby where white chocolate macadamia cookies were still warm from the oven.
“Hey,” a French voice said into my ear.
“Hey back,” I said, turning around and giving Olivier a quick hug.
“I didn’t think we were meeting up with you until tomorrow night,” I said.
Olivier shrugged. “I thought I would do the civil thing and introduce my sovereign, or at least his stand-in, and his wife a tour of the city.”
“Oh,” I said. There was no way to hide the shock in my voice. It was a commendable thing that he was doing, but it was well beyond what he needed to do.
“Plus if you want to know more about the truth seeker information that I have,” he said.
I laughed. “Yeah, I’m going to hold off on that for this visit.”
“You could always go to the vampire symposium next year,” he said, making a face.
“That’s a good one,” I said, laughing harder. My hand leaned on his shoulder as I steadied myself, wiping a tear from my eye.
“I’m not really sure what’s going on here,” Nico said.
Olivier and I both looked up at him. He snuck up and caught us in a moment that was harder to explain than it should have been.
Before Olivier answered, I spoke up. “We were talking about truth seekers and the vampire symposium.” It was the truth and Nico was unable to smell a lie on me. I knew some vampires could do that, like Costin, but not Nico. Thank goodness, but in this case, no lying was needed.
Nico looked between Olivier and I again and nodded. He accepted what I was telling him and Olivier excused himself and walked across the lobby.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Nico shook his head. “Honestly, I don’t know. I thought I had gotten it under control earlier after we talked. He wants you and has never hidden that, not even in front of me. I want to rip his fucking throat out.”
I stared at Nico. He wasn’t this violent or jealous.
“I’m sorry. I’m scaring you.”
“A little. Listen, I know that when we first met Olivier, he was a shit. He was territorial and he handled everything wrong. He has apologized and we have moved past that. I forgave and you need to do the same. We are going to meet with the necromancer tomorrow night and you need to get it together by then,” I said.
He nodded. “I know that. I do not need you to remind me of that.”
“Okay,” I said.
“You know that he wants you, right?” Nico asked, glancing over at Olivier.
I panicked. My heart beat faster than it should have. I swallowed hard and nodded, not trusting my voice.
Nico looked at me for a moment. “Do you like his attention?” He asked, his voice lower.
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“Nico,” I said, trailing off.
“That’s not an answer.”
“I’m married to you,” I reminded him.
“That’s not an answer, either.” His voice was getting tenser.
“Fuck, Nico. I’m human. I’m a warm-blooded female. Yes, I like his attention. I’m sorry. I know that’s not the answer that you want to hear, but yes, I like his attention. I would like the attention of anyone who is good looking and nice to me. There’s no girl that wouldn’t. But I also know what is and isn’t allowed.” I turned my back to him to compose myself and mostly because there was a pit in my stomach at the thought of what his face looked like right now.
Olivier caught my eye across the lobby and raised an eyebrow. He looked like he would come to my rescue in seconds if I asked him to. I shook my head, keeping him where he was for at least another minute or two. Thankfully, he was far enough across the lobby that he hadn’t heard our conversation or my admission to Nico. Or at least I hoped he was far enough not to hear.
***
“You really don’t need to show us around the city tonight,” Nico told Olivier after finding out the real reason that he had come to the hotel to greet us.
“The night is early,” Olivier said, pointing outside in a dramatic way.
Nico nodded and looked at me. I shrugged. It didn’t bother me one way or another. Not going out meant that I would probably be in bed earlier and that was a novel idea.
“You have only been up for a few hours. Perhaps you would like to let Dylan get situated and order some room service and then meet up at midnight?” Olivier asked. He didn’t seem like he wanted to take no for an answer.
Nico pleaded with his eyes to weigh in on the decision.
“That sounds great,” I said. “Nico hasn’t seen the city in over thirty years and I imagine quite a lot has changed.”
Nico gave me a hostile glare. Maybe I had shared too much about him or I had made the wrong decision for the two of us. That’s what he gets for not speaking his mind.
Olivier smiled. “Wonderful. I will meet the two of you in the lobby a little later.”
Nico and I made our way to the elevator and then to our room. Before we even got situated, I was on the phone with room service. I knew if I didn’t eat now, there wouldn’t be a chance to. Here we were going out to start our evening at midnight and the only places open that late were bars. Cocktails or wine on an empty stomach was not my idea of a good time.
The hotel was nothing if they weren’t quick. Room service was up in no time at all with a friendly waiter that was setting up a little dining room ambience on the desk. I thanked him and Nico tipped him on the way out the door.
I removed the little dome on my food to reveal a plate of coq au vin. It smelled heavenly, though I quickly grabbed my fork to push the mushrooms off to the side.
“Why did you order coq au vin if you aren’t going to eat half of it?” Nico asked, watching me pick at the food.
“Just the mushrooms. I hate mushrooms. The chicken in the wine sauce, however, I love.”
“There’s enough there for two,” he commented.
I made a face. “Thanks for that. Well, if you weren’t keeping me up until all hours of the night, I would sleep and eat normally. Since you do, I’m eating it all.”
“With the amount of running you’ve been doing, you’ll have it off before you go to bed tonight,” Nico said.
“You’ve noticed?” I’d been running a few miles almost every morning. After last year with the scare of Olivier and all that’s been going on, I wanted to build up my endurance. Nico promised to keep me safe, but I was the mortal one that suddenly found herself hanging out with the very creatures that go bump in the night. Knowing how to run away seemed like a good skill to have in my back pocket.
“You’re slimming down considerably,” he said, letting his hands slide down the length of me. “Not that you needed to slim down any. I actually miss some of the curves to your hips.”
I laughed and cut at the chicken. “I don’t. And there’s still plenty there.”
Nico chuckled and began unbuttoning his belt. I watched for a few moments in silent fascination until he caught me. I quickly turned and started eating the fingerling potatoes cooked in goose fat on my plate. The food was rich, decadent, and while Nico was both as well, he would have to wait. If I watched him undress, dinner would get cold.
“You can watch me, mia mortale,” he said after a few moments of staring at my back.
“I know,” I said, my cheeks burning. My fork pushed at some of the vegetables on the plate and finally I put the dome over the remnants.
Nico was in nothing but his briefs. He started to tug on the elastic band to remove them. “You mentioned something about a showerhead.”
I smiled. “Yes.”
“I am going to test that out,” he said, stepping out of the last remaining article of clothing.
This time I stared. Nothing got old about staring at him in the nude. He was a stunning specimen at just over six feet. Sculpted abs, a hairless chest with the exception of a thin line of hair that led straight down to the most beautiful part of him, which had sprung to life under my scrutiny.
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Fair is fair,” he said, nodding at me.
That was my cue to get naked. Like a good wife and an eager lover, I complied.
Nico started the shower. The water was hot and steamy, warming his otherwise cool touch to something considerably more erotic. He held the shower door open for me. I stepped in and up to his chest. He closed the door and enveloped me in his embrace. His hands began to wander. They were on my shoulders, my breasts, my ass. I didn’t stop him. As soon as he was done wandering, I would be doing the same to him.
I handed him the bar of soap. If he was going to grope me, he could be productive about it. He smiled and took the hint, working it into a rich lather with his hands before his touch was on me once again.
Once he had me covered in suds from head to toe, I returned the favor. My hands lingered on his pecs and then considerably lower.
“I think he’s clean,” Nico laughed.
“Just making sure,” I said, smiling up at him.
“Are you planning on doing something special with him?” He asked.
Instead of answering, I licked my lips.
Nico turned the water off and opened the shower door. He didn’t say anything. He reached for one towel and wrapped it around me and reached for another for himself. He then scooped me up and brought me to the bed. My hair was dripping wet. It was soaking into the sheets, but that wasn’t the only thing that was soaking wet at the moment.
Nico let his towel drop and climbed up the length of me. His hardness nudged at my upper thigh, eager to get inside.
“Not yet,” I said and rolled so that he was on the bottom. I started to head lower and he caught me by the shoulders.
“Flip.”
“Excuse me?”
“Flip around.”
Oh. I knew what that meant and my heart may have skipped a beat.
I did as told and placed my source of moisture right on his face. I then focused on the task at hand. The rather large task at hand. After spending a few minutes working his length with my tongue and squirming every which way on his face while he worked me with his, I needed penetration.
Flipping again, I decided to take advantage of the position and straddled him. He rose a brow at me. This was not a position we had done before. He was typically the one in charge, but he seemed interested in letting me take the reins for once. I slowly lowered myself on him and let out a moan in the process.
His hips bucked as his full length made it in. It took a second to accommodate all of him and I let out another soft moan once he was in. I quickly found a rhythm that worked for me and he held my breasts, allowing me to ride him in wanton fashion. It was glorious. One of his cool fingers slid down the length of my body and came to rest on that button that sent me t
hrashing above him. The thrashing sent him over the edge as well and I collapsed across his chest, panting.
“Fuck, Dylan,” Nico said.
“I know,” I breathed.
“Had I known you could do that, I would have set you on top a while ago.”
I smiled at him and then caught glimpse of the clock on the nightstand. I rolled over and grabbed my towel.
He looked over at the clock as well and took my cue.
“I have to give you up for him?” Nico asked, stepping into the bathroom behind me.
I towel dried my hair and grabbed my eyeliner. “Don’t start. He’s trying to be nice.”
“He is trying to find another reason to stare at your ass,” Nico said.
I rolled my eyes. “He’s offering to show you around the city. Focus on that.”
“I am sure he has ulterior motives,” Nico said. He reached for some cologne and sprayed it at the base of his throat, filling the bathroom with a musky scent.
I walked out to the main room and threw my suitcase on the bed. A pair of jeans, a burgundy sweater, and black boots with a chunky heel would work for tonight. I made short work of getting dressed. We were supposed to meet Olivier in the lobby in five minutes, but he could wait an extra minute if he had to.
“That’s a little low cut,” Nico commented, staring at my cleavage.
I stepped in front of the mirror. The mounds of my breasts were visible, but barely. “Nico, stop.”
Nico walked around the hotel room, picking things up and putting them down. “Are you ready?”
“Suddenly in a hurry to see Olivier?” I asked.
“It is time to meet him and I would rather him not come up here.”
I nodded. “Fine.” Grabbing my purse, I followed him out the door and reached for a room key to slide in my back pocket.
We got into the elevator in silence. Nico looked me up and down.
“What?” I asked, feeling suddenly self-conscious.
“I would have rather stayed in that bed with you.”
I said nothing, but felt the heat creep up to my cheeks.
The doors to the elevator opened and I saw Olivier leaning against one of the pillars across the lobby. He stood there, his arms folded across his chest without a care in the world.
