Kris stared at the door that led into the shop and decided she’d poke her head in. She wasn't quite ready to be alone after her encounter with Reinn. Something about the feral woman had really shaken her up and like hell she was going to do the housework! Antoine had been the one to send her into the lion's den in the first place.
She parked the rental car she would be using for the next month (Antoine had assured her that if she decided to stay, she would get her own car), and walked over to the shop. When she pushed the door open, the bell attached to it gave a pleasant little ring.
A mop of pink hair was barely visible behind the tall glass counter up front and when they poked their head up, startlingly blue eyes followed Kris around the room. The person behind the counter stood straight up, revealing that they were actually rather tall. Kris glanced over at them and began to immediately question whether they were a boy or a girl. They had a slim face with elven-like features and a gently sloping nose. Their eyes were a bright blue that had a bit of purple mixed in. Kris knew that staring was bad but the person behind the counter didn't even look human.
When the store clerk finally spoke, their gender was revealed. Definitely male. His voice was higher than the average man's but still deep.
"Hello, there. Can I help yo- Oh!! Your Antoine's new submissive!" He sang, coming around the corner and wrapping his arms around her. Kris was shocked by the hug but returned it anyway, just thankful that this man seemed to be more welcome than Reinn. He squeezed her tight and then released her, looking down at her. He wasn't as tall as Antoine but he had a good six inches on Kris who stood at a measly 5'1".
A woman closer to Kris' height with flaming red hair and big glasses came walking out of, what Kris assumed was a stock room, and adjusted the thick rimmed glasses, looking over at them.
"Are you making friends Rume?" She asked.
"Ma'am! It's Kitty! She came for a visit."
Ah, it seemed the nickname had stuck. She didn't remember seeing these two at the club that first night, but then again, the whole night was a bit of a blur.
The red-headed woman came around the front of the counter and put her hands on her slim hips. Both of them wore all black, professional looking outfits. They looked more like people who should be working in a law office than…Whatever this place was. After she got a second to look around she decided that this place was probably a sex store. There were all manner of adult toys, most made of glass or metal and some strange looking furniture laid out like a show room. This must have been the stuff that Antoine made.
“Are you okay, Kitty?” Rume asked softly, noticing the almost blank look on Kris’ face.
Kris cleared her throat and nodded. “Yeah…I’m fine…Just…I just met up with one of Antoine’s ex’s.”
The red-head sighed and shook her head, going towards the back and returning with a glass of wine. She offered it to Kris and leaned against the glass counter, her chin in her hands.
“Was it Reinn?” She asked.
Kris nodded and took a sip of her wine, “How did you know?”
“That was Antoine’s last sub. We all hated her. She was crazy.” She said, putting her finger to her temple. “Something seriously wrong with her.”
“Well, that’s comforting. Why would he set up a meeting if she’s crazy?” She asked, seeming absolutely befuddled.
“Because he doesn’t think she’s crazy. She put up a good front around him.”
Kris frowned and looked down at her wine swirling it before taking a long sip. She glanced up at the red-head and cleared her throat, deciding that she didn’t want to talk about Reinn anymore.
“Should I call you ‘Ma’am’?” She asked.
The woman laughed and shook her head, extending a slim, pale hand, her mocha eyes trained on Kris. “Of course not. Call me Red.”
Kris smiled a little, “Red…Fitting and easy to remember.”
“Are you okay? You seem shaken.” Rume asked, frowning a little.
“I’m just…A little put off by what happened today. That’s all.”
“You should tell Antoine. It’ll be good for him to see just how crazy she is.” Red pointed out, sipping at her wine.
“Maybe…I just don’t want to cause any more trouble. I’m actually…Kind of liking it here.” She said softly. “I think I might want to stay.”
Red smiled and held her glass up, “We’d be happy to have you around. You’re a vast improvement on some of the other women he’d brought around.”
“You think so?”
Rume grinned and nodded, throwing his arms around Kris. “Yeah! You’re really nice! None of his other subs ever bothered to come down here unless they wanted something. Then they always treat us like they’re better…” He said frowning.
Red smiled and put her hand on Rume’s shoulder. “You’ll have to forgive him. He’s an excitable pup.” She said fondly.
Kris smiled and shook her head, returning the hug happily. “It’s a nice change of pace after all that ugliness with Reinn.” She said simply.
The warmth that Kris felt in the shop was enough to get her through the day. She shared a few more glasses of wine with the two lovely people before finally going upstairs and curling up in bed.
Chapter Fifteen
She was woken by the sound of a door slamming, followed by someone franticly calling her name. “Kris! KRIS!”
Kris sat up quickly and ran out of her bedroom, ignoring the fact that her hair was a mess and standing on end. “What is it?!”
Antoine came through the living room, taking long, exaggerated steps in order to get to her. Once she was within reach he pulled her into his arms and held her close, cradling her had to his chest and squeezing his eyes closed.
“Jesus. I got a call from Reinn and she sounded like a damn banshee. She was screaming about meeting you and I was just worried that she’d done something stupid.” He murmured. “When she gets angry…there’s no telling what she might do…” He whispered.
Kris blinked but slowly wrapped her arms around him in return, the words sinking in. “You were worried about me?”
“Of course I was.” He said, pulling away and cupping her cheeks. “Are you okay? Did she hurt you?”
The worry in her eyes gave her a strange feeling. It was the feeling of being cared for and genuinely worried about. No one had cared about her since her mother died and to have someone wrap their arms around her like this and touch her so tenderly…It was almost overwhelming.
She blinked and looked up at him, the faint throbbing in her wrist reminding her of that iron grip. She looked down at her wrist and then up at him, smiling and shaking her head.
“No…She just said some nasty things.” Kris assured, wrapping her arms around him again, hoping that he would return the gesture.
Antoine was a little shocked but wrapped his arms around her anyway, rubbing her back and looking down at her. She was normally so opposed to being touched. It was strange to him that she was so warm and inviting all of a sudden, but he didn’t question it. He was just glad that Kris seemed to be warming up to him.
“Alright…As long as you’re sure…”
“I am.”
He nodded and kissed the top of her head, surprised at how much he was enjoying the warmth of her embrace. This was a dangerous situation…He couldn’t let himself fall for her, though he already had.
***
The weeks that followed were some of the best of both their lives. Reinn’s threats clearly had Antoine on edge and he was spending more time at the house than he usually did and that meant that they had whole days together to explore the city and each other. As Kris’ thirty days came to a close, she requested an extension of their agreement, not quite ready to admit that she wanted to stay. Antoine saw right through it but didn’t say anything and simply had the contract changed.
The time they spent together was invaluable and Kris was surprised at how much they had in common. They both liked the same music, shitty horror a
nd even read the same books. She could laugh easily with him and enjoyed all the stories he told her about his travels.
She was falling in love with him and she was also falling in love with New Orleans. She felt free here, when they weren’t hanging out or working out scenes, Kris found herself wandering through the city, exploring all the nooks and crannies of the city. It was so old and had so much history that she found herself swept up in learning everything she could about it. She’d even convinced Antoine to take her on a few of the ghost tours.
Kris could have done all of this by herself, but she’d spent so much of her life doing everything by herself that it felt nice to have company for once. On the days that Antoine did have to go work or meet with people who wanted to buy his products, she spent her time in the shop with Rume and Red. Sometimes they shut down early and went out for drinks or dinner, but no matter what they did it was fun.
She’d never had friends before. She never saw the purpose in making friends. Getting close to people was a terrifying thing for Kris. When you got close to people and started having feelings for them, they could be ripped from you without a second thought. She’d experienced it once before and she’d been so scared to face the same heartbreak. Anytime she’d trusted someone in her life, they’d either stabbed her in the back or left.
Antoine was different though. She knew that he only wanted to care for her and even if he didn’t think he could love her, it was enough for Kris that he cared at all. It was enough that when she leaned into him, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hair. It was enough that when he walked in the house, he was quick to praise her hard work. No one had ever given her those things before, and it was those things that were making her fall in love with him.
Kris had to learn to trust Antoine. The more involved she got in this new lifestyle, the more she realized that their entire relationship was hinged on trust. When he had her tied down or thrown over his knee, she had to trust that he wasn’t going to hurt her. It was a hard lesson for Kris to learn, but the more they played and the more she let herself get swept up in the lifestyle, the more she realized that she liked handing control over to someone else. It meant that she could let go and just be free. It was liberating.
She’d tried to avoid it, but the more time they spent together, the more inevitable it was. That was the thought that was racing through her head as they lay in his bed together, watching reruns of some awful sitcom that Kris had insisted they watch. She looked up at Antoine and sighed softly.
“Hey, Sir?” She’d started calling him Sir more often to show her dedication to their dynamic.
“Yes, Kitty?
“Um…I think…I think I want to stay here…I don’t think I want to go back to New York.
Chapter Sixteen
He looked down at her and cocked a brow, a slow smile coming to his face. “I have to admit that I’m glad to hear you say that.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re one of the best submissives I’ve ever had. You take directions well and you never disrespect me.” He said, stroking her hair. “And you’re absolutely stunning.”
She looked down and rolled her nightshirt in her fingers, frowning deeply. “Is that…It?”
Antoine glanced over at her for a moment and grabbed the remote, clicking the TV off. It’s not the answer you wanted, is it?”
Kris sighed and put her head on the pillow, looking up at him. “I wanted the truth.” She said. “So if that’s how you really feel then…It’s the answer I wanted.”
“You’re a terrible liar.”
“I’m not lying.”
Antoine glanced over at her and ran his long fingers through her curls, giving them a gentle tug. “Why don’t you tell me how you feel, then.”
She was quiet for a moment and closed her eyes. “I…I’m happy being your sub.”
“Liar.”
Kris grunted and squeezed her eyes shut, covering her face with her hands. “Fine! I think…I love you.”
Antoine fell silent at that response and a heavy air filled the room around them. “You love me?”
“Yes! I love you, okay?”
He glanced over at her, looking more confused than anything. “Why?”
“Because you treat me like I’m a fucking human. You worry about me and you do stupid shit with me just to keep me happy. Do you know how long it’s been since anyone cared enough about me to just ask me how I’m doing every once in a while? And then you come in here and you ask me every damn day…” She murmured.
“I…Really?”
“Yeah…No one…No one’s held me since my mom died…” She whispered, curling up against him.
“Kris…I’m so sorry…”
“Don’t apologize...Just, listen.” She whispered, hiding in his chest. “I don’t talk about this a lot so don’t ruin it with a bunch of useless apologies. Just listen to what I have to say, okay?”
Antoine fell silent, nodding slowly. He didn’t want to make things any worse. “Okay.”
Kris took a deep breath and closed her eyes. It was easier to talk about these things when she couldn’t see the face of the person she was talking to. “When I was little…My dad was just an asshole. Like straight up drunk woman beater. I didn’t really understand what was going on when I was younger but as time passed things got worse. Dad lost his job and blamed it on mom. I remember things escalating. I remember having to go to the hospital because he broke her nose or something like that. The doctors couldn’t do anything because she wouldn’t tell them what he’d done, you know?” She whispered, covering her face. “Every single one of those fuckers knew what was going on but they didn’t do anything because they thought she was weak. They thought they needed to wait to report it. Then he shot her. He shot her dead and suddenly everyone was talking about how they wished they would have done this and done that but they couldn’t do jack shit because she was dead!” She choked, wiping her eyes as her hands shook.
Antoine stared at her with wide eyes and cupped her cheeks, brushing away the tears that were falling from her cheeks. He didn’t say anything for a long time because there was nothing to say. What was he supposed to offer her? There was no comfort her could give in the form of words and so he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, rubbing her shoulders. It was the best way he could think to show his support.
“No one ever cared about me after that. I got bounced around from foster home to foster home because no one wanted to adopt a traumatized teenager, you know? When I turned eighteen they tried to send me to college but I was too angry and too stubborn to go.” She whispered, closing her eyes.
Antoine was silent for a moment and he leaned his head back against the head board. “That…Is awful. I don’t know what else to say…No one should ever have to go through something like that, especially someone as amazing as you.” He said simply, looking down at her, “Especially not someone as wonderful as you.”
She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. “Wonderful?”
“Yes…You’re amazing, Kris, and that story only makes me admire you more. You had so many chances to give up and you’ve been put in situations where others might just lay down and die and you just kept pressing on. Even in the shittiest situations you found a way out. That resilience is why I love you, Kris.”
Her head snapped up and she stared at him. “You love me?”
“Yes.”
“Please don’t…Please don’t tell me this out of pity.”
“I’m not. I don’t believe in pity and I never considered for even a second that you needed it.”
She wiped her eyes and looked up at him, her cheeks hot and red from the tears. “Then why…Are you telling me now? And I thought you said you weren’t in this for love.”
“I say a lot of shit to protect my interest. I wasn’t in this for love. I wasn’t looking for love, but it seems that it found me.” He said, leaning down and kissing her tenderly.
This wasn’t their first kiss. They�
�d shared a few pecks here and there, especially during scenes in the club. He’d offer her comforting kisses and stroked on the cheek but those kisses never held the emotion that this one did.
Antoine wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her close to his body, holding her to his chest as they took their time, tasting each other. The kisses were intoxicating and when she pulled back, she knew she wanted more.
Chapter Seventeen
Antoine gripped her shoulders and pulled away, seeing the obvious look of want and desire that ran across her face. Her eyes told him everything he needed to know. He pushed her down into the bed and caught her lips in another long, desperate kiss, moaning against her lips.
Kris gasped but threw her arms around him, tangling her fingers in his hair as she held him in the kiss until the need for air grew too strong. When she pulled away, she took in a gasping breath, sucking in as much air as she possibly could. Her face was flushed, though this time it was from excitement rather than tears. Antoine was always able to make her feel good in even her worst moments. Why should that be any different now?
His fingers danced up the loose fitting shirt she wore, making their way to her perfectly rounded breasts. He teased her nipples with a few flicks of his fingers, moaning and leaning close to nip at her neck. The teasing touches made her moan and arch her back, one leg coming up to wrap around his slim waist. The wet kisses to her neck made her shudder and hold him closer, wanting him to shower her entire body with those damn kisses.
Antoine pushed her shirt over her head and tossed it to the ground, crawling back up her body to catch one more adoring kiss before he gripped her panties and ripped them right off her hips. They were frail lacy things to begin with, but the sheer power he showed in tearing them from her body sent a shudder down her spin. Kris gripped his arm and moaned desperately as he slid two fingers inside of her and started thrusting them into, spreading them. She gasped and rocked against the skilled digits, whimpering his name over and over again as heat began to coil in her belly.
VAMPIRE:Vampire Guardian Series: Paranormal Mystery Vampire Alpha Male Romance (New Adult Contemporary Paranormal Royalty Fantasy Romance Collection)) Page 35
