did when he opened the door—especially so fast—but somehow he managed. My internal temperature climbed a few degrees at the sight of him—which totally confused me, since I didn’t have feelings for him. I think. Ugh.
“You guys ready?” he asked, lurking by the door.
“Bathroom run,” Kayla blurted as she stormed from the room and down the hall, leaving me alone with Erik. I kept my eyes locked on the hall where Kayla had just disappeared for as long as I could before finally looking at him. He smiled once my eyes met his.
“So,” I said to break the peculiar tension in the room, “are you sure about this trip?”
“I think so,” he answered. If I didn’t know how confident he always was, I would’ve sworn I heard uncertainty in his voice. “I think it’s time, you know? As lavish as it is, I can’t hide in here forever.” He extended his arm to showcase the virtually empty apartment and laughed. I hadn’t heard his laughter in so long; it was both refreshing and intoxicating.
“Glad to hear it. I hope you’re right.” I was struggling to fight the nerves running up and down my body—and the urge to taste the blood flowing through his veins that I could smell constantly. Even though my heart belonged to Chance and no one else, I couldn’t deny that I was feeling something for Erik…and had been for a while. Those feelings, whatever they were, only intensified after Lila’s death. I had done all I could to help him deal with his loss, so naturally we grew close. How close was the unanswered question. I sidestepped him and stood next to the door. He had added cologne to his already mesmerizing scent, and it was driving me crazy. I needed to get away from him, fast.
“I won’t go if you don’t want me to.” His statement surprised me. Not only because I didn’t know where he got the idea that I didn’t want him to go, but also because he had somehow managed to move up behind me without me knowing. His voice, soft and deep, was right in my ear, his body so close I could feel his heart beating against my back. I swallowed the nerves climbing my throat and turned to look at him.
“I don’t care if you go,” I said, doing my best to sound nonchalant, though I was a crazy frenzy of emotions and hormones. Erik’s eyes drew me in, holding me tight and not letting go. I stared into them, lost in the deep blue pools of warmth. “If going will help you, then I’m all for it.” My voice was barely a whisper. Why is he able to get to me so easily? The only other person capable of that was Chance. I thought experiencing that sort of passionate attraction once in a lifetime was enough. Then Erik came into my life, and though at first I found him obnoxious and self-absorbed, something changed. Now the thought of being away from him was unsettling.
“Good,” he said softly, the movement of his pouty lips hypnotic. He smiled, winked and backed away from me, and his self-absorbed gene reared its ugly head again. But even then, I still didn’t want to leave his side. I laughed and shook my head, amazed that he got to me. He was flirting with me, it was obvious, but no way was I going to flirt back. At least, I didn’t plan to.
Kayla came out of the bathroom at just the right time, and the three of us left Erik’s apartment. We added his suitcase to ours in the trunk and climbed into the Volvo. As we wound our way out of town and onto the interstate, I couldn’t help but feel that there was nothing but trouble waiting for us in Boston.
N ORTHERN EXPOSURE
W e made it to Boston in less than an hour, which was impressive to me, seeing as how we stopped twice so Kayla could pee (p.s.—she wasn’t kidding about those bruises). Erik had been gracious enough to give me the front seat, but I understood why when he sported a sly grin both times I got pinned against the dash so he could climb out of the back. I think he did that on purpose.
Being in a new city, and being a blood-sucking monster