not?
No, she thought more firmly. If that were the case, she'd be svelte and beautiful like Marguerite, but she was her same old self, carrying fifteen or twenty pounds more than was considered beautiful in Hollywood.
Just the thought of her weight made Jackie realize that she was hungry, starved actually, and terribly thirsty. Turning the tap on, she bent over the sink and scooped some of the cold liquid up in her hands, then lifted it to her mouth to slurp up as much as she could before it ran through her fingers. She did that several times, but hardly managed to get any liquid out of it, certainly not enough to satisfy her raging thirst.
Giving up the attempt to drink from the tap, she instead splashed the water on her face and head, then ran her fingers through her hair to try to return it to some sort of order before turning off the tap. She straightened and moved back to the door.
Vincent was still asleep in the chair, Jackie saw with relief as she opened the door. She'd really rather he not see her this way. Too thirsty to waste time on dressing, she decided the large, bulky t-shirt would have to do while she went below and fetched a glass of water... or ten. She was parched, her mouth unpleasantly cottony and pasty.
Jackie crossed the room on shaky legs and eased the bedroom door open. Much to her relief, the hall was empty. She made her way slowly to the stairs and started down with determination. That determination pooped out before she'd gone halfway. It left Jackie clinging weakly to the rail, wishing she'd woken Vincent up after all.
Sighing, she rested a moment, then forced herself to continue. Jackie was incredibly relieved when she finally reached the hallway's hardwood floor. At least if her legs gave out on her now she wouldn't fall far.
"Jackie. What are you doing up?" Tiny rushed up the hall from the kitchen and she smiled with relief.
"I was thirsty," Jackie admitted as he reached her.
"And hungry, no doubt," he rumbled, slipping an arm around her to take some of her weight.
Jackie opened her mouth to answer, but instead paused and inhaled deeply as he urged her into his side.
"You smell good," she murmured with surprise.
Tiny glanced at her sharply, obviously as startled by the comment as Jackie was that she'd made it. He frowned. "Are you okay? Your eyes are dilating."
Jackie found herself leaning toward him, inhaling deeply. He smelled so good. Yummy even. She could just bite him.
Startled at the thought, Jackie pulled back and nearly overbalanced. Tiny quickly tightened his hold, keeping her upright, then they both stilled and stared up the hall as the kitchen door opened and a mammoth man stepped out. Fear rippling through her, Jackie immediately stepped closer to Tiny.
"It's okay." Tiny patted her arm. "He's Dante, one of Christian's men."
"Christian?" Jackie asked with bewilderment, then forgot the question as her eyes landed on his throat. With his head turned to look at the big man, Tiny's vein ran taut along his throat and she could actually see it pulsing with warm, life-giving blood.
"Christian is Neil and Stephano's cousin. He's here to help and has brought his men to keep an eye on things and help too," Tiny explained.
It all sounded like "blah, blah, blah blood" to her. Had Tiny said something about blood? Or was that the thought whispering through her own head, Jackie wondered vaguely as she inhaled deeply, breathing in his scent. It was the oddest thing. His scent was making her mouth water as efficiently as the smell of freshly baked pizza. She stared at the pulse beating at the base of his neck, and felt an odd shifting sensation and pressure in her upper jaw.
"Bad!"
Jackie glanced to the side to find the large, dark-haired Dante there. She gasped in surprise when he suddenly scooped her up in his arms and turned toward the kitchen.
"No biting," Dante said firmly as he carried her.
"But I'm hungry," Jackie complained, then blinked in surprise as she realized what she'd said. She was hungry, and thirsty as well, but Tiny shouldn't be associated with that. Perhaps it was because he cooked all the time, she reasoned a little fuzzily.
"Blood, Tommaso," Dante said as he carried Jackie into the kitchen with Tiny trailing them.
Jackie stared with amazement at the second man as he lurched to his feet and moved to the refrigerator. He was an exact replica