Was it hard for him to be around a human and not want to drink their blood? My mind, I was beginning to realize, gave off strong signals to those who knew enough to pay attention. I was hoping he would say something before I burst with pent up anticipation.
“My goodness, you are having a go of it over there,” he said. “Try to relax, Olivia. I promise to tell you everything you want to know, but first I want something from you. If we’re going to do this, share our secrets, then I want something from you in return.”
“What do you want?”
“I want a kiss,” he said smiling. “You and I, we’re making a deal of sorts…and I want a kiss to seal the bargain that we will keep each other’s secrets.”
A kiss? How dangerous could that be? In my short but intense training in magic 101, I’d never heard of a kiss being any sort of binding contract. If you discounted the fact that I was agreeing to kiss a man who appeared to have been dead for more than a century, while sitting alone in his living room, with no way to get myself out, or drive myself home, then yes, the request seemed rather harmless.
“OK,” I said.
“OK?” William replied.
“What do you want me to say?”
He looked slightly wounded. “Madam, I have kissed other women before and usually they have shown a little more enthusiasm.”
It turned out that even the undead have egos, but I was more willing to ease his mind. “I have not stopped thinking about you since the moment you kissed me in the park,” I said, taking a sip of wine for courage. “It’s possible that I am being quite irresponsible, but of course I want to kiss you. I want to do much more than that. But at the same time, I feel that I’m completely out of my depth. You have to admit this is all a little out of the ordinary.”
“No, darlin. I don’t think so,” he said. “That’s not the way I see it. I am a man who wants to kiss a pretty woman, and that is something that hasn’t changed since the dawn of time.”
And then in a blink of an eye he was right next to me, kissing me again in that way that made my lips feel like they would catch fire. This time, though, I was prepared and I kissed him back with equal intensity. His lips were cool to the touch, which was initially a bit disconcerting, but as I grew hotter, the coolness was soothing.
As we continued kissing, his hands explored my back and made tentative advances toward the front. I felt more than ready for him to slip his hand under my shirt. I had been exploring his body, marveling it how lean and hard it felt. I was certain he could pick up on my thoughts and I reached to unbutton his flannel shirt.
William pulled back from my advance. “Olivia, you are a handful,” he said, making a noise that almost sounded like the exhaling of breath. “There is no rush. I haven’t even told you my story yet. There will be plenty of time for us to get to know each other better. Besides, taking a vampire lover is a complicated business, and you may want to know more before you sign up for that responsibility.”
Honestly, I would have signed over the deed to my house at that point. I was so aroused, it took a few moments for his words to even register in my brain. I have never much good at delayed gratification; it is one of my weaknesses.
Still, he had a point. I didn’t know anything about taking a vampire as a lover, but honest to God, at that moment, nothing sounded better. Then I thought of Elsa and her reaction if she believed I’d slept with William. Reluctantly, I came back to Earth.
“OK,” I said, taking his hand. “You’re right. And I do want to hear your story.” William poured us both more wine and began to speak.
“You know my name is William Ferrell. My full name is William Aubrey Ferrell. I was born in Tullahoma, Tennessee in 1830. My father was a farmer who left South Carolina and took work with the railroad. I was one of six brothers and sisters. As you can imagine, we were pretty poor. We had some land to grow our food and raise a few chickens, but it