helped it since I had no idea what he had gone through before knowing me, but I felt guilty anyway. It was so clear now. I needed to make amends. I needed him to know how I felt about him. I needed to put his fears to rest once and for all.
I pulled into his driveway around noon. I walked up to his door preparing to ring the bell but he opened it before I had the chance. He looked confused. “ Karli, what are you doing here?”
“I , um…I needed to see you. Do you have a few minutes to talk?”
He stepped aside to let me in. “I was just heading out to stake out Maria’s hotel room.” He looked at his watch. “I was hoping I’d catch her there since the sun is out. She could be holing up somewhere else but it’s worth a shot.”
I stepped into his foyer and set my purse down. “Vance, Leo told me about Maria. About the baby.” I held my breath waiting for his response.
He pressed his lips into a thin line and shook his head. “Karli, don’t do that. Don’t pity me. I’m the moron who couldn’t see who she really was.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked. “You had so many chances but you didn’t tell me. Why?”
He pulled me into the living room so we could sit on the couch. “Because I don’t like thinking about it. I don’t like thinking about what a fool I’d been, not being able to see the truth about her. More importantly, about the fact that she intentionally killed my child, Karli. They killed my child. The baby died during her transformation. I had wanted so desperately to become a father for as long as I could remember and she knew that. We were trying to get pregnant. She told me she wanted nothing more than to make my dreams come true and raise a family with me. It’s like she was living two lives. She was the perfect woman one minute and a lying, selfish, backstabbing bitch the next. I would have raised the baby alone without hesitation, but they never gave me the option. I didn’t even know about the pregnancy until…after. I found the test results a few days after she left. It disgusted me to think that she put her obsession over staying young above an innocent life. Her affair with Leo or her desire to become immortal wasn’t what killed me. I would have probably forgiven her eventually if she would’ve at least waited to become a vampire until after the baby was born. It took me years to get over it just enough to function with some sort of normal semblance. I don’t want to go back to that place. It was a very dark time in my life.”
I shifted my body towards him and grabbed his hand. “Vance, I’m so sorry. If I had any idea, I never would have---”
He put his finger on my lips. “Don’t , Karli. You have nothing to apologize for.”
I kissed his fingers before pulling them away. “No, you’re wrong … I do. I could have saved us both so much grief if I could have just told you how I felt. I was so confused back then, but I’m not anymore. Everything is so clear to me.” I framed his face with my hands. “I love you, Vance...and I don’t want to wait another second to be with you. I need to be with you.”
He covered my hands with his own. “What are you saying?”
I smiled. “I’m saying that I want you to make love to me. Right now.”
Thirteen
Without hesitation, he claimed my mouth in a punishing kiss. Our tongues dueled for control…nipping, sucking, and biting. My brain barely registered the change when he pulled me from the couch and started pushing me towards the bedroom, never breaking from our kiss. I was hit with the force of all of his pent-up frustrations at once. The passion exuding from him was almost too much to bear. Every nerve ending in my body tingled with the need to be touched by him. To be owned by him. To be one with him.
The back of my knees hit the bed when he paused and pulled away from me. “A re you sure about this, Karli?” he asked.
Panting, I replied, “ Omigod, yes! I’ve never been so sure of
I pulled into his driveway around noon. I walked up to his door preparing to ring the bell but he opened it before I had the chance. He looked confused. “ Karli, what are you doing here?”
“I , um…I needed to see you. Do you have a few minutes to talk?”
He stepped aside to let me in. “I was just heading out to stake out Maria’s hotel room.” He looked at his watch. “I was hoping I’d catch her there since the sun is out. She could be holing up somewhere else but it’s worth a shot.”
I stepped into his foyer and set my purse down. “Vance, Leo told me about Maria. About the baby.” I held my breath waiting for his response.
He pressed his lips into a thin line and shook his head. “Karli, don’t do that. Don’t pity me. I’m the moron who couldn’t see who she really was.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked. “You had so many chances but you didn’t tell me. Why?”
He pulled me into the living room so we could sit on the couch. “Because I don’t like thinking about it. I don’t like thinking about what a fool I’d been, not being able to see the truth about her. More importantly, about the fact that she intentionally killed my child, Karli. They killed my child. The baby died during her transformation. I had wanted so desperately to become a father for as long as I could remember and she knew that. We were trying to get pregnant. She told me she wanted nothing more than to make my dreams come true and raise a family with me. It’s like she was living two lives. She was the perfect woman one minute and a lying, selfish, backstabbing bitch the next. I would have raised the baby alone without hesitation, but they never gave me the option. I didn’t even know about the pregnancy until…after. I found the test results a few days after she left. It disgusted me to think that she put her obsession over staying young above an innocent life. Her affair with Leo or her desire to become immortal wasn’t what killed me. I would have probably forgiven her eventually if she would’ve at least waited to become a vampire until after the baby was born. It took me years to get over it just enough to function with some sort of normal semblance. I don’t want to go back to that place. It was a very dark time in my life.”
I shifted my body towards him and grabbed his hand. “Vance, I’m so sorry. If I had any idea, I never would have---”
He put his finger on my lips. “Don’t , Karli. You have nothing to apologize for.”
I kissed his fingers before pulling them away. “No, you’re wrong … I do. I could have saved us both so much grief if I could have just told you how I felt. I was so confused back then, but I’m not anymore. Everything is so clear to me.” I framed his face with my hands. “I love you, Vance...and I don’t want to wait another second to be with you. I need to be with you.”
He covered my hands with his own. “What are you saying?”
I smiled. “I’m saying that I want you to make love to me. Right now.”
Thirteen
Without hesitation, he claimed my mouth in a punishing kiss. Our tongues dueled for control…nipping, sucking, and biting. My brain barely registered the change when he pulled me from the couch and started pushing me towards the bedroom, never breaking from our kiss. I was hit with the force of all of his pent-up frustrations at once. The passion exuding from him was almost too much to bear. Every nerve ending in my body tingled with the need to be touched by him. To be owned by him. To be one with him.
The back of my knees hit the bed when he paused and pulled away from me. “A re you sure about this, Karli?” he asked.
Panting, I replied, “ Omigod, yes! I’ve never been so sure of
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