Maybe you’ll stay with me, maybe you won’t. But I don’t need to watch you anymore. You’re a grown woman.” She nodded again, a small smile lifting her cheek. Had she thought he’d argue with her? “I’m not a controlling type of man, believe it or not. And even when I say stay with me, it doesn’t mean you can’t live your life. It just means we’ll always be together.” He lowered his head and stared into her eyes. If he was going to tell her everything, he might as well start with an important factor. “Explanation one, Kristina. My kind doesn’t separate. Once—rather, if you decide to stay with me, we will be together forever.”
Her eyes sparkled, a playful gleam lighting inside of them, and he could swear they turned greener. She pulled her free hand up on the table and leaned her chin on her fist, staring at him. “But what if someone like me, liked someone else of your kind. Is that allowable?”
Derrick jerked upright in his chair as if she’d plunged a knife between his shoulder blades. Now that she was with him, the thought that she’d even think… “Never,” he said seriously. “It just doesn’t happen.”
“Oh, I understand.”
“Do you? Once we—”
The waiter brought their waters and appetizers out on the same tray, halting their hushed conversation. He placed everything on the table and then pulled out a pad and pen to take their order. He looked to Kristina first. “Ready to order?”
“Yes. I’ll have the Chicken Romano.”
The man turned to Derrick , and he spilled out his entire order without giving him a chance to ask any questions. “I’ll have the chopped salad to start. No croutons. Vinegar only. Then, I’ll have a double order of the Ahi Tuna. Only, don’t sear it. And no side dishes or sauces. Just the tuna, please.”
The server wrote everything down without comment, but as every waiter had ever done before him, he gave him a confused look as he turned to leave. Derrick had learned to answer every question with finality before they asked, saved him from a lot of additional queries. Thankfully, sushi had become so popular in the last few years that most people no longer questioned his eating habits.
“Two orders again? Raw?”
“Explanation number two,” he said in a low voice so only she could hear, one of the reasons he wanted to eat outside. “I can’t eat cooked foods.”
She absorbed that, filing it away, it seemed, and then she whispered across the table, “At least you don’t drink blood.”
“Not quite,” he rejoined, watching as her eyes bulged as he met her playful comment head on. “People only thought we were.”
Chapter Six
Kris bolted upright. Her phone buzzed on the table, jolting her out of the trance she’d fallen into after Derrick’s remark about people thinking they were drinking blood. She glanced at the caller ID. “It’s Beth. It’s after three. She’s back from shopping,” she babbled incoherently in her frazzled state. “I should talk to her.”
Derrick reached across the table, covering her hand and the phone. “Please—”
“I remember,” she interrupted, gulping the lump in her throat. “Don’t say anything about you.”
“That isn’t what I was going to ask.” He squeezed her hand. “Please don’t take her call. Beth knows you’re okay. She just wants to talk, and you want an excuse to walk away so you can clear your head, but I don’t want you to leave yet.”
Tears filled her eyes and she didn’t even know why. She didn’t care what he was; Derrick wasn’t dangerous. She just felt—she didn’t know what she felt. Scared , she thought. Frightened of the unknown. Kris glanced at his warm and gentle gaze. She wasn’t afraid of Derrick. She needed to snap out of this. The phone stopped ringing, and she glanced at it, feeling as though she’d let go of her lifeline. As if she’d be content in letting Derrick’s mysterious dark waters engulf her, absorb her, providing her
Her eyes sparkled, a playful gleam lighting inside of them, and he could swear they turned greener. She pulled her free hand up on the table and leaned her chin on her fist, staring at him. “But what if someone like me, liked someone else of your kind. Is that allowable?”
Derrick jerked upright in his chair as if she’d plunged a knife between his shoulder blades. Now that she was with him, the thought that she’d even think… “Never,” he said seriously. “It just doesn’t happen.”
“Oh, I understand.”
“Do you? Once we—”
The waiter brought their waters and appetizers out on the same tray, halting their hushed conversation. He placed everything on the table and then pulled out a pad and pen to take their order. He looked to Kristina first. “Ready to order?”
“Yes. I’ll have the Chicken Romano.”
The man turned to Derrick , and he spilled out his entire order without giving him a chance to ask any questions. “I’ll have the chopped salad to start. No croutons. Vinegar only. Then, I’ll have a double order of the Ahi Tuna. Only, don’t sear it. And no side dishes or sauces. Just the tuna, please.”
The server wrote everything down without comment, but as every waiter had ever done before him, he gave him a confused look as he turned to leave. Derrick had learned to answer every question with finality before they asked, saved him from a lot of additional queries. Thankfully, sushi had become so popular in the last few years that most people no longer questioned his eating habits.
“Two orders again? Raw?”
“Explanation number two,” he said in a low voice so only she could hear, one of the reasons he wanted to eat outside. “I can’t eat cooked foods.”
She absorbed that, filing it away, it seemed, and then she whispered across the table, “At least you don’t drink blood.”
“Not quite,” he rejoined, watching as her eyes bulged as he met her playful comment head on. “People only thought we were.”
Chapter Six
Kris bolted upright. Her phone buzzed on the table, jolting her out of the trance she’d fallen into after Derrick’s remark about people thinking they were drinking blood. She glanced at the caller ID. “It’s Beth. It’s after three. She’s back from shopping,” she babbled incoherently in her frazzled state. “I should talk to her.”
Derrick reached across the table, covering her hand and the phone. “Please—”
“I remember,” she interrupted, gulping the lump in her throat. “Don’t say anything about you.”
“That isn’t what I was going to ask.” He squeezed her hand. “Please don’t take her call. Beth knows you’re okay. She just wants to talk, and you want an excuse to walk away so you can clear your head, but I don’t want you to leave yet.”
Tears filled her eyes and she didn’t even know why. She didn’t care what he was; Derrick wasn’t dangerous. She just felt—she didn’t know what she felt. Scared , she thought. Frightened of the unknown. Kris glanced at his warm and gentle gaze. She wasn’t afraid of Derrick. She needed to snap out of this. The phone stopped ringing, and she glanced at it, feeling as though she’d let go of her lifeline. As if she’d be content in letting Derrick’s mysterious dark waters engulf her, absorb her, providing her
Similar Books
