The room turned out to be a suite that overlooked Central Park, with gorgeous appointments and a pair of expensive-looking beds. The bellman left us after demonstrating how to work the TV remote and switch on lights, for which Jared tipped him. I exhaled with fatigue, drained after the long and eventful day. I sank into one of the plush chairs by the window, and Jared came over and began massaging my shoulders. I uttered a low moan of pleasure as his strong fingers kneaded my muscles, and the warmth of his proximity flooded my core again.
“Mmm,” I said. “That’s…ooh, right there. Yes. That’s it.”
“You don’t remember, but I used to do this…back then.”
“No wonder I fell for you,” I said, and then stiffened slightly as I realized his hands were only inches from my hair…and my birthmark. The insecurity that had haunted me since childhood surfaced, and I did my best to will it away. But like a rock in my shoe, it persisted, and throughout his ministrations I couldn’t help but worry that he would lift my hair to better access my neck, and then…
I swallowed hard and sighed. I had a vampire a foot from my neck, and I was worried about him seeing some darkened skin rather than him sinking his fangs into my carotid artery and draining my blood. The absurdity of my worry struck me, and I nearly giggled out loud. If Jared sensed my inner struggle, he didn’t show it.
He continued rubbing my shoulders for several minutes and then whispered as he stepped away, “I can’t tell you what it feels like to have a second chance, Lacey.”
I wasn’t sure how to respond, but I knew what he meant. “I think we both win, Jared,” I replied. Part of me wanted him to close the distance between us and kiss me long and hard, the risk of bloodlust worth it, but as though reading my mind, he stepped away.
“You must be starved. The restaurant here is famous. You’re in for a treat,” he said.
“I feel…I’m a little underdressed for a night on the town in New York.”
“Nonsense. The city understands travel, and a beautiful woman is always wearing the right thing, no matter what it is.”
I blushed at the compliment. “If you really think I’m okay like this. Otherwise, I saw a hot dog vendor on the street…”
He removed his gloves and dropped them on the nearest bedside table. “If you don’t mind cold hands, the gloves might draw stares.”
“You’re a rock star. They’re supposed to be eccentric, aren’t they?”
“But I’m incognito. I don’t want the paparazzi descending on the hotel and giving our location away.”
“You’re going to lose the shades, aren’t you?” I asked.
“Of course. But if I remember from the last time I was here…the average patron is in their sixties, so it’s unlikely anyone’s going to recognize me.”
“You want to stay in the room? We could just order room service.”
He shook his head. “No. You need to see the place. It’s really one of a kind.”
The maître d’ seated us in a quiet corner of the dining room, and this time I ordered lobster at Jared’s urging (I’d actually watched a YouTube video back at my dorm about how to eat one, after the last time, and now felt ready to try it out). We held hands across the table, and even though his flesh was preternaturally cool, there was something remarkably sexy about the way my hand felt in his. He only released me when the food arrived, and he made a show of moving pieces of endive salad around on his plate while I attacked the lobster – which at this establishment arrived already shelled – like I hadn’t eaten in days. It still looked like something from a bad science fiction movie, but it tasted divine.
Once back in the room, Jared gave me a smoldering gaze that made clear that I wasn’t the only one battling internal demons. I sat on the edge of one of the beds and he sat beside me, his eyes locked on mine. The thrill I’d felt at the concert ran through me again, and I leaned into him and brushed my lips along his gorgeous throat, grazing his skin with my teeth. He shuddered with pleasure and then pushed me away, his face unreadable.
“No,” he said.
I sighed in frustration. “Jared, what are we going to do? Seriously. How do you see this working?”
“I…I don’t know. I haven’t gotten that far,” he admitted. “This is all new to me, too.” He paused, and when he spoke again, his voice was throaty and hoarse. “All I know is that I’m going to be with you from now on.” Another pause. “I never stopped loving you. Not once in all those years. There wasn’t a day I didn’t mourn you and curse the universe that had taken you from me. In my soul, you were always the only one. Always.”
My eyes flooded and a tear ran down each cheek. “Oh, Jared. It must have been awful. I can’t even imagine.” I gasped when he encircled me with his arms and cradled me. “You’re everything I could dream of,” I said. “And to find out we were meant for each other…but we can’t…it’s not fair.”
“I know,” he whispered. “But at least we found each other. We’ll figure it out. We have to. I love you, Lacey. Nothing’s going to stand between us ever again. I swear.”
Before I knew what I was saying, the words tumbled from my mouth as though with a mind of their own. “Oh, Jared, I love you too. I do,”
