Page 12 of My Blind Date is a Vampire
I buried my annoyance deep and reminded myself that this guy was my ride home. I really did not want to pay a hefty fee for a cab, and we still hadn’t talked about me wanting to buy some artwork from whoever did the painting in Beverly’s shop.
“Beverly. It sounded like the two of you know each other quite well. I was wondering if it was just a small-town thing or if your ties went deeper than that since she’s so determined to see you matched up with someone.” I added the last bit as a joke and was rewarded with a sheepish smile.
“I guess you can say that she’s a godmother of sorts. Our families go way back. She and my grandmother were close friends. Bev can be nosy at the best of times, but it’s only because she truly has the gentlest and sweetest heart of anyone I know.”
“Hold up! Bev doesn’t look a day over fifty and you want to tell me that she’s actually, what? In her seventies? Dang, I gotta get her to share her skincare routine,” I blurted, trying to wrap my head around the fact that the woman I thought was maybe around the same age as my mother was way older than I’d expected.
“So, I take it that she sets you up on blind dates quite often? It’s a wonder you aren’t married with half a dozen kids running you ragged already.” Something akin to sorrow and regret flashed in his eyes but was gone just as quickly when I mentioned having kids.
“This is only the third date that she’s set up for me. Beverly’s usually on the nose when it comes to helping people find their significant others, but she’s had trouble finding a mate for me for a while now. I’d resigned myself to a life of bachelorhood, but the woman is determined to see me paired off. Says that she refuses to have me be the only black mark on her otherwise spotless matchmaking record.” He sighed.
I cocked my head to the side and raised my eyebrows. “That’s a peculiar and archaic choice of wording. A mate, as in fated mates? I can see Bev believing in something like that, but you don’t strike me as the kind of man who buys into something like that. No offense, but you look like the type of guy who would try and explain love scientifically by using clinical and logical rationales instead of flowery declarations. But then again, you admitted that you have a profound love of the arts, so I guess my initial assessment could be wrong. Maybe you’ve written odes and ballads to your former lovers,” I mused out loud, crossing my arms on the table and leaning forward and mirroring the way Landon sat.
He mulled over his response. I could see the gears turning in his mind, and I was curious to hear what he had to say about my assessment.
“I suppose I am all of those things. I’ve seen friends and acquaintances of mine fall in love with people who seemed as if they were created specifically for each other—one soul shared by two bodies. And I have also seen and experienced all manner of despicable and questionable acts committed in the name of love. Things that made me think that if this is what love does to people, I’d rather be alone. And I’ll bet you’re just like me. That you were a firm believer in the mighty power of love until you experienced firsthand what the other side of that coin is like.”
I could feel my cheeks go hot at that. Landon was completely right, but I had no wish to delve deep into the psyche that made me stay with Toby so long and ignore the many red flags.
I went for a change in topic and brought up my interest in buying some paintings from him. Landon told me about his galleries and his art school over dessert—a decadent mille-feuille and black coffee—as the clock ticked on. I knew the date was cutting into my sleeping time and that I was going to be a living zombie the next day, but I didn’t care. In fact, I never wanted this night to end. Landon was a great conversationalist, and I was enthralled by the tales of all the places he’d visited across the world. The man may not have had any talent with paintbrushes or charcoal, but he could paint the most vivid scenes with his words.
I told him a little about my family, and my heart went out to him when he confessed that he was the last living member of his family. He did not go into details, but he did reveal that he’d lived in England for almost a decade after his parents and siblings were killed. Another tidbit he revealed reminded me of the research study I’d wanted to conduct when I applied for the teaching job. According to Landon, he and Beverly were descended from the founding families of Mystic Cove.
CHAPTER 13
We would have gone on for hours if our waitress had not informed us that they were closing up. I was so immersed in the conversation that I did not notice all the other patrons clearing out.
Similar to our drive into the city, a comfortable silence reigned on the way back. With a full stomach and the day’s exhaustion catching up with me, as well as some measure of relief that the date went better than I could have ever expected, I started to get drowsy. I did not feel myself doze off, but the next thing I knew, I was blinking my heavy eyelids awake as Landon was carrying me up the driveway to my house.
“Wha— Why didn’t you wake me? I can walk on my own!” I flailed in his arms, trying to get him to settle me down on my feet, nearly hitting him across his face with my outstretched hand.
“Easy there, tiger. You looked so peaceful that I wanted to let you get in a few more seconds of sleep,” he said, his breath stirring the baby hairs at my temple. He lowered me onto the cobblestone walkway, keeping his arms around my waist so I wouldn’t stumble and sprain an ankle.
A shiver worked its way up my spine, but I couldn’t tell whether it was from the chilly breeze coming in from the ocean signaling that fall was well on its way, or if it was the consuming intensity of Landon’s stare.
“I really enjoyed myself tonight,” he whispered, taking his hands from my waist and rubbing them up and down the sides of my arms to ward off the chill. His rich and deep timbre sounded even sexier in the quiet of the night, surrounded by the ambient sounds of nature.
“Same here.” I stepped closer to him so that we were standing chest to chest. With my six-inch heels on, I didn’t have to crane my head back very far to look up at him—Landon was a tall guy standing at what I estimated to be at least 6’2 compared to my measly height of 5’2. With most of the neighborhood likely fast asleep and only the warm glow of the porchlight illuminating our immediate surroundings, it felt as if we were cocooned in our own little world as Landon tucked loose strands of my hair behind my ear. Another shiver wracked my body when his fingers brushed against the shell of my ear and my eyes fluttered close to their own accord.
“If it’s okay with you, I’d like to take you out again. I’m going out of town for a few days to meet with an artist I’m trying to get to sign up for an upcoming exhibition, but maybe this weekend I can take you to my gallery so that you can pick out a few paintings and then we could do lunch or something?”
I could barely concentrate on a word he was saying, not with how close his face was to mine. So close that I could almost feel his lips against mine as he spoke. All I needed to do was close that small gap and touch his lips to mine.
Landon wet his lips with a quick flick of his tongue, and I thought I saw a flash of his teeth, but something about them did not look right. That thought was thrown to the wayside, however, as his eyes flashed with determination. Landon’s arms snaked around my waist and he crushed me so tightly to his chest he could probably feel my heart furiously trying to pound its way out of my ribcage. My fingers curled into his shirt and clutched on for dear life as he demolished me with a single kiss, swallowing up the moan that crept up my throat.
I was being burned alive, all the blood rushing from my head and arrowing straight down to my core as Landon tipped my head back to get better access. The velvet sensation of tongue flicking against mine, his firm lips pressed against my soft mouth was indescribable. At some point, I wrapped my arms around his neck, tugging at the strands of hair on the nape of his neck. Landon tasted like the scotch he drank during dinner, and it was a heady experience; that and knowing he was just as helpless to the sizzling attraction as I was.
For a split second, I considered breaking my no sex on the first date rule and inviting him up to my room. It had been a while since I was intimate with anyone, and my body was aching and begging for release. But as much as I wanted this man, I also felt a real attraction to him. I wanted—needed—to know if there was more to our relationship than animal attractions, so I eased back on the kiss when my lungs started burning with the need for fresh air.
Not even my parents’ adorable Labrador retriever panted so much. I was gasping for breath, my heart galloping as if I’d just run a marathon. In contrast, Landon looked cool and collected, his breathing coming in measured breaths. I would have taken offense and assumed that he was unaffected by the kiss were it not for his mussed hair and the banked heat in his hooded eyes. His gaze was concentrated solely on my swollen lips. The sheer sensuality rolling off him had me curling my toes and gulping down saliva in anticipation.
He looked as if he wanted to go in for another kiss, and I was prepared for another barrage of lust to overwhelm my senses. But instead of another bone-meltingly wet kiss, Landon gave me a chaste peck on my lips and the tip of my nose and chuckled when I made a sound of disappointment. My bottom lip jutted out in a pout without me realizing I was doing it and Landon caressed it with the pad of his thumb.
“You’re cute.” He smirked. “As much as I’d love to drag you up to your bed and lick every inch of you, I’ll have to press pause on that for now. We both have an early start tomorrow, so I must bid you goodnight, my lady. Dream of me tonight, for I will most assuredly be thinking of nothing else but the sweet taste of your lips for the rest of the week.”
And dream of him I did, each and every night as I counted down the days until our next date on Saturday.
CHAPTER 14