Page 36 of Pucking Vamps
Chapter 14
Leander
There is something off with Hayden. He’s quiet on the way back, staring out of the window as his fingers absentmindedly fiddle with the belt buckle. Perhaps he’s overwhelmed? My friends can be quite intense, especially when they take a liking to someone.
And they did to Hayden. Honestly, I’d have been surprised if they didn’t.
He’s friendly and energetic, easy on the eye. He says what’s on his mind. It’s refreshing and fun when most of us, high-society vampires, are stuck following silly rules of hierarchy so we can maintain our reputations. I’ll give him a few pointers for the ball of course—so he doesn’t embarrass me and himself—but we should be able to get away with just the basics. I am positive he can win most guests over with those radiant grins and his inappropriate jokes.
I’m smiling, I realize, as I glance into the rearview mirror. It’s a fond and slightly goofy one that I’m sure Hayden will give me shit for if he notices it. Which he doesn’t because he’s still staring out of the window with his elbow tucked on the door and his chin propped on his hand.
Clearly, something is weighing on his mind. Why? I want to make it go away. I want to console him, my chest aching at the intensity of the urge. I want to make him smile again.
I thought he had as much fun as I did at the dinner and party. Was it the blowjob? Is this embarrassment catching up to him? But he’s not the type to get shy over something like this, or he wouldn’t have asked me about the ball orgies. Is it the horses then? Maybe he wanted to try riding one today? I’ve already been thinking of getting a few for myself, but never really got around to it. Until today. His excitement was too endearing to ignore, but it will take Vivian a couple of days to find me the right animals.
“Are you hungry?” I ask, glancing at his tense form.
He does look at me then, his eyes narrowed and a little confused. “No? I had plenty to eat…” Tilting his head a little to the side, he studies my profile as I steer the car off the highway. “Are you? Like, for blood?”
I contemplate my response. It’s been a while since I last fed, but it’s not at the point where I need to just yet. It wouldn’t hurt if I did, but that would require going out hunting for a suitable victim and then reporting that and answering the one-million questions Claudius will undoubtfully fire at me. Vampire bureaucracy is a bit of a headache.
“I’d never say no given a chance to have it, but I am not in need of it just yet. My next feeding is not for another week.”
“Biting while fucking doesn’t count?” he asks, still poking at the belt.
“No. There is no drinking of blood involved usually.” There could be, and there is, but that’s typically only between partners. Even with thralls, it’s one or the other, never the two together. “It’s more… I inject my saliva, which is what makes the whole thing pleasant for you. It happens during feeding as well, to guarantee our target won’t try to fight us or run away.”
He nods slowly as he faces forward. The streetlamps lining the road cast their orange beams at even intervals, leaving small gaps of darkness between one and the next. Quietness settles in the car again, still a little tense and charged. It crawls under my skin, down my throat, along the scalp of my head, but I don’t want to press Hayden. He clearly has something on his mind, and if he wanted to tell me, he would have.
“I can pressure your coach, so he lets you play,” I offer once we’ve reached my mansion and gone through the gate. I should leave him be, I already know that, but for some reason I can’t. Besides, if it’s not food, then hockey is the likeliest culprit for Hayden’s sulky mood.
“It’s fine. I think. I’ve been behaving like I promised,” he grumbles, crossing his arms. “Plus, there’s still enough time until the game.”
He’s obviously not particularly happy about it, but the fact that he’s kept his word causes my insides to squeeze and my stomach to flutter. “You can take your frustration out on me. In bed.”
He throws me a look I can’t quite decipher. His tri-colored eyes entrance me, and my entire world narrows down to him. His usually bright presence is all kinds of skewed, so much so I can not only sense it but glimpse a hint of its murky colors. He’s warring with something on the inside. He’s confused. Sad. A little annoyed and angry. Hopeful. Scared. He’s full of doubt.
A need so strong to have him in my arms rushes through me, leaving no inch of my body not tingling. What is bothering him? Why won’t he just say? What can I do to make it better?
That last one is easy, the answer becoming obvious as I caress his warm cheek. His eyes flutter closed on a deep sigh, his fingers wrapping around my hand as I keep stroking gently.
“Whatever is on your mind, you can tell me,” I say softly, pleading almost.
He shrugs. “It’s nothing.”
It is something, but he doesn’t want to tell me. That’s fine, I suppose, though it irks me a little. Does he not trust me? Perhaps not fully, we’ve only known each other for two weeks, but things were fine before tonight. So, what changed?
“Okay. But let me distract you from it anyway.” I lean over the central console, slotting my mouth against his in a feathery kiss. “I owe you a reward.”
He shivers, parting his lips. But before I’ve slid my tongue past them so his intoxicatingly sweet taste can flood my senses, he grabs my hand and pushes me away.
“Sorry. I think I’m crashing a bit. Too much cake and ice cream, probably. Plus, it’s been a long day and I have practice in the morning.”
That has never stopped him before. It’s an excuse, I can feel how much his body craves me. I can see it in his gorgeous and troubled eyes. I can smell it on his breath, taste it in the lingering sweetness of our chaste kiss.
But I let go. He is mine as per our arrangement, but he also isn’t. Not in this way. It is not my place to comfort him or worry about him, no matter how much my entire being wishes to do so.
I can’t fall asleep that night. My mind is racing, still unable to move on from Hayden’s cryptic behavior. I can read him fairly well normally, he’s not one to hide what he thinks or feels. He’s straightforward and direct. Did I do something tonight that I shouldn’t have? But we didn’t act any differently than we usually do.