He blinked at me. "What?"
I shook my head. "Yeah, I know...right? I'm a little surprised too...but, yeah, that kind of turned me on."
He gaped at me as he slowly moved his head back and forth. "You're so weird," he said, as his fangs retracted back to wherever they went when they were hiding.
"Said the vampire who just drained our dinner," I wryly replied.
"Touche," he laughed. A burner on the stove had a large pot of water sitting on top of it, and he turned the knob to hot.
I stepped over to where he was now washing his hands, of all things. "You did that so fast."
Drying his hands on a towel, he gave me a serious look. "There is no point in needless suffering. I'm not cruel."
Still morbidly curious, I asked, "How long would it take to drain a human?"
His jaw clenched and he frowned at my question. "I will never drain a human."
I shook my head and brushed aside his concern with my hand. "Just in theory...how long?"
He looked at me a long time before answering. "I've heard it can be done in seven seconds."
Holy...dang...
"Wow...you'd never even know what hit you."
He looked over at the chicken, almost like he now felt sorry for it. "Yeah."
Wanting to lighten his mood, and perhaps actually being serious with my request, I playfully tossed out, "Will you drain my boss?"
His head snapped back to mine and the corners of his lips lifted. "What?"
I slipped my arms around his neck and, relaxing, he curled his around my waist. "The shrew I work for. Just a smidge. Just enough to knock her on her ass for a few days."
He kissed my nose. "No."
I ran my hands suggestively down his shirt, and then started un-tucking it. "I'd be most...appreciative."
He laughed as he watched my hands pull up the fabric. "Are you offering yourself to me, if I suck on your boss?"
I husked out a laugh and kissed his neck. "Hmmmm...is it working?"
He pushed me back and stopped my hands from unbuttoning his shirt; his grin was wide. "No...I'd rather go back to abstaining."
I smacked his chest. "Some vampire you are. I can't even get you to nibble on a human for some lovin'." I shook my head and dramatically sighed. "What is the supernatural world coming to?"
Teren laughed and walked over to the chicken. "You should be grateful I'm not more inclined to 'nibble on humans,' as you put it." Holding the feet with a silicone pot holder, he immersed it in the boiling water for a few seconds, then set it back on the counter. When it cooled enough, he grabbed a leg and started removing feathers.
My stomach churned at the sight. "Ugh, see-ya. I'll be in the living room."
He stopped his hands to look over at me. Pointing at the chicken carcass he was plucking, he said, "This...this makes you squeamish?"
I pointed to the feathers in his hand. "Yes. That...that is gross."
He was chuckling at me as I turned the corner into his magnificent living room and plopped onto his super soft couch. He finished preparing the chicken and then brought us out a glass of wine-blood red, of course-to enjoy while the bird cooked. We snuggled on the sofa and talked over our couple days apart while we sipped our drinks. He talked about his meeting, and how impressed his boss was with his last article-a feature on how to enjoy the city on a tight budget, which, as I looked around his incredible home, made me wonder how he'd known what to write about. I didn't think he had to "budget" for anything. I told him about my mom and sister wanting to meet him and he gave me an Anytime you're ready look. That brought the conversation around to this weekend, and meeting his parents.
We decided...well, he decided and I grudgingly agreed, that he would pick me up at my place after work Friday night. I had a feeling he was mainly picking me up, just so I wouldn't bail on the whole event. He said he could make the sixty mile drive in forty-five minutes, if we hit the traffic just right, so we'd be arriving just in time for dinner. I didn't know what unsettled me more-how fast we'd be going to get there so quickly, or the getting there just in time for dinner part. Was that arriving in time to join his family for a meal, or arriving in time to be the meal?
The majority of my brain really wasn't worried about his family killing me...after all, he was right, that would be a pretty rude way to meet your son's girlfriend. But I'm only human, and there is an intrinsic fear of knowingly walking into a predator's den. Like the fear you get when you go to the zoo, and the only thing separating you from the field where the lionesses are basking in the sun, is some vegetation, a ditch and a short fence. I don't know, but I'm pretty sure, given the proper incentive, that really wouldn't pose as much of an obstacle as the zookeepers would have us believe.
We finalized our plans and talked over some details, like, they have a pool, so bring your suit. Then we ate our roasted chicken on the patio and watched the sun set, the burnished reds and oranges rippled across the sky and reflected in the water below it. When we were full and satisfied, Teren proceeded to satisfy my other hungers as well...and I'd been right-his very nice dress clothes looked much, much better crumpled up along with mine beside his very spacious and luxurious bed.
Chapter 3 - The Adams Family
I tried to make Friday night come as slowly as possible. I stayed up late Thursday night, once I got home from Teren's. I woke up early and took my time getting ready for work. I drove five miles under the speed limit. I took an inordinately long time lining up the corners whenever I had to staple something. I looked over every page I was researching three times before filing it away. I walked to the Starbucks at lunch for my pick-me-up. I actually held a conversation with Clarice-and that was out of pure desperation.
But nothing worked, time betrayed me and surged forward at a quicker-than-possible pace, and before I knew it, I was hugging Tracey goodbye, almost willing her to beg me to stay home this weekend for some friend-emergency. But her Friday had been the opposite of mine. Hers had dragged on and on and she briefly returned my hug, before pushing me back and nearly skipping out the door to get ready for her date with Hot Ben. I sighed as I left to go get ready for my date...with the whole Adams clan.
I was stubborn though, and when Teren arrived on my doorstep I sputtered that I wasn't ready, that I hadn't even packed yet, and that I was really sorry, but we were going to be late. Looking casual in faded blue jeans and a layered t-shirt, Teren smiled at my attempt to delay us and phased from my sight with inhuman speed. I blinked at the spot in my small living room, where only three seconds ago he had been. I'd never actually seen him move blurringly fast and I was a little stunned that it was physically possible. I wondered why he moved at regular speed at all. If I could zip around like a human hummingbird, I'd get so much more done during my day.
When I slowly trudged up my steep steps, he was in my room, zipping up a bag he had lightning-quick packed for me. I sighed at my half-hearted attempt to postpone the inevitable and then grinned. "I need to double-check what you packed."
In ten seconds, he rattled off everything he'd put in there as he flopped the bag over his shoulder. He had forgotten nothing...even my cosmetics and an extra swimsuit were in there. He did a better job than I would have. He smiled as he headed for my door. I sidestepped in front of it. I had other ways to slow him down. At least I could make it so we'd miss this elusive "dinner" that I still wasn't entirely sure about.
Teren twisted his lips and cocked his head as he looked at me. "We really should get going, Emma."
I put my hands on his chest and bit my lip suggestively. I slowly started running my hands down to his jeans. "What's your hurry?"
He frowned and slightly shifted his stance. "I told my parents we'd be there in time for dinner. I don't want them waiting for us."
I slid my fingers under his waist band and brought them around to the button. I slowly unfastened it and gazed at him with some serious bedroom eyes. "But I want you...now..."
He dropped my bag and for the briefest moment, I thought I'd actually won. But then he grabbed my fingers and stopped them from unzipping his jeans. He held them in one hand while he fixed his clothes with the other. "Would you stop trying to delay us? Everything will be fine."
I sulked. "I'm not trying to delay us. I'm..." I looked up at him from under my brows and half-smiling, gave it one last shot. "I'm incredibly turned on by your...speed packing...and I want you," I growled in a low voice.
He smiled at me in an equally seductive manner. "You can have me..." he turned me around so I was facing the door and then he lightly pushed me through it, "...after dinner."
I made an affronted noise and looked over my shoulder at him while I trudged back down the stairs. "I'm not being intimate with you at your parents' place. Consider yourself cut off this weekend, buddy."
I turned back to the front and only his laughter answered me. Irritated, I looked over my shoulder again and saw him still chuckling. "What?" I asked, a little bit of heat in my tone.
"Nothing...I'm just trying to picture you telling me no." His attractive face looked a little smug now.
I stopped at the bottom stair and he stopped a step behind me. The smugness faded as he frowned. "Come on, Emma, let's go."
I half-grinned up at him. "I need to change."
He eyed me up and down. "You look fine. You look great. Let's go."
My smile widened. "Nope, I want to change out of my work clothes. I'll be just a minute." I gave him a sweet peck on the cheek as I snuck past him on the narrow stairs. This was one thing he really couldn't deny me and he couldn't rush me either. I took twenty minutes, changing my pantsuit into more comfortable jeans and a fitted top, and what I deemed were appropriate ranch-wear boots. He was sitting on my bottom step, twiddling his thumbs and looking irritated, when I was finished.
I blew past him on the stairs. "Come on, Teren, we don't want to be late." He exhaled in a heavy sigh as he followed me out of the house.
Almost instantly, I realized my error in taking my time getting ready. For one thing, I had not succeeded in causing us to arrive any later. No, the only thing I had succeeded in doing was causing Teren to drive faster. He pushed his little Prius to an alarming speed and, since it apparently was not my day, there was little traffic to deter him and zero cops to slow him down. He made the supposedly 60-mile drive in forty minutes.
Teren looked over at me with a wide smile as we made the final right turn into their seemingly endless gravel driveway. "I think that's my new personal best. Thank you for pushing me."
Ignoring him, I looked out the window at the acre upon acre of long, waving blonde grass and the occasional brown and white cow head, peeking up before poking back down. I had the sudden image of a fanged, black-haired woman draining one of those cows, and shuddered. I looked straight ahead as we passed under a huge, white, wooden arch, boldly bearing the family name in large black letters-ADAMS. My previous cow thought jogged a memory, and in my nervousness I started laughing almost hysterically.
Teren gave me an odd look, like he thought I was losing it. "You okay?"