Page 37 of Little Wing
Keeping Lotus out of my head after the grand opening was impossible. I couldn’t stop thinking about her smile, her eyes, her freckles. As much as I tried to keep my vivid fantasies polite, I was slipping. From the day I first tasted her lips to the night I held back from fucking her in the bookstore, I couldn’t keep my mind from devising delicious scenarios—all the things I wanted to do to her, like hiking up her skirt to worship her on my knees.
Rushing into fucking wasn’t unheard of for me, especially when I had no intention of having a repeat experience. But Lotus? She felt different; she was different. I looked forward to her texts, because she wrote out all her sentences. Punctuation marks and all that, too! I also loved how she shared her life with me, even the most mundane things. It just felt so good to be included in her world.
Lotus was so close to me in age, so we were able to connect on many subjects, but while I did my best to embrace the changing world, she still felt so deeply rooted in her antiquity. It was endearing.
So, tonight wasn’t about getting her naked—though if the night came to that, then I wouldn’t object.
Tonight was about doing this right, and it would start by taking her out on a proper date.
As I stood beside the gate at her apartment building, I waited patiently for her to come down. At least that would allow me to hopefully force my mind out of the gutter. Even after jacking off in the shower before leaving, I felt my dick stiffen just at the thought of her. Her face. Fuck. Her freckles, like constellations I wanted to admire. Fuuuuuck. That smile…
I was already worked up and the sound of heels against concrete wasn’t helping the filth I had living rent-free in my head. But when the gate creaked open and I turned to greet my date, I thought my knees would give out. My nostrils immediately flared at the sight of the goddess before me.
“Hello, Silas.”
Her voice was soft and sultry. I could smell her and hear the steady hum of her heart. Each slow beat made me swallow harder as I took in a deep breath, inhaling her scent. The woman before me was not of this world. Her jet-black hair draped lazily over her shoulders while still letting her freckle-speckled shoulders peek out. I knew when I could finally step closer to look her in the eyes that I would find the same freckles on her cheeks and nose.
“Lo-Lotus,” I stammered, nearly stumbling as I took another step closer. I was desperate to close the distance between us. I needed to touch her, to make sure that this creature was in fact the woman I was taking out tonight.
Was this really what she was hiding all this time?
“You’ve shared a lot with me,” she said and placed her hand on my forearm. “You deserved this honesty from me.”
I reached to cup her chin in my hand. Gods, those eyes. If I thought men rode into battle just for a hint of her smile, then I’d burn the world down at her command just to know she’d always look at me this way.
“I’d never ask you to share anything you aren’t ready to, understand?” My eyes drifted from hers to her lips that were painted red. “This is all at your pace. I will never ask you to do anything you aren’t comfortable doing.”
She nodded, nuzzling my hand with her chin.
I never expected her to come without the crutch of her makeup. Maybe I thought someday soon she’d take it off while we were alone, but this was us going out in public. I couldn’t stop admiring her and I didn’t even have a chance to look at what she was wearing. When I finally allowed my gaze to leave her face, I sucked in a breath, taking in the sight of her outfit. The dress she was wearing hugged every curve that I longed to run my hands over. Just the thought and having her within arm’s reach made my dick twitch again.Down boy…
This was everything.
This was her heart served to me on a silver platter, her vulnerability on full display.
“You are so beautiful,” I whispered and finally leaned down to press my lips gently against hers. My hunger for her fought to take more, but in that moment only tenderness had its place. The depravity I felt beneath my belt would have to wait.
The night was only beginning and as much as I wanted to throw her over my shoulder and march her back upstairs, I did in fact have an evening planned for us. We were going to what was unofficially deemed the “vampire district” of Fairhaven. There were newly built townhomes and businesses that were there to accommodate us after the treaties were signed. The first few years made many cities realizethat with us joining the population officially… more room had to be made. We couldn’t simply fit into what was already around unless we wanted to accidentally fry in the morning sun if we forgot to close the blinds. These new buildings had windows that were just decorative or ones that were treated with blackout shades that reacted to the sunlight.
A lot changed for us.
And with all that was accessible to us, I often wondered why Lotus continued to live in an apartment designed for humans. While I wanted to know so much more about her, I hoped that this date would open her eyes to what opportunities were available to us, especially here in Fairhaven.
Hunters were illegal. If anyone had issues with vampires, then they handled it through the courts. Our rights were as valid as any other humans.
“The vampire district,” Lotus said not in question, but as a statement.
I looked down at her and allowed my lips to quirk into a lopsided smile.
“What?” she smirked, glancing up at me before returning her attention to the path before us. “I am very aware of what life for vampires is like just beyond where I live. I’m not blind.”
A laugh escaped my parted lips. “Never said you were, but have you actually enjoyed a night out to enjoy some food that is made specifically for vampires?”
“No.”
“Then allow me the pleasure of introducing you to bougie vampire food,” I said as I stopped to bow before her once we arrived at a red door surrounded by blacked-out windows. The over-the-top gestureearned me one of her wide smiles that made my knees weak and chest tight.
I found myself conditioned to make her smile. I chased the warmth that I felt spread beneath my skin at the mere proximity to her.
