Crimson

17

Soft breaths fanned across my neck and a weight lay across my body as I cracked an eye open. Kai lay asleep next to me, his arm sprawled across my waist. I couldn't help but to stare at him, this beautiful creature laying next to me. His usually hardened expression was peaceful, his eyebrows not knitted together and his jaw not clenched. The cold part of Kai was not present, at least, for now.

I sighed as I wiggled from his grasp and slipped from the bed to the bathroom, making sure not to wake the brooding vampire. Closing the door softly behind me, I watched Kai to make sure I didn't wake him before continuing with my morning routine.

I pushed open the door of the bathroom as I tucked in the corner of my towel so I didn't have to hold it for it to stay up. As soon as I looked up I stopped short. Kai sat on my bed waiting for me. Staring at him, I blinked at the prince of darkness as he gave me a devilish smirk. Raising an eyebrow, I walked gingerly towards the vampire with the glowing eyes, mine staying connected with his. I had no idea what he wanted.

"Why are you staring at me?" I asked him instead of bluntly asking him what was on his treacherous mind. His smirk widened as if he knew something rather important that I didn't.

"Can I not stare at my girlfriend? You're lucky that I decided not to invade your privacy while you were in the bathroom, I was really thinking about it."

Girlfriend? I could get used to the sound of that.

A line of blush spread across my cheeks and a frown etched itself onto my face. Of course he would think about sneaking into my shower and then proceed to stare at me. It didn't help that nothing but a white towel covered my body. "I'm glad that you didn't."

"Maybe I should have then, just to irk you, I missed my chance to shower with you," he replied with a thoughtful but mischievous expression.

My face became even more heated, the blush extending to my neck. This seemed to amuse Kai.

"Come here," ordered bluntly.

"What?"

"Come here and I'll dry your hair," he said as he picked up a towel lying on the bed beside him. I complied with a small smile floating towards him. He shifted so I could sit down between his legs with the towel wrapped tightly around my body. I leaned back comfortably against his muscled chest as his hands massaged through my hair with the towel. Closing my eyes, I took in his scent, the intoxicating smell making my senses go haywire. Two layers. That's it.

Then his lips were on my neck and I froze, my eyes snapping open immediately. My muscles went rigid as his soft lips traveled over my skin, creating goosebumps, a reaction that he liked because he smirked against my skin. He threw the towel to the side, his hands now tightly gripping my waist. I felt his fangs barely gliding over my pulse, the points barely touching me.

"Don't you dare bit me, Kai," I said in a warning voice.

"Or what?" He mumbled to me as he sucked on my skin, placing wet and sloppy kisses all the way up to my jawline.

"I'll bite you back."

He stopped and suddenly his hand was placed on my bare shoulder, sliding down my arm in the most sensual way. Goosebumps followed where he glided his fingers along my skin. The breath caught in my throat and I swallowed heavily as I turned to look over my shoulder. His dark eyes captured me effortlessly and my breath hitched in my throat. I grabbed his hand, holding it in mine as I slowly turned to face him. I felt like a teenager again, not knowing exactly what I was doing and just being caught in the moment. I sat in between his legs, one of mine coming up to be placed on the outside of his. The towel came up, revealing my leg all the way up to my hip. My eyes flicked around his face before meeting his as his hand came up to run up my thigh painstakingly slow, reaching through the split in the towel to grab my bare hip. My heart beat faster and I bit my lip, my eyes glancing down to watch as his hand slid down my thigh and then back up. I shivered, this was something that I've never felt before, the immediate need for him. This being in front of me held my heart and my life in the palm of his hand. He was so enchanting, so beautiful in all the right ways and wrong reasons. And I knew in that moment that I was thankful that our paths crossed that night. Thankful that he had put me through the horror and fear of knowing him because in the end it was worth it.

I couldn't think straight, my heart seeming to have a mind of its own. My body took over and I rushed forward, our lips connecting in an instant that neither of us had counted for. My hands went straight for his hair, tangling the dark locks between my fingers. Kai tipped us over so that he was lying on his back and I was now straddling him.

I drew away from the kiss, smiling at him. He reached up, brushing back the strands of damp hair that hung in my face. If we went any further, I didn't know if I could control myself. "I should get dressed."

I sat up and simply stared at him for a moment, his hands now gripping both of my thighs. My senses were going haywire, I needed to get myself out of this situation. I reached down, my small hands sliding over his forearms. He pouted but let me go nonetheless, stretching his arms out on the bed. I pushed off of him quickly and purposefully made my way to the dresser on the opposite side of the room. Picking out my clothes, I threw them onto the bed next to him as he watched me from his lazy position. I smiled at him before turning my back to him and dropping my towel. Throwing on my clothes, I put my hair up and proceeded to put makeup on in the bathroom. When I came out, I was met with Kai eagerly waiting and yet another kiss placed to my already slightly swollen lips. I let out a small giggle.

"You're needy today," I teased.

He growled before softly biting my lip. I drew back with wide eyes, opening my mouth in pretend disbelief.

"That hurt!" I exclaimed, overdramatizing the situation. Both of us knew that there was nothing there as he had made sure to only bite me with his front teeth.

I giggled as he rolled his eyes. It was these moments that made me forget the fact that he was what he was and I was little more than a flash in his lifetime. That I would become little more than an insignificant speck of memory. It was these moments that allowed me to deceivingly believe that I was leading a relatively normal life. But he was a vampire and I was not. We would never fit perfectly together and we were definitely not meant to be together. The laws of both nature and his society should have ensured that. But not everything goes as planned and for now being spontaneous and unpredictable was fine with me.

My head whipped around as a creak was heard from the front of the house. This house did not creak unless weight was applied at a particular spot on the floor near the front door. I stood frozen for a moment before leaving Kai's arms and rushing towards the living room. Someone was here and they were not welcome.

"Ajae wait!" Kai yelled behind me as he followed my lead, hot on my heels. As soon as I had crossed the threshold into the room I was slammed mercilessly against the floor. The sickening crack bounced off of the walls as my head smacked against the hardwood flooring. One second I was on my feet and the next I was in a heap on the ground. Confusion made itself present and I didn't have time to register what had just happened before I was pressed down into the floor, a crushing weight now on top of me. My head spun and pain was beginning to blossom from the center of my chest but I could make out the voice of my assailant.

"Well Kai, I never expected this," the voice hissed near my ear.