15: Bite Me

Quincy St. Martin

“Listen here, bud. We’re not ever going to be making out,” I tell him.

“Okay. Tomorrow then?” he says with that sexy, stupid, cocky grin.

Ughh!!! I start walking again, but I have this urge to stomp my feet like a five-year-old throwing a tantrum.

“So, not tomorrow either? Is the next day okay?”

I stop again and glare at him. Is he doing this just to annoy me? He bursts out laughing. I have to admit, the sound of his laughter almost makes me melt into a puddle at his feet.

It’s beautiful. Low and manly, yet full of tempting naughtiness. I could totally join in his sinful wickedness if I just let myself step off that ledge. It’s so me.

It would be too easy, but I can’t. I have to remind myself that he is not human and I have to stay away.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. I’m just messing with you,” he says. “But would it be so bad to make out with me? I’m not that hideous, am I?”

Oh, I’m sure he knows how gorgeous he is. Cocky arrogant bastard.

“I refuse to answer that,” I tell him. “Stay!” I point my finger at him sternly as I say this.

I don’t want him to follow me around and tempt me to hit him on the head…or kiss him. Both are bad options.

“Okay,” he says with laughter in his eyes. “Will you rub my tummy if I stay? Or do I get a treat?”

Oh, God. Why, oh why? He is very annoying and very tempting at the same time, and I should know annoying because I’m the most annoying person I know.

Is this God’s punishment or the universe sending me bad karma for being annoying all these years? Will all be forgiven if I stop being annoying to Jonah at least?

“Why are you following me?” I demand to know.

“Well, I’m meeting my project partner in McMichael Hall Multimedia Center,” he says, pointing at a building a few blocks away. “So, it’s you who’s been following me around and stalking me. I should be afraid.”

Stalking him? He should be afraid? What? What? I open my mouth to say something, and then I close it. Then I stop walking, open my mouth again and…

I have nothing.

Finally, I say, “You know what? Never mind.”

I’m not even going to dignify that with a comeback because I don’t have one. I’m going to pretend to be the bigger person and act like the mature adult that I am. I’m not going to stick my tongue out at him or stomp my feet like I feel like doing. See? I can be all grown up and all that.

However, I can’t help but give him the stink eye before I continue walking. I even step right in front of him so that he’s forced to walk behind me.

I come to regret walking in front of him a few seconds later. Now he’s checking me out at his leisure. I can feel his eyes on my ass the whole way to the square.

Ugghh! Being an adult is hard.

***

I’m standing in front of the mirror above the washroom sink, staring at the red angry mark on my neck. His teeth didn’t break the skin, but it looks like a hickey. A big hickey with teeth marks.

Nobody would be able to mistake it for anything else, and I have nothing to cover it with.

I’m pissed, and my eyes land on him as soon as I exit the washroom. He’s standing near the door to the architecture building, surrounded by girls as usual, and that gets me even more pissed. I march over to him without thinking, bulldozing those girls out of the way.

“Hey, watch it!” says the one standing closest to him.

“You!” I grab his hand. His eyes widen in surprise as I pull him away. When we get far enough, I push him up against the wall.

“Whoa. I know you can’t get enough of me, sweetheart, but be gentle.”

“You! You did this!” I hiss, pointing to my neck, ignoring his comment.

“Yes, I did. Didn’t I?” he agrees, looking very smug.

I don’t miss the possessive glint in his eyes as he takes in the reddened teeth mark on my skin. What the hell?

“You shouldn’t be too happy about this!” My God! “Why did you bite me?”

“Why do you think, ~moya printsessa~? Why do we mark anything?” he asks me.

Suddenly I’m noticing how close we are standing to each other. There’s that heaviness in the air between us again, and he’s looking serious. His eyes intense as he gazes into mine, willing me to understand, to say something. To say what?

The bite mark reminds me of the marks that werewolves make on their mate’s neck. Their marks are permanent. But Caspian’s teeth didn’t break through my skin, so I know it will go away in a week or so. Bite marks ownership.

No, that’s not what this is. It can’t be. I refuse to think about it that way.

He must have seen the confusion on my face, because he takes a deep breath as if he’s trying to stay patient. He then flashes me one of his smiles.

This one looks forced and doesn’t quite reach his eyes. I suddenly realize how much I understand him already.

I have been watching him from under my hobo hoodie for a while now, but we have just started talking to each other today! This man wears many smiles, and it’s alarming that I’ve come to recognize them. That only points to one thing: I am a creeper.

Oh, wow, he’s so right when he said that I was a stalker and he has no idea!

“Hey, listen, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to leave a mark on you. Not like that. I lost control. I’m sorry for scaring you today,” he says. “Forgive me?”

I stare up his face. God, he’s beautiful, and he looks sincere. His green eyes are too mesmerizing for me to keep staying mad at him. In other words, I’m such a sucker for this handsome…whatever he is.

“Okay, I forgive you,” I finally say, as if I were in a trance.

The smile that he gives me this time makes me weak in the knees. He’s flashing me his straight white teeth with those slightly prominent canines. Charming yet dangerous.

“Thank you,” he simply replies. “Can I take you out for lunch to make it up to you?”

Oh, no, free food…with a gorgeous man. My two weaknesses. “Uh…”

He’s staring at me with that hopeful look in his eyes. Why am I not supposed to get close to him again? I don’t remember why, but I know I’m supposed to say no.

“Uh... no, thanks.”

He frowns. “Why not? Do you already have other plans for lunch?”

“Yeah, I’m meeting somebody for lunch.”

I just planned to see Adam, the Club Espresso Degree café’s manager for that interview, then to have a bite to eat by myself right after, but he doesn’t need to know that.

“Look, you don’t have to make it up to me. You don’t need to take me out for lunch or anything. It’s no big deal,” I continue. “And I can easily cover the mark.”

I bring my hair over my shoulder like a curtain to cover the bite mark. “See? Nobody’s going to know it’s there.”

Somehow I think I’ve just said the wrong thing. I see the tightening of his jaw, his nostrils flaring, and his green eyes darkening alarmingly. Uh-oh…

His eyes. The black-like ink slowly bleeds into the whites and the brilliant green of his eyes. I stare up into them, mesmerized. It’s scary, yet thrilling. I’m torn between wanting to run off screaming and wanting to jump him, drown myself in his addictive scent, rub myself all over him, and kiss him…

Everywhere.

I can see his struggle to control himself. He curls his hand on the wall beside my head into a fist and leans in to skim the tip of his nose on the side of my jaw.

He breathes in my scent deeply before he hisses, “Tell me you’re not seeing anybody. Tell me there’s no other man.”

His voice is different. Deeper. Definitely not human. The hair on the back of my neck stands up in alarm.