The Vampire’s Redemption

Chapter 3

They saw each other again and again. And the more they saw of each other, the more Danielle realized that she was falling in deep. She couldn’t get enough of Michael. He was funny and interesting and kind. He was confident and sexy and he was driving her mad just by existing. Three weeks had gone by since their first “date” (if that’s what it could be called), and they’d had a few more since then. Sometimes they would go to the movies, sometimes they would walk around. Sometimes they would just sit and talk.

It was always fun and it was always absorbing. And yet there was something that gnawed at Danielle’s mind—no matter how good they seemed to feel around each other, Michael still had not made one attempt at kissing her. She couldn’t help but wonder what that was about. There was s*xual tension between them, she could feel it and she was certain he felt it too. But no matter how charged up that tension was, he never made a move. His reserved attitude towards physical touch discouraged her in turn, and so she never made any attempts either.

It was getting to be frustrating. She wondered where they were headed, provided that they were even headed anywhere at all. What was he looking for? He clearly wasn’t looking to seduce her. Was he looking for a friend for however long he would remain in town?

That was the other thing that put Danielle on edge. Michael had made it very clear that he was not in Ojai to stay. He didn’t know when he would leave exactly, but it was certain that at some point he would go. Danielle didn’t know how long she would have him for. She didn’t know how much time she had to decide to finally throw caution to the wind and make that move neither of them seemed to be willing to take the risk to make. She felt like she was racing against time without having been given permission to race.

“Are you seeing him again tonight?”

Danielle jumped. She had been lost in thought and had not heard Jack approach her behind the bar.

“He may stop by later,” she conceded.

She picked up a discarded cloth and began cleaning the counter, although it did not need cleaning. It was a very quiet evening, which was the worst kind of evening when you had something (or someone) to obsess over; it gave you way too much time to think.

“How are things going with him?”

Danielle hesitated. Jack wasn’t giving her the malicious smirk he would give her any time they would talk about a new guy in either of their lives. Gone was the teasing and the pushing of the beginning. Now Jack sported a guarded expression on his face, and his hazel eyes were dark with suspicion.

“You don’t trust him, do you?” Danielle said, realization finally striking.

Jack shrugged. “No, I don’t.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know,” Jack admitted. “I can’t quite put my finger on it. There’s just…something about him.”

Danielle wondered if that “something” was the darkness that she could still glimpse in Michael from time to time. She had long since come to the conclusion that anyone who had lost their entire family was allowed to have a bit of a dark side.

“He’s all right, Jack,” she offered, trying to reassure her friend. “Really.”

“How would you know?” Jack retorted. “How well do you know this guy?”

“Not nearly as much as I’d like to,” Danielle said readily. “But I can tell he wouldn’t hurt me.”

Jack shook his head. “You be careful, sweetheart. I can see you may be getting in too deep, and trust me, that’s never fun.”

Danielle refrained from rolling her eyes. She knew Jack was only trying to look out for her, and she knew he was speaking from experience. Very few people had been as unlucky as her best friend when it came to romantic encounters.

“I’ll be careful,” she promised.

She looked up when the main doors swung open. It wasn’t Michael, but she was still very glad for the distraction. As the young man walked up to the bar, Danielle idly wondered what was going on in her town, and where all these handsome people had been up until now.

This man was tall and sported a lithe, slender figure. He had caramel skin and slightly almond-shaped dark eyes that seemed to be able to see into your soul. He had long black hair that he wore tied up into a bun. He was dressed casually, with blue jeans, a denim jacket opened in the front, and a V-necked burgundy T-shirt.

Beside her, Jack whistled softly. “Who is that?”

“No clue,” Danielle said. She grinned at the transfixed expression on her friend’s face. “He’s all yours though.”

“Hear, hear,” Jack mumbled. He smiled brightly once the stranger reached the counter. “Hello there,” he said. “What can I get you?”

Danielle watched her friend’s smooth approach and as always envied him for it.

“A glass of red wine, please,” the stranger said. He had a clear, soothing kind of voice. It sounded like velvet. “And a chat with you, if you would be so kind.”

Danielle blinked. The man had looked straight at her as he said the words. “With me?” she said surprised.

Jack snorted. “Figures,” he mumbled under his breath as he fetched the wine and the glass. “The best ones are always straight.”

“You’re Danielle, aren’t you?” the stranger asked. He was staring intently at her, as if he were studying her. It made for a very uncomfortable scrutiny.

“I am,” Danielle said after a moment, feeling at a loss. “And who are you?”

“I’m Stephen. Michael’s brother.” The young man flashed a white smile at her and held out his hand.

Danielle shook it carefully. Michael had told her about his brother and she had been curious to meet him. She did not expect him to seek her out and she did not expect him not to look like Michael at all. One of them had probably been adopted, and Danielle resorted to never ask about it.

“It’s very nice to meet you,” she said, smiling back.

“Likewise.”

Stephen settled onto one of the stools at the bar. He nodded his thanks to Jack when he placed the glass of red wine in front of him. His gaze lingered over Jack’s figure even while the man walked off towards the kitchen.

“Your friend is quite beautiful,” he said bluntly.

Danielle blinked, taken aback. “Uh…yes, he is. You’re…?”

“Gay?” Stephen finished for her. “Yes. For the most part.”

Danielle frowned. “What does that mean?”