Page 32 of My Road Trip with a Vampire: Season One

I moan softly, turning my face, and Dennis steps away. I blink my eyes shut, thinking I’ll just rest in the aftermath of my climax, but the nighttime hike has caught up to me. I slide my legs into my sleeping bag and drift into a deep, dreamless sleep.

15

LUMS POND PART 3

There’s no telling what time it is when I wake up, thanks to the blackout material of the tent. The camp light is out now, and it’s too dark to see anything more than the shadowy outline of the sleeping bag and my hands.

I can’t hear Dennis stirring; I wonder if he fell asleep too or if he’s just lurking.

Can vampires see in the dark since they’re nocturnal?

I add it to the list of vampire questions and pat the ground until I feel the edge of my phone case.

I hit the screen and tap the flashlight on. It’s 9 AM. Time to get my day started. I highly doubt Dennis packed any good snacks, let alone stuff for breakfast, so I’ll need to take care of that before I hit up the library.

I shine the light around to look for him.

I’m starting to think he left the tent when I catch the sight of him stretched out beside my sleeping bag. I squint because he doesn’t really look like himself right now; sleep softens his face and smooths out any creases.

I don’t even hear him breathing—his chest moves in shallow swells. His fingers curl beneath his chin and the dark flop of his hair falls over his forehead. There’s a sliver of his abs visible where his tank top has ridden up, showing a dark trail of hair running down from his navel.

I wonder what his skin feels like there, but I touch his cheek instead.

His eyes snap open, and he grips my wrist before I can pull back. My phone falls from my hands just as I catch the vicious look on his face.

“Ow,” I hiss.

He loosens his fingers but still holds on to me.

“What are you doing? It’s dangerous to touch a vampire when they’re sleeping,” he warns.

I feel my temper flare.

“Oh sorry, did I scare you? You’re the one who decided to sleep right next to me.”

He growls and drops his hand away.

“What do you need?”

“Can I borrow the car? I need to run a few errands and get to the library. Or do I need a chaperone every time I go out?”

He sighs.

“No chaperone necessary. The keys are on top of my bag. But if you get any ideas and decide to run off, I actually will have to hunt you down now that you know so much.”

I want to say something back, but he doesn’t sound like he’s joking. I get dressed quickly, not needing the light to know his eyes are on me when I pull my jeans on. I can feel him watching me in the dark. Guess that answers one of my questions.

“Be careful opening the tent please,” he says.

I consider his plea as I start to part the flap.

“Why? If I let the sunshine in, will you die?”

“Not from such short exposure, but I’ll be very crispy and pissed off.”

“Pity,” I say and head out to the car.

The park is beautiful in the daylight. Morning sun streams through leaves painted in reds and golds. The colors seem too vibrant, almost unnatural against the blue sky wiped clean by last night’s rain shower.