Page 49 of My Vampire Plus-One

“Let’s do it,” I managed.

He gave an infinitesimal nod of his head and a cocky little smirk that sent my thoughts scattering. He placed one hand at my waist, the ever-present chill of his palm cutting through the fabric of my dress like I was wearing nothing at all. He inclined his head, and—

“Wait,” I spluttered, panicking again, freezing. His eyes were so blue, his lips so close to mine that if I moved even a muscle, we would be kissing. “You mean, here?”

The right corner of his mouth quirked into another amused smirk.Unfair, I thought feebly, unable to look away from his plush lips. “Thisisa rather central location,” he murmured. His words were cool puffs of air on my upturned face. He was so dazzlingly close. “But if you have another idea, I suppose we could—”

I cut off the rest of his words with my lips.

Maybe if I had planned this better, I would have been prepared for the reality of kissing Reggie. But I hadn’t planned this at all, and I was completely unprepared.

With what remained of my scattered wits, I reminded myself to keep the kiss slow and chaste. Nothing that would horrify anyone or involve tongue. But it was immediately clear that Reggie had other plans; it wasn’t long before my body did, too.

He kissed with a practiced ease that threatened to completely unmake me, one broad palm finding the small of my back as he tugged me closer. I went willingly, unthinkingly, my arms wrapping around his neck when he tilted his head and traced the seam of my lips with the tip of his tongue.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. My body was not supposed to react to his proximity, his touch, his kiss. Thiswasn’t real. But for my body, this kiss was as real as it got. My breath quickened as the seconds slipped past, as Reggie briefly dipped his tongue into my mouth before withdrawing again. His taste was peculiar, like metal and salt, like that time I’d accidentally bitten my tongue while eating too fast and blood pooled in my mouth. It did nothing to dispel the moment, or to distract me from the very real sensations coursing through me. I clutched at the ends of his shirt collar, thinking only of bringing him closer, not even realizing I was doing it until he returned the favor by bunching up the fabric at the front of my dress in his fist.

“Amelia,” he whispered against my lips.

And then, it was over. Reggie pulled back by degrees, giving me a sheepish grin.

I was warm and flushed all over. I had no doubt that my face was as red as the strawberries I’d eaten for dessert. When I looked into his eyes, the blacks of his pupils had nearly swallowed up the brilliant blue irises, but he seemed otherwise unaffected by what we’d just done.

“Do you think they bought it?” His voice was low, with an edge of gravel in it that curled my toes. “I personally think it was a convincing performance, but you know your family better than I do.”

A convincing performance.

His words were the bucket of cold water over my head I desperately needed.

I shook my head a little to reorient myself. “It was good,” I said lamely. His eyes widened; too late, I realized I was answering a different question from what he’d asked. I closed my eyes and tried again. “I…think it was convincing.”

To my relief, and horror, my mom, Aunt Sue, and my sister-in-law Jess had definitely noticed what Reggie and I had just done. They were talking amongst themselves in the living room, standing about ten feet away from us and shooting us meaningful looks every few seconds. When the older women moved away, my sister-in-law gave me a theatrical wink and a big thumbs-up.

“It was convincing,” I confirmed, feeling dizzy.

“Well…” Reggie reached up and rubbed awkwardly at the back of his neck. His composure from moments ago showed signs of cracking. Now that he was standing a small distance away I noticed that he looked almost as dazed as I felt. His other hand still rested lightly at my waist. Was it breaking our rules if I didn’t want him to pull away? “That’s good.”

“Yeah,” I heard myself agree. “Definitely good.”

If only I knew where we went from here.

FOURTEEN

Text exchange between Reginald Cleaves and Amelia Collins

REGINALD:hi Amelia

REGINALD:Oh wait

REGINALD:damnit

REGINALD:it’s the middle of the night again isn’t it

REGINALD:you’re probably sleeping

REGINALD:no need to wake up and reply to this

REGINALD:just wanted to thank you for a lovely evening