For a moment, they just stood there, looking at each other. And then he took her in his arms. “Bryn, I’m crazy about you. I can’t think of anything else. Only you. Please give us a chance.”
She didn’t answer, just went up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. His arms tightened around her as he kissed her back.
Bryn laughed softly when they came up for air. “Conor, I can’t breathe.”
“What? Oh.” He loosened his hold on her but didn’t let go. “Sorry. Guess I don’t know my own strength. Do you still want to go out for a drink?”
“Not really,” she admitted. “But I think it’s a good idea.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right.” Her bedroom was way too close and she was way too desirable.
They went to a small, neighborhood nightclub. “Would you like something to eat?” he asked.
“Maybe some fries.”
He ordered their drinks and fries at the bar, his nose wrinkling at the myriad smells that assaulted his senses as he returned to their table. How long did it take to get used to the stench? To the constant barrage of noise? How long before he learned to tune out all the distractions? Saintcrow kept telling him to give it time, that adjusting would be more difficult and take longer if he hadn’t been turned by an ancient vampire.
“Aren’t you having any?” Bryn asked as she reached for a couple of fries.
“Vampires don’t eat.”
She lifted one brow. “But...you ate rigatoni. I saw you.”
“Did you?”
“Didn’t I?”
He shook his head. “I made you believe I’d eaten.”
Her eyes narrowed. “How did you do that?”
He shrugged. “I guess you could call it a form of hypnotism.”
“You hypnotized me!” The very idea sent a shiver down her spine.
Conor shifted in his chair, suddenly ill at ease. This was not going as he’d hoped.
“Conor?”
“I’m sorry, but there was no way to explain why I didn’t eat without....”
“Without telling me the truth.” She finished the thought for him.
“Being a vampire is complicated sometimes.” And never more so than now, he thought, wondering if he’d lost all hope of seeing her again.
Bryn pushed the fries away, her appetite gone. They were so different now. How would they bridge the gap between them? “Conor, what are we going to do?”
He reached for her hand, so small in his own. “I don’t want to lose you,” he said. “I love you. I think I loved you from the moment I first saw you. Give us a chance, Brynlee. Give me a chance.”
“It will never work as long as I’m human,” she said, blinking back her tears. “You know it won’t.”
“Are you willing to give it a try? Giveusa try?”
If she said no, she knew she would never see him again. Would she rather have Conor, even as a vampire, or not at all?
She looked at their joined hands, his so large and strong, hers smaller, weaker.
“Bryn.” His voice caressed her, husky with the emotions churning inside him.