He stared at me, and I stared back at him, taking in every scar, every line, every wrinkle that sat on his face, his perfectly handsome face, and my heart continued to race.
We had been this close before, but it was only now that I could actually feel the full extent of heat rising in my body. I was craving something other than blood, and unlike when I had been near Eric and just wanted something to feel, this felt entirely different.
We were silent, apart from our breathing, and I watched as his eyes looked down at me, my t-shirt had risen slightly at the bottom exposing my midriff. I wished he would just place his hand on my skin. I wanted to feel his touch.
“I…” he paused as he pushed away from me slightly. “I think that’s enough training for today.”
As he lifted himself off me, he simply left the room, leaving me to lie on the floor trying to calm myself, annoyed and confused all at the same time.
Did he really just do that?
17
Getting up and chasing him out of the room and into the living room, I caught a glimpse of Darius as he opened the front door and disappeared out of the building. Was I really that bad to be around? Was his joking and flirting all for show?
Following him at almost record speed, the cold wind and rain hit me like a bucket of ice. I hadn’t even noticed the weather had changed. I stood close behind him, but he kept his back to me.
“Hayley, get back inside.”
“No. What the hell was that all about?”
I demanded answers, I wanted to know why all of a sudden, he just disappeared on me, after winding me up for weeks. I was just as confused as he was. Was this more than just an attraction to him? Did I like him?
“I said get back inside.” He growled at me.
“You’re not the boss of me! What the hell is your problem?!”
Taking a step forward, I came to stand a little closer behind him, and the heat radiated from him as the rain continued to pelt down, causing our clothes to get soaked. My feet felt the chill more than ever as I had run after him with no shoes.
“You. You are my problem.”
He turned around slowly, and I caught the sight of his eyes, dark and almost demon-like. I had never seen something like it before, but I knew all too well what that anger was.
“You are a thorn in my side, someone who vexes me beyond belief! You are arrogant, stubborn, and someone that I…”
“Oh, don’t stop there, you’re clearly on a roll of insults. You’re lucky I haven’t started yet,” I hollered back.
“Someone that I hate caring about!”
He shouted, and I stopped talking, words did not exist anymore. He had stolen them, and I had no idea how to continue or respond. I was slowly starting to care about him, care for him as more than an acquaintance. He had plagued my thoughts since the moment we met in that graveyard, or maybe even back when I caught his eye in the gym.
“You have plunged a stake so deep in my heart, I can’t get rid of you. No matter how much I try, you’re there, and I hate it.”
“Am I really that difficult to like?”
A lump appeared in my throat, the first time I had ever become upset over someone having feelings for me, and not the feelings I expected.
“That’s the problem. It’s not difficult and I wish it were.”
He closed the last gap between us, and I shivered as he ran a hand up my forearm, the rain now completely soaked through our clothes. He brought his hand up, and placed it on the back of my neck, licking his lips while looking down at me.
“We shouldn’t be this close to each other. A vampire hunter, and her prey.”
“Darius, I think I am your prey.”
Before I could do anything or say anything else, his lips met mine, and a deep passionate kiss took over us both. My hand reached for the back of his head as I leaned up a little on my toes, pulling him down slightly as his other hand reached around me, and then seconds later, he lifted me up in the air, and I wrapped my legs around his waist.
Our bodies collided into the brick wall of the building as his tongue danced along with mine, and my stomach started to flutter as the heat raised between us despite it being cold outside.