The Vampire Playboy - Blood and Lust

Chapter 7

Olivia's POV

Charlie's eyes became wide and he dropped my hand, he looked at his hand and then back at me. s**t, I'm sure he felt that too.

"I thought we could talk. I don't know, I figured you don't know anyone here except Sophie, so maybe another friend would be good. How old are you?"

"18, you?"

"I'm 22, so what made you move here?"

"I...I don't want to talk about that right now, it's complicated"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

I realised that we had started walking back around the pond again. I looked at a pair of swans swimming around. They looked so elegant like they were gliding.

"Are you going to university?"

"Not this year. I'm not even sure if I'll go next year, it's something I'm trying to figure out while I'm here."

"It's my favourite place."

I was confused.

"Where is?"

"Here, it's where I like to come just to clear my head and get my thoughts straight."

He took me, a stranger, to his favourite place.

"It's beautiful here, thank you for bringing me. Did you grow up here?

Charlie shook his head, causing some of his mousy brown hair to fall in front of his eyes, I wanted to reach up and brush it away. At that moment, I realised just how tall he actually was, maybe around 6ft 2. I must look like a hobbit next to him.

"No, I moved here a few years ago, but I used to come here a lot when I was younger. I move around a lot."

We had reached the car park again.

"I'll drop you off at home, Sophie's house, right?"

"You know where she lives?" Sophie said. She didn't know him well. How did he know where she lived?

"It's a small town, and I'm on the town council."

I guess that made sense.

This time, when we got into the car, Charlie turned the radio on, and Greenday began playing.

"So what do you plan to do while you're here?" He asked as he kept his eyes firmly on the road.

"Hopefully I'll find a job soon, make friends and maybe find out who I am" my cheeks burned, "god that sounded so cliché and cheesy" I laughed.

"You really are fascinating. I don't think I've met anyone as open as you. Not only do you say what's on your mind, but how you feel is written all over your face."

"I don't know if that's a compliment or not, I seem to have foot in mouth disease around you."

There was that smirk.

"It was a compliment. Did you not get complimented a lot where you're from? You don't take them well."

" I didn't get complimented at all, I...I wasn't popular and wasn't really liked back home. But it is what it is."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Urm thanks I think, but it's true, I didn't really have any friends, and was a bit of a loner. I went to boarding school, and my life back there was a bit different."

We continued making small talk for the rest of the drive, about the weather, about songs that came on the radio, but no more personal questions were asked. I guessed we were done with getting to know each other. I'd sent Sophie a text to let her know Charlie was driving me home. She hadn't read or replied to my other message yet.

Charlie stopped the car outside of the house and hopped out grabbing the bags.

I unlocked the door and popped the bags inside, brushing his hand slightly as I did so, I jumped back at the shock. Was this in my imagination? It has happened so many times it couldn't be. I looked at Charlie's face, searching for any hint that he had felt it too.

I didn't know how this was supposed to go. Was I supposed to invite him in? Did I want to invite him in?

"Thank you for helping me with my things and for taking me to that park."

"No problem, anytime, and thanks for keeping me company today."

Charlie said as he sat down on the doorstep. My heart did a little flip that he wasn't leaving immediately and so I plopped myself down beside him in the least graceful way I could have imagined. I swayed to the side and giggled.

"You're a walking accident waiting to happen '' he laughed, throwing his head back, man I really wanted to run my tongue along that jawline.

My mouth dropped open at the shock of my thoughts. I'd never thought about anyone like this before, let alone a stranger.

He looked at his watch and sheepishly turned to look at me.

"I'm really sorry I didn't realise the time, it's nearly 5 pm and you've completely missed lunch. I should have checked if you were hungry."

Now I laughed.

"I hadn't even thought of food until you just mentioned it. Good thing I'm not hungry, I've not had much of an appetite since...." I shook my head, I didn't want to go into that with him, I didn't want his sympathy. I wasn't sure what I wanted from him, but I knew it wasn't sympathy. He didn't push it.

"Will you be OK yourself until Sophie gets home?"

"Oh yeah I'll be fine, I've still got some things to unpack". That was a lie and I knew it. I caught the hint of that smirk again on his face. I tilted my head trying to work out what I'd said that caused the smirk. "Besides, I pretty much spent most of my time alone before I moved here. You know boarding school and no friends. You get used to it"

"I still don't understand how someone like you had no friends." There was no tone of mocking, he sounded sincere.

"I guess I'm just different from them? I don't know, you would really have to ask them, but you, you would absolutely be the type to fit in with the popular crowd. You would have had no problems making friends. In fact, I bet everyone here loves you."

He laughed and turned his head to meet my gaze. I lowered my lashes, determined not to blush over how embarrassed my last sentence had made me feel.

"You are different, that's for sure, but in a good way, it's their loss. And I suppose you are right, I don't have much difficulty making friends or acquaintances."

The hairs on my neck began to stand on edge again and I physically shivered. There was that feeling of being watched again.

Charlie frowned, "are you cold?"

I frowned and shook my head, "I'm going to sound crazy, but every so often, since I arrived, I've had this weird feeling that someone is watching me. Actually it happened today right before you saved my poor vase from shattering into a million pieces."

"Is that so? And you got it again just now?"

"I did. It's weird, as I didn't get it the whole time we were at the park."

Charlie stood up and looked around nervously.

"I don't think anyone is watching me, so you can relax. I think I'm just on edge a bit from being in a new unfamiliar place. Anyway, the feelings are gone now."

He sat back down and smiled slightly. I could see the muscle muscles on the side of his jaw tensing.

"What was all of that stuff that you bought today? You sure do like the colour pink."

I laughed, "Oh I love all things pink and sparkling, I'm your typical girl when it comes to that. You're going to think it's dumb"

"I promise I won't think it's dumb."

I sucked in a breath and then briefly closed my eyes. Did I want to tell him this? God, the way he looked at me made me feel like I wanted to spill every dark secret and bare my soul to him.

I exhaled noisily.

"David told me I could decorate my bedroom. My parents didn't let me do that at home. I wasn't allowed to decorate or put things on the walls or pick things for the bedroom, so yeah, I got a bit excited when David told me I could pick whatever I wanted. To be honest, I was like a kid in a candy shop for the first time." I let out a laugh and smiled at the feeling of running my hand over the fabrics.

"That's...really cool of David to do that."

"Yeah it is, he's a good guy and really made me feel welcome, and not like I'm imposing on them, so that's what I'll be doing tonight, organising my new bedroom." I laughed again, the thought of a bedroom that was truly mine made me spread with warmth and smile.

Charlie leaned forward, placing his palm on my cheeks. I gasped at the shock of the contact but didn't pull away. I forced myself to look at his face, it was set in a look of concentration, he was close enough that I could feel his breath on my cheek, my heart was racing, my palms grew clammy and, before I knew what I was doing, I leaned in and brushed my lips slightly to his, his soft lips parted slight but he didn't reciprocate the kiss, in fact, in fact Charlie didn't move at all.

"You smell so good" he breathed, his breathing sounding heavy.

My mouth was still inches from his, his hot breath on my lips made them tingle, and that lull from his Irish accident gave me flutters in places I'd never had flutters. I felt like I was frozen in time again, incapable of moving, my cheeks flushed pink and hot, he hadn't kissed me back, why hadn't I moved away from him? But he hadn't moved his palm from my cheek either. The tension between us felt heavy in the air. I moved my head backwards away from him.

His eyes began to widen, he seemed to let out a sigh, then his other hand was around my waist pulling me into his chest. There was that shock of contact. My breath hitched and then his lips met mine. I didn't hold back, I let his lips explore mine and let mine explore right back, and his tongue gently met mine. His hand moved from my cheek to behind my head and the kiss intensified. I pressed myself into him, eliminating any space that was there. My fingers found his hair, tangling in it. Charlie made a throaty sound and then I felt his body tense and stiffen. The kiss ended and he dropped his hands away from me. I pulled my hand away and shuffled my body back a few inches. That had been so abrupt.

Charlie stood up, "I better go." He turned and began to walk down the driveway.

What had just happened? We were kissing one minute and the next he felt so cold and distant towards me.

I jumped up and took a step forward.

"Did I do something? I...I haven't kissed many people, I'm sorry if it was bad."

He didn't turn to look at me but stopped at his car.

"You didn't do anything, you were great, I just need to go." There was a tone to his voice that I did understand. He sounded flat, his voice different from before.