Even though
I was certainly judging myself.
And the judging didn't stop when I practically hung inside the refrigerator, staring at the empty shelves as if something edible might magically appear.
I reached into my pocket again and pulled out the three dollars and sixty-three cents I had left.
It wouldn't buy me much, but I should be able to buy pasta and vegetables to make a sauce. Dad would probably be hungry when he got home, too. I was too mad at him to take him up on it tonight, but I did it automatically.
Even though he didn't deserve it.
I sighed as I grabbed my keys and walked back to my car. Working at the bar meant keeping a vampire's anti-social schedule, but at least the supermarket would be quiet.
I went through the store quickly, familiarizing myself with all the aisles and bargain areas, paid and left before embarrassment consumed me for the meager selection I could afford. That shame burned me more than any hunger. I kept glued to the lighted walkway as I made my way back to my car, though the purr of an idling engine nearby alerted me to a limousine at the curb. I stopped for a moment because.... hell, a real limo, so dark in the back I couldn't see who was inside, even with the window ajar.
A limousine. I didn't think those who rode in them even knew this part of town existed.
It passed me, forcing me forward even though my legs were slowing, my feet hesitating as I took the next step. Damn it. I had too many worries to be curious about the owner of an overpriced car in the parking lot of a cheap supermarket.
But a strange desire to know ran through me, accompanied by a different desire. The one that whispered of another's company on a sweaty night, full of heat, touch and tossed sheets.
I shuddered as I felt a sudden throb of awareness in my body and hurried past the parked car. But I turned as I heard the soft sound of a door closing behind me, and my throat went dry as I looked at the tall man now standing next to the limo. His hair was longer on top and tousled, and the lights revealed an angular jaw and turbulent gray eyes that glittered with interest as his lips curved into a slow, relaxed smile.
I opened my lips to speak, but no words came out as he slowly approached. I stood still, watching him approach. Part of me wanted to turn and run away like a predator, but the other part wanted to.....
Shit. I didn't know what I wanted to do-look at him? Absorb him? Receive him in some way? My body shuddered as if I knew exactly what kind of welcome to offer him.
I backed up until my butt hit the brick wall behind me, and my small shopping bag fell from my hand as the man's gaze remained fixed on mine, unbelievably intense.
Something about him...
I shook my head, not knowing where my tangled thoughts were taking me. Suddenly, he stood in front of me, fiddling with the ends of my brown hair. I lifted my chin to look at him as he circled me like a shadow; his presence was imposing, his scent masculine, spicy and arousing.
The first real touch was a light caress of his knuckles on my cheek. I closed my eyes, savoring something so unexpected and fleeting, melting into a spell just for me.
Then I pulled away abruptly at his soft mouth, bumping my head against the wall before relaxing and inhaling a longing sigh that allowed his tongue to slide across my lips, silent, casual, exploring. He caressed the inside of my mouth before wrapping his arms around me and pulling me closer to him as I moaned in a way I'd never heard before. Halfway between longing and satisfaction.
My fingertips touched his cheek before I pushed them into his hair, clinging to him as he controlled my mouth and pleasure slowly spiraled through me in a physical response I'd never experienced with anyone.
I took deep breaths over and over, my breathing lost rhythm and coordination, and I became dizzy as I tried to respond to the coaxing and teasing of his lips and tongue. My heart pounded in my chest, and my nipples hardened as they pressed against him. I had never wanted a man so badly, and that thought ran through my head in a surge of desire and wantonness as I rubbed against his thigh.
When he released me, he rested his forehead against mine and took a deep breath as his chest rose and fell before dropping his head, leaving his mouth hovering over my neck. As my heart beat faster, the pulse under his mouth suddenly raged, as if something was trapped under my skin. I could feel it, as if responding to a call to be noticed.