33. In a Dark Alley

Paul - Old City Center
Thudding shoes plod away, followed by the clickity-clacks of women's heels. The muted sounds of people walking by are unimportant to us. We're merely two more specks in the general populous.
No one pays much attention to couples making out at night on the streets of the old city center. As they seek fun and a nice place to eat and drink, the amassed people strolling around us are swept away by their own dazzling nights. Most probably, those who notice us think how sweet the lovebirds are. This is a normal night in the old city center.
This alley is a little darker than the others. I pin Laura in the shadows against an ill-lit wall. I have no idea what I'm doing. I never intended for this night to get to this. But stopping now seems to be, to put it mildly, impossible.
I can sense her chilly body, her skin's fragrance, and the smoothness of her hair. She smells like lilac, and the air surrounding her is as enticing as the pure air of the mountains.
Taste and smell fight for dominance in a struggle to savor her best. I've never tasted anything like this before, and it's heavenly. The lilac aroma makes me breathe in deeply, desperately hoping I can pull her sweetness into my lungs and hold it there forever. I have to find a way to stop and smother this maddening desire. But my hands and mouth are undeterred in their pursuit.
Seeing how she reacts to my touch makes things even harder. Her back arches, her breasts push forward, pressed against my chest as she moans softly.
I tangle my hand through the fine, copper hair and squeeze. Not enough for pain, merely the hint of it, drawing a deeper moan from her.
Her hips rock against me, urging me on. My other hand caresses her hip, and my thumb slides between her thighs. She's so responsive that I can barely contain myself. I've never met a woman able to drive me crazy like this.
There was a time when I excelled at courting women and getting them in my bed for a night or two. But never have I enjoyed so much finally kissing someone. Oh, how much I want to kiss her everywhere. But this is not going to work. She's still a strigoi, and I'm still me.
I can't keep going. I'll end up hurting both of us. I'm not sure what will happen if I continue. And things got heated enough for a public kiss.
One by one, I unclench my fingers from her hair and let my hand fall to her waist. Taking that step back takes all my strength, my breath shaky as I stare at her. The way Laura gazes at me like I'm worth my weight in gold, that kind of focus bristles the hair on my nape.
A content expression sits charmingly on her face. I hold her gaze, more questions than answers hovering between us. When I swallow, the damn necktie pushes further into my skin. I have to clear my throat in a more audible version than I've wanted.
"I must make amends for last night. Tell me what you want." I'm so high on pleasure that my voice gets husky and raw.
But as I pause and wait for her answer, Laura seems to blank out. Her lips tremble at a loss for words as if no one has ever asked her that before. I can almost see answers eluding her as the possibilities drift through her mind like seeds on the wind.
“Ask me again later,” she stutters, causing my small smile to morph into a wickedly pleased grin. I love to see her flustered like this, and even more that she didn’t mention death.
As I battle to resist the impulse to kiss her again, a startling flash of light comes from my right, blinding me for a split second. As my eyesight returns to normal, a figure emerges from the shadows and approaches with a camera as it takes another snapshot.
“Finally, I’ve got something about Paul Mateescu and his new love interest!”
I reach out to grab his camera, but he scurries away quickly through the crowd, bumping into several individuals. As I watch him disappearing, I hear Laura whispering, “We can go after him and catch him.”
I exhale a sigh. "By going after him, we might show him more than we need to. As long as it does not concern the supernatural realm, I am okay with it."
"That is, indeed, more important. But one of the ground rules you put out for me no longer applies as readily."
“What’s that?” I ask, looking at her.
"You said we'd be mates in front of the pack, but boss and personal assistant in front of the others. When the press shows us kissing in a dark alley, it complicates matters."
“I’ll think about something. For now, let’s just go home.”
Laura does not move and remains pressed against the wall, even though I am not pinning her down anymore. I'm a step away. She's irresistible with her head laid back against the brickwork. I want to take her right now, with her ruffled hair and flushed lips from so much fierce kissing.
“What about the woman in the restaurant? Are you going to leave her there like that?”
Her questions amuse me, but they have easy answers. “She’ll receive her pay even if our date was cut short. And the restaurant has the means to charge directly from my bank account.” I shrug, unaffected. “As you see, you don’t have to worry.”
Stars twinkle overhead as we walk toward my car. Cooler air sweeps in through the streets, and I'm grateful. My body is usually warmer than a normal human's, but now I feel like I'm boiling on the inside. My thoughts are uncharacteristically scattered, my normal focus elusive.
We get into the car, and after Laura settles into the seat to my right, I drive off. There’s no traffic at this hour, but I open the GPS on the car’s screen to keep me occupied. Though my eyes are busy looking between the road and the GPS, I can feel her studying my face. I don’t know what to say, so I keep quiet.