I had only been kissed one other time in my life. It was brief, awkward, and just a little bit sloppy.
Nothing like the way Dean Lachlan was kissing me now. No, this wasn't some clumsy teenage encounter. It was passionate, hot, and sent my heart into a frenzy.
His lips were soft, but his kiss was rough, desperate. It felt like a plea, but for what I wasn't sure.
He skimmed a hand across my cheek, reaching up to gently knot his fingers into my hair. I gasped when he gave my locks a gentle tug, allowing his tongue to slip inside my mouth.
Our tongues caressed each other, our lips moved in sync, as Dean Lachlan lowered me back on the bed. I felt him pull at the sash of my robe, causing it to fall open, then he broke the kiss.
I was confused for a second, wondering why he had stopped, when he lowered his head. My heart stuttered, fear momentarily overriding desire as I thought he was going to feed from me.
Please, not now. I mentally begged. I need time to heal.
Thankfully, he avoided my neck.
Instead, he began trailing his lips along my exposed shoulder, licking and nipping at my flesh as he moved on to my collar bone. With his hand still in my hair, Dean Lachlan ran his other one down my side, gripping my hip bone briefly, fiercely, before traveling further south.
"No, don't." I hastily grabbed his hand just as it was sliding into my panties, eyes wide with alarm.
He looked confused, maybe even a little hurt, so I elaborated, sheepishly. "I'm on my period."
God, I can't believe I forgot about that.
"Oh," he sat up on his knees, his desire sticking out blatantly against his dark slacks. "Apologies, Miss Ridley. I had no idea that would bother you."
"Wait, you knew?" I was almost afraid to ask. "How?"
Now it was his turn to act sheepish. Dean Lachlan rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding my gaze while speaking. "Well, vampires do have a strong sense of smell."
He stopped, sparing me further mortification by confirming a newfound paranoia I wasn't aware I'd had--he could smell my period.
"Oh, God." I felt my cheeks heat up, and put my face in my hands. Then, a thought occured to me. "So, you knew I was on my period, and you were still willing to..." My face felt like it was on fire, a mix of modesty and incredulity fueling the flames.
"Of course, I was willing-- more than willing, actually." He sounded reflective, positive. "I am a vampire, after all; a little blood isn't going to bother me."
I peeked up at him, my mouth agape. How could I possibly respond to that?
"I'm sorry; that was far too crass." He lifted my chin, his index finger lingering for a moment after he closed my mouth. "Forgive me, for that and my presumptive actions. It was wrong of me to just assume--"
Another knock at the door interrupted him, and Dean Lachlan let out an exasperated sigh before getting up to answer it.
Still reeling from mine and the Dean's make-out session, I fumbled with my robe, shakily tying the sash around me. Seconds later, Dean Lachlan closed the door, turning to reveal a small pile of clothes in his arms.
"These are for you." He placed them gently on the bed, offering an apologetic smile. "I have a faculty meeting in half an hour, and as much as it pains me to leave you, I can't afford to miss it." He paused for a moment, leaning down to plant a chaste kiss on my cheek. "Especially after yesterday."
"You're running me off?" Hurt tinged my voice. Even though we hadn't really done anything, I couldn't help feeling used, dirty.
Dean Lachlan looked slightly alarmed, then pulled me into his arms. "I could never intentionally run you off."
He bent down to brush his lips against mine, reigniting my desire. I wrapped my arms around his neck, opening my mouth to his as he claimed it with a low moan. He flattened his hand against the small of my back, his sudden erection poking the spot beneath my belly button.
"Consider this a raincheck." He panted after breaking our kiss, voice thick with need.
"That's one hell of a raincheck." I countered, breathless.
Dean Lachlan held me for another moment before placing a light kiss on the tip of my nose. "Agreed."
He pulled away after that, and moved over to the wardrobe next to the door.
As he retrieved some fresh clothes for himself, I glanced down at the neatly folded laundry he'd given me, and smirked.
"Please tell me you didn't let Aiden pick these out." I joked, picking up the clothes while giving him an impish look over my shoulder.
He chuckled. "No, fortunately. Your roommate actually sent those over to the clinic for you."
Jo. It felt like it had been forever since I'd spoken with her, even though it was just yesterday when we had breakfast together. I almost dreaded seeing her again, because she was going to have questions. A lot of questions. And I wasn't mentally prepared for an interrogation.
"You should really try to get some rest." He went on, closing up the wardrobe. "You've been through quite an ordeal."
"That's putting it mildly, don't you think?" I countered, arching a brow.
"Perhaps. But it still doesn't alter the fact that you need your strength." He turned to face me, blue eyes luminous, and came to tower above me. "You're welcome to rest here, if you like. I won't be long."
He reached out to run his finger tips along my cheekbone, kick-starting my heart.
"Thanks for the offer, but I should probably go to class. I've already missed two days; I really can't afford to miss any more."
Plus I needed time to process, to make sense of everything.
He looked wounded, but only for a second. "If that is your wish. I'll leave you to get dressed, then we can leave together."
"Okay," I nodded. "Sounds good."
He responded with a smile before leaving the room, and I began to get dressed. A tampon fell out of the fabric, and I went into an adjacent bathroom to replace the discreet pantyliner I'd been using.
~~~
Later, Dean Lachlan and I were walking silently down a narrow corridor. We stole the occasional glance from each other, smiling a shy smile when one caught the other looking.
But we didn't speak, and it wasn't awkward, thankfully.
We didn't hold hands, either. At first I thought it was strange, especially after our kiss, but then it dawned on me--he was the Dean. Not only would it be unprofessional for him to put a relationship with a student on display, it would be unethical.
This is unethical. I found myself thinking, and I wasn't mistaken.
It would be bad enough if he was just the Dean, but he was also a vampire--a really old vampire. He could snuff me out in a nanosecond without even trying. And he knew my parents, knew my mother when she was pregnant with me...
...our situation wasn't just unethical, it was wrong. All kinds of wrong.
"Everything alright, Miss Ridley?" Dean Lachlan was gazing down at me, pleasant but confused.
I was shocked to see that we were standing outside the banquet hall, and it took me a second to answer. "I'm just a little hungry."
He gave me a scrutinizing look, but eventually bought my lie. "Then I won't keep you. So, shall I see you this evening?"
"Yeah, sure." I nodded, trying to sound upbeat.
"Fantastic," his fingers brushed against my knuckles, causing my heart to flutter. "See you later."
I stared after him as he walked away, feeling absolutely conflicted. A relationship between us would be wrong, fucked up. I knew that.
But I couldn't deny how right his touch felt.
A/N*
Sorry for taking so long, but I hope this chapter was worth the wait. So, who are you guys rooting for? Aiden? Dean Lachlan? Or, are you hoping for Audrey to be with them all? Let me know in the comments section!