Awakening by A.C. Warneke Page A

hear your voice,” he whispered, stroking her hand with his fingers. “I want to know more about you .”
    “ That would be just silly,” she grinned. “Why should I talk about myself when I am quite positive that you are far more exciting?”
    “But I know everything I need to know about myself,” he returned, nuzzling her ear with his lips, his breath hot against her skin. “I want to know about you.”
    Shrugging her shoulders, her eyes twinkling, she said, “I’m an only child and as much as I begged my dad for a little brother or sister, he refused to remarry and provide one for me.”
    “Your parents are divorced then?” he asked solemnly.
    “No,” she smiled sadly and shook her head. “My mom died just after I was born.”
    “I’m very sorry,” he murmured, closing his eyes, feeling her grief as she briefly talked about a woman she never knew.
    “It’s not your fault,” she smiled up at him tenderly. “ My dad told me that the placenta tore and they weren’t able to stop the bleeding. He said that at the end, she was able to hold me and she had a smile on her lips when she passed on.”
    “Are you and your father really close then?” he asked.
    “No,” she said matter-of-factly, no pain in her voice, though she must hurt. “He took my mom’s death really hard and, I don’t know, maybe I remind him of her or something. It’s no big deal, though; my best friend’s family sort of adopted me and I spent almost all of my childhood at their house.”
    “You’re still a child,” he whispered, kissing the top of her head again, needing to kiss her, touch her.
    “And I still spend most of my free time there,” she grinned. “Kim is like a sister and I have no idea how I would have survived childhood without her and her family.”
    “Then I’m glad you had them.” He bent his head down and pressed his lips against her neck, unconcerned about the attention they were gathering. When she sighed her invitation to go further, he forced himself to stop kissing her and take a step away; it would have been too easy to make love to her but it was quite illegal to do so in the middle of a public park. Not to mention the humiliation she would experience as soon as the sensual fog lifted and she became aware of what she was doing, but more specifically, where she was doing it.  Seeing her disappointed lower lip pop out, he smiled and tugged at her hand. “Come.”
    “Where are you taking me?” she asked, stumbling over her feet as her body learned how to walk once more.
    He liked holding her hand, keeping her close; he was never going to let her go. While it was against the rules to take a human without her consent, he wasn't too concerned about being unable to convince her to stay. Admittedly, he should have asked for permission before he bit her because only vampires were so crass as to bite their victims against their will. Of course, vampires could bite without repercussions; he had been miraculously lucky she didn’t change when he bit her.
    He pointed ahead, “There.”
    Grinning, her eyes lit up her entire face, “Really?”
    “Yes,” he smiled as they hurried through the park.
     
    *****
     
    Across the way , she saw the Eiffel Tower, wondering how she could have possibly have missed it and realizing she was lost in Adam. She had the most incredible historical tour of a fascinating city, she was in Paris for one more night and she was spending it with the most amazing man she had ever known. When they reached the historic landmark, Celeste was sorely dismayed to see that it was closed. It would have been exhilarating to look over the city of lights at night. Unable to hide her disappointment, she sighed, “Oh, well, it was a nice idea.”
    He chuckled, putting his knuckles under her chin and lifting her head up, “It still is.”
    Her eyes widened as she looked at him and he placed a soft kiss on her lips. Taking her hand once more, they walked past the waiting guards and to the