Chapter 35

"Yes Vincent," her soft words interrupted his private tirade. "I do love you. It took me longer to realize it than it should have because of all the other things going on in my life."

His head had shot up when she started to speak, then his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open as she continued.

Catherine seeing his reaction, giggled a bit nervously, "Well, aren't you going to say anything?"

"I…I…" he stuttered. "I seem to find myself at a loss for words Catherine," he said and then immediately contradicted himself by continuing, "I never dreamed that something like this could happen to me. To have the woman that I love more than life itself return my feelings! It seems too good to be true! Completely impossible in fact."

"Someone once said that the impossible is just something that hadn't happened yet," she said, smiling gently at him.

"Catherine I do not know where a love between us could lead. You are a woman of this world and I must live in secret. How could we…"

"Vincent you are moving too fast. All of that will come in time. Most couples, when they just admit their love for each other, start with a kiss. The rest will fall into place when it happens. Not everything needs to be settled tonight."

He grinned sheepishly, "I am afraid that I am very inexperienced in these matters. You will have to guide me Catherine. I hope that doesn't put you off in how you feel about me."

"Nothing could do that Vincent. Why don't we just go back in to the couch and start slowly?" she suggested.

Vincent nodded shyly and took the hand she held out to him. When they got back to the couch, Catherine wisely let him sit down first. She had a feeling that if it had been the other way around he would have sat as far away from her as the couch would allow. This way, she could sit as close to him as she wanted.

He looked startled when she sat down so close to him. He had been so worried about this 'kiss' she wanted that he had hardly been aware of anything else. As embarrassing as it was, Vincent had to let her know that he had no idea what to do. "Catherine, I do not know how to start. I am so afraid of hurting you with my superior strength and fangs…"

Her fingers came up to rest on his unusually shaped mouth as she said, "Vincent I have seen you hug and carry the children Below, so you do know how to control your strength, and since you don't have holes in your lower lip from every time you eat, I can only assume you can also control your fangs. But, Vincent, does all this mean that you have never kissed a girl?" At the slow negative shake of his head, she couldn't help a follow up question, "So that means you have also never gone beyond that point?"

"No Catherine! Of course not!...Ummm does that bother you?"

"No Vincent it doesn't bother me at all. I do wonder how you got to be your age without a girlfriend. Are all the females Below blind?" When he looked confused at her question instead of answering her, Catherine moved on. "I'm not really sure what you can tell about me through this Bond you told me about. Like do you just know what I am feeling at any given moment or can it also tell you if there is something I want?"

"I suppose of you had a strong enough desire for something, then I might be able to sense what you wanted."

"So like, let's say I wanted to see you one night and we hadn't arranged to meet. If I thought about wanting to see you hard enough you might get the message and come to my balcony?"

"Yes," he replied.

"Or if I wanted you to put your arms around me and kiss me?" she grinned at him.

"I…ummm…" he stuttered.

"Vincent, can you or can't you tell how much I want you to kiss me?"

To be continued….