CHAPTER THREE - "Intruders"
The shower had lasted a little longer than usual, and by the time we were done, the glass doors on my shower stall were pretty much covered in lather, and I can safely say that we washed each other VERY thoroughly! I know a few parts were especially clean—on both of us! By the time we got done, I was starving. As Mick helped me rinse the last of the shampoo out of my hair, he said he'd go down and make me breakfast while I blew my hair dry and got dressed.
"Well, that's an offer I certainly can't refuse! You can COOK? Isn't that kind of a—lost art? Although your chicken that night on the balcony? Wonderful!" I gave him a smile and a thumbs-up.
"I used to consider myself a pretty good cook in my day--I'm just a little out of practice, for obvious reasons, but now that I have a reason to remember what I used to know, I'd like to try it!"
"HA! I'm finding out so much about you! I love it! So a musician who cooks. That's the Mick I've never known?"
"That's the Mick from the past, but I have a feeling that he'll be coming out more and more with you—you make me feel almost human, Beth—you are so special—so wonderful. You do bring out the best in me!"
He stepped out of the shower and grabbed one of my bath sheets. "You first, my slippery vixen!" He dried my hair first, as I dripped onto the soft rug under our feet, and then dried my face and moved down. I felt so loved and cared for! Who knew Mick St. John was a doting lover! When I was dry, I reached for another towel and did the same for him, taking extra care to be sure everything was dry so it wouldn't chafe. He wrapped his towel around him, kissed me and said,
"See you in the kitchen—bring your appetite!"
"I think you've seen my appetite, Mick! I tend to devour things, so make a lot!"
"Got it." He leered at me one more time, then off he sauntered to the bedroom to get his clothes. I loved to watch him stroll around naked, or with onk a towel, and not just because he was so great to look at, but because he had such a casual attitude about his nudity. It was like it was the most natural thing in the world to him! I still tended to want to hide myself, even with him!
I was just beginning to blow my hair dry when I caught his face looking at me in the mirror. The expression in his eyes was still hungry and I felt like bait, standing here in my birthday suit. I smiled shyly at him.
"I thought you were hard at work in the kitchen, Mr. Stalker!"
"I just had to get one more look at you. It's not often a man has access to his own personal goddess, you know. I can hardly tear my eyes away from you—watching you move takes my breath away!"
I snapped a hand towel at him and said, "I appreciate your compliments, my dear, but remember, I'm hungry enough to eat a bear!"
"How about eating me—bare?" He leered again. I laughed.
"Absolutely you, bare, but first, eggs!"
He laughed and turned. He was in jeans only, his Henley in his hands. I peeked out of the door, watching him slip his top on smoothly as he walked to the kitchen. As much as I loved the look of him in those jeans, I had to admit, the skin feast he had let me devour last night was definitely my favorite way to see him!
I didn't bother with much makeup—I was too eager to eat! I pulled on my panties, found my bra between the bed and the wall, slipped on a cotton hoodie and jeans and hot-footed it to my kitchen, where I was greeted with delicious food smells and the even more delicious site of Mick at my stove, flipping an omelet like a pro.
"Wow! I'm impressed!" I said, huge smile on my face, which he returned, then shrugged casually.
"Nothing to it! It's all in the hands!" I was thinking his hands were magic, and not only with the omelet in the pan! I could still imagine how they felt when they were all over my hot, sensitive skin, how they felt in my hair as he kissed my mouth. . .suddenly I was getting hungry all over again, but not to eat.
"Oh, I recognize that look in your eyes, there, Beth, and you ARE going to eat before you talk me into any more hanky-panky!"
"What? You think I. . .?
"Yes, I do think you. . .HERE! Orange juice. Drink! It will get your blood sugar up. The toast popped out and I watched him spread butter on two slices as I sipped my juice.
"This tastes fresh-squeezed! I didn't have that in my 'fridge!'"
"No, but you did have some Valencia oranges and I squeezed them myself! Hope I didn't leave any seeds in it!"
"Wonderful, absolutely delicious." He came over and towed me to a chair.
"Sit. Here is coffee, black, the way you like it. One second. . ." He did a graceful pirouet and then he placed the toast on a plate with the omelet, and swished over to the table and set the plate down with a flourish.
"MMMmmm. It smells so good!" I took a big bite of the omelet first, which I noticed, was full of cheese, freshly sautéed mushrooms, onions and chopped up ham. He sat across from me and watched me eat.
"OOOH, Mick, this is great!" He smiled, watching me dive hungrily into the food.
"I used to love omelets. I guess that's how I got good at making them."
"Well, you're good, I'll say that," I said with my mouth full, washing it down with a swig of dark, rich coffee. "For someone who doesn't eat and doesn't drink coffee, you sure are talented at making the perfect meal!" His smile was slow to spread across his face.
"It's been a very, very long time since I've had the opportunity and the pleasure to cook breakfast for someone. I'm loving this, but love it all the more as I'm watching you enjoy it."
I smiled back at him. "I told you you'd get so tired of watching me EAT, and here we are, off to a great start the first morning we're together!" I kept eating, much to his obvious enjoyment.
"And do you remember what I said? About getting tired watching you eat?"
I did remember—perfectly—because I had wondered if it was possible. "You said, 'I hope so.'"
"I did say that—and I meant it then, and I still mean it now." His eyes blazed into mine until I couldn't swallow.
"You're making it hard for me to finish, looking at me like that." I pushed aside the small morsels I hadn't devoured. "Oh well, I'm stuffed! That was REALLY good, Mick! Thank you so much."
"You are so very welcome, my dear," he said, getting up to clear my dishes.
"Let me—I can wash up."
He waved me back. "Just sit and finish your coffee! If you don't mind, I'm just going to rinse these off and leave them for later. Let's get over to my place, if you don't mind. Either that, or I'm going to need a little more blood to keep me upright!"
"Oh—Okay. That's fine, Mick." I finished my coffee and brought him the cup. I kissed his cheek, watching his hands in the sink, thinking again how large and beautiful they were. "I'm going to pack up a little overnight bag really quickly—see you in a sec!" I ran off to my room and threw underwear, a change of clothes, some makeup and shampoo in a little bag, then met him by the door.
"All set?"
"All set."
He opened the door and let me go out first, then took my keys from me and locked my door. Then he took my hand and we walked out to the car. Even the simple act of holding his hand, fingers intertwined, felt so intimate now. I looked at him and smiled; he did the same, and it was one of those secret smiles I've seen people share with each other, but I had never had anyone this close to me before to do the secret smile with. It made me feel warm and tingly and terribly aware of him, our bodies occasionally touching as we walked to his car. He opened my door for me—he was certainly being a gentleman! I guess he still respected me in the morning!
We didn't say much on the drive, but we were tired and content just to be close and alone, and to have a Sunday to enjoy. The weather was beautiful, as it usually was, but seemed even prettier today as we drove up the PCH toward his place. Still holding hands, Mick drove with one arm, giving my hand a squeeze that earned him one back.
"I love this, Beth. I love being with you."
I looked at him in profile. Such beauty! "I love it too, Mick. And I happen to love you as well."
He glanced at me, half smiled, and squeezed my hand again. This degree of intimacy was completely new to me and I just wanted to try to absorb every second of it. It was still so surprising to me—how we had connected! I wondered if this was only new to me? Maybe he'd felt like this before, despite what he had said to me in the throes of passion and right afterward. Ah well. Whatever. I loved this.
"Beth?" He glanced at me quickly, then back at the road.
"Mick?"
"I want you to understand this—I think it's important for you to know. I can see you thinking; in fact, you're thinking so loudly I can almost hear you!"
"I am not!" I looked at him and he smiled slyly at me.
"Yeah, you are. You're wondering if this is usual for me. You're probably wondering if I felt like this with Coraline."
"I'm really not, Mick—I wouldn't pry like that into your personal business."
"Now it's your business too." He shifted in his seat. "I don't want anything in between us, Beth. I want our love to be free and clear of encumbrances we've left behind. That's why I want to tell you this."
I waited. In a few moments, he took a breath and blew it out. I knew that little gesture indicated that he was feeling at least a bit of stress. I squeezed his hand again. "It's okay, Mick. Remember—we're friends." He squeezed back.
He smiled and said, "I'm so glad we ARE friends, Beth! Believe me! This is all so much easier and I feel so much closer to you than anyone I've ever met!" He stalled and I waited.
"Okay, so you're going to tell me more about Coraline. I'm listening." He glanced at me again, and seeing I was fine, he started talking.
"Yeah—I want you to know the whole deal. See, I wanted Coraline. I did want her badly, I guess I've told you—badly enough to think it was love and to ask her to marry me. I was a fool, Beth. She didn't care about me, for one thing. She was flattered that I was crazy about her, but she didn't love me and I didn't love her. Not the way a husband and wife should love each other, at least. It was more of just a physical thing, for me anyway. It was infatuation. It was destructive and it almost killed both of us, and I've hated her for all the years since I married her. Coraline was like death and destruction to me—she was my Angel of Death. It took me a long time to figure that out, but I finally did. Yeah, she was my wife, but in name only. After she turned me, I could barely look her in the eyes. I loathed her, even though I was still drawn to her physically, like she had some kind of power over me. We tried several times to work things out, but it was never meant to be. I can say this truthfully—I wish I had never gone after her. I wish I had never married her. I wish I'd never seen her face."
I was silent for a moment and thought about the whole Coraline ordeal, both from his viewpoint and my own.
"But then you'd have never met me, right? Was it worth what you went through to get to me? Mick? Or would you undo all of it if you could?"
He turned again and our eyes met. There was such love in his, such tenderness. It momentarily choked me up. "I've thought about that too, Beth. I think. . .as hard as my life has been as a vampire, I would let it all happen again just so we could be like this, like we are now. All the pain I've gone through is worth us--right here, right now." Our hands squeezed very tightly as he pulled to the curb in front of his building.
We sat for a moment again. "You, Beth, you're my angel of mercy--you are saving me. In you I've found nothing but acceptance and genuine caring. Coraline only wanted me for what she could turn me into. You--you love me despite what I am! You--don't even seem to care what I am, and I love you so much for that!" He reached over and hugged me to him. "You are a precious gift, Beth. Because of you, I don't hate what I am anymore." I kissed his cheek before he said, "I guess we'd better not keep the valet waiting."
He got out of the car and handed his keys to the valet, then came around and opened my door. He took my hand, pulled me to him right there on the sidewalk in front of God and everyone and kissed me passionately.
"I love you so very much, Mick St. John. Thank you for telling me that. I didn't realize how much I wanted that to be true until just now."
Hand-in-hand we walked to the door, got on the elevator, kissed some more, and soon entered the familiar surroundings of his apartment. He shut the door and kissed me again. "Do you want to just sleep?" he asked, voice husky with desire. My insides felt like jelly when I looked into the depths of those blue-gray eyes, smoldering with lust and love and passion all at the same time.
"Oh, Mick, don't take this wrong, but I think maybe I should sleep!"
"That's okay, honey—it was a very long night last night! Even I'm tired!" He smiled.
"It's not that I don't want you. . ."
"Then what's troubling you? Beth? Look at me—you can tell me, remember? I'm your best friend! You look like something isn't right—what is it?" He asked as he tucked my hair behind my ear—a gesture I was learning meant tenderness. I craved his touch. I didn't want to tell him what was on my mind, though! I blushed again. Darn! Wasn't there a drug to help that?
"Honey? Beth? You're starting to worry me. . .."
I sniffed and looked up again into his eyes. I'd avoided them for the past few seconds, wondering if I could tell him. Ah well! He was my guy! "Like I said, Mick, it's not that I don't want you—I feel like I can't get enough of you—but I can barely walk. I'm really sore!"
His head went back in that cute little gesture he did when he laughed gently, kind of shy and a little like he was embarrassed too. "Oh! I get it! Like I'm Ward Cleaver and I was a little hard on the Beaver last night?"
Now I flushed bright red!
"No—Beth! I'm not making fun! I've got a nice, frozen ice pack in the kitchen. I'm going to wrap it in a towel and we'll ice you down a little bit. Want some wine?"
"Ah, sure—that might help."
"You get the comforter and pillows out of the ottoman while I get the wine and ice in the kitchen, okay? Be right back, and don't you leave!" Smiling, he went about his task.
I opened the ottoman and removed a very soft, sweet-smelling comforter and two pillows. I made up my little bed on the couch. In a second Mick was back, glass of red wine in one hand, ice pack in a towel in the other. I took the wine and sipped. It was wonderful. I felt like I was relaxing already!
"Take off your clothes, Beth—you'll be more comfortable."
"I, ah, okay, maybe just down to my underwear. I wouldn't want Josef to pop in here and catch me naked!"
"You do have a point there. The way he looks at you, I'm afraid he just might jump your bones if he saw you naked!"
He helped me take my top off over my head. I unzipped my jeans, pulled them off, and sat on the couch, taking another big sip of the wine.
"I'll be fine—you go ahead and get to your freezer. I'll be here when you wake up."
"Okay, but you use that ice, right?"
"I will. It will feel good. I'm like just not in shape for the sexual Olympics, I guess!" We both laughed. He sat down next to me and pulled me close. I managed to put the wine down and put both arms around him.
"I love and adore you, Beth. Just come get me if you need anything, okay?"
"I promise. I'm so sleepy—you'll probably wake up before I do!"
"Good. I hope so." He kissed me deeply and sweetly, then rose, holding my hand. "Sweet dreams, my Princess." He let go of my hand and headed for the stairs. As he started climbing them, I sipped more of the wine, watching him go.
"Good-night, my Prince!" I said to myself and swallowed a gulp of the fruity red. Then I saw his feet coming down the stairs again. He leaned over the rail to look at me.
"I heard that, you know." He smiled. "I'll try always to be your Prince Charming, okay?"
I swallowed hard. "That, my Lord, is a deal!"
After he had disappeared, I lay down, letting my head sink into the soft pillows. I placed the ice pack between my legs, covered up with the quilt, and was asleep in about five seconds.
I'm not sure how long I was asleep—It must have been a few hours, because the ice was completely melted when I woke up. It was probably mid-afternoon. I sat up and took another big gulp of the wine. I went to the kitchen and drank water from the tap. I was very thirsty, and it was very cold. I shivered. I missed Mick. I missed him terribly, which was kind of insane, since we had spent exactly one night together so far! But I missed him enough that I went back to the couch, picked up the pillows and comforter and climbed the stairs. I walked down the hall into unfamiliar territory. My time at his place had mostly consisted of staying on the lower level, only coming up here to use his bathroom. At the end of the hallway was a gray door. I opened it, remembering the time he had cautioned me not to go through it. But—now everything was different. And now I saw why he didn't want anyone in this room. It was totally his. Stark, bare, devoid of decorating, devoid of creature comforts. There was a urinal on the wall, which I thought unusual, and a big, glass freezer right in the center of the room. I glanced in and saw him sleeping, naked. My handsome angel, his face so relaxed it almost looked as if he were smiling. I threw the pillows and comforter down on the floor next to the freezer and climbed in. Once again, it took me a few seconds and I was sound asleep.
--
"Are you sure we should just pop in on Mick like this, Josef? What if he's busy? Shouldn't we call or something?"
Josef rolled his eyes and said, "Don't worry, Simone—I pop in on Mick all of the time! I'm telling you—he doesn't mind!"
"Well, if you're sure! What if he's with Beth? I mean, you know, with Beth?"
Josef laughed. They got off the elevator and the doors closed behind them. "First of all, Mick isn't with Beth in that way. I can't imagine why, but he isn't. Besides, she's probably still mad at him about the Emma and Jackson thing. I'm thinking he's up and wondering what to do with himself by now." Josef clicked on the opener button he kept in his pocket, and Mick's heavy door silently swung inward. "Come on—let's just see what he's up to. Maybe we can go out for drinks or something."
They entered and all was totally quiet. Josef sniffed the air.
"Well, Beth has been here recently, if she's not still here. . ."
"Shhhhh! Josef! We don't want to bother them!"
In hushed tones, Josef replied, "Do you see anyone on the couch? No, not a soul. Mick doesn't have a bed. They aren't up to anything, believe me. I'm going upstairs—want to come along?"
Simone only hesitated a second. "Sure—I'd love to see Mick's upstairs!"
Josef made a beeline for the steps, then halted, letting Simone go first. "After you, my lovely!" Up the stairs they went, first looking in the bathroom, then going down the hall. Josef knew that behind the gray door was the freezer room. Mick must still be asleep! At this hour! Dusk had come and gone an hour ago! What was up?
"Josef, maybe we should just go—there's not a sound in here!" Simone whispered in the dark hallway.
"Let me just check to be sure he's okay. You can wait here if you want."
"No, I'm going with you." She grabbed Josef's hand and together they walked past the gray door into the stark room. Josef could see clearly in the dark. There was a pile of blankets and pillows next to the freezer, and a strong scent of Beth. What the hell?
Joseph crept over to the freezer. Yup. Mick was still asleep. He looked at the blankets and almost fell over when he saw Beth curled up in them, sound asleep. Simone came up behind him. "I can't see a thing in here, Josef!"
I woke up suddenly, breathless and scared. It was dark in the room, but I saw a tall, black figure hovering over me. I sat up and screamed really loudly, throwing a pillow at the dark, shadowy form. Inside the freezer, we could all hear the thud of Mick's head hitting the glass, then a string of cussing that would make a sailor blush. I screamed again and threw another pillow.
"I'm getting out of here!" Simone said loudly and ran for the door.
"Who are you! I have a gun!" I said in the most no-nonsense voice I could muster at the moment.
"Hey, settle down, Beth. It's only me, Josef." Just then Mick burst out of the freezer, leapt onto the floor and punched Josef in the face. "Owwwww! Hey, man, stop that!"
"Oh. It's you. Beth, it's only Josef busting in on us UN-announced as usual!"
Josef was rubbing his jaw. "No need for violence, buddy! I was just checking up on you—came to see if you wanted to go out or something. You just scared the crap out of Simone, and we had some good news! I guess we'll be going!"
Mick grabbed his arm as he was turning to leave. "Hey, man, I'm sorry! You took us by surprise! Just—let us get ourselves together here. Let's talk."
"I'll be downstairs with Simone, if she hasn't run halfway to San Francisco by now!" With that, Josef turned and left, closing the door behind him.
Mick got down on the floor and held me against his chest. 'OOOH! He's pretty cold!' I thought, but he still felt and smelled wonderful!
"I am SO sorry for that, Beth! Josef—you were right—he does come barging in here at all hours!" He laughed. "I guess he deserved that punch I gave him!"
"I'll say! I thought we had some sadistic intruder here, hovering over me in the dark! I'm sorry I screamed, but I was terrified!"
Mick hugged me closer to him. "I know, honey. Let's go get some clothes on. You can put on one of my shirts, since your clothes are down there with the intruders, who are most likely slugging down my Scotch!"
"Okay. Let's go. I guess we'd better find out what their good news is." Mick hugged me hard.
"Thanks for taking this so well."
"I'm fine! Just startled!"
"I guess we have a little good news of our own, too, don't we?" Mick stood up, held out a hand for me, and I grasped it as I wondered just what he meant.
"Are we going to tell Josef then? About us?"
"We don't have to, but we will. He can already smell it on us, I'm sure."
Oh! I hadn't thought of that! Vampires! No privacy at all! I said, "Let's get dressed! I think I could use some of that Scotch myself!"
Holding hands, we went to the large walk-in closet where Mick turned on the light to let me see to pick out a shirt. I still had a nagging feeling about what he meant to tell Josef, but there wasn't all that much to tell, except that we were together now. I still wanted to get this straight, though. I turned to Mick, who was buckling his belt.
"You did mean that we're going to tell him about US, right? There's nothing more to tell, is there?" I selected one of the dark dress shirts with the white stripes and put my arms into it, then began to button it. It practically hung down to my knees. "Mick?"
"Yeah, honey. We'll just tell them about us. They don't need to know any more."
I felt suddenly wary. "What more is there to know, Mick?"
"Ah—nothing Beth. Just us. That's news enough for now."
Mick didn't see the look I gave him, but I knew he could feel it. It didn't seem to bother him that I was suspicious.
Mick slipped into a gray Henley and suddenly felt a strange emotion come over him—giddiness! He had to hold back so he wouldn't laugh out loud! When he turned around to face Beth, however, he was back in control, face straight once again.
"All ready? Let's go greet our company properly!" He noticed that Beth eyed him with a look that said she wasn't fooled.
"Okay. Let's go. But later—we talk!"
"Deal."