Rave On 3
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.
Beach babe. That's what she was in Brisbane. Hot temperatures and hot people. Understanding them was hard with the thick accents, but sex and blood were universal languages.
Striding to the lifeguard station where one of the hottest guys she'd seen was standing out in his tiny navy speedo, she put on her big smile.
"Hey."
"Hey," he said with a brilliant smile back. She looked hot and she knew it. Her teeny bikini covered very little.
Sliding her sunglasses to the top of her head, she reeled him in. "Can you help me? I can't reach my back with my sunscreen. I don't want to get burned."
"I'm really not supposed to take my eyes off the water."
Holding the sunscreen in front of her, she looked up through her lashes. She gave him a seductive look and he was lost.
Part of her fun was seeing when she could lure them in with compulsion and how far she could go without it.
She still had it with this guy. He took the lotion and she faced the sparkling water. His fingers slipped along her back, adding in a massage to release her tight muscles. It felt great. Feeling good was all she cared about these days.
"What's your name?"
"Caroline."
"I'm Robbie."
"Uh huh."
When he covered every inch of skin on her back, slipping under the strings of her black bikini down to her lower back, he handed the bottle back to her.
"Thanks. What's the view like up there?" she asked, pointing to the lifeguard station building.
He grinned and she saw he had one dimple. The blonde hair, dimple, accent, and hot body reminded her of someone else. She obviously had a type, didn't she?
"World class."
"Show me?"
Nothing was happening in the water, so he shrugged. There were people playing cricket on the sand and laying out. Only a few were actually in the waves. The biggest crowds were off to the left in front of a large hotel.
Taking her hand, he led her to the landing of the building and called in that he was taking his break.
The view was spectacular. Brisbane was fine, but Surfer's Paradise was better for her. Tourists, bars, and the beach dominated the city. The people were too nice for their own good, which lead to easy pickings for her.
Peeking into the inner office from the porch, she tugged the guy inside and kissed him. He kissed her back. One of his hands gripped her hip. She moaned into his mouth with her arms around his neck. He was a good kisser. She was better. They made out for a few minutes. It felt good.
"Don't scream and don't fight me. I looked inside the station and we kissed. That's all you'll remember when I leave."
Putting her hand on his ripped stomach, she tipped his head to the side and sank her fangs into his neck. When she was done, hearing his heartbeat slow just slightly, she released him. He was yummy.
"Thanks for everything."
Waltzing down the walkway back to the sand, she smiled. It was a satisfactory day so far.
"That was mean."
"That was delicious," she said as Klaus came around the corner. She watched his eyes roam up and down her body. Hers did the same to him. Klaus in board shorts looked good, almost like a native. What would he look like in a speedo? She squinted and tipped her head to the side to picture it.
"Cute boys taste good. Cute Australian boys taste better."
Trailing a finger along his necklace when she finished daydreaming and got close enough, she tugged it and then let it go. Walking to her blanket, she laid down and closed her eyes, enjoying her day at the beach.
"You're blocking the sun," she complained. She felt him sit down next to her.
"Did he really satisfy you, sweetheart? A thousand years is a long time to learn a few things." His voice was seductive and she rolled her eyes behind the dark glasses.
"You're lucky you can't catch diseases. I'll tell you in a thousand years if I need any help getting off."
She actually hadn't been having sex with random guys. She knew that would be something that would bother her after getting her humanity back. She wanted to at least know a guy's last name before banging them. She loved sex, but she knew her choices right now weren't what they would be with her emotions. She didn't need to rack up a list of things to feel bad about later. Making out though? Seducing them? That was all good in her book.
She saw him smirk at her words and she looked away quickly.
"You wouldn't have sex with me either, Klaus. I don't know why you're lying about that."
"What do you mean?"
She propped herself up on her elbows and looked at him. "Klaus, you're all talk. You know I would never look at you the same way if we had sex with my humanity off. You don't want that, you have those darned eternal plans, so you're just trying to get me to come to New Orleans. Lying to me isn't the way to make it happen. I know you hate this. I don't want to have sex with you like this either by the way."
She laid back down and she noticed his mouth was pinched, but he didn't deny her words.
"Six months and you're halfway around the world. I think Moscow is still recovering," he finally said a half hour later.
Moscow tasted good, both the vodka and the people.
"Where to next?"
She could lie, but even when she didn't tell him, he found her anyway.
"I'm not done playing here, but the Maldives sound nice."
"Been to the Great Barrier Reef?"
"It was beautiful." She could appreciate nice things. It's how she knew he looked good.
Even though she wasn't herself, it was nice to talk to someone who knew her. She didn't have to pretend to have empathy when she talked to Klaus.
"I even learned how to surf."
"Outstanding. Emotions do tend to get in the way of ruthless efficiency. No fear, for example." He paused. "It's quite clever to learn things now, sweetheart."
Yup, she was awesome and Klaus was at least half in love with her.
"Have your friends found you?"
"I don't want to talk about them." She sat up and rested her chin on her arms.
"What do you want to talk about?"
"I don't."
With that, she turned on her music and ignored him, although she did watch when he swam. His always impressive bulge looked even better in wet shorts. Just because she wouldn't sleep with him now didn't mean she forgot how good or big he was. She could fantasize about him without any repercussions.
She went into the water herself to cool off and she felt his eyes on her as she walked back to the sand. She walked even slower and emphasized the swinging of her hips. Shaking her hair out, she made sure to jiggle her boobs. His tongue practically hung out. They spent the afternoon in companionable silence.
People began to pack up around dinner time. She began to gather her things.
"Can I take you to dinner?"
She hesitated. Klaus was temptation in every sense. Crossing her arms over her chest, she looked at him. "My rules."
His put his hands out in agreement. He did shave after all.
"We don't talk about my mom or Mystic Falls. If you compel me, I'll never forgive you and I'll make it my mission to destroy you."
"Done," he agreed quickly. "I haven't done it before if you noticed."
A glint appeared in her eye. "I'm not coming home."
"Dinner, Caroline. That's it. I'll pick you up in an hour." He got up and before he left, "Nice bathing suit, love."
An hour later Caroline was ready in a purple maxi dress. By the look in his eyes, the fact that she was braless didn't go unnoticed. She adopted the relaxed beach attitude of the Australians. Her hair was in a loose fishtail braid.
Taking the hand he offered, he led her to a casual place. He looked nice in his jeans and white shirt. They sat and she looked at the menu. She ordered a VB and burger. She craved red meat without her emotions. He ordered similarly.
"What do you think of beet root?"
She smirked. "Not a fan, but I like the egg on top of the burgers."
"How long have you been in Australia?"
She rolled her eyes. "You obviously know because you're tracking me."
He tipped his head in acknowledgement.
"Do you think you'll want to go to all the same places once your humanity is back on?"
She considered it. "I think so. I'm going wherever I want, sating my physical needs and moving on. I can appreciate the beauty in things, but they don't touch me on an emotional level. It will seem brand new. I'm getting good at having conversations that mean nothing, like this one."
His eyes became a little closed off at that. She wasn't worried how far she could push him. That would mean having empathy.
"How do you pick where to go next?"
"Sometimes I'll open a map and put down my finger. That's how I ended up in Tanzania. Sometimes it's the first flight I can get."
Their food came. Klaus spoke, but she blocked it out. She watched the hair at his temples curls in the heat. She watched the annoying toddler throw a tantrum in the corner. She overheard people talking about a party that piqued her interest.
"Are you listening to me?"
"Nope," she admitted with a grin. He rolled his eyes.
Lifting her foot from the sandal, she slid it up his denim-covered leg up to his crotch. She watched him swallow hard and he moved her foot away.
"Klaus, I want to drink from you. Then I want to go to that party."
"You're using me," he said with narrowed eyes, irritated.
"Of course I am. Your feelings for me cloud your usually insane judgement. You get off on me drinking from you."
He couldn't disagree. She could see he wanted to ask her about her feelings for him while she had no filter. She could tell him the truth, but should she?
The moment passed and if she had her usual feelings, she would have been relieved.
"Let's go then," he mentioned as he dropped money on the table.
The party was held at a house within walking distance. They followed the crowds of beautiful twentysomethings.
Gaining entrance was easy because the people were ridiculously welcoming. Both Caroline and Klaus' accents defined them as visitors which got them some attention. Local beer flowed freely. The party poured out into the back yard.
"Seeing you around so many oblivious humans usually would make me laugh if I wasn't trying to ignore you at the time," she said when they found themselves in a quiet corner of the backyard.
"There are vampires here in Australia too, Caroline," he reminded her dryly. "My reputation precedes me of course."
"You spend too much time on your reputation, but you sure are pretty."
"Are you trying to seduce me?" he asked with a smirk of his own, putting his hand on the fence behind her, breaching her personal space. "It's working. You want something from me, Caroline."
With her plastic cup in one hand, she put the other on his neck and kissed him. Klaus tasted too good. She was playing with fire when she was playing with him. She couldn't depend or rely on him. That would open a door six months too early.
The kiss was intense. "Nice shave," she whispered in his ear. He grinned and she licked one of his dimples, hearing his breath hitch. He put her head against his neck, shielding her from the rest of the party.
With his permission, she drank his blood. It was potent and the three months since Paris seemed too long to go without it. His body kept her from the crowd and it just looked like they were kissing. When she was done, she cleaned up and finished her beer, a delicious combination.
"Ok?" he asked.
She nodded, her eyes bright.
"I'm going to leave now."
She didn't expect it, but she shrugged.
"Goodbye, Klaus. I'm sure you'll pop up again."
"Go to India at some point. Learn yoga from a master. I think it will come in handy. Maybe a martial art too in Asia," he said as he put his cup down. "I'd offer a ticket to New Orleans, but your feelings on the matter are clear. You're right that I don't like seeing you like this, but I love seeing you."
He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. She inhaled the scent of his skin and cologne. The sweet gesture was at odds with how they'd been interacting. "Goodbye, Caroline."
He walked away as she watched. A niggling sense of something came up as she left. She kept a close eye on him to see if he paid anyone else attention. No one did and she pushed the beginning of a feeling deep down. Luckily a handsome Aussie brought her a fresh beer and she got lost in the moment. She had six months to go.