Chapter 6

We sat there for a moment, still gazing upon each other, before the questions I had gnawed their way from the back of my mind and erupted from my lips. "Am I going to turn into a vampire now?", he stared at me, bewildered by the question that I had blurted out. James combed his fingers through his sandy blonde hair as he let out a hearty laugh, "No, the process of siring someone is completely different from what we did."

My next question ushered forth, "Do I have to sleep with you?", my eyes widened as the question surprised even me. He smirked at this one: "At some point, I hope that you will want to. In the meantime, I have set up the guest room in this wing for you to stay. Allow me the opportunity to court you, and then we can discuss you moving into the master suite when you are comfortable."

My mouth opened to ask another burning question, but James quickly rested his thumb on my lips, his forefinger cupping my chin, his eyes met mine, "Look, Kara, I know that this can't be easy for you, and you must have a thousand questions, but I can also tell that you are exhausted. Let's get you settled for tonight, and I promise you that I will answer them all to the best of my ability once you've gotten some rest."

I couldn't argue with his logic. He led me by the hand down a hallway past a kitchen and dining room to the guest bedroom; he pointed to the door across the hall, "There is a bathroom if you need it." Then he nodded his head down the remainder of the hallway, "And I'm at the very end if you need me."

He opened the guest room door for me and guided me inside. This room was stunning. Despite him calling it a guest room, it had a full king-sized bed and Victorian-styled furniture throughout. There was a small sitting nook in one corner of the room and a vanity in the other. It was very spacious; even the wardrobe and chest of drawers didn't clutter the area.

My bag from my previous room was sitting at the foot of my new bed. "I'll leave you to it, Kara.", he said, pulling the door closed behind him. I searched through my bag to find something to sleep in. Pulling out an oversized T-shirt and some spandex shorts, I tossed them onto the bed.

I attempted to take my dress off, but after struggling for several minutes, I let out a huff of defeat. I trudged down the hall to ask James to help me. He must have heard me because the door was opened right before I could knock.

"I didn't expect you to visit me so soon.", he chuckled. Nor did I honestly, "Could you please help me with the buttons?" I stayed just outside the room, turning my back toward him; I cupped the chest of my dress so that it wouldn't fall down once the buttons were released.

I could sense the smirk on his face as his fingers lightly traced down the spine of my neck toward the stubborn buttons just below my shoulder blades. Goosebumps exploded down my spine, seemingly activated by his touch, and I shivered as he whispered, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

I gulped, feeling his breath on my ear. Heat spread from my core, and butterflies danced in my stomach. My cheeks flushed vibrantly. At that moment, I was so glad that he couldn't see my face. I pulled myself together, "That's all for now. Thank you."

Abruptly walking back toward my room, I could feel his gaze upon me as I turned right into my room. I closed the door delicately and let out a flustered sigh. What the hell was that? I slipped out through the top of the dress, eager to wear my comfortable clothes.

As I pulled the shirt over my head, I realized that the slip of paper Layla had given me earlier that day had adhered itself to the side of my breast from being drenched in sweat. The note was still wet, and I would have to wait to open it later. I tucked it away in my bag for safekeeping.

I picked up my gown off the floor and laid it gently on the chest of drawers and moved my bag to the chair in the reading nook. I would unpack it later. Right now, I just wanted to crawl into this enormous bed and go to sleep.

I carefully removed my mother's hairpin and placed it in the drawer of the nightstand. The other bobby pins were haphazardly strewn about the top of the nightstand. I scratched my fingers through my scalp. I pulled on the black spandex shorts and grabbed my toothbrush and toothpaste before walking across the hall to the bathroom.

I got myself ready for bed. I gasped when I opened the bathroom door, "Sorry, you startled me." His glowing red eyes hovered piningly above me. My cheeks flushed again, and the warmth from my core reignited. I gulped as he leaned closer, his hand resting on the door frame. "You are so beautiful.", he said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

The butterflies in my stomach caused my heart to flutter. "Thank you.", I said placing my hand on his exposed firm chest, tracing my fingers down to the next button of his white collared shirt, I walked past him, "Good night.", I said.

He cracked his neck and ran his fingers through his hair, "Sweet dreams." he said coolly before I closed the door to my new room. Jesus Christ, what was wrong with me? I had never felt like this before. Was this attraction that I felt normal? Never in a million years did I anticipate having these desires, much less over a vampire.

I curled up into a ball under the comforter; I wasn't accustomed to having such a spacious area to sleep. The silk sheets felt cool against my skin, and it wasn't long after my head hit the pillow that I drifted away into a deep slumber.