When the gallery finally closed at eight the next night, Aida practically skipped up to Julian before throwing her arms around his neck. He lifted her off the ground as he crushed her against him. She had the next two days off, and she was looking forward to every minute of them.
Normally, she booked some headshot work on Mondays and Tuesdays, but after the hectic craziness of a showing, she usually gave herself a couple of days off. For the first time, she was thankful Julian’s arrival coincided with the busyness of Owen’s showing.
The gallery was supposed to have closed at five, but things ran longer than Nicolette anticipated. The steady flow of people still attending kept them from leaving, and in the end, they sold all of Owen’s paintings.
“I’m sorry work ran so late,” she said. Last night he’d told her that since she was getting off early, he would plan something for them.
“Don’t apologize,” he told her as he set her down.
“I hope you didn’t have anything special planned,” she said.
“Nothing that couldn’t be changed.”
He pulled her against his side as they walked back toward her apartment. Her stomach rumbled and she was starving, but she didn’t have it in her to go to the bar tonight. She’d order some Chinese food when she got home and stuff herself. Maybe she could talk Julian into a foot rub.
When they arrived at her building, she let them in and leaned against his side as they trudged up the stairs. When they arrived at the third floor, he didn’t lead her to her apartment but continued up the stairs.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“To the change of plans,” he said.
Aida frowned at him, but the mischievous smile he gave her melted her heart and made her aching feet a little more bearable. Julian pulled her closer when they stopped outside the door to the roof. Pushing against the metal bar, he shoved the door open, and they walked outside together.
When the chilly air hit her, Aida shivered, and he held her closer. It was a good thing he’d planned for the cold.
Aida was excited to see what the change of plans was, but she hoped they involved some heat as she huddled deeper into her jacket. She couldn’t get any closer to his side if she tried. The door clicked shut behind them, and he led her around the back of it to reveal a white tent. Her mouth parted as she gazed from him to the tent and back again.
“I know it’s not until Wednesday, but I thought we could celebrate your birthday a little early,” he said. “This way, I could surprise you.”
“You remembered my birthday?” They were the same age, but they never celebrated their birthdays together, and she only ever mentioned it to him once before. She remembered his birthday, but that’s because it was easy; he was an April Fool’s Day baby.
“Of course. It’s April twenty-third.”
Aida didn’t know what to make of that as she gazed from him to the tent and back again while they walked toward it. It stood over six feet tall and was solid white, like a banquet tent but smaller. He stopped to lift the flap of the tent, and when he pulled it back, a blast of heat drifted out to warm her skin.
She was practically bouncing on her toes when she walked into the tent. She had no idea where he had gotten it, but the small heater in the corner made the space toasty warm. The checkered blanket covering the roof had a plate and two wine glasses on it. A tin package sat on the plate, and the scent of marinara sauce wafted from it. The bucket of ice next to the blanket held a bottle of champagne.
Julian took her hand and led her over to the blanket. “If I recall, chicken parmesan was your favorite.”
Her eyebrows shot up at the revelation he recalled this trivial detail. “How did you remember that?”
“I spent the past four and a half years recalling every detail about you so I wouldn’t forget anything.”
Tears bloomed in her eyes before she threw herself into his arms. At one time, she didn’t think she’d ever forgive him for walking out of her life, but he’d hurt himself a lot when he did it. She loved him more for his selflessness.
“What would you have done if you returned to find me married with kids?” she asked. “Or engaged or simply with someone else I loved?”
Julian’s arms tightened around her. It could have happened, and it would have been his fault. “I would have left you alone to enjoy your life.”
“But if I’m your mate, then what would have become of you? What would it have done to you?”
Julian clasped her hand and led her over to the blanket. He helped her settle into place before bending to pull the plastic top off the container of food. Aida watched his graceful fingers, setting the food before her. She tried to peer up at him, but he kept his head turned away from her as he turned toward the bucket of ice.
A hollow pit opened in her stomach when she realized he was trying to avoid her questions. “Julian, what aren’t you telling me?”
Julian removed the champagne from the bucket and uncorked it. “I’d hoped because we’d done nothing more than kiss, I could continue without you after I reached maturity.”
“But…?” she prodded when he stopped speaking.
“But after six months, I realized that wasn’t going to happen. It became increasingly difficult to stay away from you, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain my control. Something had to give.”
“You told me you came back to see your family.”
“I did come back to see them.”
Aida’s stomach protested when she lowered her fork instead of plunging it into the chicken parm. “Why did you come back to see them?”
Julian finished pouring the champagne and set a glass beside her on the roof while he sipped his. Tilting his head back, he examined the clear plastic only an inch over his head. He’d specially ordered the tent so they could see the night sky. The stars weren’t anywhere near as vivid here as they were in Maine, but a few of them shone in the sky.
“To say goodbye,” he said as he sat on the blanket across from her.
Aida’s hand clenched around her fork. “What do you mean goodbye?” She suspected his answer, but she needed to hear him confirm it.
“I was getting to a point where I was dangerous around humans,” he said. “There were only a few choices left to me.”
“And those choices were?”
“Death, to be locked away, or to turn Savage. And I far prefer death to becoming a Savage or being locked away.”
Aida’s hand flew to her mouth to cover her cry of dismay. “There are other options!”
“Not for me. Once I stopped aging, I started rapidly losing control. Being in public became a constant struggle, and I wanted to slaughter every human who came near me.”
He couldn’t meet her gaze as he admitted this, so he stared at the wall. He hated that she’d seen the darkness inside him in the alley; he’d hoped to keep that worst piece of himself hidden from her.
“There are purebred vampires who live for centuries without turning into a Savage,” she said.
“But they haven’t found their mates and given them up. It was different for me, Aida. When I left, I knew that, without you, my life was never going to be a long one. Even if I could make it another fifty years, once you died, that would have been the end of me. And I wasn’t going to make it another fifty years.”
“You would have rather died than tell me this?”
“If I came back to find you happily married with children, yes.”
“You would have died for me?”
“I would never hesitate to give my life for yours.”
Tears spilled down her face as she pushed aside her chicken parm and crawled across the blanket to him. Kneeling before him, she draped her arms over his shoulders and kissed him. Julian had planned to wine and dine her before making love to her, but when her body melted against his, all plans for their romantic evening vanished.
Aida played with the hair on his nape while she deepened the kiss. She considered herself in love with him before, but now she was sure of it. He’d given up so much for her and planned to die without her ever knowing how much he loved her. There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for this wonderful man.
Her fingers worked the buttons on his shirt free before pushing it open so she could flatten her palms against his chest. She relished the beat of his heart beneath her palm as his fingers threaded through her hair while he kissed her breathless.
Julian had taken her as often as possible over the past couple of days, but his desire for her continued to increase. With every touch, every kiss, and every sigh, he found himself falling more in love with her. They hadn’t broached the subject of changing her yet, mainly because he didn’t know how to bring it up.
After everything she endured with her captors, he didn’t know how well she would take the idea of becoming a vampire. She had accepted she was his mate with ease and knew what followed, but he would give her more time to adjust to the idea.
Before he returned to the States, he was hanging on by a thread, but holding her and knowing she was his, made it easier to maintain his control. However, he didn’t know how much longer that would last. Still, he managed to keep his fangs restrained every time they were together.
When she pushed his shirt back on his shoulders, he shrugged it off before unbuttoning the high-necked, black blouse she wore. He stripped the shirt off and smiled when he saw the lacy, black bra he’d told her was a favorite of his.
He ran his fingers around the edge of it before tracing the edge of her dusky areola. “Did you wear this for me?”
“Who else would I wear it for?” she teased.
“No one,” he growled, and for a second, the demon part of him broke through as it sought to claim her. “Ever.”
Barely leashed violence simmered beneath his surface when he lifted his reddened eyes to hers. Always so careful to keep the vampire part of him chained when they were alone, it astonished her to see it so clearly visible now.
Their relationship was wading into treacherous waters, and they would have to deal with the next step soon, but she wasn’t ready yet. She wouldn’t turn him away; she loved him too much not to join him. She just needed more time to get used to the idea of becoming a vampire and drinking blood.
Resting her hand against his cheek, she rubbed the scruff of his beard. She marveled over the effect she had on him when the red eased from his eyes. “No one else. You’re it for me, Julian Byrne.”