The Lie (The Skyy Huntington Series) (20 page)

Cupcake and I snuggled into bed together, and I lay there thinking for hours. I had so many questions for Grandpa. And I was a little pissed off about the whole thing with him faking his death. Then my mind wandered to Aiden eventually. Him declaring that I was his partner today got me daydreaming. I wasn’t sure how a relationship with a vampire would work out and then I started feeling guilty having Christian sleeping just down the hallway from me. I decided I shouldn’t feel guilty for being attracted to Aiden. He made me feel things I never felt with Christian in all our fourteen years of history. Sure, I was attracted to him, but maybe it was just a teenage crush I was holding on to. People grow up, things change, and he never made his move until just days ago, and when he did I honestly didn’t know how I felt about it. Stars didn’t move, my legs didn’t turn to jelly. Maybe Christian and I just weren’t meant to be anything other than friends.

After laying there for far too long, I just decided to get up. I looked at my cell phone, it was just after 2 a.m. now. I was almost certain Aiden would still be up, clicking away on one of his computers. I sent him a text.

Hey mister, you still awake?

He replied a few seconds later:
Yes, in the computer room. Everything alright?

I replied:
Can’t sleep. Want some company or are you busy?

He replied:
Come on over.

I pulled on my hoodie and put my slippers on and trudged across the house to the computer room. He was standing in the doorway waiting for me, smiling as I approached. My stomach got butterflies when I saw him.

We walked into the computer room and I shut the door behind me so that we wouldn’t wake up Christian, even though I was pretty sure he was well out of earshot range.

Aiden pulled up another computer chair next to his for me to sit down in. “Can I get you anything to drink?” he asked, always the gentleman.

"No, I’m alright, thanks though. And thank you again, for helping Christian out today. I know you don’t like people being in your business but it really means a lot to me,” I added.

“Don’t worry about it, I was happy to do it for you. He might not be my best friend but he
is
yours and so that makes him important to me as well.” I was sitting close enough to him that I could smell the soap he uses drifting on the air again. He must have showered in the time I was trying unsuccessfully to fall asleep. I had decided I really liked that smell.

“So, tell me about this Lucius guy who’s coming. You mentioned he is your maker. Is he going to be staying here in the house as well?” I asked, being nosy. We were about to have a full house soon, thankfully he had enough room.

Aiden nodded his head, “He’ll stay here I assume, it’d be safer and easier at least. He’s very, very old. Much older than me. He comes from the Roman Republic times, when Julius Caesar was in power. He can be an odd duck, doesn’t like to talk much and when he does he usually doesn’t make for the best conversationalist. But he is one of the smartest men you’ll ever meet and a good ally to have on your side.”

“That’s pretty neat. Did he know Julius Caesar?” I inquired.

“I don’t think he knew him personally, but he was employed from time to time in his household. He was a physician back in those days, and still keeps up to date with modern medicine though he doesn’t have any degree or license of course. Medicine is his passion, and that is what ultimately brought me to meet him. I have him to thank, in a roundabout way, for saving my life and my mother's life, though regular medicine was not responsible for that.”

I smiled, “I am anxious to meet both he and your mother tomorrow.”

He smiled back at me, “I know my mother will like you. Lucius, well you never know what he’s thinking but you’re important to me so he’ll treat you with respect.” As he said that I leaned back in the computer chair and tried to put my feet on the edge of his computer desk and almost flipped over backwards in the chair. He was on his feet in a flash sitting me back upright before I hit the floor.

“Oh my God!” I said while laughing. He chuckled too. “I’m really accident prone by the way, this won’t be the first or the last time you ever see me pull a stunt like that, but you’re pretty handy to have around I must say.”

He sat back down and gathered my feet into his lap. He took my slippers off and began to rub my feet. Those butterflies came right back into my stomach. “Speaking of accidents, I noticed the night you were in the cemetery you had cut your hand. How’s it healing?” he asked.

I glanced down at the bandage I had on and peeled one edge back. It was almost totally scabbed over at this point, and with all the excitement lately I had all but forgotten about it. I changed the bandage every time I showered when I was home but hadn’t done it since I had been here. I peeled the rest of it off and tossed it into a garbage can under his desk.

I wiggled my fingers and held my hand up for him to see. “Almost all gone,” I said. He smiled at me, still rubbing my feet. “That feels really good by the way,” I said while nodding in the direction of my feet.

I glanced over at his computer screen and saw a bunch of windows with graphs and all kinds of stuff I had no idea about. “What’s all that stuff you got there?” I inquired.

He shifted in his seat to face the screen but still kept rubbing my feet. ”I’m checking in on my investors, investments, stocks, etcetera. I have a lot of money tied up in things, which is also how I make all my money. I can show you if you’re interested?” he asked kindly.

So for the next hour or so, Aiden showed me everything from the stock exchange, to his private investment company, to some of the companies he invested with, as well as his business ventures he owned anonymously. It was all really interesting but way over my head. I guess I could add smart businessman to his list of perfect things.

I yawned louder than I expected to after a while. With the metal shades down 99% of the time in his house it was easy to lose track of time and have no idea if it was day or night.

“You sleepy?” he inquired.

I glanced at the computer screen to see the time. Almost 5 a.m.! “Yeah I am now, your foot massage really helped me relax,” I said and giggled. He stood up and held his hands out to help me up out of the chair.

“Come on then, I’ll escort you back over to your room,” he said.

We entered my room, and Cupcake was still sound asleep on the bed, oblivious to the fact I had been gone almost three hours. I guess she really was settling herself right in and feeling at home here.

I climbed into the bed, turning the little lamp on the bedside table on low so I could see. I lay my head on the pillow and Aiden sat on the very edge of the bed, rubbing my hair and head. It was really hard to believe this guy had never had a wife or girlfriend before. Ladies for centuries had been missing out on this.

I moaned softly after a minute or two, “That feels really good too, you should stay and do it until I fall asleep,” I said jokingly.

“I can if you like,” he said shyly. That wasn’t the reply I expected from him, but I wasn’t going to tell him that. Instead I just scooted over in the bed a little so he could stretch out on top of the covers. Aiden got up and quietly closed the bedroom door so the hallway light wouldn’t bother me.

He climbed onto the bed on top of the covers and lay back with his head slightly propped up with one of the pillows. Cupcake wagged her tail twice but was too lazy to offer him more than that, and was back asleep in seconds. I scooted closer to him and took a chance by laying my head on his chest. That soapy scent that I loved was really comforting.

Aiden began rubbing my hair and head again gently. I could hear his heart beating a mile a minute and wondered if he was nervous. “Good night Skyy. I hope you have sweet dreams tonight,” he whispered. I sure as hell might die tomorrow, but I was in heaven tonight. I don’t even remember drifting off to sleep.

Chapter 11

I woke up in the same position I had fallen asleep in, though I had tossed my arm across Aiden’s chest at some point. I was shocked to find he was still there with me, and even more shocked to see him sleeping. His heart rate was beating at a normal pace now, his breaths coming slow and steady. I had to pee something terrible but didn’t want to wake him. Apparently Cupcake felt me move a little and woke up, happy as ever bouncing up to my face licking me then jumping over me onto Aiden’s legs. He opened his beautiful light green eyes and smiled while reaching down to pet Cupcake.

“Good morning,” he said to me while he propped himself up on his elbows. I smiled at him,

“Morning. You didn’t have to stay in here the whole night you know? Did you sleep well?” I asked.

“I wanted to stay here with you. And yes, I slept better than I have in centuries,” he replied.

Yep. He most definitely liked me as more than friends.

I made my way out of the bed to go pee, then wondered how this was going to look if Christian saw Aiden coming out of my room. Sure he thought he and Aiden were BFF’s from the mind whammy but how did he feel about seeing Aiden and I shacked up together?

My question was answered a moment later when I walked out of the bathroom. “Christian is downstairs, eating,” Aiden informed me. Well at least he could leave without the risk of being seen.

“I need to let Cupcake out to go potty. I’ll head down there and say hi to him,” I said, shrugging my hoodie and slippers back on. Aiden reached over to the bedside table for his cell phone.

“I have a few missed calls from my mother. I need to call her back before she gets on the plane,” he stood up and stretched. “Skyy I really enjoyed last night. I don’t know what today will bring but I hope that this won’t be the only time we can be close together.” He walked over and hugged me, then turned and walked out the door heading to his computer room. My knees felt weak and he left me with butterflies in my stomach.

Moments later I walked down to the kitchen to see Christian sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal. He smiled when he saw Cupcake and I. “I see I’m not the only one who slept in. Man, that bed in there is like a huge marshmallow. So comfortable. And those shades! I’ve got to get some of those at the house,” he said with a full mouth. It was a disgusting habit of his but I’d gotten so used to it, that it didn’t bother me anymore.

I let Cupcake out and walked over to get a bowl to pour some of my own cereal into. I’d decided I wasn’t going to feel guilty about my feelings for Aiden, though I didn’t want to flaunt them around either. “Yeah, I could get used to living in a place like this,” was my delayed reply to him.

We ate our cereal and as I was rinsing the dishes out, Aiden walked downstairs. “Good morning Christian, Skyy,” he said as he nodded to each of us. I wasn’t sure if he had whammied him to think he and Christian were friends, or that Christian just didn’t feel attracted to me that way anymore as well, but now wasn’t the time to ask.

I forgot that the back doors were open and sunlight was pouring into his kitchen. I saw Aiden squint his eyes a little at the natural light. “Morning dude.” Christian said, then added “Wow you’re pretty pale, I never noticed that before. We should all hit up the beach once the weather gets nice, get you a tan,” I glanced at Aiden, who was just smiling.

“Actually, the reason I have all these shades in my house is because I have a severe sun allergy. My skin can’t handle it for more than very short periods of time, and I’ll become very sick if I stay out in it.”

I could tell Christian felt embarrassed, “Oh, I’m really sorry. I didn’t know that. I actually knew a kid in middle school who had something similar, though his skin had weird patches all over it with light and dark areas. Felt bad for him, he could never go out for recess or anything.” As he finished his statement he got up to grab the remote that closed the shutters to the back sliding door.

Aiden nodded his head in thanks before informing Christian that we’d be having two more house guests this evening. He referred to them as his mother and uncle. Christian looked like he was unsure of what to do, and I could tell that Aiden planted the idea of going upstairs to play video games in his head. So that’s what he did. After he walked out of the room I glanced over at the breadbox mail service Aiden had set on the kitchen counter last night when we came in.

“I should probably move this up to my room, before Christian opens it and sends a loaf of bread to Grandpa,” I said, picking it up.

Aiden laughed. He moved closer to me and rubbed his hands up and down my arms. “I don’t want to scare you, but Mr. Skinhead has already been on the street outside the gates once just since I have been awake.” I shivered, thankful that we were protected in the house. “So please promise me you won’t go off this property today for any reason without me.”

“Of course,” I replied. “I don’t have a death wish, I might be accident prone but I think I know where to draw the line.”

“My mother called me while I was sleeping earlier to let me know that she was actually able to get an earlier flight out of France today, so she’ll be coming in around 7 p.m. this evening. And Lucius sent me a text message right after I hung up with her, his flight arrives around midnight.”

“Do we have to go pick them up from the airport?” I asked.

“No, they will take cabs here. My mother will probably take two cabs here, one for her luggage, and another one with her in it with more luggage,” he said and laughed. I wasn’t sure if he was joking or not.

Turns out, he wasn’t. We killed the afternoon playing video games and darts with Christian waiting for his mom to get here. Sure enough, shortly after 8 p.m. she pulled into the gates in two cabs. We all went outside to greet her and help her with the luggage. And boy, did she have luggage.

I saw a petite slender lady get out of the back of the cab as I walked behind Aiden. Christian stood in the doorway. “Aiden!” she called as she ran over to hug him, her giant purse hanging from the crease in her elbow. She had on dark, heeled boots that came up to her mid-calf, and dark pants on under those, with a big white sweater with tiny sequins sewn into it. With both the light from the porch and inside of the house spilling over her, the sequins were glittering like a million stars in the sky.