Banging my forehead against his chest a couple of times, I mumbled, “Fact: you should have told me who the hell your dad is. Fact: you should have helped me when I lied to him about the photo earlier if you knew he would know it was a lie. Fact: he didn’t like you putting your fingers down my cleavage earlier. Fact: he is seriously scary.”
Ezra raised his head, looking to wherever his parents were, then spun us even closer to a bulky speaker thumping with music. “Fact: I thought you knew. Hell, we had a test about him in history class.” Three years in one year, enough said. “Fact: I didn’t know you were going to lie about the photo, otherwise I would have stopped you.” His eyes dipped down like his dad’s had, but lingered — ‘cause he was Ezra — before coming back to mine. “Fact: he wouldn’t have been paying attention to where my fingers were if you hadn’t lied in the first place. Fact: yes, he can be scary.” He paused, then added, “Fact: he’s also a Vampire, if you’ve forgotten, so when you say something even remotely close to him, remember he can hear you.”
I glanced at the vibrating speaker. “Unless we’re near something like this?”
“Yes. Our voices won’t carry over the sound.”
As we swayed to the music, I rested my cheek against his chest in frustration, and felt his own cheek rest on top of my head. His chest expanded as he inhaled harshly, and he grumbled, “Guess we can add my dad to the list of people who think we’re having sex.”
I nodded. “Yeah. That’s what I got from him.”
“Perfect,” he muttered. Grunted. “When are they going to get over this shit? We hardly ever touch unless it’s on the damn dance floor. I have sex with other women. You’re picking other men to have sex with. What the hell else do we need to do?”
I shrugged inside his strong, familiar embrace. “I have no clue.” I joked, “We might as well have sex, and enjoy the benefits, if we’re going to be hounded for it.”
“You think you’re funny, don’t you?”
“Definite affirmative.”
Ezra led me off the dance floor two songs later, staying clear of King Kincaid, King Venclaire, and now, his dad. Although, I was pretty sure I saw them watching us as we weaved through the dancing couples. I was starving, and so was Ezra, if his rumbling stomach was any indication. We could see Pearl and Gideon at the buffet on top of the hill, and Jack and Nikki were sneaking behind the row of trees where we had hidden before.
Ezra dipped, taking his hand off the small of my back just as we exited the dance floor, asking, “Do you need to eat before the Awakenings?”
I debated that. Blood. He was talking about blood. I really didn’t want another fainting spell to occur, but I wasn’t all that thirsty, since it was only noon and I normally drank before, or directly after, dinner. “I’m not famished, but it might be a good idea.”
He nodded, automatically maneuvering us — without touching me — in a different direction, barely breathing, “I thought about that last night, and made sure I drank double my normal. We can do this before we normally do and I’ll be fine.”
“Thank you,” I said, smiling up at him. “That was thoughtful.”
He shrugged. “Better than having King Kincaid attack me again.”
I snorted as we hurried up the hill to the back entrance of King Hall. “Exactly where are we headed?”
He was quiet, then whispered, “Under the bleachers in the gym.”
I choked on a laugh. “That’s your hiding spot? Isn’t that a little cliché? How many women have you taken back there?”
His lips curved, drawling, “If it ain’t broke…”
I snorted, and then started jogging, glancing over my shoulder. “Race you?”
He grinned and sprinted after me.
Quickening my pace, running as fast as I could without my Vampire speed, I laughed when I stopped abruptly and tripped him on the grass. My only way of beating him. I shot off again, hearing his fake growl where he had landed. I made it to the door before I was picked up off my feet — no one could see us there — and I shrieked as he raced us inside and down the hallway with his Vampire speed to the gym.
The place was silent and dark, but lights weren’t needed with our glowing eyes, and he set me on my feet. He bent going under the bleachers ahead of me, but I didn’t need to duck the bar there, following him easily. Traveling to the middle, he stopped, his spring green, glowing eyes roving over my dress. “Hike your dress up a little, so you can wrap your legs around me.”
Blinking, I glanced about and realized he was right. There was no way to do this unless he got down on the dusty floor, because I was so short, and that wasn’t happening with his black attire. I hiked my dress up until modesty could have been threatened if I took it another inch, and he lifted me easily.
Wrapping my legs around his waist, he moved so my back was against the wall, then leaned heavily against me, asking patiently, “You know you can’t send me what you normally do, or I’ll fall, right?”
I paused. Shit. “What do I send you?”
“Whatever you can manage without making me hit the ground.” He grinned. “I fall, you fall.”
“Great,” I muttered, biting my lip, tiny fangs already descended. “Joy?”