Not What She Seems

chapter 12



“Separate bedrooms are out of the question from here on out,” Keith announced.

Sylvia’s heart skipped a beat as she considered this. He was right, of course, they needed to stay in the same room just in case the Hunter came back while they slept.

“I’ll sleep on the floor, of course,” he offered swiftly, sensing her hesitation. He broke free from her embrace and strode into the kitchen, searching through the cupboards until he found what he was looking for. He poured a glass of red wine into the wine glass and brought it out to her. “Drink this. It will help you sleep tonight.”

She gratefully accepted the wine but raised her eyebrows skeptically at him.

“Don’t worry, I’m not trying to liquor you up so I can take advantage of you,” he chuckled. “You’ve made it clear where you stand on that one and I’ll respect that. I just thought some wine might help calm your nerves.” He watched her intently as she sipped it.

“C’mon, let’s see if there’s anything on TV. I don’t think either of us are ready to turn it just yet.” Keith sat on the sectional and patted the seat next to him. Carefully she sat down beside him, being mindful not to spill her wine. He flicked through the channels, skipping over the news segment talking about Boston’s new serial killer before settling on an old sitcom rerun.

“Keith?” she began cautiously. He turned to her expectantly, waiting to hear what she had to say. “Thank you for being here.” Sylvia couldn’t imagine how she would be coping without him there with her. As much as a surprise as his appearance back in her life had been, she was glad to have him around. She felt better just knowing he was there for her and she didn’t have to face the Hunter’s games alone.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to give her a quick kiss on top of her head. “It’s okay, you know I can’t resist a hot woman in need of my services,” he joked.

She swatted at him playfully and he dodged her with a grin before his expression turned serious.

“I’ve missed you.” He held up his hand as Sylvia began to sputter. “No pressure, no games, I just wanted to tell you that.”

She sat in silence, unsure of how to respond. Keith took the pressure off of her by turning his attention back to the show. She stared at the screen as well, not really watching the show but turning over the recent events again and again in her mind. When he had first appeared on her doorstep just the night before he had seemed just like the old Karl she had once known, but already she could tell he was not the same man she had fallen in love with all those years ago. He was different- more serious, more considerate. His confession about his continued feelings surprised her, but not as much as his actions currently were. He was no longer the bawdy, pushy new incubus she had once known. Scared of the feelings she found herself in danger of developing towards him, she pushed Keith out of her mind and concentrated on coming up with a plan to give him the slip so she could go on her date with Mason the next night. Try and try as she might to come up with a reasonable solution, Sylvia drew a blank.

~~~

Eventually she could ignore her exhaustion no more. Her glass of wine was long finished, the yawns were coming closer and closer together and her eyes grew heavy. She rose off the sectional and stretched lazily as Keith watched her.

“I need to get to bed,” she announced.

Keith nodded and rose as well. “I’ll grab the blankets and pillows from my room.”

Sylvia was torn. She didn’t want to invite anything between them in bed, but she couldn’t allow him to sleep on the floor.

“You can sleep in my bed if you keep your hands to yourself,” she told him cautiously.

He grinned from ear to ear as his eyes twinkled with amusement. “Give me some credit here, Sylv. Don’t get me wrong, you looked hot as hell in that lingerie tonight, but I’m a big boy now. I can even keep my hands to myself when needs be.”

Sylvia blushed at the mention of her scantily clad moments earlier in the evening. She had never intended to give him peep show.

“All right,” she jabbed a finger in the air at him, “as long as you know I’m serious about that. No funny business!” She didn’t know who she trusted less sharing a bed, Keith or herself.

He held up his hands in mock surrender. “No funny business. You go get ready, I’ll change and double check we’re locked up tight in here.”

In her room again Sylvia cringed when she saw the roses still on the side table in her closet. She grabbed the roses, vase, note and all and marched into the kitchen to dispose of them, holding them carefully in front of her as if they were a bomb set to explode at any minute. On her way back to her room she realized Keith’s door was open a crack and she froze in her tracks without thinking.

He was changing for bed, with his back towards the door, buck naked. She stared with wide eyes as she got a full view of his naked strong back and sculpted ass.

“Hey, who’s a peeping Tom now?” Keith teased her over his shoulder. She slammed his door shut and huffed off to her room, embarrassed he had caught her looking and angry with herself for stopping to get an eyeful in the first place.

She closed her own door firmly behind her and changed into a pair of cotton pajamas after digging through her drawers to find the least sexy sleep wear she owned. She dressed quickly before re-opening her bedroom door and turning on the nightstand lamp on the opposite side of the bed, where Keith was going to sleep. She turned off all other lights in the room before climbing into bed and turning away to face the wall, not Keith’s side.

Eventually she heard him enter her room. She feigned sleep, not wanting to interact with him as he methodically checked and double checked that all the windows were locked. His weight shifted the mattress as he joined her in bed.

“I know you’re not asleep,” he said quietly.

She sighed as she rolled over to face him. “Not yet,” she admitted.

He lay on his side facing her, his head propped up on one elbow. Sylvia noted he had put on a fresh t-shirt to sleep in and wondered if that was for her comfort. She remembered clearly that he preferred to sleep in the nude.

“So… how are you feeling now?”

“Better, I guess. I’m still terrified. I just want this whole thing to be over.”

“It will be, we just have to give the police time to catch him. In the meantime- I’m here for you, Sylv.” His dark eyes searched hers.

“I know. I know you are,” she replied as she closed her eyes. He said something else to her but she missed it as sleep finally overtook her.

~~~

In her dreams, he was there, stalking her. Sylvia rode the T, not a care in the world, but as she exited at her stop she felt his presence behind her. Her pace quickened, as did his in response. She tried to sprint up the steps to reach the street level but the crowd fought her and pushed her back and the Hunter closed in, his hand reaching out to grab the back of her shirt as…

“Sylvia! Wake up!” Keith’s voice broke through the veil of her dream as he shook her gently awake.

It was still dark outside but the nightstand lamp cast a soft glow about the room.

“You okay?” he stroked her hair gently, his eyes full of concern.

She nodded as she sat up and wiped away the tears that had trickled down her cheeks. Keith sat up with her, watching her.

“I… I just had a nightmare, I guess,” she explained apologetically. “I’m sorry I woke you up.”

“You didn’t; I wasn’t asleep.”

She looked at the time and gasped. “It’s 4:00 in the morning. You’ve been awake this whole time?”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “I can’t sleep. I don’t feel good about leaving you unguarded when that creep was just in here.”

Slowly she reached out and stroked his cheek lightly with her palm, her nightmare forgotten for the moment. “You really do take this whole thing very seriously, don’t you?”

“Of course I do. I would of any girl Lilith asked me to watch over, but it’s you, Sylvia. Of course I’ll do anything to keep you safe from the Hunter.”

She pulled her hand back and scooted closer to him on the bed until she was right up next to him. Why was she so afraid to let herself feel what she felt for him? It had been centuries, after all, and the Keith in bed with her now was not the Karl who had lain with her so long ago. Her instinctual need for him was winning against her cautious side. She reclined slightly and put her head against his chest. He resumed stroking her golden locks with his free hand and wrapped the other lightly around her.

His heat, his scent, both intoxicated Sylvia. Slowly she reached out and stroked his upper thigh. He gasped in surprise and tightened his grip around her for a brief moment. She raised her head and turned towards him until her lips found his. He responded eagerly, his mouth meeting hers as the kiss deepened. She moved until she was in front of him on all fours, straddling him, never breaking their kiss, as she lightly stroked his rock hard erection with one hand. Yes, this was right, this was what she needed. He was correct; there must have been a reason their paths crossed again. Maybe it was finally time they could be together, without all the hurt, without all the pain. He had changed, and she was ready to let him into her life, and bed, again.

He groaned as he broke their kiss and gently moved her hand away from his crotch. “I thought you said no funny business.”

“I did,” she shrugged as she dived back in for another kiss and grasped him firmly again, over his boxers. Keith allowed it as he grasped her erect nipple through her pajama top with deft fingers and she moaned in response. She released his erection long enough to slip her hand underneath his waistband. He released her nipple and grabbed her roving hand, breaking their kiss.

“We can’t,” he barked sharply.

Sylvia sat back up on top of him, sitting in his lap in such a way that her crotch rubbed against his. She pouted sexily. “Why not? I thought this is what you wanted.”

Gently he eased her off of him then rubbed his face with both hands in frustration “I do, damn it, you don’t know how badly I want this. But even a few hours ago, you didn’t.” He looked at her pointedly.

She considered this carefully. “I did want this, the moment I found you sitting outside my door. I do want this, I just needed to see you’ve changed. You’re not the same man I knew.” With a wicked grin she threw off her top, exposing her bare breasts to him. Her top landed at the foot of the bed, forgotten.

Keith’s breath caught in his throat as he stared at her perfect breasts. He tore his eyes away as he reached for her top and handed it back to her. She refused to take it.

“Have I? Have I really changed all that much? I missed it when you left the Lounge with that sleaze ball and I went looking for you, dreading what I might find. Did I worry I’d find you dead at the Hunter’s hands? You bet.” He thrust her top at her again, insisting she put it back on while refusing to look at her breasts again. Desire burned in his eyes but his actions betrayed it. “Do you know what I was more afraid of?”

Sylvia shook her head as she reluctantly covered up again. This was not going well for her, not at all. She expected him to give her a good and proper roll in the hay like he used to, not beg her to cover up and keep her lips and hands to herself. Humiliation and rage tousled together inside of her.

“Just what I found. I didn’t want to see you screwing another man, Sylvia, I want you to be only be mine. Old habits die hard, I guess, and all I felt when I saw him doing you was rage. Rage and jealousy, just like old times. We both know how my possessive feelings almost brought you down last time, let’s not revisit them again.”

“You were jealous of him?” she whispered in shock. “Still?”

“Yes,” he admitted candidly. “I saw him screwing you and I wanted punch his face in. I wanted to beat him up and make him watch as I screwed you. I wanted him, and the rest of the world, to know that you’re mine.” He paused, suddenly avoiding her gaze. “But you’re not mine, are you?” His piercing gaze met hers again. “You’re not mine, and as much as I want you, as much as I want to screw you ‘til you’re sore, I can’t. I can’t allow you to put yourself at risk for me again, and I can’t promise I won’t act irrationally when it comes to your hunts. All my joking aside, I want you, Sylvia, more than you can imagine, but I refuse to hurt you again. I can’t guarantee that I won’t. I wish I could just sleep with you and forget you like all the others, but I can’t. I know I can’t.”

Sylvia bit her lip as she took in all he had just told her. It hurt her pride that he was turning her down, but hearing why made her heart swell with joy. She was right, he had changed. He was still a jealous mess when it came to her sleeping with other men to feed, but he was mature enough now to think of her goodwill and not just his own pleasure.

“Okay,” she relented, “Back to no hanky-panky, I guess.” She lay back down as he smiled gently at her.

“I don’t mean to hurt your feelings. You don’t know how badly I want you, but I just can’t hurt you again. I hate myself for what I did to you before.” He lay down next to her again and she snuggled up against him so they were almost flush against each other, eye to eye.

“I meant what I said before, Sylvia. I love you, I always have. I’ve been given another shot with you, and I refuse to blow it this time. I’ll work on my jealousy, okay? Maybe if I can learn to get it under control we can be together again.”

She melted inside. She could never get enough of hearing he loved her. “I love you too,” she whispered back. “I always have.”

Keith kissed her lips gently. “Go back to sleep. You need your rest.”

She closed her eyes with a small smile on her lips. Her love was back, changed for the better, and if they could find a way to overcome his jealousy without destroying her, maybe they could make this work again.