CHAPTER 3
CONNECTION
Jo awoke in a haze, she kept her eyes closed and snuggled deeper into her blankets. Why could she not get Ian out of her mind? She had dreamed of him all night as usual, but this time it was different. This time it felt so real.
“Good morning.”
Jo threw the blankets off of her and jolted into sitting position. “Ian!” she exclaimed, her eyes wide.
“What, did you forget that I was here already?” He smirked. “Do you know how loud you snore?” He leaned forward and kissed her gently on the cheek.
She just sat gaping at him. He was really there. “So I wasn’t dreaming?” she asked, mostly to herself.
“Even if you were I would have seen it all anyway.”
“I still don’t understand what you mean, how can you see what I’m thinking?” She looked at him truly puzzled. Could he really see everything that was going through her mind?
“I can’t just see anything you’re thinking, I only see when you’re thinking about us…together. I don’t understand it either. It’s really frustrating,” he wrinkled his forehead, “kind of freaky really.”
“Oh come on, how do you know it’s because of what I’m thinking? Maybe you were thinking it.”
“Are you trying to say that you haven’t been fantasizing about us together? Perhaps by the seaside?” He looked at her questioningly.
Jo gaped. She couldn’t believe it. “How is this possible?” She buried her face in her hands, obviously embarrassed.
“I don’t know, but there is a strange connection between us. I just haven’t been able to figure it out yet.”
“How long have you been seeing my thoughts?”
“Well it started the same night I came into the café. I was lying in bed wondering why I couldn’t get you out of my head and all of a sudden I get these flashes of you staring at me, and then I felt your lips on me and well you get the idea. So I started watching you...”
Jo cut him off, “What do you mean you started watching me?” She demanded.
“Well I thought the only way I could prove my theory was if I watched you.” He waited for her reaction and when she didn’t show any signs of interrupting he continued. “It seemed to me that whenever you were occupied, talking or working, there was nothing, but as soon as you were alone for more than a minute…boom.”
“How could you possibly know when I was alone?”
“I just told you, I was watching you?”
“Everyday?” Jo’s eyes opened in shock. Then she remembered the creepy guy in the café the previous day. “It was you in the café yesterday, with the newspaper! And all week when I felt like I was being watched…you?
“Guilty.”
Jo lay back on her pillow, “This is so bizarre.”
“Speaking of bizarre,” Ian propped himself up on his elbow, “How did you know?”
“I didn’t, you just told me. I had no idea you could…”
“No, how did you know about me? You know, the vampire thing?”
Jo thought hard for a minute. “I don’t really know, I just sort of sensed it and when you kissed me last night I felt a spark, then I just knew.”
“You weren’t scared?” He was curious.
“No.” She was very definite.
“Really?” he asked, “Anyone in their right mind would have run the other way.”
“You know Ian, this whole week has been very strange and I really can’t figure any of it out, it’s making my head spin. You come into my café, we barley spoke two sentences to each other. I didn’t see you for the rest of the week but apparently you’d been watching me. You can see my thoughts and I can sense things about you. I sensed that you were a vampire and I knew that you wouldn’t bite me if I asked you not to. You explain this connection because I can’t.”
“Let me ask you something,” he looked at her intently as if he was finally going to ask her the question that he had been dying to ask. “On Monday morning, did you feel a kind of urgency, like you couldn’t get to the café fast enough?”
Monday had suddenly seemed so far away. “Yes I did.”
“And how long did that feeling last?”
She paused and lowered her head, not sure if she should answer, “Until you walked in the door,” she suddenly looked embarrassed.
Ian lifted her chin so that she was looking him in the eyes. “I felt that same urgency to get to your shop and you know how I feel about coffee,” he smiled sweetly at her. “But I’m starting to think that the urgency was more about getting to you than to your café,” he had the most thoughtful look on his face, “because like you, the feeling lasted just until I laid eyes on you and everyday after that when I wasn’t near you.”
He leaned over and kissed her sweetly. Something about her drove him wild. It took all of the will power he had not to approach her all week, not to grab her and tell her how nuts she made him. Since he walked out of her shop on Monday morning all he wanted to do was be with her. There was definitely some strange connection between them but at that moment he didn’t want to think about it.
“You’ve got to be joking.”
Her response took him off guard. He couldn’t remember a time when he had been so sincere.
“No I’m not joking, why would you think that I was?”
“I’m not blind Ian,” she started, “look at you; you can have any girl you want…if you haven’t already. I’m just a worn out single mom who runs a coffee shop. Realistically you should be with Anna or Stephanie or that beautiful little redhead that works at the liquor store.”
At first Ian didn’t know how to respond. Is that what she really thought…that she wasn’t good looking enough for him? He took her hand a sat her up and then sat cross-legged in front of her. He stared at her and reached up to push her hair back out of her face.
“You’re right. I have been with a lot of women, more than I can count if I was being honest. I can tell you absolutely without a doubt, not one of them even comes close to you. If you were any one of them I would have been gone before you woke up this morning and you wouldn’t even have remembered that I was here. You don’t give yourself enough credit. You’re the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on.”
Jo didn’t know what to say. Ian was younger, at least in appearance, he was tall, dark haired, and he had those beautiful blue eyes. He was perfect from head to toe, as if someone had purposefully sculpted him. Every girl that laid eyes on him wanted him instantly. Why would he even look twice at her?
Ian didn’t wait for her to respond. He leaned in; he kissed her forehead, her eyes, her nose, her cheek, her lips, and her neck. He kissed her over and over and before they knew it, they were once again a tangled heap, rolling around the bed. Ian nuzzled his nose at Jo’s throat and took a deep breath.
“Ian, please don’t bite me.”
He kissed her neck sweetly and smiled to himself.
The next several weeks passed in pretty much the same manner. Jo and Ian would leave her house together, Jo heading off to work and Ian heading back to his house. The hours they were apart were agonizing. Jo’s days at work seemed to be never ending and she would frequently daydream about her and Ian’s previous night together. Ian too found it difficult to be away from Jo, he had never wanted to spend time with anyone this badly.
Because of Jo’s daydreaming Marcus was forced to comment on how much his brother was smiling. Many times Ian would smile because he felt Jo’s breath in his ear or felt her hands caressing him and other times he would smile because he was genuinely happy.
Each night when Jo came home Ian would be waiting for her. Most nights they would skip dinner and head straight for the stairs. The urge to be together was so overwhelming it enveloped them both and many mornings it took all of Jo’s strength to say goodbye to him and go to work.
Some days Ian would surprise her in her office. This occurred most often after Clair returned home. Jo was not ready to let Clair know about her relation
ship with Ian, although Clair, being so close to her mother had sensed that something was different. The days that Clair was home, Ian would wait for her to go to sleep and then sneak into Jo’s room.
Their time together was so passionate and intoxicating, but Jo still made a point of asking Ian not to bite her. Each time she asked he would smile and playfully nip at her neck. Jo knew deep down that Ian would not bite her, and she was right, he had no intentions at all of biting her and although the smell of her skin drove him mad, the last thing he would do was hurt her.
“What do you want to do tonight?” Jo asked Ian, as he stared at her from the bed.
She was brushing her hair getting ready for work. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He ran his hand over her body then down between her thighs.
“You mean besides this?” He asked.
Jo turned to face him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. She just couldn’t seem to get enough of him. All he had to do was touch her and she was on fire. He threw her on the bed and once again they were intertwined.
“Now I have to do my hair all over again.”
“I like your hair like that.” He stroked a strand of hair off her face and kissed her. “I was thinking, I’ll pick you up after work today.”
“Really, what are we doing?”
“Nothing special I just think we need a change of scenery,” he said stroking her cheek.
That night when Jo locked the café door, Ian was waiting for her. He took her hand and kissed it tenderly. “Madame, your carriage awaits.” He motioned to the car and went around to open the door for her.
“Where are we going?” She was curious about what Ian had meant by ‘change of scenery’.
“I thought that tonight we would go to my place. You said that Clair was at her dad’s for the weekend, so you don’t need to be at home.”
“Oh,” Jo had not yet been to Ian’s house. They had stuck to the café and Jo’s house because Jo still wanted to spend time with Clair. She didn’t want to have to explain where she’d been or have Clair asking awkward questions. It was easier just to have Ian sneak in and Clair remain in the dark for now. Come to think of it, no one even knew that they were seeing each other. What would Marcus say when she walked in with Ian? “Does Marcus know I’m coming home with you?”
“Marcus is at Isabella’s for the night; her parents are gone for the weekend. We have the place all to ourselves.” He raised his eyebrows.
Jo let out a low laugh. “Whatever will we do?”
“It’s a big house, I’m sure we’ll find something.”
As Ian pulled up to the house, Jo’s eyes widened. She knew that the house was large but to actually see it was breathtaking.
“It’s beautiful.”
“It’s been in my family since 1846. My father had it built not long after I was born. It’s one of the oldest structures still left in Bromsgrove.”
Jo turned to him dumbfounded. “You were born in 1846?”
“1845 actually, and you thought you were old,” he smirked. “Try being one hundred and sixty four.”
“I knew that you must have had a long life, but one hundred and sixty four, wow.” This reality was hard for Jo to wrap her head around.
“Actually my life wasn’t very long,” he looked at her intently “only twenty six years. My after life however has been substantial.”
Ian got out of the car and rounded to Jo’s door before she even put her hand up to pull the handle.
“That was quick.”
“I think that you should get to know a little more about me. You know what I am and you’re the one person that I don’t want to hide from.” He reached for her hand.
As they walked through the front door, Jo’s head spun. The house was astounding. It was as if she had stepped into a different time. She took in everything around her from the rich mahogany woodwork to the beautiful stone floors, she marveled at the intricacy and details on the furniture. It was all very overwhelming. She noticed a picture hanging over the expansive fireplace; it was of a beautiful young woman. The woman’s face was extraordinary, her features sculpted and her eyes…Ian’s eyes.
“Is that your mother?” She asked indicating the picture.
“Yes, that picture was painted while she was pregnant with me.”
“She’s beautiful,” Jo said, “you look just like her.”
Ian smiled. Jo was sure he had heard that many times before.
“What happened to her?”
“She died during my delivery. That’s why my father had this place built. He couldn’t stand living in the house that they had shared together. I guess it was too painful for him, as was seeing me every day,” he said softly.
Jo looked at him questioningly. “Surely you don’t mean to say that your father blamed you for you mother’s death.”
“I don’t think he blamed me for her death but he certainly resented the fact that I lived and she didn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I know that my father loved me but I think that I just reminded him too much of her. I could tell it caused him pain, he could never look me in the eyes.” Ian seemed genuinely sad.
“What happened to your father?”
“He and my oldest brother were murdered and that left just Marcus and I.”
“You had another brother!” Jo was shocked. “I didn’t realize.”
“His name was Joseph,” Ian said as he nodded.
“Ian I’m so sorry, we don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want to.”
“I’d like to tell you the whole story but maybe we’ll leave that for another day,” he grinned at her. “I brought you here because I wanted to share my past with you but we don’t have to do it all in one night.”
He took her by the hand a led her around the house telling her about different family heirlooms and where they had come from. He showed her all of his prized possessions that he had collected over the years and told her stories of how he came to acquire them. He showed her the library with its extensive collection of books, some of which dated back to the 1700’s and where kept in impeccable condition.
Jo asked so many questions. She could not control her curiosity; many aspects of the house fascinated her. There were exquisite paintings, some very old and she was willing to bet priceless. She saw old family portraits; some of Ian’s parents others of Ian and his brothers and there were a few of Ian’s brothers with their parents but Jo did not miss the fact that there was not one portrait of Ian with his father. She knew there could not be one of him with his mother as she died during his delivery but there was not a trace to preserve the image of Ian with his father. She did not mention this bit of perception to Ian, but the thought truly saddened her. He obviously never knew the love of his mother, but for his own father to blatantly ignore his existence, because Ian reminded him of his wife, was heartbreaking.
Ian noticed the changed expression on Jo’s face and took her by the hand. “Come on I want to show you something.” He almost skipped in his excitement.
He led her upstairs to an enormous wooden door with elaborate carvings, she could not tell what they were of, but the door itself was just as beautiful as anything else in the house. He pushed the door open and placed a hand on her back to guide her into the room.
“This is my room,” he smiled, “what do you think?”
Jo stared around with her jaw ajar. This was by far the most beautiful room in the house. The gigantic bed was the first to draw her attention. It was the biggest four-poster bed she had ever seen. The headboard and footboard were made of wood with the same carvings as the bedroom door and panels of silk were draped from all four corners. The bedding was luxurious and there were pillows everywhere. Heavy red curtains lined the ceiling high windows, and this was saying something, as the ceiling seemed so far away. The furniture was very old but in pristine condition, and everything was very neat and tidy. Jo was in awe.
Ian was anxious, “Well what do
you think?” He repeated.
“I think that I gave you far too much credit,” Jo said jokingly.
“What?” Ian was confused.
“Well I thought you lured all of those girls in with your mere charm, but as it turns out all they had to do is have one look at this room and they would have been putty in your hands,” she joked.
“Well maybe that would have been the case, if they had ever seen this room.”
“You mean to tell me that you never brought a girl to your room?” She looked at him very suspiciously like she would never believe such an untruth.
“No, I’m telling you that I’ve never brought a girl into this house,” he said as he faced her, “you’re the first.”
“You never brought a girl into this house?”
“Not one.”
“Why not? It’s magnificent.”
“I never met one that I wanted to bring into this house…my family’s house. You’re the only woman I have ever met that I even considered bringing here. He took her in his arms, “I told you, I don’t want to hide from you.”
They spent the remainder of the night talking and making love. Jo told Ian all about her family and her childhood. How she felt Marie was always her parent’s favorite because she did everything their way and after getting married at sixteen Jo had proven them right. She told him all about her marriage to Dean and talked relentlessly about Clair. She talked about the shop and how wonderful it felt to have something that was all her own. Then they would make love again and talk some more. Jo felt as if she were doing all of the talking but she didn’t want to push Ian into talking about his family, she wanted him to be the one to bring it up when he was ready.
“I’m talking too much.”
“I like to hear you talk and I love hearing about your life, it’s nice to hear about a normal person’s life for a change.”
“Oh Ian, you are normal.”
“Hardly.”
“You’re not talking about that little vampire problem are you?” Jo teased.
He grabbed her and rolled her over pinning her hands above her head. “Oh, aren’t you funny,” he said, nibbling her chin. “I hardly call a vampire problem little.” He kissed her neck and as always he paused and inhaled her delicious scent.
“Ian…”
“I’m not going to bite you so you can stop asking.”