The First Touch Read online

  He was completely flabbergasted, his mind racing as he watched her looking terribly uncomfortable. Her eyes searching his face for some sign of how to proceed, but he could not get himself together. Suddenly she looked about anxiously, as if someone else might come to take him away, and help her to escape the uncomfortable situation.

  With the fear of her possible disappearance surfacing, his instinct for self preservation finally kicked in and he flashed a glorious smile. Rubbing his wrist and then shaking it off theatrically, he explained, “I am sorry, I am fine, just twisted it as I fell. Are you alright?”

  She smiled and nearly choked with the relief in her voice as she replied, “Yeah I am fine! I thought that I had broken you.”

  He smiled his eyes still a little wild and replied unconvincingly, “I am fine… You…have quite a grip.”

  “Sorry.” Blushing, she offered her hand to him.

  As if reaffirming his original suggestion, he shook his head, adding, “I can do it,” then he rose to his feet unassisted wiping the dust from his hands and pants.

  She looked at him in disbelief; before shaking her head, and looked around again to see if anyone else was with him once more. He watched her out of the corner of his eye, cautiously, hoping that he had not scared her off, while she seemed satisfied with their continued lack of audience. Then she began absent-mindedly dusting her pants off at the knees, appearing in better spirits, now that he was behaving properly again.

  Autumn thought, not funny, and then looked up at the sky and scowled at it for sending her this gift, wondering what she had done to deserve this special torture. Then she snuck another quick glance at him, it must be really bad to put something like this in her path.

  He was handsome, and truthfully, completely taken aback by his uniquely rugged appeal, she was in awe. He had thick brown hair that made his dark blue eyes pop, paired with his flawless features high cheek bones and a strong jaw line. Perfectly proportionate to his broad square shoulders and obviously muscular physic, she was assured that he would look even better without his thick wool jacket on. She felt her stomach suddenly tighten as her mind took it further imagining him without his shirt on, and she raised her brow in appreciation. She shook her head clearing it and then chastised herself silently; there will be plenty of time for that later.

  He watched her lingering unnecessarily, an encouraging sign for him but his mind struggled to take hold of a plan of action. He was not ready for this; she was not it. Was she? This was wrong some how, too soon. The kiss from his dream had been so sweet…This could not be her… surely, this could not be right. Look at her she was…was… was not right. If she would simply hold still and let him get a look at her…There had to be a catch, was there someone else? He looked around the sidewalk, and up at the windows above them. No one else was there. Then he grabbed his wrist again, it was burning from her touch. It was overwhelming even he could not deny it.

  The kiss, that was all he needed, he was not going to die over a kiss. He shook his head, trying to get it to clear while he tried to focus on the goal. Nevertheless, his mind would not comply, the kiss was just the antidote for the first touches secretions, he thought logically. He just needed to secure the kiss so she could begin her transformation and he could stop his own demise. He could help her find her proper mate in another clan afterwards.

  He watched the female seeming satisfied by her work on her pants, as he thought, it had happened before, the scrolls had told of it, there where a couple of stories about vessels accidentally being exposed to others intended mates. Once the transformation was complete, they would naturally be drawn together and then all would be well.

  Her attention finally turned from her pants in search o her pencil again. He found it instantly and swiped it up, offering it up to her with a slight bow, this time, a sparkle returning to his eyes. She smiled surprised at his change of temperament, “Thank you kind sir.”

  He grinned, replying with a flourish of his dusty hand, “You are welcome my lady.” Her smile widened as their eyes met again for another half second and she blushed.

  As usual, she averted them quickly and replied, “Let me guess you’re an actor?”

  He frowned, slightly alarmed, though he hid it well, “No.”

  She frowned mumbling to herself, “Interesting.” She looked down at her pants one last time, before adding, “Well then since you are alright,” she gestured to his standing figure, “I won’t take any more of your time.”

  She turned on her heels and without a moment’s hesitation she headed down the sidewalk. He smiled and nodded his head politely, but instantly realized that he had just severed their connection. His calm demeanor quickly turned to desperation, as he darted after her.

  Follow me

  The stutter step that followed her as she made her way down the sidewalk, was a little encouraging and unnerving. Her head was still swimming from the close proximity to the most gorgeous man she had ever seen in real life… and now… he was following her. He spoke softly, sounding as if he were right in her ear, “I am sorry, I didn’t get your name.” She slowed her pace and slowly turned expecting to find him right next to her. Only to find that he was not as close as she had first thought, her momentum sending her into a full turn. He closed the distance between them eagerly enough though.

  He asked again, “So, what is your name?” She shook her head and looked back at him and then answered distracted by her train of though, “Autumn, my name is Autumn.” She turned away from him and began walking again a little more slowly now, her heart still pitter-pattering.

  He grinned, not seeming to notice her preoccupation and matched her pace, falling in step instantly, repeating, “Autumn, that is a lovely name.” His charm returning as his mind struggled to get into the game.

  She frowned, returning to the present, and reciprocated absent mindedly, “What’s your name?”

  He replied, “Ivan,” and she stopped short, suddenly wide-eyed.

  He swallowed hard at her sudden change, his heart pounding now at the constant readjustments that he was having to respond to, “Ivan?” He nodded his head and she continued breaking into a wide smile, “Ivan, perfect,” though she made it sound anything but that. She finally caught his expression of confusion, and she added disbelievingly, “I have always liked that name. It’s Russian right?”

  He nodded, wondering if he should have given her another name as his appeared to disagree with her somehow. She let the name roll around in her mouth as she mumbled, “Ivan, Ivan,” as he watched ever so closely. If she had had enough courage to look at him again she would have seen that his intensity was beginning to show. His eyes began dilating waiting for any encouraging sign from her.

  When she realized that the eyes that she felt were from him, she glanced over at him and misunderstanding his intensity, her blush deepened. “You’re staring,” and she shot him a look of disapproval, although she was secretly thrilled.

  He promptly dropped his gaze and stared at his dusty shoes, wishing that her hair was not hanging in such a way to obstruct his view of her face. His anxiety level was through the roof, and her discomfort was only making it worse. He knew what he must accomplish in the next twenty-four hours, but his frustration with the obvious non-compatibility of the two of them, made him struggle against it, in spite of the evidence to the contrary.

  He looked up again and realized that the silence was beginning to stretch and a lump formed in his throat as he feared that she might try to flee again, so he spoke hastily his voice catching as he offered, “Well Autumn… I… think we passed a coffee shop about a block ago would you like to get a cup of coffee?” She smiled awkwardly at him and looked up at his face for a sign of his intentions.

  He tried to look sincere but he felt awkward instead, exposed, though he guessed that it did not show on his face because, she smiled brightly and replied sweetly, “Yeah sure why not.” She smirked at him, offering, “But I know a better one a few blocks up.”

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nbsp; He smiled back; unnaturally chipper as he tried to keep the conversation light in hopes of keeping her comfortable, “Excellent.” He gestured for her to lead the way, and they walked in silence for a few blocks until she pointed at a smaller coffee shop across the street.

  They crossed at the corner and he opened the door for her smiling politely, and she mumbled a, “Thank you,” brushing past him, giving him his first treat. A whiff of her scent, which he made a mental note of in case they were separated, this needed to go off without a hitch. His life depended upon the decisions of a fickle female tonight and he would take no chances.

  She headed straight for the back corner of the dimly lit coffee shop and sat at one of tables that had small tea candles glowing on it. He followed her without hesitation, smiling happily with every blush and coy smile, feeling slightly more confident, with his task. As he sat, the waitress walked up eyeing Ivan and Autumn searching for the connection between the odd pair, as Autumn seconded her look of confusion as she took off her coat. He answered swiftly, hoping to be left alone with his newest dilemma, “Two black coffees please.”

  He watched her in the dim light of the coffee shop, and realized that her posture had changed entirely. She was now more comfortable, her eyes were keenly aware of her surroundings, and she definitely did not like who ever was walking up behind him.

  He turned to see the waitress returning with their drinks, eyeing Autumn curiously again as she did, and she shrugged. While Ivan slid the sugar over to her, in hope of regaining her attention, as the coffees steamed sent the aromas of the roast seeds wafting up into the air. Autumn did not meet his gaze though; busing herself by taking off her hat and scarf instead.

  Then taking a hair tie from her pocket, she pulled her hair up out of her face. He watched her graceful well-practiced moves pulling each strand into a perfect twist and tucking it up on to the top of her head, pinning it down perfectly. Ivan absently stirred his cup, waiting for the reveal. The change was instantaneous and Ivan gasped involuntarily, realizing just how much he had missed. Autumn asked, half joking, “That bad, huh?”

  He stared at her unflinching for a few moments, before replying, “No.” He hoped that his intention was not lost on her. He guessed that it was not, as she began to blush once more. She stared at the drink in front of her, awkwardly waiting for him to begin conversing. Grasping at straws, he asked benignantly, “So what do you do for a living?”

  She looked up at him and replied, “I’m a blood Tech.” Ivan smiled at the irony, but did not comment. Autumn added hopefully, “How about you? What do you do?” Adding a bit quieter, “Modeling of some sort I am guessing.”

  “No, I am an antiquities dealer.” He lied.

  “Really that sounds like an interesting job,” she replied brightening.

  He shrugged and replied with disinterest in hopes of steering the conversation back towards her life, “It is not.”

  She took it in stride though her mood remaining cheerful, “Well then what should we talk about?”

  He stared at her for a moment before asking, “Where were you born?”

  “Down south, though I have lived in the city for most of my life, my family moved here when I was a little girl.”

  He replied sounding interested, “Oh really, where at down south?” She stared at the candle lit in the center of the table and answered his question absentmindedly and then she began rambling on about her life, as she poured sugar into her drink.

  He swallowed hard and tried not to believe his eyes, how had he missed that. Her skin was soft porcelain, with olive eyes and dark brown hair. He noticed now, when the candle light hit her hair, hints of auburn shown in her hair and eyes. His fingers stretched involuntarily as he thought of what it would be like to touch her. Her heart shaped lips were full and deep and realized then that he was longing to kiss her though the longer he stared the less he cared if she was the one from his dream or not, he simply wanted to taste her. A hidden beauty, he smiled at that thought. A question flew from his lips before he could stop himself, cutting Autumn off abruptly, “Why do you cover your face up?”

  She stopped talking and picked up her drink, sipping her drink uncomfortably and looked at him puzzled. He clarified suddenly feeling strangely awkward, “Your hair when we first met you had it half covering your face. It suites you better to wear it how it is now.”

  She blushed at his remark and then replied, “We live in a city full of bad people,” she shrugged, “If they don’t see you then they don’t harass you as much.”

  “If you do not like it then why do you live here?”

  She smiled and stared at her coffee, then returned, “I like the convenience of living in the city, the theaters, the museums, and the combination of cultures.” Just then an Indian couple passed by, as she looked lost in thought for a moment before continuing, “Well it is worth the headache for now anyways.” She smiled mumbled to herself, “I imagine after a few more years, a smaller town might seem more appealing. Maybe even living abroad...” She let her words fade off as she smiled a little smile to herself into her cup as she stirred it absent-mindedly.

  Then she shifted her weight, grabbed a pencil from the pocket of her coat, and pulled a napkin from the pile on the table. She did not even look up while she scribbled something onto it and hastily shoved them both back into her jacket pocket. He leaned forward and smiled his eyes looking at her with renewed interest. She shifted in her seat obviously uncomfortable with his sudden apparent interest in her scribbling, while he continued to stare at her unblinking. Autumn asked, adding creamer to her coffee finally, “How about you?”

  Ivan responded dully, “I go where I am told.”

  There was a long stretch of silence, and Autumn cleared her throat, excusing herself and headed toward the bathroom. His eyes wondered over to the jacket and in a flash, he swiped the napkin from the pocket, just as she stepped out of site, spreading it out and read the words that she had printed, Hungry eyes. He flinched, folded it back up, and returned it to the pocket. Now he was nervous, perhaps this was going to be harder than he thought, she had seemed so wrong but now....

  He cursed under his breath and focused his ears, listening to the sounds of the room. The waitress was talking about how rude a large muscular gentleman had been when he had ordered, while the couple sitting at the front of the shop snickering together as they unscrewed the sugar lids on their table.

  Back in the bathroom only five feet away, he listened as Autumn washed her hands, for a very long time. Meanwhile, her heart was pounding in her chest and she was humming a soothing melody to herself. After a few minutes, the water shut off and she emerged from the room with a sweet smile on her face.

  His own heart began to beat faster as he watched her approach the table and take her place again. His skin felt suddenly warm, though he was sure it was not, as he watched her reach into the pocket of her jacket and pull the napkin out again. Then, just as before she scribbled on it and quickly returned it to the safety of the jacket pocket. He asked, “What are you writing?”

  She blushed deeply, and she replied, “Oh, that, that’s nothing, just ideas that popped into my head. I like to write them down so that I won’t forget them.”

  He looked at her skeptically and asked, “What kind of ideas?” He continued staring at her; head tilted imitating her expression from earlier though his eyes were unwavering.

  Autumn smiled again and replied, “It is nothing interesting really, just a little rattle,” gesturing towards her head. “It is easier for me to move on with my day if I write it down. Otherwise I dwell on it, and get side tracked.”

  He did not seem convinced, as he asked, “May I?” Autumn looked slightly taken aback by his suggestion but she fished the napkin back out and reluctantly handed it to him anyways.

  She was blushing a deep crimson color when she added, “They are just random thoughts that pop into my head. They won’t make much sense out of context.”

  “No worries.” He
replied slowly, opened the napkin and spread it out flat in front of him. The first words he already knew the first word, Hungry eyes. However, for her sake he pretended to read them. The second words surprised him a little, though he quickly pushed past it, a coincidence that is all he thought to himself...

  The words where written sloppily...a kiss and below that…His breath caught again as he starred at the words on the napkin, they had been written quite erratically. He studied them cautiously...blood dripped from his lips as he smiled.

  He licked his lips and looked at the untouched cup of coffee that had now gone cold in front of him.

  His voice dropped unexpectedly as he spoke, “What were you thinking when you wrote these words.” His fingers absent mindedly traced the last line.

  All of the color drained from Autumn’s face as her eyes looked at the words that he outlined. She slowly looked up to meet his gaze, barely daring to look above her eyelashes. He had not intended for the words to come out quiet so primal, but she had hit a nerve. Her face confirmed his suspicions; she knew that he was a vessel. He looked at her questioningly as her mind too began to race, dare she tell him about her visions? Would he think she was crazy?

  He was so handsome and intimidating. She wanted to share everything with him, or nothing. She could not make up her mind thinking, the truth? Or what she told everyone else? She never thought that she would be sitting across from someone like him. His face and eyes were enough to melt any woman’s heart. However, his voice was what struck her so completely; its soulful depth could not be denied. She wanted him as she had never wanted any other man in her life. She felt silly feeling so intensely about someone so quickly. If he was not so damn good looking, but he was and she wanted to tell him so badly.

  She had been struggling with her subconscious for nearly an hour now, a nagging feeling of familiarity. Autumn’s little voice in her head that was now becoming a screaming banshee, told her that this was the voice from her dream. Nevertheless, there was another part of her, somewhere distant but strong that said, no, just kiss him and be done. The two raged a war in her mind that caused a headache to form almost instantly, that paired with her raging hormones and she was done for.