Love Immortal

Chapter Six

Chapter 6

Lauren paused when she heard the door close. Hot water bounced of her hands where they were frozen against her head, halfway through rinsing the shampoo out of her hair. She focused and was surprised when she could feel there was someone in her bedroom. It was similar to how she had felt the night that Julian had saved her—an indescribable sensation in the pit of her stomach. That time it had said she was in danger. This time it was the opposite. A strange aura of calm washed over her.

Julian.

The bathroom door was open. She hadn’t been expecting company, but she wasn’t about to leave the shower now that company had walked in uninvited. It seemed like forever since she’d had a shower and the hot water running over her body felt too good to give up. She was willing to risk something happening. She didn’t have a perfect figure like Astra, or come anywhere close to her in the beauty stakes, but she wasn’t ashamed of her figure either. Although some bits needed work in the toning department, she was still the average weight for her five feet seven inch frame. Would Julian think she had an attractive body if he caught a glimpse?

A butterfly didn’t jig in her stomach, a whole army of them rushed around, sending it spinning like a hurricane. It wouldn’t settle, not when her thoughts were fixed on their current favourite topic—Julian.

He’d been a perfect gentleman so far and didn’t seem the type who would take advantage of a situation like this, even if she did want him to.

“How long have you known these Ghosts?” Lauren hollered over the noise of the shower.

Silence. She listened for a while and started to wonder if she had been wrong about him being in her room.

“Five years.” His voice was so clear and loud that she jumped.

He was in the bathroom.

Her heart started at a canter and rapidly increased to a gallop. She breathed deep to slow it again, knowing that Julian could hear it. He didn’t mention the change in it this time.

Lauren stared at the white shower curtain. Where in the room was he? She shook her head. Her heart was never going to settle if she thought about him. Leaning back, she tilted her head under the water. The hot beat of it against her hair quickly stole her attention away from Julian. It was exquisite, easing all of the tension from her body and re-invigorating her.

She let out a long low groaning sigh of satisfaction.

Her cheeks burned with the blush that covered every naked inch of her. Her attention shifted back to Julian. Suddenly, she was very aware of the fact that she was nude and alone with him. Her mind leapt forwards, imagining the possibilities. Passionate, hot images of him in the shower with her, their naked bodies entwined and his lips on her throat, sent fire sweeping through her body and her heart pounded out a rapid rhythm.

She really needed to get a life. Julian had barely looked at her, let alone shown much interest. The small more courageous part of her said that he might show a little interest if she accidentally on purpose tugged the shower curtain aside enough to flash him, or fell in the bath so he’d come to check on her.

Lauren ignored it.

“Can you hand me a towel?” She squeezed the water out of her hair with one hand and turned the shower off with the other.

A white fluffy towel greeted her when she turned around, Julian’s arm sticking through the gap between the shower curtain and the tiles. Lauren went to take it from him and then froze when she saw the scars on his wrist.

An incredible urge to bite him rushed through her, sweeping up from below and engulfing her. It was exhilarating.

She snatched the towel and wrapped it around herself. It was wrong. She didn’t want to think about the blood-drinking aspect of the awakening. She wasn’t sure how she was going to take to it. The thought repulsed her. Her body said different. The sudden desire to bite Julian had left it warm in all the good places. She tucked the end of the towel in, making a fuss of it to distract her from such disturbing thoughts, and then pulled the curtain aside. Julian looked up, most of his face still hidden beneath his coat collar. He was so close to her.