Heartbeat [Alec Volturi]

Sweat

I wanted to kiss him again.

I wouldn't, of course.

But, god, did I want to.

It was more than a pull or a desire. It was a need that blew past my common sense and seduced my grasp on reality.

I took this moment to look him over, a large part of me double checking that he was still unharmed. He'd cleaned up from the mission and traded his gothic victorian style out for a more relaxed, yet still formal, modern look. Modern as in he belonged on the cover of one of Heidi's magazines, his clothes no doubt had the label of some renowned fashion designer. For vampires, they all cared quite a bit about the quality of their fashion choices. Still, I had to admit, modern wear suited him almost as well as his historically accurate, every day style.

I would have never known he'd almost been killed only hours ago.

I hadn't realized I was staring until he caught me, tearing himself from his own thoughts and sending mine into a flurry. His eyes were the only warning that he was not as he seemed and yet I could spend the rest of my life just inspecting them. I would count every speck and memorise each shade if it were possible. The emotion that seeped so clearly into his irises made everything seem clear, as his thoughts paraded in a mess of sentiment.

Normally, he'd have called me on such unabashed gawking, teased me about my focus levels or simply send me a wink. But he'd moved on by the time I came to.

"This is new?" He was holding up the notebook that had newly entered my possession. He didn't open it, but flipped it over to examine the outside for clues to his question.

Often an ear for me to vent about my father, I didn't hesitate to fill Alec in. "The case agent's notes on my dad. Aro gave it to me." He didn't ask how Aro had acquired such a personal item, and his indifference to this factor had my curiosity fading as well. A product of my situation, I suppose.

He continued, "Have you read it, yet?"

I waved at the item off-handedly, as if the book wasn't calling out to me as we spoke. "Not really, no."

The motion drew Alec's attention to my injured hand and with a zip of air, he was standing in front of me. He reached for it before pausing, as if terrified to touch me after the last time he'd been this close.

His eyes met mine and his voice came out in an unnecessary whisper, "may I?"

I nodded, somehow still caught off-guard by the quick movements of vampires. Alec cautiously picked up my hand and placed it between his. It was different than when Aro or Prosper had done the same. As if awakening to the return of his missing touch, sparklers flashed throughout my arm and around my chest. Alec's eyes returned to mine, worried as he felt my heart rate pick up speed, but when he saw nothing was wrong, he smirked.

What a prick.

I took my hand away from his. "It's fine."

"You should be more careful."

"You should be nicer."

He rolled his eyes. "Maybe if you did not throw candlesticks at me."

"It didn't even hit you!"

"Yes," he admitted with a devilish grin. "But you did."

I frowned harshly, moving to shove a finger in his chest and tell him off when it struck me that we stood way too close for a move like that. My lips parted audibly and I became acutely aware of his hand, holding my hand, was the only thing separating us. An electric strike shot through my chest as I attempted to process what was happening. I was very aware that his lips were mere inches from mine, that all I had to do was lean in...but the only coherent, real thought that I could process was how badly I wanted to taste those lips again.