Drop Dead Gorgeous by Suki McMinn Read Free Book Online Page B

mind. Derek was a vampire.
    A vampire.
    He said he wouldn’t come back, but she simply didn’t believe that. He also told her he loved her. He loves me. He’s dead, but he loves me.
    After a long soak, she got out and put on her favorite silk nightie. She wasn’t really hungry, but knew she needed to eat something, so she had a bowl of cereal in front of the TV. She kept the sound muted because her head was too full to listen to anything except her thoughts.
    She brushed her teeth and got into bed and thought of Derek until sleep took her. Sleeping soundly, she was first aware of his hand in hers and then felt his body pressed against her back, just like she thought she had the night before. She rolled over and snuggled into his cool hard chest. He stroked her hair and held her.
    “Did you finish your laundry?” she whispered into his neck.
    “Yeah.”
    “Am I supposed to forget about this too?”
    “Mmm hmm.”
    “Okay.” She felt him kiss the top of her head. “Oh, I forgot to put the garlic away. Does it bother you?”
    “It kinda gives me a sore throat.”
    “Sorry.”
    “No big deal. I’ll put it in the fridge before I leave.”
    “If I kiss you, will you bite me again?”
    “No.”
    She tilted her face up to his and he kissed her. It was sweet and gentle. Then, he tucked her face into his neck and just held her until she was asleep again.
    When she woke up, daylight was streaming in through her curtains. She was mad at herself for falling asleep and missing part of Derek’s visit, but she hoped she’d get another one soon. She felt quite certain of it, actually.
    By the time she got dressed, the mail had come. She got a notice that her unemployment was on its way to her bank account, and she went online to fill out the forms for more, discouraged that she had no other income in sight.
    Most of her afternoon was spent on the computer, reading more about vampires. Monica called and interrupted her, also reminding her she needed to eat something.
    “How are you doing?” Monica asked.
    “Okay. Better, actually.” Less heartbroken now that Derek’s alive – well, kind of alive, anyway.
    “Do you want to grab some dinner?”
    “No thanks, I have some leftovers I need to eat.”
    “Anything new?”
    You have no idea. “Not really. I’ve been thinking about your suggestion to manage models. Maybe I’ll make some calls tomorrow – you know, just put the word out with some of the models.”
    “Oh, good. That’s good.”
    “Keep your ears open for anything at any of the agencies.”
    “Always.”
    There weren’t many modeling agencies in Los Angeles – it was a much smaller market than New York. And the number of runway bookers could be counted on one hand. It was rare that a position opened up. She could starve before that happened.
    After she’d eaten and cleaned the kitchen, she sat in front of the TV and tried to watch a movie. It was dark outside and all she could think of was Derek, of course. Was he coming? The movie she’d ignored was over and another one started. But before this one ended, she got sleepy and stretched out on the sofa with an afghan over her, falling asleep easily.
    A sharp pain in her neck woke her and she said, “Ow,” as she put her hand to her neck and felt Derek’s cool hand already there. She realized he’d pulled off one of her band-aids.
    “I’m sorry. I just wanted to see how this was healing,” he said.
    She opened her eyes and saw concern on his face. He removed her second band-aid, set them both aside, and then he was in her arms, kneeling beside the sofa.
    She took a deep breath, blissfully happy.
    He gave her a soft kiss and joined her on the sofa as she sat up. She noticed the sound on the TV had been muted.
    “I think I know why I can’t seem to make you forget,” he began.
    “You do?” She spread the afghan over his legs as well as hers. She wondered if he realized how cold he felt.
    “Yeah. I asked someone last