"As we enter this final week of your Wicked Encounters experience, we turn our attention to the couplings made and fortifying them both physically and emotionally," Clayton says, his expressionless voice carrying through the dining room.

Everyone abandons their breakfast and gives him their attention.

He might as well be talking to himself. The old ghoul looks right past us as he takes on his newly appointed duty as master of ceremonies. Standing at the head of the table, he clenches his hands in front of him and continues. "Tonight, the playrooms will be unlocked in the basement. The Evermores believed that physical connection was vital to any relationship. It was important to them that they explored new ways to please one another. The playrooms are designed for just that."

The room erupts in giddy exchanges, and Cordelia shifts beside me. Her hands fall to her lap where her legs are pressed together. She's been so responsive to the milder side of my sexual appetite. Spankings, breath play, and hair pulling are her favorites, but I can see the longing in her eyes. She wants to play on the darker side. I've taken tiny steps with her, not wanting to step over a boundary she didn't even know she had. Her experience was so limited until she met me. I take great pride in showing her all the things she's missed out on.

"Can we?" she asks, her face lit up in a way I've never seen before.

"Yes, belle rêveur."

She practically jumps into my lap when she throws her arms around me. I adore how she isn't afraid to show me exactly how she is feeling.

"Secondly," the room falls quiet again as Clayton continues his announcements, "Two weeks ago, our staff of tailors took your measurements and discussed with you your attire for the final night's masquerade ball. Your first fittings are scheduled for tomorrow. Please check the event schedule in the foyer for your fitting time. That is all. You may commence with your meal."

Just as quickly as he appeared, the ghoul is gone.

Everyone begins chatting again, but when Cordelia speaks, her voice is the only one I hear.

"Which playroom are we going to go into, Elias?" She's leaning over into my space, her lips brushing the shell of my ear.  I can't pretend like she doesn't affect me, and I can't ignore her—not that I'd want to. I just don't know that I want to talk about this in front of a tableful of nosy supes. I don't want any of them picturing what I plan to do with her tonight.

"Walk with me?" I say, getting to my feet and holding out my hand.

She grins and does as I ask with no hesitation, following me out of the room and to the foyer. We check the list Clayton mentioned for our fitting time, find that we are scheduled back-to-back, and then I hold the front door open for her as we walk out toward the beach. It's a very overcast day, on the verge of rain, so I'm able to go outside without much fear of the sun.

The waves are crashing on the shore, the gulls crying back and forth over the noise. I glance over at her, and her blonde waves are blowing back over her shoulders. She's radiant, even with no sun to reflect off her skin or moonlight to sparkle in her eyes.

I'm distracted by her beauty for too long, and she doesn't wait for me to start the conversation. "So...there's no one around now...which playroom will it be, Elias?"

My lips pull up into a smirk and I turn to face her, taking both her hands in mine. "Before we talk about this, we have to set some ground rules. Is there anything you are 100% not comfortable exploring with me?"

She looks up at the sky and down at her feet before meeting my gaze. "I don't want you to actually hurt me. Beyond spanking or..." The blush I love so much deepens on her cheeks. "Biting me if you decide. Otherwise, I don't want you to inflict pain on me on purpose. Everything else...I'm open."

"Everything else?" I ask, cocking a brow.

"I—I mean, I think so."

It is that uncertainty that makes me positive that this is not my decision to make. Cordelia is smart and I believe she could be open to a lot. I just don't think she understands how vast the possibilities are. We could spend the rest of our time on the island in those rooms and only touch on a fraction of the debauchery that is rumored to go on in them.

"I appreciate your desire to please me. And trust me when I say that giving me control over the situation turns me on. But I've spent decades experimenting with my sexuality, and there is so much for you to still explore. We will go down into the playrooms, but I'm not choosing what we do. If something intrigues you, we will try. And if we spend some time down there and you choose to keep what happens between you and me in our room, I will have no problem with that."

She shifts side to side. "So we will watch?"

I ease her battered bottom lip from between her teeth with my thumb. "Does that make you uncomfortable?"

She lifts one shoulder in a shrug. "I don't know. I don't really want to watch anyone else. I just want to be with you. I—" She coughs and if possible, that blush deepens even further. "I wouldn't mind, though, if someone else watched us..." She looks out at the water and kicks at the sand. "Or...if you and I watched each other. That, I would like. A lot."

A type of happiness that I haven't felt in a long time bubbles inside of me. She is so willing to step over this line with me and trust me with things I know her society says are better left unspoken. That deep-seated idea that she is playing with taboo things is evident in her quiet confession.

I tilt her chin up and brush my lips against hers. "All I ask is that you go in with an open mind and communicate with me if things get too intense. I want to share this with you, but before I completely corrupt you, I'd like to have dinner, just you and me."

"I can do that, and I'd love to have dinner with you."

"Perfect." I take her hand in mine and walk her back to the house. We reach the staircase in the foyer, and I say, "I have a couple of things to take care of, but I'll meet you in the gardens at sundown."

The brightest smile consumes her face. "Sunrise. Sundown. I have a thing for the gardens."

I kiss her cheek and whisper in her ear, "Make sure you wear something that makes it easy to get my hands on you."

*****

I feel like I'm going to be sick. Cordelia and I have shared meals together nearly every night for the past seven weeks, but something about tonight feels different. I'm so nervous, I feel like I could faint, and that's no exaggeration. And it isn't just because we're going down to the playrooms tonight.

I have to be honest about the way I feel about her...about everything. Fuck, I've just been honest with myself not so long ago, but I can't keep it from her for another day. Every time I look at her, the feeling just swells bigger and bigger in my chest until I swear I'll spontaneously combust with it.

And damnit, I don't know how I even got here. I started this summer with the notion that I was only here for Lorelai, and when Cordelia walked into the room, I knew. I knew my plans were about to get fucked but I still tried to keep them intact.

It was truly a foolish waste of time.

Swallowing hard, I smooth the nonexistent wrinkles out of my perfectly pressed, tailored black suit, pat my pockets to make sure I have everything I need, and with one final glance in the mirror, I'm out the door.

When I reach the gardens, Cordelia is arriving at the exact same time, in sync with me as always. It makes my breath catch in my throat, to think of how in tune we are with each other after only seven weeks.

Not to mention how fucking stunning she looks tonight.

She's wearing a short, strapless, turquoise dress that barely grazes her mid-thigh, showing off those legs that I so desperately want wrapped around my waist, her silvery hair hanging in loose waves around her shoulders, minimal makeup, and sparkly sandals that catch the light of the setting sun.

She's pure, unfiltered radiance.

When I reach her, it takes everything in me to remain a gentleman and take her hand in mine to kiss her knuckles. "Belle rêveur, you are simply exquisite," I murmur against her skin. "There's nothing more gorgeous on this island, or anywhere in this world."

The flush on her cheeks deepens and she pushes her hair out of her face. "Thank you. You look handsome, herra. I can't wait to show you off," she whispers, standing on her tiptoes and kissing the corner of my mouth, winking at me to make sure I caught her innuendo.

"Come on."

I lead her through the gardens to where a gazebo stands at the end of a candlelit path. It is built around the braided branches of an ancient wisteria tree. Millions of violet blossoms cascade from its branches, kissing the night blooming jasmine that crawls up the stone pillars.

Cordelia clasps her hand over her mouth, stifling a gasp. I lead her to the table for two placed in the center and pull her chair out. "The Evermores call it the lover's alcove. Only those couples who show the potential of building upon their time here are granted access to it."

Her throat bobs as she meets my gaze, both of us taking a seat. Thankfully, my chair is at the place next to hers instead of across the table. "O-oh, really? Wha—when did you know you were bringing me here?" she asks, her fingers fiddling with the white cloth napkin on the tabletop.

I smile at her fidgeting; she's as nervous as I am. "Just today. I wasn't sure if they were going to give me access to it tonight or if someone else had already claimed it. But I knew we'd eat here one night this week...I spoke to Clayton about it a while ago."

"Wait, so...you—" She inhales sharply. "What are you saying, Elias? I—"

"What can I get you all started with to drink?" a server appears out of nowhere, and I'd like nothing more than to tell them I'd sooner drink seawater than for them to have interrupted our conversation, but I take a deep breath and order my usual, and Cordelia orders a chardonnay.

"You ready to order, darling? I'm starved," Cordelia says, and it's clear she doesn't want to be interrupted again either. I hide my smirk behind my fist as I glance down at the menu.

"You go ahead, love, and I'll figure it out."

We order our food at lightning speed; I think I order lasagna and Cordelia gets some sort of chicken, but I can't be sure. I just chose the first thing I saw on the small menu so we could return to the matter at hand.

When the server is gone, Cordelia spreads her napkin in her lap and looks at me, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth, gnawing the plump skin hard before letting go. "Anyway...where were we?"

"I'm saying I want this to be a special night for both of us. Something that we look back on years from now and think that was one of our favorite moments. I want right now to define who we are together."

She props her chin on her palm and takes her wine from the server before they set it down, never taking her eyes off me. "And who do you feel we are, Elias?"

It's such a weighted question with so many answers. I spent hours playing over in my mind how I would answer it. Nothing I came up with felt adequate, and it still doesn't. So I let go of all my carefully thought-out words and say exactly what I'm feeling.

"Two months isn't enough time to make a solid connection with someone. That's what I thought when Lorelai told me she was dragging me to this. I'm approaching a century in this universe and not one being has reached me the way you have. And I've never been consumed by all the aspects of someone's life the way I am by yours. Two months is still not enough time, but I know I would spend a lifetime learning every single thing about you. I need to understand what makes you tick. What are all the things you dislike? What do you love the most? What is it you still dream of doing? I am desperate to know you inside and out, Cordelia."

I don't know what expression I expected to see on her face after that speech, but the way her eyes are shining and her lips parted just enough to remind me how they feel against mine make my entire body come to life.

"Elias...I know exactly what you mean. I thought this summer was going to be a joke. That my parents were out of their minds for sending me here. But meeting you was something I never expected. I've never met anyone like you, someone who cares to find out everything about me. Who asks me questions about myself, what I want to do with my life, why I chose the career I chose...would carry me out of a graveyard to get me to my inhaler when he doesn't even know me. I thought that fake dating you was going to be a disaster. That Lorelai wouldn't believe us for a second. That she'd see right through us because it would never be believable, when what really happened was the opposite. Elias, it was never fake for me. Ever."

I intertwine our fingers. She is so fucking intuitive. I knew she felt the connections between us. But to hear her say it...I've never felt this good.

"Me either, Cordelia."

She leans in, I cradle her face, and our lips meet. We still have so much unspoken between us, but I let this kiss do all the talking for right now. I hope she feels how much I want her; how desperate I am to continue what is happening between us. This kiss is meant to tell her that we are just getting started.

With a final brush of my tongue to hers and a tender peck on her top lip, I pull away. It's just in time because our dinner is served.

We dive into deeper conversation than we have in the past. Cordelia gives me the deeper details of her only long-term serious relationship. This James guy sounds like a total narcissist. He wasn't only self-absorbed in the bedroom but with the life she was trying to build with him too. I almost want to stand up from the table and clap when she gets to the part when she has enough and dumps him. I tell her about my life as a boy growing up in Pennsylvania. She almost falls out her seat with laughter. Apparently, a vampire from outside of Philly is hilarious. You would think I just told her I lived with a doctor and his wife who had adopted four other changed teenagers.

"I do wonder," she asks, taking the last bite of her chicken, "how did you learn so many freaking languages? I only took one in high school, and the other, I picked up just from some of the older people in my family and practiced on Duolingo. You know nine languages. You do realize how cool that is, right?"

"Boredom and a lot of free time both as a human and a vampire. My parents were merchants who specialized in foreign art. Cane and I were educated by our mother on ships and in the back of carriages. He was a thrill seeker like our father. He loved chasing the most sought-after pieces and talking his way into a good bargain. I was lured in by the culture and literature of the places we visited. I was hungry for it and didn't want a language barrier standing in my way of getting it. Cane and I were quite the duo when Father started sending us to procure pieces on our own. When our human lives ended, we had to find ways to stave off the hunger or we would slaughter entire villages, which is frowned upon. I taught myself five other languages while learning to keep myself under control."

I'll admit, I wanted to find a way to sneak in a mention of my past and make sure she realizes that I am by no means innocent. A young vampire's hunger is nearly impossible to control, and having a brother like Cane, as conniving and influential as he can be...it wasn't easy to keep myself in check at first. I want to see her reaction, to see if this changes anything for her.

There's no reaction at all. She's still looking at me like every word I'm saying is gold, every syllable contains the answers to life's questions. In fact, if there's a new expression there, it's concern.

For me.

"Elias," she coos, lifting her hand and running her fingertips down my jawline. "That had to be so horrifying for you. Did you have anyone to talk you through that transition? Was your sire supportive? Did he stay and raise you? Or were you and Cane on your own?"

"You forget that times were different back then. We were almost twenty-five when we were changed. There was no finding yourself and changing college majors; we were men. But our sire was good to us...he is good to us. Our parents had just been murdered during a trip to Russia. We were at our lowest points when he offered us immortality."

I think back to that night when we willingly gave up our human lives. It pained Andras to do what he did. It went against everything he believed, but his situation was dire and the fate of so many relied on him doing the one thing he had never done and would never do again. It was only when he learned Cane and I were twins that I saw that regret of changing us grow into a deeper regret.

I shake off the thought and return my attention to Cordelia. Her silver eyes flutter back and forth, drinking in my state. I don't want her witness to that dark part. Not tonight.

Digging in my pocket, I remove a velvet box slightly smaller than my palm. "I have a gift for you."

She lifts the lid and her eyes grow wide. "Elias, this is beautiful," she says, lifting the bracelet from its bed.

"Lorelai helped me with it. She has a knack for designing jewelry."

Cordelia slips the bracelet on and admires the intricate design my best friend created with silver wire. Clusters of roses surround the pink stone in the center and trail off into vines with delicate leaves.

"This is amazing," she says, holding her wrist out so she can get a proper view of the piece.

"I've carried that quartz with me since I was twelve. A woman stopped me in a market in Brazil. I had no clue what she was saying. Thankfully, Portuguese is one of the few languages my brother knows that I don't. She said it was for love and luck." I look up from the bracelet on her wrist to her eyes. "I think luck might have brought me love."

Cordelia's eyes mist over and tears spill onto her cheeks. She doesn't even hesitate to come right out of her seat and over to mine, hooking her foot around the leg of my chair and turning it to face her. She leans down, places both palms on my face, and sits on my lap, one leg on either side of my waist, her dress riding high on her thighs.

"I don't think so, Elias. I know it has. Because I love you so damn much, I don't even know which way is up anymore. The first night I was on this island, I was desperate for the summer to be over, but now that it's coming to an end, I just want to stay here with you forever, hidden away from the rest of the world." 

I brush the hair away from her cheeks and try to ignore that tight feeling in my chest. There is going to come a time when I'm going to have to break down the carefully constructed wall I've built around myself. She will need to see parts of me that aren't so pretty. I'll do that for her. Not tonight, but soon.

Tonight, I want to get lost in her.

"Then we should enjoy it to its fullest before it's time to leave." I ease her off my lap and onto her feet.

Offering her my arm, I say, "I think it is time to visit the playrooms, dolce tentazione."