Spinning (part 1)
Gavin checked his watch. Everything was set out in the kitchen, he hadn't begun to cook it yet. It was a simple meal, easily as fast as grabbing a burger. He snorted to himself and walked to the sink, lathering his hands with anti-bacterial soap and rinsing them off. A dish cloth over his shoulder was snatched, and his hands were dried quickly.

After the prom incident, Gavin had given himself a few days to get over the embarrassment and general weirdness before calling Rose. He was a werewolf of his word, and he had a meal to make. She was due to arrive any second. Absently, he scratched the side of his jaw as his hip rested against the kitchen table.

It was a rare occasion when a man invited a girl like her into his home, especially once they knew she had fangs in her gums. When Gavin called her up, Rose was surprised; One, she hadn't expected him to recover so quickly from 'The Prom', and two, there was an eensy-weensy piece of Rose that hadn't expected him to have the guts. Maybe he liked catching her off guard. Or maybe he felt some masochistic need to call her bluff.

Whatever the reason, Rose wasn't about to give him the brush-off. She arrived ten minutes late on purpose, checked her hair, and knocked on his door. The scent of werewolves was around the place, tickling her nostrils and that kookie spot at the top of her spine. The sensation should've sent her running for the hills, but Gavin probably wouldn't plan some elaborate dinner-making scheme if he wanted to rip her to pieces. At least, not in the violent way.

Gavin shook his head, his lips quirking up slightly as he pushed off of the counter. He knew it was her, he could smell her scent from the front door. Walking out of the kitchen, Gavin paused deliberately, taking a quick ten second check. Though if he was honest it was because she had been ten minutes late... He could be just as stubborn back.

As his hand opened the door, he relaxed back onto his left heel and tried not to smile. "Hello again." The werewolf dipped his head slightly, stepping back as he stated, "Please come in." It was the oddest thing he had ever said out loud. He was going against everything he had been taught growing up as young boy into becoming a werewolf. It should have been difficult. Then again, it shouldn't exactly be happening either.

Rose tucked her purse beneath her arm. "You sure?" She mimicked his head gesture and watched him from under her eyelashes. "You look like you're about to kick yourself in the pants." The vampire smiled and crossed the threshold in slow motion. If asked, she'd admit to being wary that he'd change his mind and shove her out on her tush. Once fully in the house, she turned to Gavin and said, "Wow, imagine that! Lightning didn't strike you dead on the spot."

She eyeballed the entryway of his place, trying to pick up clues about him. The good news was, there weren't any enormous statues of the Virgin Mary peering down their noses at her. Neither did she get that claustrophobic feeling of being surrounded by decorative crosses, unable to so much as pivot for fear of banging into one and getting a blistery burn. So maybe she'd stay a while. Rose tried to coax her mindset back into familiar territory: predatory, not... whatever oddball thing she was now.

Gavin grinned slightly and shut the door behind her. "Who would've thought?" Lifting his hand up, he gestured into the kitchen. "Now I know I said I would be cooking, but since you consider that stuff to be food, I thought you'd benefit from a cooking lesson. Grab a knife." He shot Rose a quirky grin as he stepped around the kitchen counter.

Lifting his own knife up, he began chopping the onion and indicated the already peeled potatoes in a bowl of water. It wasn't really his style, but he figured it would get a rise out of the vampire, he just wasn't sure what kind. Though he bet it would be amusing.

Rose's plucked eyebrows lifted. "This is unreal," she said, putting her purse down and giving him a bizarre look. It was remarkably similar to the look she'd given her dead husband after they got married, when she'd found herself in a kitchen, wondering what on Earth gave Lawrence Voorhies the idea she was culinary. Sure, they taught home economics in school, but Rose weaseled her way out of most assignments with a pesky reminder about her daddy Mr. King's sizable donations.

Not to be outdone, she pushed her sleeves up and washed her hands, then took up the knife. She didn't cast a reflection in the blade, so she could see the wall clock behind her. "Is this your way of getting back at me for being a better ice skater?" Rose asked, leaning her hip against the counter, loosely pointing at him with the sharp tool. "Or is this revenge for the tuxedo? 'Cause if it is, you're a real shuckster, because you asked me."

Gavin laughed, it was low but warm and he gave her a cheeky smirk. "The ice skating. Deal with it." The werewolf finished off the red onion and lifted the small chopping board up. His knife scraped across the surface sharply, scraping the vegetable into a small saucepan. He added a few cubes of butter and left it to simmer. They'd be ready in a few minutes, then he could continue with the sauce.

"I wasn't sure you would turn up." He skipped the part about asking her to the prom. The werewolf had the feeling she wasn't about to let him live it down. Then again, it did go both ways. She did say yes. "Once you've cubed them, pop them into the pan of boiling water and we're in business."

His eyebrows lifted a little.

Rose pulled a potato out of the water and studied it. "Where I come from, a 'cube' is a boring person," she said, nevertheless setting it down and beginning to slice it. So long as she didn't lop off her fingertips, she was dandy. Rosalyn wasn't too clear on the limb-regeneration thing. The potato bits were more like rectangles than cubes, with a few triangles tossed in for good measure, but she was giving it her... well, at least 75%. A clear memory came, of her mother (jeez, what year was that, 1940?) slicing vegetables for dinner and give Rose bites of them to eat. She couldn't remember exactly how raw potatoes tasted, but she knew it wasn't good.

Shouldering away a piece of hair that was on her cheek, she asked, "Why wouldn't I turn up? And miss my chance to get into your inner sanctuary?"

"Yeah? What planet is that?" The werewolf shifted out of the way in case she were to reach over and slap him. He turned around, his hand locating a wooden spoon that he promptly stuck into the pot, stirring the onions that had caramelized. His fingers hooked under a wine glass, and he lifted the bottle of red wine he had set aside and poured a glass. It was tipped into the pot with the onions and stirred quickly.

Chuckling to himself, Gavin took a pinch of chili and sprinkled it into the bubbling liquid. He turned the heat down and let it simmer quietly as he leaned against the counter, watching the vampire. "Why would you want to get into my inner sanctuary?"

"Because it's forbidden territory, Quarterback. Like you've never thought of it." Rose paused in her chopping of a third potato. She cut out a brown spot and plucked the unappetizing square across the kitchen, where it bounced off Gavin's shoulder before skidding along the counter. His other ingredients were lined up there, ready to be chopped and diced and thrown into the saucepan. Rose took quick visual stock of them and her eyes widened.

"Special request... can you 86 the clove?" The brunette's eyes and mouth burned just thinking about it. "Pretty please with a cherry on top? Before you scar me for unlife?" Maybe she should dig through his other ingredients and make sure he wasn't hiding anything potentially excruciating in there. Thank the devil the potatoes hadn't been soaking in holy water.

Gavin's lips twitched and he shook his head, "It's alright, I think we can give the marinade a miss." Coughing, he added, "I wasn't sure if that was true or not. Never had the chance to offer a vampire garlic bread." It had slipped his mind completely, true or not, he still knew the myth. Frowning slightly at himself, the werewolf turned to place a small glass bowl into a pot of simmering water.

"Forbidden territory?" Gavin laughed, "And listen, I might have asked you, Teacher's Helper, but you said yes." His tone was a little smarmy, but mostly amused as he cracked some chocolate into the bowl and left it to melt slowly. Turning around, the werewolf nodded a little towards Rose, "Thank you for coming." He never imagined he would ever say those words to a vampire, but life was full of surprises.

Aww, she thought, because he looked sheepish saying it, like a genuine gentleman, and they brought out her playful side. Rosalyn put on her most guileless smile. "Save that sentiment for later, hot rod." Pleased with the opportunity for double entendre, she picked up the bowl of chopped potatoes and approached him.

"Do you wanna know what I was going to say when I got here? Before I decided to play nice?" Rose tilted her head and hoped he'd ask.

The werewolf snorted and let out a heavy sigh, though his lips were twitching as he fought a grin. She was quirky in a classy way, the kind that wasn't really around anymore. Which was a shame, as far as Gavin thought, he rather enjoyed the back and forth of it. "Only because you asked nice." He stated, knowing she hadn't been asking.

As Rose walked toward him, Gavin fought the urge to stand up straight, and instead let his hip rest against the counter. Lifting an eyebrow slightly, he cocked his head left, "What were you going to say?"

The vampire drew close enough for the bowl she was carrying to poke Gavin's stomach. "I was going to say... 'Is that a cucumber, or are you just happy to see me?'" A smile made her red mouth curve. "The moment was practically begging for it, after your little product demonstration in class. Alas... you didn't make a salad tonight."

She reached up and tweaked his nose.

It was lucky that you couldn't die of embarrassment, or Gavin would have been six feet under. Not one to back away from a slight dig, he replied with a grin, "I didn't think it would be fair after your offer to help with it." Leaning closer to Rose his grin turned wolfish, "At least not on the first visit, that would be presumptuous."

The werewolf lifted his eyebrows.

"It might be." She held the eye contact, her brow hitching upwards into a pretty peak. "Careful, Gavin. I like a guy who can give as good as he gets. I might end up taking a shine to you." Which really was a ridiculous warning, because if she hadn't already done so and this wasn't coquetry, one would have to wonder what flirtation looked like when Rose applied herself.

Not for the first time, she looked at his wide shoulders and considered where she was going to scratch this itch of hers, if it got to be too much and Gavin demurred. "Wouldn't that be the pits?" At least the bit she spoke out loud went along with her earlier statement as well as her inner monologue.

With half a smirk, Gavin kept the eye contact, even though he knew he shouldn't be. "Oh, I'm sure it would be devastating, Rose." Although she wasn't radiating heat, the proximity of Rosalyn was causing the warmth from his own body to build. He wasn't uncomfortable, just incredibly aware. Enough for the werewolf to swallow.

"Especially with your call business just up and running." Gavin winked, and leaned in ever so slightly to whisper, "So is that a bowl in your hand or are you just happy to see me?"

"Both." Pressing the dish firmly into his stomach, she picked up Gavin's hand and brought it low between their bodies, its destination quite questionable territory, until she placed it under the bowl. Rose let her eyes drift to his throat. After all, had she been a regular gal on a regular date, a little peep at his neck wouldn't have been out of place. Just because she had fangs didn't make her guilty.

Her imagination did.

She heard tiny popping sounds from the stove top, and it reminded her that the werewolf had dinner on. Not that she minded if it burned; with her muted taste buds, Rose had surely embarked on this adventure for his company. "Congratulations. I think we just discovered your phone sex voice," she teased.

As the bowl dug into him, Gavin felt his chest take in a deep lungful of air. It was released heavily as Rose caught his hand and guided it between them. For a brief moment there was the tingle of suspense that caused the little hairs on the back of his neck to stand up. Until his hand touched the cold glass and he closed his eyes for a second.

That had been tense.

Truth be told, the werewolf still was, and his temperature was rising. That only spelt trouble for him, and he knew it. There was the small catch of being pinned to the counter, no matter how subtle it was. "And don't you just feel special for hearing it." Gavin grinned back.

So close to his face, Rose could tell that his eyes were hazel-brown. The transition to that glowing gold that werewolves seemed to have wasn't such a leap to make. As she gnawed on her lip, attempting to conceal a tell-tale smile (she had no poker face), Rose wondered how much of the charge of their proximity was due to being natural enemies, and how much was due to wanting to ride him like a pony.

Now she was giggling at herself, tapping the toe of her shoe against the tiles. Oh, how glad she was that werewolves didn't have telepathy.

"I bet when it's the real thing, you growl." Before he could wiggle his way past her, Rose lifted herself higher and nipped Gavin's bottom lip with her human teeth, dragging it away from his mouth before releasing it. "Sorry," she said, behaving impish about it. "I needed an appetizer." She let go of the bowl.

Though he had no clue what Rose was laughing at, Gavin found himself smiling along with her. Apparently her amusement in turn bemused him, and the werewolf went along with it without a second thought. She was so close her scent was dancing in front of him, each breath in contained little hints of her hair, her clothes, and her skin.

Despite knowing that he shouldn't be picking up on all of that, he was, and there was a guilty pleasure in it.

When her teeth caught then tugged on his lip, Gavin froze. She had just invaded his personal space in such an intimate way that he was stunned. And his body was starting to becoming more awake. The werewolf tilted his head, his hand shifting to place the bowl down on the counter. "I do too." He breathed in a husky whisper, daring to lean down and let his lips press against Rosalyn's. Pulling back after a moment, with his neck a radiant shade of red. That had been quite impulsive, perhaps too impulsive. "Now we're even."

Impetuosity held a special place in Rose's heart. She couldn't be sure if the kiss had been an open invitation until she showed up for the party. Curling an arm behind his neck, she lifted a second time and began to kiss him. It was a light, feathery touch of mouths that she kept playful intentionally, so as to seem harmless, only evidencing her sexuality when her tongue moistened the juncture of their lips.

It was a real kick for her. She had never kissed a werewolf before and, in fact, only kissed men when she planned to seduce them into a corner for a bite. Not often simply for the pleasure of it. But Gavin was just under 6 feet tall of exactly that, a pleasurable thing that flipped her skirt and gave her the shivers. Rose would've sworn there were threads of blue electricity dancing in the damp space between their mouths.

A tremor slid down the base of Gavin's neck and ran down the length of his spine like a droplet of cold water. Every little hair on the werewolf's body had risen up, as if a current were passing between them, the conductor it seemed was their mouths. Gavin's dark eyes had already slipped closed, his lips parting to envelope Rosalyn's full lower lip, the tip of his tongue teasing along it. Getting a taste of her.

There should be warning bells, and perhaps they had gone off in the back of his head. The sound was apparently muffled by the thrill of Rose's mouth, and this time he wasn't pulling away from her, even when he should. Cautiously, the werewolf let his large palm circle the vampire's waist. Drawing Rose closer against him as their tongues met fleetingly for the first time. Gavin heard the faintest sounds of a sigh, and gradually realised it had come from him. He was the only one breathing.

There was the tiniest noise from her throat, a feminine purr of sorts. It was the idea of grinding Gavin’s gears that made Rose lean her weight on him, all the way from chest to knees, while her fingernails scratched on his nape. Usually she calculated such gestures to coax a reaction; if she was lucky, it would give her a happy, too. This time, she did so with manipulation in mind, but found herself just as taunted by the contact as she intended the werewolf to be.

He felt like a million bucks. Sexier in his restraint and hard physique, which was so much broader than hers, than fur coats and rose petals and champagne bubbles and everything a girl of rich tastes like her was brought up to enjoy. It felt like maybe, maybe Rose might forget herself, too. Might lose track of those wheels spinning in her mind. Might begin to act out of instinct, the way she wanted Gavin to act.

Even before she was turned, Rose hadn't been the type to shy away from that kind of realization. Quite the opposite, it was a thrill. She slid her other hand inside his sleeve and ran her fingers up to his bicep. Fingernails scraped while her tongue did loop after imaginative loop against his.

Taunted wasn't a strong enough word for what Gavin felt when Rose pushed her body fully against his. Tormented, perhaps, in the way his body was reacting to the vampire, against the quiet warnings in his head. Then another voice joined in, coaxing him to give into the temptation of it all. The werewolf was hard working and honest, surely he deserved the rush he was receiving, albeit from a vampire.

It was so difficult to think, as Rosalyn's fingers traced up his skin to his bicep. As slight as her nails may be against his skin, Gavin could swear he felt the burn every place she used them. The kind of fiery trail that left your skin begging for more. With his breathing a little heavier than moments before, he felt himself increasing the contact between them. Pushing against Rose as his hand slipped to the small of her back.

As his lips worked over hers, the werewolf brought his free hand up to sink his fingers into the thick silky strands of her hair. Loosing himself in the taste of her lips as his tongue took the lead and pushed into her mouth, brushing the tip of it against the back of her front teeth. There was something sexy about knowing just how sharp they could be.

Being a vampire brought with it the advantage of amplified senses, so Rose could hear not only Gavin’s breathing but his pulse slamming through his veins.  Heat radiated away from him, warming her skin where they touched. She had the mad urge to unbutton her blouse and experience it up close and personal, but Rose cajoled herself into cooling her heels. Of all things, she didn’t want to chase this one off.

After sucking on his lip, she broke contact and waited for his mouth to part, eyelashes fluttering open to watch. When it did, Rose’s tongue reached out to stroke against the tip of his, engaging in an erotic game where just the barest of oral contact was kept. She broke the silence, speaking in that kittenish tone that was reminiscent of old Hollywood. “Where’d you learn to move your tongue that way?” Not one to push her luck, Rose didn’t vocalize her deeper thought: That she could think of a hundred things she’d like him to do with it.

Pulling his head down, she latched onto Gavin’s earlobe and forged a moist path into its enclaves, drawing a breath for the sole purpose of gently blowing it.

Despite all the things Gavin knew he should be doing, he couldn't tear himself away from Rosalyn. She resembled a magnet, pulling him closer with an invisible force. The werewolf was aware that he shouldn't be enjoying any of it. The irony that it was a vampire causing him to break all of his own rules was not lost on him. If he were honest, some little part of him inside was relishing it. In that moment, what they were didn't matter, which was something he had never experienced.

With low rich laughter, Gavin's eyes opened to gaze down at Rose, his fingers were playing in her hair. Entwining strands loosely around them like curls. "Some things you're just born with." It was a cocky remark to make, but the werewolf followed his instincts above all, especially in those situations. It was important to feel instead of think, and the rest would just come naturally.

Though he hadn't let her go. His hand was still on the small of her back, his fingers splaying out, then back again like the tide brushing against the shore. When his head was caught and Rosalyn's tongue danced provocatively against it, Gavin felt the rumble in his chest more than he heard it. The hand in Rose's hair slid out to brush his warm palm down the nape of her neck, while his thumb stroked just the back of her ear in turn.

She squirmed the littlest bit against him, disguising it as a stretch higher up, and her knee nudged alongside Gavin's. The soft flesh of her inner leg liked the abrading seam of his pants. It was tricky territory, considering Rose's species, but she dared to bare her teeth and nick the tender place right behind his earlobe, not with fangs but the less deadly set.

"I'd love to know what else came with your birthday suit, Gavin." It seemed a delicious thing to say his name like that. Not 'quarterback' or 'hunk' or whatever pet name Rose pulled on a whim, but his given name. Gavin. It came from the back of her throat, the way a moan would, and finished near her teeth.

So he'd know she still wore a pretty girl's face, Rose withdrew from his ear and directed those robin's egg blue eyes at him, wearing a mischievous smile. To counter the retreat, her knee rose and fell between his thighs, never high enough or quick enough to threaten harm, but present nonetheless, going where she wouldn't let her fingers journey.

Dangerous and erotic, that was the feeling he got as Rosalyn's knee found his leg, her teeth on his skin. Gavin was all too aware that he was at a disadvantage. She could hear his reactions, smell them, sense them in a way that he couldn't do with her. In this instance, Rose had the upper hand, and it tickled the werewolf when he realised it. "My sense of humor." He smirked.

Taking the opportunity, Gavin took in a deep breath. The attempt to cool off a little was in vain as the werewolf felt Rosalyn's leg shift and slowly move between his. The breath he had taken stuck in his throat as he raised himself slightly onto his tip toes. Clearing his throat, the werewolf swallowed and felt his face warm.

Whatever he was about to say left him as his dark eyes looked back at her. Instead, he laughed, a deep throaty sound as his lips quirked up at the sides. "You know exactly what you're doing, don't you." It wasn't a question, he could see it written all over her face.

"Well sure I do," she replied, reaching around behind him, where her fingernails scratched the tops of his legs. "Except when you make me forget." There would be plenty of evidence of Rose's weakening resolve (if she had any); all he had to do was go beneath her clothes. Until that time, perhaps she did seem to have the werewolf where she wanted him. Unless he realized that Rose was walking a tightrope, constantly asking herself how far she could nudge Gavin without running him off, or making him pull out a stake, and that she had developed an oddball and actual crush.

She could still hear the chocolate popping and bubbling on the stove. But really, did she want to point that out?

Those fingernails were enticing him again, and he shifted his weight back into his heels. Guilty of prolonging the contact of them as they trailed against the material of his pants. Clearing his throat, the werewolf tried to move away without letting his body touch hers, for several reasons he wasn't about to say. None of them were because he wasn't enjoying himself. Quite the opposite in fact. There was no getting away from the trouble he was putting himself in, at least, that's what he was telling himself.

"The stuff's burning." Gavin managed to say, his tone distracted as he moved to turn the heat off. Usually, he would be upset with ruining something he was making. It was proving difficult to be upset when your skin could still feel where someone's hands had been. Turning he looked at Rose, his voice soft, "Are you hungry?"

'Ohhh, don't ask that, doll,' she thought, 'You're treading in shark-infested waters,' managing instead to look at the food he was preparing. The amount of cooking left to do seemed great to her monstrous libido. 'The engine's running hot, and we've a million miles to go...'

"Uh... sure," she said brightly, ponying up to the task since he'd practically peeled their bodies apart. Cripes, but she was a bad liar. Rose took a step back and smoothed her hair, now caught up in putting on a pretense of control. Like she definitely was not about to undo his fly.

Of course, the stepping back reminded her that she could look at it... Chewing her lip, the vampire craned her neck to see around him.

It took Gavin a moment to realise that nothing was ready. He'd just destroyed the sauce, they skipped the marinade, and the potatoes were where he left them... On the counter right by Rose. That wasn't his only worry. With a bemused smile, the werewolf turned around, "Great, all we have is raw venison steaks." Blinking, he followed her gaze and felt his cheeks redden slightly, his own arousal would have been evident to anyone with pretty good eyesight.

Coughing, the werewolf was caught between wanting to laugh and wanting to die of embarrassment. His hand lifted to jab his thumb behind his shoulder, saying casually, "It's all went brown bread."

Now that the main distraction was over, Gavin couldn't help feeling like they were both thinking about something they shouldn't be.

Rose wore her confusion on her face. "It's went what?" That was a new one on her. Maybe it was a comment on large bread loaves, but she couldn't get his drift from the context clues. "English, clyde." Rosalyn figured she'd make him spell it out for her. Personally, she was over the moon that the signs of female arousal were on the subtle side; it gave her room to bluff. Of course, if Gavin called her on it, she'd be in double doo-doo.

It was purely class and high breeding that kept Rose from outright oggling him. A little glimpse was one thing; a staring contest was another.

"Dead." Gavin rubbed the side of his jaw with a bit of a smirk. Deciding to add without the hint of a straight face, "It's all your fault, you know." Grinning, his teeth showing for a brief moment before he shifted and walked towards her. "Distracting me in the kitchen." Leaning in closer, the werewolf slipped his hand around her waist...

To lift up the bowl with the potatoes in it. Gavin smiled wolfishly, giving Rosalyn a taste of her own medicine.

Rose felt her stomach flip, only to flop when he grabbed the bowl. She rolled her eyes. "Oh, you're a big tickle. Hardy-har." In a minor huff, she crossed her arms over her chest and scowled petulantly. Turnabout was fair play, but only when she was the one doing the turning.

Woman logic.

"Take your potatoes and stick them were the sun doesn't shine," she said, only half-meaning it.

Amusement practically glowed out of Gavin as his hand set the bowl back onto the counter with a quiet thump. Though he tried to keep the smile off of his face, it happened anyway with a bewildered, "Huh." Tipping his head to the side, the werewolf let his gaze find Rosalyn's, "And you're expecting me to kiss that mouth after that?"

Then he paused, letting his words sink in and giving her time for a reply, only to lean in and capture her lips in gentle, warm kiss. He hadn't planned on that part, but the way Rose had gotten indignant and crossed her arms, he took it as a sign.

Hello, sexy...

[To be continued in Part 2]