He had kissed the other back, hand coming up to the short blonde hair once more. But his attention still was held by that gentle beat downstairs. Thump thump, thump thump. He couldn't even focus on the kiss.
Heading turning back toward Stefan with a little guidance, Arik kept eye contact. "I'll be fine to get my own..." The words clicked in his mind and behind his eyes. A smile settling on his features as he sighed. "Aren't I suppose to be the one who tells you what to do?"
Arik did not want to admit that the pull was strong toward Claudia's blood. Whether to Stefan or himself. "You may only go, if you give me another kiss and promise the future distractions." The hunger whispered once again in his mind, like the words of his sire; once Stefan left the room he could easily find himself fresh blood, unlike the cold stale blood in they kept in the refrigerators for Stefan.
You are not a ripper... you can handle fresh blood... her sweetness... After how many days since I last drank from her, she might appreciate it. It told him.