Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 92043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
“The exchange of blood completes the bond,” I answered. “I’ll take yours, and you’ll take mine.”
“So we both have to do it?” She shifted on my lap again and cursed. “I can’t focus.”
“Once I’ve had your blood, I won’t tolerate anyone else’s,” I explained as I wrapped my hand gently around the base of her throat. Her pulse fluttered under my fingertips. “But the bond won’t lock into place until you’ve had mine too.”
“Where does sex come in?” she asked curiously as her hands began to roam over my shoulders and chest.
“That’s when we’ll exchange it.”
“Really?”
“From what I understand, it’s incredibly intimate.”
Lucy froze. “You’ve never done it?”
Repulsion must’ve shown in my expression, because she jolted back in surprise.
“Of course not.”
“Not of course not,” she countered. “Why are you making that face?”
“We don’t exchange blood with anyone but our mate.”
“Since when?”
“Since always.”
“That can’t be true.”
“Humans can donate without a Vampire biting them.” I shook my head.
“But—”
“Do you take a bite out of a live cow when you’re hungry?” I snapped.
“Not sure I like being compared to a cow,” she shot back.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“That’s what you said.”
“I won’t ever bite anyone but you,” I stated firmly, sick of the ridiculous argument.
“Or the reincarnated me,” she replied with a shrug. “Right? Isn’t that how it works? After I’m dead, someone else will come back with my soul and—”
I cut off her words with my mouth. The thought of her dead made me fucking crazy. She wasn’t going to die. Not ever. Horror made my movements jerky as I pulled her closer, tangling my hand in her hair.
It took long moments before I was calm enough to loosen my grip, but at that point, Lucy was as frantic as I was. Her nails dug into the back of my neck, and one of her hands had burrowed under my shirt and was splayed across my chest.
“We’re playing with fire,” I warned as soon as I had the ability to tear my mouth away.
“Funny,” she replied as her lips ran along my jaw. “Because the fire seems to be calming.”
“It’s an illusion.” I groaned as she pulled my earlobe between her teeth and gripped it gently.
I wanted her naked. It took every bit of willpower I had not to strip her there on the couch.
If I got her naked, it would be all over. Any discussion about waiting and any autonomy she had left would be gone. Once we took that step, our future was set in stone. I was under no illusion that I could somehow keep from biting her once I was inside her. Thousands of years of instincts ensured that I would tie her to me irrevocably.
It would happen eventually. I had no doubt. But for now, the possibility that she could leave me seemed to comfort Lucy, and I wasn’t going to take that from her.
“Baby, stop,” I ordered.
“I don’t think I can,” she said, almost apologetically. Her thighs tightened as she rolled her hips.
My mouth watered.
“You taste so good,” she said, her mouth on my neck. She let out a happy sigh.
I knew exactly how she felt because I was fighting against the same thing. The urge to get closer was overwhelming.
Bracing a hand beneath me, I lifted and turned, dropping her onto the couch.
“Dammit, Ambrose,” she hissed, reaching for me. “Come back.”
“I’m right here,” I assured her, my hands shaking as I reached for her jeans.
Lucy lifted her hips to help me tug them off. Sliding my fingers beneath the waistband of her jeans and panties, I pulled them down her thighs.
“Please,” she murmured.
“We should stop,” I replied, staring. How the fuck was I supposed to stop once I’d touched her? I knew I would—I wasn’t an animal—but I was already dreading the inevitable pain of refusing to follow through to the end.
“Okay,” she said, her voice wobbling a little as she pressed her knees together.
When I met her eyes, I knew she’d interpreted my hesitation as the exact opposite of what it was. I was trying to protect her, but all she’d understood was that I’d stripped her and then changed my mind.
“Do you understand how badly I want you?” I asked, pressing her knees apart again.
She let them fall wide, and I struggled to focus on anything else.
“You’re right, it’s probably not a good idea,” she replied hoarsely, but she didn’t make any move to sit up or hide herself. Her hands fidgeted at her sides. “It feels like a really good idea, though.”
“You want me?” I asked carefully. The words weren’t quite right, but she wasn’t ready for those yet. I still needed the confirmation that she was mindful enough to make the decision. “Tell me what you want me to do.”
“Is this a thing with you?” she asked dryly, trying to hide her embarrassment. “Need me to walk you through it?”