Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 92941 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92941 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
“Reese,” he greeted calmly.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I blustered.
Oh, shit. I wanted to throw myself at him. It wasn’t even attraction, though there was plenty of that. In any other circumstance, I would’ve been scheming already with ways to get him naked. Whatever I was feeling was beyond that. It was need—pure need. It didn’t matter if he was clothed or naked. It wouldn’t have mattered if he looked like an ogre and his body was covered in boils. Every instinct inside me was urging me forward. I needed to wrap myself around him. Hold him to me. Feel his skin against mine, his breath on my face. I wanted to drink him in.
“I think you already know why I’m here.”
“Yeah, my boss may have mentioned you’d be stopping by. Not interested,” I bluffed flatly. That was as far as I could get with it. I couldn’t even make myself shut the door in his face.
He let out a bark of laughter that stunned me.
“I’m guessing you’ve got a fever,” he said quietly, leaning down a little. “Your skin’s ultra-sensitive, and it was worse before I got here. You’ve probably tried a cold shower, right? Turned your heater down. Nothing’s helping.”
My back snapped straight. He was right. The sensation had abated. Not completely, it was still there, but it was manageable.
He licked his lips, and my breath caught in my throat.
“I can help you.”
“I don’t think I want your kind of help,” I replied instantly.
He tilted his head a little and stared at me. “Invite me in.”
“Not happening.”
“You sure?”
My heart started to hammer, and the heat engulfed me again.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I asked suspiciously, taking a step backward.
He stayed just outside the door.
“I’m not doing anything.”
“Bullshit.”
“Invite me in.”
His light brown eyes flared as he inhaled deeply.
“Why is this happening?” I asked, freaked the fuck out.
“The universe has a perverse sense of humor.”
“The universe?”
“The universe. The old Gods. The new one. Take your pick.”
“I can’t be your mate or whatever,” I blurted, shaking my head. “I don’t even know you. I’m not even interested in Vampires, okay? That’s my friend, Rena. She thinks you guys are rad. You should go meet her. Maybe this is a fluke, and you’re like, supposed to find her through me or something.”
“That’s not how it works.”
“How would you know?”
“Because I know,” he ground out. “Let me in.”
“No.”
“Let me the fuck in.” His fingers tightened on the doorframe, making it creak.
“Fuck you, asshole,” I spat back, fear making my heart skip its steady pounding and shift into a jackrabbit rhythm. I still couldn’t make myself shut the door between us, and that was almost more frightening.
His entire expression changed in an instant as his hands dropped.
“I’d never hurt you,” he said softly. “Never. Don’t be frightened.”
The words were soothing, like a cool breeze against my flushed skin.
“I don’t want this,” I replied stubbornly, the inevitability settling over my shoulders like a cloak.
I’d ignored the rumors for years. Paid no attention to the stories. Vampires were only a part of my daily life in one way: I mixed their food. I didn’t interact with them. I didn’t read articles about them. I basically forgot they existed most of the time. But everyone on the planet was aware, even when they chose not to think about it, that Vampire mates were sacred in their culture. Not a single human who’d mated with a Vampire had ever given any indication that they weren’t happy with their circumstances. Not even a whisper of a story. While humans were marrying and divorcing in a matter of years, Vampire mates were happily living together for very long lives.
“I don’t either,” Mr. Boucher said, snapping me out of my panic spiral.
“What?” I felt irrationally hurt by the words. He didn’t even know me.
“I don’t want this either,” he said calmly.
“I heard you.” I swallowed hard. Well, wasn’t that a nice kick to my self-esteem? “Why not? I thought it was a big deal to find your mate.”
“Invite me in.”
I crossed my arms over my chest.
“I’m standing at your door where everyone can see me,” he said quietly. “You want your neighbors over here asking questions, calling the news, paparazzi—”
“Come in,” I said, cutting him off.
“Fuckin’ finally,” he muttered under his breath as he strode inside.
I let out an inappropriate giggle.
“What?” he asked, closing the door behind him.
“So, that part is true,” I said, my voice quivering. “A Vampire has to be invited inside.”
“No,” he replied, looking around the apartment. “That’s been distorted.”
“How so?”
“We can discuss it later,” he replied, his eyes moving back to me. He pulled his jacket off slowly and tossed it onto the couch. I wasn’t the only one who’d changed clothes. He was wearing a different shirt than he’d been when we met at the office. “Come here.”