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“Why not?” he asks, tilting his head. “Does it make you uncomfortable?”
“Yes,” I say with emphasis.
How could it not, when he’s intentionally trying to burrow under my skin?
“My deepest apologies,” he says quietly after a few beats then pulls on the door and holds it open for me.
I walk inside, and he follows behind, not saying another word. The elevator ride to the fourth floor is rife with tension as I squeeze my thighs together in an attempt to keep him from noticing the kind of “discomfort” his words actually made me feel.
My imagination runs wild, picturing him pushing me up against the mirrored wall behind me and fulfilling all the promises in his words. But my rational mind—damn her—keeps wondering how any of this can be real. How a magnificent creature like Jesse Lee could possibly want me for something other than a midday snack.
He’s just toying with you, Eden. Reveling in the power he has over you.
He motions for me to precede him when the doors swish open. Thanking him with a nod, I head for my apartment, pausing at the door. Jesse walks past, stopping to spin around when I whisper his name.
“Why me?” I ask, my voice low and hoarse.
“What do you mean?” he responds, his eyes searching mine.
“You could probably have any woman you want. Beautiful. Sophisticated…sexy. So, why me?”
He cocks his head, staring at me in disbelief. “Don’t you know how utterly irresistible you are?”
I look down at my body—wide hips, a rounded tummy, and thick thighs all encased in a pair of tight leggings and a loose t-shirt. Looking back up, I meet his eyes with an arched brow.
“Um…no.”
He shakes his head. Then his dark eyes lock with mine, reeling me in like a tractor beam as he moistens his lips with a quick lick of the tongue.
“I can show you how much I want you. All you have to do is ask.”
With that, he spins around and walks to his apartment, unlocks the door, and walks in, shutting it behind him without so much as a backward glance. I stare at his closed door for several beats before turning to unlock my own.
I can’t do it. I won’t.
There’s too much risk.
But the reward… Would it be worth it?
8
EUPHORIA
A shower doesn’t help, even when I turn the knob all the way to the right and let the cold water reduce me to a pile of shivers. Twisting it back to warm, I stand under the heated spray until the shivers disappear. I lather up my hair, rinse out the shampoo, and then coat it in conditioner. Letting the moisturizing cream soak into the strands, I scrub my body from top to bottom before shaving off all the unwanted hair.
By the time I’ve finished and rinsed the conditioner out, I feel almost…normal. Almost.
All it takes is one stray thought of my hot new neighbor, and my core tightens with need, yet again. With my body dried and soft with lotion and my hair in a towel, I stomp to my dresser and jerk out some underwear, a pair of cotton shorts, and an old t-shirt I like to sleep in. It’s still early, but I have no plans to go anywhere else today. I might as well be dressed comfortably, even if my body is tense with an aching discomfort.
What in the hell is wrong with me? I like sex just as much as the next person, but I’ve never been needy like this. I’ve never felt starved for it. Not when I can simply take care of myself when that need arises.
But that’s part of the problem, isn’t it? Not only does Jesse Lee turn me on like no other person has before, but his sensitive vampire hearing has pretty much prevented me from taking care of business in the privacy of my own bedroom.
My face heats as I think about the night he did hear me. I’d whispered his name—of course, he had a starring role in the fantasy I’d been conjuring for the event—and he’d just popped in. Like a cat burglar, sneaking through the window.
But instead of taking something that didn’t belong to him, he’d given me something I desperately needed. The orgasm to end all orgasms. With his mind, alone.
And now, I was in the midst of a constant internal battle. One side begged for me to relent. To give Jesse the go ahead to bring me all the ecstasy his eyes—and words—promised. The other side was ruled by fear. Fear of getting too close to a vampire. Of being too vulnerable.
