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“I’m really sorry, and I promise I won’t leave again unless you’re with me,” she says quietly, then leans in to give me a one-armed hug, her bowl of chips sandwiched between us. “I’m going to go finish my chips, then try to get some more sleep. Love you, Eden.”
“I love you, too,” I say, squeezing her one more time before releasing her.
Giving Jesse a little wave, she wanders back into her bedroom and closes the door softly behind her. Strong arms circle me from behind as I stare at the wooden panel, and I lean back into Jesse’s embrace.
“What about you?” he asks. “Are you hungry? I can order you something.”
“No,” I say shaking my head. “We just had lunch and hour and a…half…ago.”
I pull out of his arms and turn to face him. My mind is spinning as it pictures the huge chicken salad Steph devoured at the restaurant, plus several breadsticks and a few of my fries.
“She couldn’t have been starving, could she?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper. “She ate more than I did at lunch, and I’m still stuffed.”
“You would know better than me what her eating habits are,” he replies, his dark eyes locked on mine.
I shake my head. “I suppose it’s not impossible she’d be hungry again, but so hungry she’d chance wandering around this place on her own? After you explicitly warned her that she should never do so under any circumstances? It doesn’t seem like her, at all.”
“Maybe she didn’t take my warnings seriously,” he says slowly.
“It doesn’t add up, Jesse. She went to take a shower and a nap. We weren’t in the bathroom for very long before you opened the door and heard her sleeping soundly. She would have had to pass out the second she laid down. Then, less than what? Fifteen minutes later? She’s downstairs chatting it up with Jasmine like she doesn’t have a care in the world.”
“That is strange,” he says, his eyes unfocused like he’s trying to work through the puzzle.
“Have you sensed anything from her?” I ask, almost afraid of his answer, yet needing it, anyway. “Any emotions tied to dishonesty or secrecy, like she’s hiding something?”
“No,” he says. “Nothing like that. She’s been pretty even-keeled all day.”
“That, in itself, is suspicious,” I whisper, feeling my pulse race faster with each breath I take. “Steph is pretty high-strung on a good day. She just hopped a plane to Los Angeles with a half-baked plan to find me, learned her best friend is the vampire heir’s mate, and is staying in a royal mansion filled with dangerous vampires. She should be spazzing out right now. At the very least, she should be drilling me about what it means to be your mate and yelling at me for not telling her sooner. But no, she’s eating chips and napping like it’s just any other day.”
“You think she’s been unbound and has complete control of her powers,” he says.
“I don’t know,” I respond even though it wasn’t a question. “All I know is that’s she’s not freaking out like she should be. She’s too calm. Or she’s not, and is somehow masking her emotions from both of us.”
I walk over to our bed and stretch out on the cushy mattress. Jesse stretches out beside me, but doesn’t speak. He’s giving me space to think while still being a comforting presence, and I love him for it.
He always seems to know just what I need.
And right now, I need to figure out what’s going on with Steph. And something is going on with her. I just know it. Just as I know I need to discover what it is before it’s too late.
Her life––and mine––could depend upon it.
27
DO YOU WANT ANOTHER?
My eyes blink open to meet a pair of familiar obsidian orbs, and a faint smile curves my lips.
“Good morning,” I mumble sleepily, and Jesse returns my smile.
We’re lying on our sides, and I’ve somehow ended up sharing his pillow while tangling my legs with his. I realize how close we are and try to pull back, fearing my morning breath will disgust him, but sensing my intentions, his arm snakes around me and pulls me closer.
“Good morning, my love. You slept well.”
“I did,” I say, stretching my arms over my head and effectively plastering my breasts against his chest.
Jesse growls under his breath as his hand slides down to grip my ass. He rolls his hips, and I can feel his hard cock pressing against me through our clothes. He leans closer and kisses my neck, sucking and licking my skin as his fingers slide down between my legs from behind. I hook my leg over his hips, giving him better access as a purr vibrates deep in my chest.
His hand curves over my hip to slide between us, his deft fingers pushing my shorts and underwear aside to skim over my swollen, needy flesh. He hums with pleasure to find me drenched for him, then dips a finger deep inside me. My inner walls pulse around it as it pumps in and out, and I groan in disappointment when he pulls it free.
