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“I love you.”
“I love you, too,” I reply, and he kisses my cheek before releasing me.
“Go on. Have fun with Steph.”
“I will,” I say, then turn to head out.
God knows, I need the distraction. Between my fear of making my blood donor orgasm with my bite, my nervousness over our impending trip back out to Terremagie, and the wait I’m facing for information about my intake into the foster system, I’m kind of a wreck.
And grilling Steph about her afternoon and night––alone with Erik––is just the remedy for my fear and frustration.
10
A REWARD
“Thank you,” I say to the waitress as she sets down a plate of toast in front of me.
I have no intention of eating it and, honestly, no clue why I even ordered it. It’s not like I need to hide what I am. The existence of vampires is common knowledge now, and I’m pretty sure my new state of existence is obvious to even the casual observer.
I guess I’ve read––and written––too many novels where the vampires were hiding in plain sight and had to at least try to appear human.
“I’ll take that,” Steph says, and pulls the plate of toast toward her as soon as the waitress walks away. “I’m starving.”
I cock my head and grin, asking, “Need to replenish after all the physical activity last night?”
Steph’s mouth falls into an exaggerated frown. “Hell, no. And I can tell you, it wasn’t for a lack of trying.”
“Uh-oh. What happened?”
“Well, after we got back to our room, Erik sat down on the bed closest to the door in that protective, alpha way that drives me crazy. Said he would keep watch while I showered.”
I smile and nod. Steph is a sucker for a macho protector, and Erik keeping guard while she was at her most vulnerable probably drove her crazy with lust. One corner of her mouth turns up in a smirk while she recalls the scene.
“What did you say?” I ask when she seems to float off in the memory.
Her eyes snap back to mine, and her expression turns downright devilish. “I told him I’d feel much safer if he kept watch inside the bathroom while I showered.”
“Steph,” I blurt, meaning to sound chastising but ruining the effect with a bark of laughter.
“What?” she asks. “A girl’s gotta try, right?”
I shake my head and chuckle. “And what did Erik say to that?”
She shrugs. “He mumbled something that sounded like ‘insufferable’ under his breath. But, Eden, I saw heat raging in those big blue eyes. He wants to see me naked, but for some reason, thinks he shouldn’t.”
“He comes from a different time, Steph. Women weren’t so…forward in his day.”
“Well, it’s not his day anymore, and he better get used to it. I’m going to wear him down eventually. I almost did last night.”
“What else did you do?” I ask when her grin widens.
She tosses her dark hair over her shoulder and takes a bite of her eggs. She gestures with her fork while she chews and swallows, then says, “I took a shower. Alone.”
I narrow my gaze. “And then?”
The air of innocence dissolves, and her evil grin returns. “And then I came out of the bathroom in my sexiest camisole with the matching pair of panties, and nothing else.”
“What did Erik do?” I ask in a rush, unable to curb my smile.
