My heart turns to the consistency of taffy over the obvious love that the guys all have for each other, and how special it is to now be a part of it. Then I remember what we were talking about before, and I smack his shoulder. “Stop distracting me with sweet stories of your childhood.”
“You asked.” He chuckles.
Using my body weight, I shove Nolan onto his back and climb on top of him, straddling his waist while I brace myself on one hand next to Nolan’s head.
He looks at me curiously, his hands resting easily on my hips. “Not where I expected this to go, but not really complaining, though depending on what we get up to, D might actually wake up.”
“Oh, this isn’t for fun,” I hiss, wagging a finger in his face. “You’re going to listen to me, and you’re not going to say anything until I’m finished.”
A smirk crawls across his full mouth. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Not funny,” I chastise in a harsh whisper. The expression of amusement doesn’t leave his face. “Look, I get that my blood is the vampire equivalent of your favorite Ben & Jerry’s flavor—”
“My addiction is more than a love of ice cream,” he interrupts, his pale blond brows pulling into a frown.
I smack his chest with the pads of my fingers. It’s quiet and gets my point across. “I’m still talking.”
He blinks at me, grasping my hips a little tighter.
Taking advantage of his silence, I continue, “The point I’m trying to make is that you will always need blood to survive. It’s part of what you are, so stop beating yourself up over it.” My voice gentles as I look into his eyes. “You’ve struggled so long, keeping this all to yourself, that you’ve never allowed the possibility of a different perspective. Ever consider what you feel is completely normal for a vampire?”
“If it was normal, my parents would have told me,” he counters stubbornly, holding my gaze.
I drop my head, my long hair a shroud around my face, and groan. “Nolan, how could they have told you? They don’t know that you’re not drinking from bagged blood.”
His silence is loud, filled with all the arguments running through his mind before coming up empty to counter the blatant truth. He doesn’t know enough about what he is to refute me.
“It’s time, Casanova,” I murmur, leaning over so both of our faces are hidden within the curtain of my hair. “You have to tell your parents about what’s going on with you. The curse. What Gina did. How sick you are. All of it. They love you. Let them help.” I lie down on top of him, positioning myself so my head rests over his heart. “The guys and I will be with you the whole way, and I promise, I will do everything in my power to help you.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” he mutters with humor, once again wrapping his arms around me. His heart is a glorious steady thump against my ear.
“Too bad,” I tease, poking him in the side. “You’re dating a spirit witch, so you’re just going to have to accept that I’ll move literal mountains for you.”
“Alright, my warrior witch, time for sleep,” he mumbles with a yawn. “I’m exhausted.”
Biting my tongue to keep from hammering home the obvious reasons for his exhaustion, I ask, “So you’ll talk to your parents?”
Nolan sighs. “Yes, I’ll talk to them in the morning.” His fingers comb through my hair, the gentle tugs lulling me into drowsiness. I’m starting to drift to sleep when he murmurs, “Thank you for saving me.”
“It was a group effort,” I mumble, patting him absently on his chest, “but you’re welcome. I’ll always come for you.”
His breath hitches. My first thought is that he’s overcome with emotion over my declaration, but then he starts shaking with laughter, quietly wheezing, “Good to know.”
I don’t get what’s so funny until he runs his hands suggestively down my body and then squeezes my ass. “Damn it, I didn’t mean it that way. Get your mind out of the gutter.”
When he keeps laughing in breathy guffaws, I roll off him, lift Donovan’s arm, and snuggle into his embrace, muttering, “Teach me to try to be romantic.”
Donovan’s arm tightens around my waist and pulls me flush against him. He makes hums of pleasure as he rocks his hips against me, his partial hard-on felt through his way too thin boxer briefs.
I sigh and try to remember why I wanted to date at all.
Chapter 24
Nolan
Sitting on my leather couch, I play with Callie’s hair, her head resting in my lap while she texts on her phone. Connor is on the other side of the couch massaging her feet. He arrived early this morning after spending the night getting rid of any remaining evidence of my crime, including swearing several pack members to secrecy. I try not to think too hard about where exactly he disposed of a giant ice cube of blood, but the guilt still weighs heavily in my gut.
“My nan—that’s still so weird to say—is on her way,” Callie informs us as she types a response. “She should be here in the next ten minutes or so.”
