He didn’t care what she said. As long as she was around him, the device wouldn’t be far away.
He watched as she squeezed a small amount of ointment onto her pinkie finger. Cradling his forearm gently in her hands, she seemed to be examining the wounds for an extraordinarily long length of time. In his head he felt the beating of her heart increase its tempo, and he ground his teeth together. No, he couldn’t let her go there. Making love to her was one thing, but if she took any more of his blood, he knew his willpower would be gone. Cilice or no cilice. Like committed couples who shared blood, his body would need that from her. It wasn’t a one-sided thing. If she fed directly from him, he would need to feed directly from her. But that would have disastrous results. He pulled away.
She scowled and grabbed his hand again. “Hold still, will you?” Then she gently touched her finger to each puncture wound. “You were saying something about biting and making love. What do you mean? Is biting like a sexual thing?”
“Sometimes,” he admitted. “Blood sharing is a common practice when our kind makes love. Not necessarily when having sex just for the hell of it, but when there’s a deep emotional connection between committed couples, some feel the urge to share blood. Or so I’m told.”
She applied the last bandage, and his eyes met hers. Yes, she felt the same urge. The urge to share blood. She wanted his, too.
“Committed couples? Have you ever shared blood with anyone?”
“No. Never had the desire. Not until now and I’ve, uh...” He gave a nervous cough. How could he word it so she didn’t think he was a complete man-whore? Hell, most unmated vampires were. Who was he fooling? He was no different. Before he’d met her, there weren’t many weeks that passed without several hook-ups. Casual sex to the extent his kind engaged in wasn’t as accepted a practice among humans. But it was a healthier, more acceptable way to deal with their aggressive natures. “I’ve hadlots of experiences and... Well, it’s just never happened to me before. I wasn’t expecting it.”
“And it’s not something related to my being a sweetblood?”
“The bloodlust—yes. But the emotional connection, the need to drink from you—no. And you know your desire for me to take more of your blood?” He waited a moment and she nodded. “It’s the same for me. Like a drumbeat in my head. I want you to have some of mine again.” He’d hardly realized that was what the need had been, but seeing her taste the drop of his blood clarified what he hadn’t been able to define.
She was quiet. He’d have to tell her it was against Council rules to share with a human. Unless they had gone through the mating ritual.
“Mackenzie...I—” His mouth went suddenly dry. “Given my family history, I freaked out.”
“What do you mean? What happened?”
Why the hell had he even brought it up? Things had been going along perfectly fine without mentioningthat.Just thinking about it made him feel sick. But there was something about the strength behind her eyes that made him want to tell her things he’d never felt comfortable sharing before. He wasn’t sure he could get the words out.
Running his fingers through his hair, he got up and walked to the window. The sun had dipped behind the distant horizon of the peninsula and washed the sky in enchanting shades of pinks and oranges. His heart banged against his ribs and when he felt an unfamiliar welling of emotion, he realized he was looking at the sunset as Mackenzie would.
“Is it dark enough for you to comfortably go outside?” she asked, as she gathered the dishes from the table. “Want to take a walk? I promise not to push you in. I might even let you give me a piggyback ride.”
The fresh air sounded good. He needed to clear his head. “Sure. But you couldn’t push me in even if you wanted to.”
“We’ll see.”
Her concern for his comfort outside suddenly registered. Could she even fathom what she did to him? That a simple thought or word from her was all it took for him to grovel at her feet? How just watching her made him forget an outside world even existed?
“Love those boots,” he said, as he watched her pull on the bright red galoshes he’d seen her wearing earlier. If they weren’t obviously an adult size, he’d have sworn they belonged to a seven-year-old.
“Next time, I’ll bring my own,” she said, eyes sparkling. “You’ll love them. They’re pink Hello Kitty ones.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
“Water Break. Catch you in five.” Lily left her class on the mats and walked down the hallway of the mixed martial arts studio.
She dialed the field office number. Was Dom back yet? She had assembled her team earlier, and they’d be ready for orders as soon as he arrived. With nothing to do but wait, she headed to the Krav Maga center where she sometimes subbed as a martial arts instructor.
“You’re an angel, Lil,” Johnny Sinclair had said when she told him she’d be happy to take over his zero-dark-thirty class. “I’m working swing today at the precinct and have a full load of classes here this morning. Didn’t have time for coffee or breakfast. Back in thirty.”
If Dom didn’t arrive soon, it meant he probably wouldn’t be coming until this evening. She doubted his lack of UV sensitivity could last two full days in the sunlight. Was it a good sign that he didn’t come back right away? Maybe, maybe not.
As she rounded the corner, a strong pair of hands grabbed her waist, pushing her against the dark wall. Greedy lips met hers as her sports bra was shoved up over her breasts. Dipping his head, her visitor sucked roughly at her nipples.
“I love it when you surprise me like this,” she said, her voice a raspy whisper. “I only have a minute. Think you can be fast?”
The zip of his fly was his answer, and she dropped her workout shorts to her ankles. Turning around, she splayed her hands on the wall and arched her back.
Without any fanfare, he entered her hard. Her breath caught in her throat as he growled. His fingers moved her hair aside, and she felt his mouth against her neck. She had to bite her lip to keep from making a noise with her students just around the corner. Once, twice, three times. And as his fangs pierced her skin, she climaxed along with him. A moment later he sealed the twin puncture marks and withdrew. She pulled her shorts back up and straightened her sports bra as he zipped up his jeans.
“What a nice treat.” She kissed him long and slow as she ran her tongue along the tips of his fangs. He tasted warm and spicy. “But what the hell are you doing here? You know it’s not safe.”
