“Only if my serum has indeed returned.” He closed his mouth gently over the side of her neck, tongue flicking at the pulse point. Then his teeth pierced her flesh, the hurt an ache she welcomed.
Cally felt him draw a mouthful of her blood, and almost in the same instant, the rush of pleasure that filled her mind. She gasped, clutching at his head, holding him to her. “Oh yes,” shebreathed. “Oh absolutely yes.”
He took very little, only sipping from her, his tongue playing against the wound, pain and pleasure mingling in that potent way, and her fingers tightened in his T-shirt. All too soon he stopped, his tongue flicking over her again, this time to heal the wound. She felt it close even before he drew back, his eyes lilac but returning to blue as he smiled at her.
“That is reassuring,mon amour. I was concerned I had lost something that would not return.”
She held his gaze, letting the depth of her feeling show in her eyes. “So long as you are here and smiling at me like that, it’s all I need.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I have returned, stronger than before, and no force will take me from your side.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.” She took his hand in hers, and pushed it to her cheek. “There’s nowhere you can go that I wouldn’t find you anyway.”
“Nor you, I.” His eyes took on that intensity she liked so much. “I admit I still find the two-way nature of our bond surprising, but I am thankful for it.”
“Damn right.” She paused, biting her lip. “But what of this compulsion business?”
His expression was thoughtful, and he reached up to push an errant curl back behind her ear. “For now, it is nothing but a tingle that hints at your desires, and I almost ignored it to our detriment. Perhaps it will grow over time, but I will say to you again what I said before: there is no one else I would trust with such power over me.” He leaned in and brushed her lips with his. “And I do trust you,mon amour.”
She nodded once, thoughtfully, then again with more relief. “It’s only a tingle?”
“Yes. Like a sense that you want something.”
“I do want something,” she said playfully. Then she yawned, covering her mouth with an apologetic smile. “But I’ve no idea what time it is.”
“About three in the morning. Come, I will tuck you in.”
She let him pull her to her feet. “Will you stay withme? At least for a while?”
“Of course,ma chérie.” He tugged her rollneck sweater up, and she raised her arms in cooperation, blinking sleepily, the events of the day suddenly catching up with her. It was nice to let him take over, and he undressed her with care, fingers brushing against her skin as he did, each touch sending a comforting flutter through her body even though she was too tired to truly enjoy it.
He knelt before her, placing a kiss on her bare stomach as he unbuttoned her jeans, and she held on to his shoulders for support.
“Is Belle still downstairs?”
He stilled in the act of pulling her jeans from one foot, then resumed as if nothing had happened. “I believe so.”
“Does she make you uncomfortable?”
“One would be foolish to fly too close to the sun.” He rose, his task complete, and swept her into his arms.
She pressed a hand against his chest; not to stop him, but to feel his body through his thin T-shirt. “I’m not too tired to walk, you know.”
“I know, but I like to carry you.”
She laid her head on his shoulder and let him. “Belle is interested in you, isn’t she?”
“More so than I had first thought.” The words sounded flat, like he found them distasteful.
“I thought she’d left, and gone back to Europe.”
“So did I,ma chérie.Evidently, we were misinformed.”
“She’s here for you.” Cally didn’t phrase it as a question.
“Oui.”
“What does that mean?”
