I shut him up by kissing him.
Lucien didn’t hesitate. He kissed me back with his whole being. I melted into him, every nerve ending firing at once. Neither of us showed any hesitation, no tiptoeing around the other. Just pure, honest emotion.
When we finally pulled apart, I pressed my forehead to his. “I love you too. I think it happened the moment we danced together.”
“Ah, I knew it,” he chuckled, brushing a kiss against my brow. “I’ve been told my dance moves are lethal.”
“Shut up,” I teased. Then I sobered. “I really am sorry for leaving like that.”
“You were upset, understandably so,” he said. “But next time?—”
“There won’t be a next time,” I cut in gently. “If I need space, I’ll ask for it. No more running. I want to stay here, in Eternity Falls. With you.”
“Good,” he said. “Because I’ve made peace with a lot of things in my life, but I’ll never make peace with losing you.”
He kissed me again, slower this time. I responded with everything I had, pouring all my love into him.
“Are you staying the night?” he asked against my lips when we paused for breath.
“I was hoping you’d ask that,” I said.
“Well,” he said in a gruff voice, “if I had my way, you’d stay forever, but I’m trying not to scare you off.”
“Forever sounds perfect.” I cupped his cheeks and drew him back toward me.
His mouth found mine for one more kiss before he swept me into his arms like I weighed nothing at all. I laughed against his lips, assuming he’d carry me upstairs. I didn’t mind. I was just as eager to jump his bones as he was mine.
But when he carried me into the hallway, he turned toward the front door instead of the stairs.
“Uh, Lucien. I’m not someone who enjoys voyeurism.”
He barked a laugh. Then he carried me to his car and tucked me into the passenger seat.
“Are you abducting me somewhere?” I asked.
“More like…returning you,” he told me. He crouched until we were eye-level and said, “There’s a spritely werewolf who would murder me in increasingly creative ways if I chose to keep you to myself tonight.”
Ah, Thorne. It warmed me to my core that Lucien cared so much that he would forgo our reunion tonight to bring me to Thorne.
“Brace yourself, though,” he said as he rounded the front of the car. “She’s been storing insults for about six days.”
I laughed.
Lucien slipped behind the wheel, stealing one last glance at me before turning the key in the ignition. The engine purred to life, low and indulgent—like everything about this vampire.
As we pulled out of the driveway and into the quiet streets of Eternity Falls, I let my head fall back against the seat and watched the moon follow us through the windshield. It was big tonight, impossibly bright, hanging low in the sky like it had shown up just to witness my dramatic return.
I wound our fingers together, then lifted his hand to my mouth and kissed his knuckles.
Heat flashed in his eyes, and he grumbled something like, “Damn werewolves ruining my night.”
I chuckled.
At the first stop sign, Lucien brought the car to a full stop, then leaned over and snagged my mouth in a heated kiss. “Once Thorne forgives you, we’re going home, where I fully intend to ravage you.”
“Oh? Fully, you say?”
“And repeatedly,” he commented, his eyes practically blazing with desire.
