“I did not even know it was possible, yet you have reconnected me with whatever humanity I have left. Nothing matters more to me than keeping you safe. You make me feelalive. If that is not love… what is?”
I feel as if I’ve grown so weightless that I might float up to the ceiling, then out the window and into the sky. “You’re my first love, too,” I say, and our mouths come together.
As his cool tongue dances with my warm one, William’s fingertips stroke up and down the side of my acrylic sweater, from the waistline of my jeans to the band of my bra. His caresses make me feel sensitive all over.
His lips stray from mine, trailing kisses down my chin, jaw, neck. His fangs’ proximity to my throat sends a shiver down my spine, even though I know he’s not going to bite me.
I trust him.
His lips start to slow when they reach my collarbone, and when he gets to my chest, his chin grazes the top line of my cleavage. He doesn’t go any lower, recapturing my mouth with his own. I reach for him, resting my hand on his bicep and sliding it up his arm to his shoulder. Then I brush my fingers across his chest, feeling the hard muscles under the fabric.
We only come up for air when my stomach’s gurgling becomes too loud for William to ignore. “We should get you some lunch,” he says.
“I’m fine right here,” I insist, but he pulls me to my feet and presses a kiss to my hand.
“To be continued.”
TIFFANY DOESN’Tshow up to the dining hall again.
“Is she still in your room?” asks Zach.
“Yeah,” says Salma. “She said to tell you hi.” Zach’s tense expression eases a little.
While Sal and I are filling our plates at the buffet table, she asks me, “So?How was it?”
“How was what?” I ask coyly, and she pins me with her knowing stare.
“Spill.”
“He can hear us, you know,” I whisper, and the two of us turn to peek at William. He’s walking back to our table with his plate, and he twists his neck to wink at us.
Salma snorts, and I laugh. So, after we’ve finished eating, she asks, “Lore, wanna go to the bathroom?”
Trevor raises his eyebrows like he wants to make a joke, but he keeps it to himself. Salma’s coldness has definitely gotten to him. He’s not the same playful guy he used to be, and even though I’ll always be Team Salma, I’m a little sad for him.
“You kissed avampire,” says my best friend as soon as we’ve checked that all the stalls are empty. “What was that like?”
“Shivery” is the first word that comes to mind.
“He made youshiver?” Now she sounds even more intrigued.
“With every inhale,” I say, not daring to speak above a whisper. “He’s cold, but not in an unpleasant way. Kissing him gives me goose bumps and makes my insides… tingly.”
“I know what that means,” she says, insinuating we’ve done more than we have. “How far did you get?”
“Just kissing,” I say.
She looks disappointed, but then she seems to think better of it. “Actually, that’s probably good,” she says, her giddiness fading. “If he’s going back to his kind, I’m not sure it’s such a good idea for you to get any closer.”
“I know… but he—we—” I suck in a quick breath because I know I’m about to drop a bomb on her. “We said we love each other.”
“Oh my God!” She grips my wrists and shakes her head like she can’t believe it. “Your first love is a vampire! You’re a fucking icon, Lore. Do you realize you’ve outdone all your favorite romance novels?!”
I shake my head. “To be a real romance, we’d need a happily-ever-after. And that’s not happening.”
She doesn’t argue with me there. “Did he say when he’s leaving?”
“No, and I don’t want to bring it up. I just want to exist in this bubble for as long as I can.”
