She felt as if he’d punched her as the airrushed out of her lungs, and words failed her as she tried toassimilate everything she believed to be true with what he wastelling her. He left to make her happy; he hadn’t abandoned herlike her father did, or so he said.
When she first met Julian and when they werespending all their time together, she never would have lumped himinto the same category or believed he was anything like her father.Over the years, they’d become almost synonymous in her mind.Except, Julian walking out of her life broke her heart a whole lotmore than when her father left.
Aida shook her head as confusion rolledthrough her. His sudden return, her awful day with Nicolette, andnowthis—it was all too much. Her life had been so simpleyesterday, and now it was a turbulent mess.
“I want to be with you,” he said. “I couldn’ttell you that then, but I’m making it clear now. I wantyou.”
When exhaustion and her headache caused himto blur before her, she blinked him into focus. “Until you leaveagain.”
She tried to close the door; she was tootired to deal with this right now, but he rested his hand againstit to keep it open. Aida restrained herself from kicking him in theshin when he bent closer to her.
“If you decide you’ll have me, I’ll neverleave again,” he vowed.
There he went again, making it impossible forher to think of words. Did he think she was his mate?
No, that couldn’t be possible. She’d seen theway Mike and all the other vampires were with their mates; none ofthem would willingly walk away from them. And if she wasn’t hismate, then he would walk away again when he found the one he wasmeant to be with forever.
Julian hated the doubt and uncertainty in hereyes. Looking at him, she should see someone she could alwaystrust, but she didn’t. Years ago, she trusted him with her deepestsecrets, and now she couldn’t trust him to be here stilltomorrow.
“I was trying to do the right thing,” hesaid. “But I fucked up.”
“Julian—”
Before she could say anything more, he bentand kissed her. He didn’t know what he’d been thinking by doing it,but he had to taste her again. He’d spent years denying himself thecompany of his mate, and he couldn’t do it anymore.
Her lips parted on an oh, and he waited forher to shove him away, but she remained unyielding against him ashis tongue traced her plump bottom lip. When she still didn’t pullaway from him, he lowered his hand from the door to cradle hercheek while he deepened the kiss.
She gripped his wrist as she leaned into hispalm. Her breath warmed his lips, and her fingers dug into hisflesh as she cleaved to him. Julian wanted to push her back intothe room and onto the bed, but if he moved too fast, he might spookher.
But he was kissing his mate, something he’dbelieved would never happen again, and it took everything he had tokeep himself under control. However, he’d denied himself for toolong. With each beat of her heart, the demon clawed and tore at hisinsides as it sought to take possession of her.
Aida couldn’t think as his thumb stroked hercheek and their tongues entwined. Every day for the past four and ahalf years, she recalled the way his kiss made her feel aliveduring a time when she felt so broken.
Even now, her constant fear slid away as asense of belonging descended over her. All those years ago, shehadn’t realized she was falling in love with him. But every time hecame out to walk with her in the woods, listened to her weep, andheld her while she sobbed, she grew to care for and trust himmore.
And he’d broken her trust.
Still, despite her anger at him, she foundherself melting into his arms as the kiss deepened. She couldn’tdeny herself the pleasure of his arms as his kiss created afirestorm within her. Her legs gave out, and she sagged into thepowerful arms enveloping her. His beard tickling her face remindedher this was not the same boy she’d kissed before, but then, shewasn’t the same girl.
Before she knew what was happening, he wasmoving her through the door and nudging it shut behind him. Sheshould stop this, but she couldn’t deny herself. He hooked her withhis first kiss, and she’d yearned for another every day since.She’d felt depleted somehow without him, and now she was startingto feel whole again.
Julian’s blood thundered through his veins,and his pulse raced as Aida pressed closer to him. She was a lotshorter than him, but all her lush curves melded perfectly to hisbody. She was the piece he’d been missing, and now that she was inhis arms again, he would do whatever it took to keep her there.
He navigated her further into the room as hisother hand slid around her waist. When her hands settled on hischest, she gave a subtle push. He started to break off the kiss,but then her hands glided up his flesh, and her arms encircled hisneck.
Drawing her bottom lip between his teeth, henibbled it as he plucked her off the ground. Holding her with onlyone arm, he slid his other hand up her back and threaded hisfingers through her loose bun. He worked the band free and inwardlysmiled when her thick, silken hair spilled loose to flow over hisarms.
Aida gave up on trying to think and simplylet herself enjoy Julian. She forgot all about her exhaustion asdesire burned through her. The ache in her breasts made her brafeel too confining, and she couldn’t wait to take it off.
When he set her on the bed, trepidation stolethrough her, but then his hard body was coming down on top of hers,and she could only feel again. His hand sliding up the inside ofher shirt made her skin tingle, and when his erection rubbedagainst her thigh, she wiggled until it settled between herlegs.
Julian’s hand skimmed the bottom of her bra,and she whimpered as she arched into his touch. She inherentlysmelled of peaches and that delicious aroma intensified with herdesire. She was already wet for him; he didn’t doubt it.
He thrust his hips against her and growledwhen she opened her legs further before wrapping them around hiswaist. Unable to keep them suppressed, his fangs extended as hisever-increasing need to claim her pounded through him.
A bucket of ice water was tossed over Aida’shead when she felt the tip of his fangs against her mouth. Suddenlyplunged back into the basement, she couldn’t tell what was real andwhat wasn’t as she once again experienced a heavy body against herswhile fangs scraped her flesh.
Explosions of memories went off in her head.She heard the screams and experienced the hopelessness of knowingshe was going to die in the dark with the cries of the othersfilling her ears. They may not have been allowed to rape her, butwhen those vamps moved against her, she’d felt their erections andinwardly wept at her helplessness.
