When he draped his arm around her shoulder,she didn’t shrug him off or try to duck out from under him.Instead, she allowed herself to lean against him as she took solacein his warmth and strength. Allowing herself to fall further inlove with this man was probably ahorribleidea, but she wastoo exhausted to fight her heart.
She wanted to fall onto her bed, curl up inhis arms, and sleep until tomorrow. Unfortunately, that wasn’t anoption. Nicolette would bang down her door if she wasn’t at thegallery tonight, and if she let Julian into her bed, she might opena can of worms she could never close again.
Julian led her downstairs and to herapartment. He opened the door to reveal Kyle sprawled across thecouch. He hadn’t bothered to pull it out but crashed on top of it.Cassidy must have retreated to her bedroom after Kyle and Julianreturned.
“Are you going back to your hotel?” Aidaasked and held her breath while she waited for his answer.
“No, I’ll sleep on the floor so I can makesure you’re safe.”
“There are two other vampires here, and novampire can enter unless invited,” she reminded him. “The floorwill be uncomfortable.”
“I don’t care. I’m not going anywhere.”
Aida wanted to argue with him, but she didn’thave it in her right now. She also didn’t have it in her to leavehim sleeping on the floor after last night.
“You can sleep in my room,” she offered.
The pop of a can opening sounded in her head,but he’d killed for her, and she ached to feel his arm around her.Instinctively, she knew he would chase away the nightmares sure tocome today.
Julian studied her as he debated his reply.He should say no; she was vulnerable and exhausted, but the wordstuck in his throat. He could clearly recall what it was like tosleep beside her, and he wanted to experience it again.
Before he left, there were more than a fewtimes when she would fall asleep on the beach or in the woods afterfleeing her house. He would lay beside her and inhale her sweetscent of peaches while she dreamed.
She was so soft and trusting as she laynestled in his arms while he fantasized about kissing her, but hedidn’t dare touch her in such a way. She’d been through enough, sheneeded to feel safe, and he would give that to her.
Sometimes he would sleep too, but most of thetime, he took comfort in watching her. Her breaths would tickle hisface while her eyes fluttered behind her closed lids. Sometimes shewould cry out, but she usually didn’t have nightmares with him ather side. Those days were some of the best of his life, and heenjoyed every wondrous second with her.
But things were a lot different now. Backthen, he’d been eighteen and more of a man than a boy, but he wasstill a boy in many ways. Then, he was more concerned with keepingher safe and easing the sorrow she radiated.
Now, he was a newly matured vampire, and shewas his mate. While he intended to keep her safe, regain her trust,and be with her, he also wanted to be inside her, tasting her, andhearing her cry out his name as she came apart in his arms. He wasexhausted, but the idea of it caused him to harden as his fangsthrobbed. She washis,and he wanted to stake his claim onher.
“Or you can sleep on the floor,” Aida saidwhen he continued to stare at her.
“I’d prefer your bed.”
She’d opened the can, dumped it out, andthrown the worms in the air to scatter them wherever they landed.However, she didn’t feel like recapping it.
Something about this felt right, and shesmiled at him as she nodded toward her bedroom. “Come on.”
Julian followed her down the hall and intoher room.
CHAPTER 26
Despite her exhaustion, Aida couldn’t fall asleep,and it had absolutely everything to do with the man lying besideher. They didn’t touch, but his warmth was so close he could almostbe pressed against her. Her heart was like a drum in her chest asit pounded out a rock tempo against her ribs.
She kept staring at the wall, but she yearnedto roll over, rest her hands on his chest, and lift her mouth tohis. Thinking about it made her grind her teeth as she dug herfingers into her palm to keep from sliding her hand between herlegs. She couldn’t remember the last time she masturbated; it hadbeen a while, and she was desperate for some relief from thisconstant tension.
She’d never been with a man before, and she’dnever wanted one as badly as Julian. When he shifted on the bed,she almost screamed and bolted out of it like she was the rabbitracing before the greyhounds.
Would he pounce if she tried to run? God, shehoped so.
Julian rolled over to stare at Aida’s back asshe lay facing the wall with her hands beneath her cheek. Her blackhair spilled around her shoulders and the T-shirt she put on beforecrawling into bed. He restrained himself from settling his palmagainst the slender curve of her hip as the crisp scent of hershampoo filled his nostrils. Beneath that, he also detected thealluring aroma of her growing desire.
If he drew her into his arms, she’d melt intothem, but after everything she’d been through tonight, he wouldn’tpush her. So instead, he savored the knowledge she was safe whileenjoying the exquisite torture of her nearness.
Aida didn’t think she’d ever fall asleep, butshe must have because she woke sometime later. She blinked as shetried to figure out why her bed was so hard. And then she recalledthe events of the night and inviting Julian to sleep in herroom.
Sometime during her nap, she’d draped herselfacross his chest. The solid wall of muscle beneath her rose withhis breaths while the rigid evidence of his arousal poked her inthe thigh. One of his hands rested on the small of her back whilethe other was propped behind his head. She could feel his eyes onher.
