“Neither have I, and I don’t plan to stay much longer. Come on, let’s see if we can find some clothes.”
They searched through five more units before uncovering clothes that would work for both of them and sneakers that fit him. Then they trudged to the bathroom.
He waited while she used it first. When she emerged, her black hair was wet as it dangled over her shoulder, and her face was pink from scrubbing it. Her formfitting, red T-shirt hugged her curves, but she’d rolled up the bottom of the jeans to keep them from dragging on the ground.
She looked young and innocent when she lifted her face, closed her eyes, and smiled as the sun’s rays spilled over her face. She was enchanting. Desire bloomed in him, and he shifted uncomfortably when his cock stirred.
Now was not the time for such things, but his lust continued to rise as he took in her beauty. He longed to touch her again, but he restrained himself from stroking her cheek once more. He clearly recalled her silken skin beneath his hands, and he was afraid that if he touched her again, he wouldn’t stop.
She took a deep breath before opening her eyes. Her striking eyes met his before she glanced nervously away.
“I won’t take long,” he said.
“I’ll be here.”
Lucien slipped past her and into the bathroom. Using the paper towels and hand soap, he scrubbed at his flesh and washed his hair the best he could. With his head bent beneath the sink, he watched the dirt flowing down the drain while he scrubbed at his scalp.
He peeled off his filthy jeans, threw out his boxer shorts, and washed all over before tugging on the new pair of jeans. They were too short on him and hung low on his waist, but not many pants would fit him right now.
When he finished dressing, he stepped back to inspect himself. His eyes remained red; it would probably take a couple more feedings before the color vanished, but he’d washed the dirt from his flesh, he smelled ten thousand times better, and his fingers didn’t catch in his drying hair when he ran them through it.
He was still underweight and weaker, but he felt and looked a lot better. He would get them out of the city and somewhere safe, and once he had access to a steady supply of blood, he would feed more and work his way back to full strength.
His chest and shoulders were still damp, so he didn’t bother pulling on the shirt. He would dry as they walked to the guard booth and pull it on before they left. He draped the black T-shirt over his arm and walked out the door.
Callie twisted her hands and chewed on her bottom lip as she waited outside the bathroom door. Her eyes swung back and forth as she listened for the hum of the golf cart. Lucien had told her to call him if anyone came, but she didn’t feel like dealing with the guard.
The door to the bathroom opened, and she turned toward him. She started to speak, but the words clogged in her throat when she spotted him.
He was still gaunt, but with the layer of grime removed from him, she saw every detail of the lines carving his abdomen. No one should have abs that perfect or mouthwatering. Never mind bouncing a quarter off them, a brick would launch off those things.
And if those abs weren’t enough enticement, a trail of dark blond hair led from his bellybutton to the sagging waistband of his jeans... jeans that had a noticeable bulge in the front of them.
She blinked as she tried to tear her attention away from the mouthwatering sight of him, but her fingers itched to run over those broad shoulders and chest before dipping into the hollows of those abs while she memorized every inch of him.
She hated the complete darkness of the storage unit, but she’d prefer not to see how attractive thisvampirewas. Slowly, she forced her gaze from his abs to his chest and finally to his face.
His reddened eyes met and held hers as she gazed at the chiseled contours of his face. Now that he was clean, she could tell the scruffy beard covering his square jaw was a dark blond color, but she still wasn’t sure about the color of his hair as it remained wet.
Behind the scruffy beard was the temptation of his mouth. His lips were full, but the bottom one was slightly fuller, and the upper one…. Why did she suddenly want to bite it?
Callie shook her head as a tumult of emotions assaulted her. She couldn’t be attracted to a man—no, avampirewho willingly admitted to loving every minute of killing things, even if those things deserved it.
She’d already been in one fucked-up relationship; she wasnotgetting into another one, even if that meant staying single for the rest of her life. Although, after everything that happened, she was beginning to suspect her life might be a lot shorter than she anticipated.
Pushing back her sudden unease, her eyes settled on the fading bites on his shoulders and arms. Without thinking, she rested her fingers over one of them.
“They fed on you?” she asked.
Self-disgust filled Lucien as he glanced at the marks. “No.”
“Then—”
“I did it to myself.”
When Callie’s eyes flew back up to his, he saw the confusion in their beautiful depths.
“I was starving. I needed to bite, to bleed, to taste blood. It’s—” He couldn’t hold her gaze as he spoke. “—it’s not something I’m proud of.”
