“Your breathing changed.” Sliding his hand along my ribs, he rolls to face me and props his head on his hand. “How do you feel?”
“Like I’m living some kind of dream.” That may have been a bit too honest.
“I’m happy to hear that, but my question was prompted by my worry that you might be sore this morning.” He kisses my forehead.
“Deliciously sore, but I’m fine.” I snuggle against his chest.
Wrapping his arms around me, he makes a sound close to a purr. “What time will Dorothy and Olivia be home?”
I sigh, wishing there were more time, but also longing to hear how their night away went. “Probably between nine and ten.”
“It is already after eight.”
I’m keeping him when he wants to leave. I pull away. “You didn’t have to stay. Though I won’t lie, I’m glad you did.”
Cocking his head, his mouth tips into a warm smile. “I stayed because there is nowhere else I want to be. Having you in my arms and watching you sleep was pure bliss.”
“You didn’t sleep?” It never occurred to me that he’d been awake all night while I slept.
“Vampires don’t require much rest. I can see that you’re fretting, and I wish you would not.” He thinks a moment. “How did you put it. You asked if I was toying with you. The answer is no, Lori. I am not playing any kind of game. Wanting you feels as if it was always inside me, and meeting you has awakened those feelings.”
“You must have had many romances over your long life.” I pull the sheet up to cover myself.
“Of course, but this is not like those encounters. What I feel for you is beyond anything I have ever felt before. I would call it love, but the word hardly seems big enough.” He caresses my cheek.
“You love me?” I grip the sheet tighter. This was the last thing I expected. This magnificent creature can’t possibly love a single mother from a small town. He should be with supermodels and rock stars.
Fast and sure, he shifts and moves until he sits facing me. His nudity is distracting, but he seems completely comfortable naked. I can understand why. He’s perfect. He cups my face with both hands and presses his lips to mine. “I love you. I shall never love any other. Do you understand?”
It’s hard to breathe. Words are out of the question. I shake my head.
His smile shoots desire between my legs. “I think you do. I love you, Lori Manning. I will keep telling you until the look on your face is less horrified.”
Despite my shock, joy fills me. Even if he doesn’t mean it, which I think he does, hearing those words from Ion is a thrill. Not ready to risk my heart, I let my blush and smile do the talking. “I should get cleaned up before the girls get home.”
“Of course. Do you wish for me to leave or stay?” He watches me leave the bed.
“Don’t you have someplace you need to be today?” Still wrapped in the sheet, I stand in my bathroom door, wishing we had a full day to shower together and make love.
“I would not wish to confuse your daughters, but with you is the only place I wish to be. That said, I’ll leave if that would be your preference.” He rises and pulls on his clothes.
“Stay for coffee, but maybe it would be better if, when they got home, you were not here. I should explain that we are dating before they find you in the house in the morning.”
He moves in a blur and wraps his arms around me. “Dating? I like the sound of that.”
My cheeks are on fire. “I do too.” Laughing, I push him back and get into the shower.
When I reach the kitchen, the coffee is made, and the bedding, including the sheet from the bathroom floor, is in the washer. I never heard him come in and gather theevidence of our extremely active night, but I don’t mind that he’s the kind of man who will help around the house.
Seth wouldn’t have even noticed the sheets needed cleaning. I shake my head and promise never to make that comparison again.
Ion smiles. “I didn’t know how you take your coffee, so I couldn’t pour for you.”
“Milk and a little sugar.” I head to the refrigerator and then fix my coffee. I look in his mug. “And yours is black?”
He nods.
It’s intimate sitting at the kitchen table and learning about each other. “Maybe I can get a babysitter one night.”
