There was only one thing that would scratchthatparticular itch, but despite their adventures in the dining room and the close call in the kitchen, Dorian had made it pretty damn clear it wouldn’t happen again.
And if she had any doubts, being relegated to the guest bedroom had sealed the deal.
To make mattersinfinitelyworse, he was supposed to bring her some aspirin after her shower, but he’d been locked away in the study with his brothers for at least two hours, talking about who knew what. Duchanes? Rudy and the demons? Her master plot to rob them of their most precious heirlooms?
If that was the case, Charley hoped they wouldn’t all turn on her at once.
One vampire—hervampire—she could handle. But five?
He’s not your vampire anymore, dumbass.
Letting out a deep sigh, Charley sat on the bed and pressed her fingers to her temples, gently massaging. The weight of the day had finally caught up with her; her head ached, and her neck and shoulders throbbed in earnest, every touch sending a bolt of pain down her spine.
Fucking Rudy.
At least they had a plan now. A sketchy, bare-bones, insanely dangerous one that could easily backfire, but it was a hell of a lot more than she’d had this morning when her dickbag uncle wrapped his hands around her neck.
A soft knock on the door startled her from her thoughts, and the vampire finally entered, carrying a bottled water, two ice packs, and an unopened box of aspirin.
“Dorian,” she breathed, her eyes glazing with tears at the sight of him. Tears of relief, tears of joy, tears of frustration… It was all swirling inside her, making her heart pound in her chest.
His presence had always affected her, no matter how calm, cool, and collected she pretended to be on the outside. And now, denied his touch, all she wanted to do was give in to that seductive, magnetic pull, surrendering to the undertow, drowning herself in him.
Instead, she forced herself to remain still, a pleasant smile plastered on her face as if all of this were perfectly acceptable.
It was the worst kind of torture.
Dorian’s gaze swept down her face, down along her baggy sleep shirt, stopping to rest on her exposed thighs.
A tiny smile touched his lips, his eyes glazing with desire, but before he took another step closer, he shook his head and blinked it all away.
When he met her eyes again, she saw only disappointment. Only pain.
“I apologize for the delay,” he said. “Turns out we didn’t have any pain reliever in the manor—I had to make a quick run into town.”
“You went into town? For me?”
“I didn’t want you to suffer, Charlotte.” He passed her the water and opened the aspirin, shaking two into her palm.
After she downed the pills, he knelt on the floor by her side and instructed her to lie back in the bed.
Too exhausted to argue, she settled herself against the pillow and closed her eyes.
With a clinical but gentle touch, Dorian arranged the ice packs on her shoulders and neck, careful to ensure there wasn’t too much pressure. The cold seeped into her skin, instantly soothing her aches.
“Better?” he asked, his voice soft and intimate.
With her eyes closed, it was easy for Charley to pretend this had all been a misunderstanding. That he was here because he loved her, because he wanted to care for her, because he’d always look out for her, just like he’d promised.
“This should ease the swelling,” he said. “Try not to move around too much.”
For a few sweet moments, she lost herself in the liquid honey of his voice, in the feel of his warm breath on her cheek, bargaining with God and the devil and anyone else who might be listening toplease, pleaselet her have one more night…
But Dorian had fallen silent, the air between them so still, Charley feared he’d left.
“Dorian?” She opened her eyes, but he was still there. He hadn’t moved. Hadn’t left her side.
“I’m right here, love.” He tried to smile, but it looked as wary as his eyes. The longer Charley stared into them, the more they revealed: the pain and disappointment she’d put there. The confusion. The mistrust. And then, running like lava beneath it all, a hot, primal darkness she couldn’t quite name.
