“Dorian?” Charley sat up in bed, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. “What… what time is it?”
Her vampire was sitting in a chair at the bedside, dressed in nothing but a pair of black silk pajama pants. Her gaze trailed up along the smooth, rigid planes of his abs and chest to his beautiful face, where she could just make out his features—the sharp lines of his jaw, the sweep of dark hair that fell over his forehead, the soulful eyes that glittered in the darkness.
Damn.Dorian Redthorne truly was a marvel. Day or night, Charley would never tire of looking at him.
But she could tell, even in the pitch black of the bedroom, something was wrong.
“After midnight,” he said softly, then came to sit on the edge of the bed, so invitingly close the heat from his bare chest radiated against her skin.
“I missed you,” she whispered.
“Charlotte, I…” He cupped her face, his eyes glazing with emotion. “I need to tell you something. It’s important.”
“Did you get a lead on Sasha?”
“No. This is… something else. I... It’s…” He trailed off into a heavy sigh, his breath stirring the hair around her face.
She waited for him to continue, but he seemed totally lost, adrift on his own dark thoughts.
“I thought you’d be back this afternoon,” she said, doing her best to hide the new fear coursing through her veins.
Dorian seemed to be carrying enough of it for both of them.
“I’m sorry. I… I had business in the city. I meant to return straightaway, but then I decided to pick up a few things, and after that I was just… driving. Trying to clear my head, but I…” He was looking right at her, but somehownot, as if he’d floated away to another realm and left his body behind.
“You’re here now. That’s what matters.” She ran her fingers through his hair and down along his jawline, and he closed his eyes, leaning into her touch and letting out a soft hum of pleasure.
“You’venoidea how much I was looking forward to that,” he whispered.
“Me too.” Charley continued stroking his skin, her thumb running back and forth over his earlobe. “How long have you been home? You should’ve woken me up.”
Dorian turned and pressed a kiss to her wrist. “You needed the rest. Besides, I quite like watching you sleep. It calms me.”
“Hmm. I can’t decide if that makes it sound less creepy or more.”
“Oh, I can beverycreepy when properly provoked, Ms. D’Amico.” Dorian winked, then wrapped her in his arms, holding her so tight it almost hurt to breathe.
Despite the light teasing, he was still so tense.
What are you not telling me?
Charley traced her fingers over the taut forearm wrapped around her midsection, noticing the stark contrast of his tattoos—the magic that allowed him to walk in the daylight, among other things. “They look darker tonight.”
“I fed this morning. Not to worry—just a few sodding demons.”
“Demons?” Alarm shot through her limbs, and she wriggled free from his iron grip to gaze up at his face. “What happened?”
“It doesn’t matter, love. It’s over now.”
But itwasn’tover—that much was obvious. His jaw was tight, his eyes haunted by a new darkness that hadn’t been there last night, even after everything that had happened with Sasha, Rudy, and the grays in the alley.
“Dorian, please don’t shut me out. Not now. We said no more secrets.”
He cupped her face again, his touch as delicate as a feather. “It’s not my intention to shut you out, Charlotte. I’m simply… I want to protect you. Ineedto protect you, and protecting you means showing some discretion with—”
“Bullshit.” Charley glared at him, frustration rising in her voice. “Look. I realize you’re an immortal vampire and I’m a weak human and you’ve got this whole overbearing, overprotective thing going on, and don’t get me wrong—I appreciate it. Especially when you’re hauling me out of dumpsters and beating off grays. Butthis?” She traced her fingertips over the wrinkle of tension between his eyes, then moved down to his chest, placing her hand flat against his bare skin. Beneath her touch, his heartbeat thrummed. “Whatever you’re feeling, whatever you’re going through, you don’t have to protect me from it.”
Dorian reached up and grabbed her hand, holding it firm against his chest. “You’renotweak, Charlotte. Not by a long shot. But I’m not going to add to your nightmares just to momentarily unburden myself.”
