Page 34 of Bound By Blood

Despite the thick curtains he had on the windows around the penthouse, thin slivers of sunlight still filtered into the room, rousing Landon from the deepest sleep he’d had in a long time. He felt rested and relaxed, like the weight of the world wasn’t crushing his shoulders anymore. And, as much as he didn’t want to admit it, he knew that it had everything to do with the beautiful, naked woman curled up in his arms.

Her soft breath brushed feather-like against his skin as she lay on his bare chest, and her tousled hair was fanned out behind her. She looked so peaceful when she slept, so carefree. It appeared as though the only time she seemed to be able to let her guard down was when she was asleep because it was only then that she wasn’t fighting him on every little thing. But there was a part of him that actually enjoyed the challenge, it was a nice change in pace from what he was used to.

The sex hadn’t been planned, but there was no denying the fact that it had been incredible. It had been rough and dirty, but he had enjoyed every minute of it. Exploring every inch of her body, making her scream, was like a dream he never wanted to wake up from. However, he had been trying to avoid letting things go that far because he knew, the moment they crossed that line, it would change something between them. And it had.

Whatever bond or connection they shared was a whole lot stronger now and definitely harder to ignore. The thought of anything happening to her, or just the thought of being without her, made him sick to his stomach, and he hadn’t felt that in ages. Because of this, he couldn’t help but wonder if there was still a way for the bond to even be broken now that they had crossed that line. While many would say he was an evil man, he still wanted to protect her, keep her safe, and being with him was dangerous on many levels. He didn’t want to ruin her any more than he already had.

Then again, there was another part of him that was curious about what could happen between them now that the bond was stronger than ever. He wondered whether or not they could potentially have some kind of relationship even despite their differences. Her fighting him kept things interesting, the sex was amazing, and they obviously had chemistry. However, this was not a decision that he could make on his own. Nor did he want to. He wanted Carly to want him as much as he wanted her.

Disentangling himself from Carly’s arms, Landon slid out of bed and went in search of some sweats. He decided then that he was going to wait and see what Carly thought about all of this. It was a real possibility that she had just wanted to sleep with him as yet another way for her to flirt with death. If that was the case, then there was really no point in him thinking about it so much.

When he got downstairs, Landon headed into the kitchen to make her breakfast. Though he himself didn’t need to eat, it wasn’t uncommon for him to bring home a human female for sex, and he still had to play the part. So, he always kept food in the house in order to keep up appearances. And, sometimes, he just missed being able to eat food for the sake of eating.

About twenty minutes later, Carly joined him in the kitchen dressed in one of his t-shirts. He rather liked the way she looked wearing his clothes, but he didn’t say anything about it. He didn’t want to make things any more awkward than they obviously were. When she took a seat at the breakfast bar, he passed her a large cup of coffee, and the two of them sat in silence for a while as he continued to move around the kitchen.

“Is that for me?” she asked after a while.

Her question made him chuckle. “Well, it’s not for me. I fed last night.”

“Right.” She fidgeted in her seat and the blush creeping up her cheeks did not go unnoticed. “You don’t have to make me food, you know. I have no expectations here.”

Landon rolled his eyes as he slid the plate in front of her. He had never done something like this before, mainly because all the girls he fed off of were killed immediately. The ones he brought home for sex usually made their own food before they left. So, this was all new to him, and it was an odd feeling. He didn’t want or need her to make things weirder.

“Shut up and eat your food, Carly,” he muttered.

Puckering her lips, Carly eyed the plate. “Thank you.” She then picked up the fork and began to dig into her eggs.

Because he didn’t know what she liked, he had made her a bit of everything. Eggs, toast, bacon, sausage, and even a few pancakes. Most girls didn’t eat much when they were around the guys they were sleeping with, but Carly seemed to have no issues with it. Which he was grateful for. She needed to replenish what he had taken last night.

As she ate, Landon leaned up against the counter, his arms folded across his chest while he watched her. He was surprised to discover that he felt a little out of place in his own home… like he didn’t belong. For centuries he had lived alone, and having Carly in his space felt too normal to be real.

On top of that, he still wanted to know what the night before meant for the two of them, but he didn’t know how to breach the subject. Landon had never had to have this conversation before. He had also never gone above and beyond for a human either. But he seemed to be experiencing a lot of firsts with Carly, and he briefly wondered how many more there would be.

“How are you feeling?” he asked her, deciding to start small.

A small smirk played across her lips, easing his nerves a little. “I have bruises and bite marks.”

Her response made him laugh out loud. “I know how you feel physically,” he teased her. “I meant how are you feeling emotionally, Carly.”

For several moments, she was quiet as she stared at her eggs. Which he didn’t see as a good sign. Was it possible that she regretted what they did? She had been the one to instigate it, but he feared he had allowed her to take it too far.

She shrugged. “A little confused, I guess.”

“About?”

It was then that she finally glanced up at him and he could see the questions swirling around in her beautiful eyes. “About what this is.”

Her honesty was refreshing, and he let out a relieved breath as he ran his fingers through his hair. At least, he wasn’t the only one confused by what had transpired the night before. And since the topic had been brought up, maybe now they both could get some of the answers they were looking for.

“Well, that makes two of us.” He paused only for a moment before he met her eyes again. “What do you want this to be?”

Carly shook her head. “I have no idea. I’ve never done this before, so I don’t technically know how to proceed. But I do know that you’re still mine.”

“And considering those are my bite marks all over your body, you are still mine too. But that doesn’t answer the question as to what this means.” The fact that she didn’t have an answer either was a little disconcerting. Especially for someone who seemed so obsessed with getting answers.

Her lips tilted down in a frown. “It means that I don’t want you fucking anyone else. Only I get to fuck you.”

Landon cocked an eyebrow at her. “That sounds an awful lot like a relationship, sweetheart.”