Page 40 of Nosfer-Meet You

She doesn’t have to thank me for anything. If anything, I should be the one thanking her. For saving me. For giving me another reason to hold on when everything seemed so bleak. She probably isn’t aware just how much she’s done for me.

“Hey,” I rasp, and tilt my face up to catch her mouth with mine. The kiss is sudden, unexpected, and surprisingly warm. That’s when I realize it isn’t the kiss that’s warm, it’s the blood dripping down her face in thick streaks. The metallic tang hits my tongue, igniting my bloodlust immediately, and I deepen the kiss with a groan.

Juliette’s fingers are on everything. My hair, the back of my neck, my chest. I’m instantly hard, already aching for her.

She breaks away from my mouth first with a gasp. “Juli,” I breathe. But I’m not sure what I was going to say. Juliette has kissed all the stupid thoughts right out of my head.

Juli takes a step back and yanks her hoodie over her head, then tosses it to the floor. I can’t help but just … stare as she slowly undresses. Her skirts are the next thing to go, and she lets them fall in a heap on the ground. Seconds later, she’s standing before me, completely exposed. Her thighs tremble. I get to my feet and pull her naked frame against my chest in a tight hug.

“You’re perfect, you know that?” I mutter into her ear. All the tension leaves her body. “My perfect girl.”

Juliette pulls back and looks up at me with an unreadable expression on her pretty face. “Your girl?”

“Yeah,” I say, and caress her cheek with the back of my hand. “Mine.”

She says nothing for a long moment, then bites her bottom lip. For a terrifying second, I think I’ve said the wrong thing, but then she nods. “Yours,” she rasps.

Juliette helps me out of my leather jacket, my shirt, my pants…

“Now what?” she asks.

“It’s your move, Jules,” I murmur. Juliette runs her claws down my chest, and I shiver from the sensation. It’s been ages since anyone has touched me like this. “Just be warned, though.”

Her hand pauses, and she lifts a brow.

“I’m a little bit in love with you,” I say with a smirk, “so I may get clingy after.”

Juliette tosses her head back and laughs—really laughs—again. It’s still the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard.

“You’re already clingy,” she says, and lifts herself up on her tippy-toes to kiss me.

Yeah. True.

Chapter 23

Juliette

A LITTLE BIT IN LOVE

I’m not sure when it happened. Falling in love with Scotty. But it felt like that moment between being awake and asleep. How you lie down in bed, close your eyes … and then, suddenly, it’s the next morning. No recollection of ever going under, there’s just that strange, confusing gap. One moment I’m living in solitude, the next moment I’m a woman beloved by a man.

Scotty and I lie on the cloth, our arms and legs tangled together, his chest against my back. He nuzzles my neck with his nose, and I allow myself to surrender to his touch. And when he presses his length against my entrance, aching with need, I lift my leg for him. He pushes against my sex, testing the waters, and kisses the shell of my ear.

“Is this okay?” he asks.

My entire body tightens as I prepare myself for his girth. It’s not that I have much to compare him with, but he’s also much larger than the stable boy was. My core takes its sweet time adjusting to his size, and my eyes threaten to water with red, hot tears from the pressure. Seconds later, the discomfort subsides, leaving behind only tingling pleasure.

“Yes,” I answer, and Scotty pushes himself inside of me with a groan.

I remember my first time vividly; the stable boy’s hurried and rough hands exploring every inch of my body, inside and out. His belabored breathing and the way his sweat mixed with mine. And then there was the burning pain, of course, when he finally entered me. It’s been centuries since my last time, and I expected to feel that same sharp pain again, but … there’s nothing.

Instead, he moves in and out of me with ease.

“Oh, gods. You’re tight,” Scotty whispers in my ear, then kisses it again and again. He holds on to my inner thigh, lifting my leg higher. Another moan rips through his throat, and he tosses his head back. His dark lashes flutter as his eyes roll back. I let out a sharp gasp. My heart squeezes with affection at the sight, and I roll my hips against his length, like my body’s begging him to go deeper. Harder.

“I need you, Scott,” I mutter under my breath, barely aware of what’s leaving my mouth.

His eyes snap to mine and widen. His voice gentles into a soothing tone. “Then you’ll have me, baby.”