Page 62 of Awakened Light

With a gracious smile, he took my empty glass and left.

“You’re still thinking about it, aren’t you?” Thorne leaned forward, closing the distance between us.

I opened my mouth to argue but couldn’t find the words... the words to lie.

A satisfactory smirk pulled up one corner of his lips as he sat back in his chair.

“Do you still have bags of,” I whispered the next word, “blood left, or do you need to get more?”

“I packed plenty. More than enough for the trip. But that doesn’t mean I don’t like dessert.” He waggled his eyebrows.

“Stop!” I laughed. “I would be disowned. It would be the biggest insult to my people to let a,” I whispered again so the other guests at the luau wouldn’t hear, “vampire, feed on me. You’re supposed to be my mortal enemy.”

Thorne flicked his wrist. “Minor detail.”

“You just keep your fangs in your mouth.”

“But I don’t need to keep my,” he leaned forward and whispered, “dick in my pants, do I?”

With the slow shake of my head, I said, “That you definitely don’t need to do.”

Just thinking about being with him again already had the blood pumping through my veins and making a beeline between my legs.

The hula dancers started again on stage, and a man twirling fire caught my attention.

“Bet you could give them a run for their money. I know how well you can shake your hips, and you don’t need a fire knife to twirl fire. You can just use your hands. You could make a good living as a hula dancer.”

“Stop.” I laughed. “I can shake my hips, but not like those girls. They are incredible.”

I turned again to watch the talented women rolling their hips in a way I wanted to try on top of Thorne later.

“I’m glad we did this,” Thorne said. “Even though I can’t eat or drink all the luau food, it would be a crime not to go to one when in Hawaii. And since tonight is our last night, it’s important you got to see this.”

Our last night.

I glanced down at his ring, noting the slow fade of color. Like sand slipping through an hourglass, our break from reality dwindled as well. This had been the most incredible five days of my life, and my stomach twisted in knots knowing it had to end.

“I’m glad I saw it too. It’s really incredible learning more about their culture. It’s beautiful. My tribe has traditional dances as well, but nothing like that.”

“Yeah? You have dances?”

“Yep.” I shoved another bite of lobster in my mouth.

“You going to show me later?” His eyebrow rose.

“Maybe.” I smirked, then picked up an oyster and let it slide down my throat in one swig.

Thorne bit his fist and cringed. “God. You’re killing me. It’s equal parts disgusting and seductive. I can’t decide what I should be feeling when I see you slide those things down your throat.”

I laughed as I set down the empty shell. “Delicious.”

“Yes, you are.”

I felt his foot on my leg under the table and narrowed my eyes with a smirk. “Are you going to let me finish my dinner, or are we going to have to sneak out of here back to our villa?”

Twisting his lips, he shrugged. “Can you eat faster?”

I lifted another oyster shell and pressed it seductively to my lips, then retrieved the oyster with my tongue. Thorne’s eyes saucered as he watched me suck it into my mouth and finish with a lick of my lips.