Page 45 of Cooper’s Passion

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Hunger awakened him, and Cooper realized with horror that his fangs were fully extended, his face nuzzled against Anita’s neck.

Fuck!

It was bad enough that the previous night he’d accidentally bitten her lip because his fangs had extended automatically when he’d climaxed so hard he’d been afraid to black out. Now his need for Anita’s blood was even more urgent. He’d expended a lot of energy making love to her, and his self-control was at an all-time low. His cock was already hard again, and all he would need to do was to thrust into Anita’s pussy, waking her so they could both find pleasure again. He knew that Anita would welcome him just like she’d done before, but how would she react to his fangs? No, he couldn’t spring it on her like this.

As quietly as possible, Cooper got out of bed, slipped into a pair of jogging pants, and left the room. He hurried downstairs. From the kitchen he heard voices and the clattering of dishes. He glanced at the large antique clock in the hallway. It was already past three o’clock in the afternoon. No wonder he was hungry.

In the pantry, Cooper went straight for the fridge. While he gulped down two bottles of blood, he relived his lovemaking with Anita. He’d never been so crazy about any woman before. And he had no qualms about telling her that she meant something to him. It was best that she got used to this fact as quickly as possible, because the way he felt about her, he knew that he wouldn’t be able to restrain the vampire inside him for much longer. Because the vampire had found his mate and was ready to make her his, even though his human side was able to show more restraint.

When he stepped out of the pantry, he nearly collided with Wesley.

Wesley grinned unashamedly. “So, you’re finally giving your girl a little break, huh?”

“Look who’s talking,” Cooper countered. “Like you ever let a night go by without making love to Virginia.”

“Life’s short. Gotta live every day like it’s your last.”

Cooper rolled his eyes. “Says the immortal.”

Wesley chuckled, then he gestured to the upper floor. “So, Anita’s the one, huh? I must say, you’ve got excellent taste.”

“How do you—”

“May I introduce myself? I’m your uncle. I’ve known you since you were a baby, and trust me, I can see the change in you. You’ve never looked at anybody the way you look at Anita.”

Cooper couldn’t help but smile.

“Besides, you wouldn’t risk exposing us and yourself and all our secrets by bringing her here if you only wanted to fuck her.”

“You’re quite perceptive as always. But don’t worry, so far, she’s not suspecting anything. I’ve been careful.” Accidentally drawing blood by kissing Anita could have happened to anybody—well, any horny vampire. “Now, go, and mind your own business. I’ve got an insatiable woman to satisfy.”

Laughing, Wes entered the pantry, while Cooper headed for the stairs.

* * *

Anita slappedboth hands over her mouth in order not to cry out and give away that she was standing at the top of the stairs, hidden from Cooper’s and Wesley’s view, but able to hear their conversation. When she’d woken without Cooper by her side, she’d first assumed that he was in the bathroom, but the door had been open and Cooper was nowhere in sight. She’d slipped into her bathrobe, her feet bare, and had walked toward the stairs when she’d caught Wesley mentioning her name.

“So, Anita’s the one, huh? I must say, you’ve got excellent taste.”

“How do you—”

“May I introduce myself? I’m your uncle. I’ve known you since you were a baby, and trust me, I can see the change in you. You’ve never looked at anybody the way you look at Anita.”

Her heart had made a somersault. If his uncle noticed how Cooper looked at her, everything Cooper had told her the night before had to be true. He was falling in love with her. She’d been ecstatic, but a second later Wesley had added something she couldn’t make head nor tail of.

“Besides, you wouldn’t risk exposing us and yourself and all our secrets by bringing her here if you only wanted to fuck her.”

Exposing what? What secrets?

Cooper’s cool voice interrupted her thoughts. “You’re quite perceptive as always. But don’t worry, so far, she’s not suspecting anything. I’ve been careful. Now, go, and mind your own business. I’ve got an insatiable woman to satisfy.”

Panic surged inside her. He’d been careful? Careful about what? What was he hiding from her? Her heart pounded out of control. Cooper was on his way upstairs, clearly to make love to her again. She couldn’t let that happen, not now, not after what he and Wesley had said.

Barefoot she hurried back to the room, pulled the door shut soundlessly, and went into the bathroom. To her horror, she noticed that there was no lock on the bathroom door, maybe so a child couldn’t lock itself in accidentally. Damn! What now? If she went back to bed and pretended to sleep, Cooper would most certainly want to have sex with her again. And if she turned him down, he might suspect that something was off. Maybe he had even heard her footsteps or the opening and closing of the door. She had to stall until she figured out what to do next.

The shower! She reached into the shower enclosure and turned on the water, then quickly took off her robe, tossed in on the vanity, and stepped underneath the lukewarm water. For a moment, she felt chilly, but then the water started to heat up. She forced herself to breathe evenly to calm down. Had she misinterpreted Cooper’s conversation with his uncle?