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I felt his smile against my scalp. “Every day you will allow it,” he promised.

It felt like moments later that my eyelids fluttered open to find Julian in the same position, watching me.

I blinked. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, Charlotte.”

I stretched and he leaned down to kiss the curve of my stomach. Immediately, my body responded with need blooming between my legs.

“Julian, I’m going to walk like a cowgirl who’s been riding for a month straight if you keep this up,” I warned as he kissed his way south.

“Do you want me to stop?” he asked, poised above his destination. His breath tickled the sensitive nerves, making me want to thrust myself up to his mouth. “No fair.”

He blew across the spot, making me groan and throw my head back against the pillow, but he just continued to wait right there.

I broke. “Don’t stop.”

His tongue was on me, circling against the sensitive flesh before running the tips of his fangs ever so lightly over it. I bucked, and he sucked me inside his mouth as his fingers pried at my entrance.

The alert on my phone sounded, but Julian sped up his movements to an almost inhuman pace, my vampire vibrator. The orgasm crashed through me as the alarm grew louder, my phone buzzing so hard it flew off my nightstand.

Julian caught it neatly in his free hand and sat beside me as I gasped for breath.

“What is it?” I asked, unable to read his expression.

“Nothing that can’t wait until we’re ready for a break,” he said, tossing the phone toward the foot of the bed and climbing over me.

I shoved his chest, laughing, and crawled over to retrieve it. I stared at the base alert as Julian’s arms circled around from behind me and he nuzzled my neck.

“Julian.” My voice nearly broke on his name.

“Hmmm?” he asked, sliding up toward my bare breasts.

I stopped him with my grasp, and he zoomed away, reappearing several feet from the bed, his sculpted body caressed by the warm sunlight seeping through the window. I swallowed hard.

“Carmichael is dead.” He knew it as well as I did. He’d seen my phone. But had he known even before that?

“So it would seem.” He shrugged as he pulled on his pants. “I would think you’d be relieved.”

I huffed out one empty laugh. “I told you not to do this, and it’s the first thing you do?”

Julian finished buttoning his shirt in silence then sat on the edge of the mattress. “You’re making assumptions about my actions again.”

“I—” I was. I’d been wrong about him following me to Sam’s. But was I wrong about this as well? Could I trust him?

“You?” Julian prompted, taking my hand in his and smoothing his fingers over my knuckles.

“I want to believe you didn’t do this.” It was the best I could do.

“I see.” Julian stood again. “Then I suppose the investigation will either clear or condemn me. Let us go meet the others.”

With a nod, I rushed through the motions of getting ready, trying to process everything I felt. Carmichael was a self-professed murderer. He’d killed Michelle. He’d tried to rape me and turn me. He did deserve whatever fate had found him. But I was once again in the position of having a vampire who may or may not have murdered my attacker out of vengeance despite my own wishes.

But the worst part was the immense relief I felt knowing he was dead.

“You’re very quiet,” Julian said as he drove toward the base.

I tied off the braid I’d wound my wet hair into and sighed. “I’m conflicted.”