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“Oh, wow, you guys really think ahead, huh?”
Connor sounded impressed, and Korum gave him a small smile before steering the conversation to Mia’s childhood and what she had been like in kindergarten.
The rest of the dinner flew by, with her family competing for a chance to tell the most amusing and embarrassing story about Mia as a baby – everything from her odd preference for purple clothes when she was three to Marisa bribing her with candy to get her to do her math homework in first grade.
“I find it hard to believe that Mia ever had to be forced to do her homework,” Korum said, smiling at her warmly. “I can’t get her to stop doing it now. Her work ethic is incredible – even Saret is impressed, and he’s had a lot of talented and dedicated assistants over the years.”
Her parents grinned, looking proud and pleased, and Mia realized yet again what a skilled manipulator Korum was. He had her family eating out of the palm of his hand, despite the fact that they should’ve been madly worried about their youngest daughter being in a relationship with an extraterrestrial predator. Not that she minded, of course. Her lover was doing exactly what Mia wanted – setting her parents’ mind at ease – and she was grateful for that.
Finally, the dinner wrapped up around ten. Saying good-bye to her family, Mia climbed into Korum’s Ferrari and they drove home, with Mia feeling happy and full from the delicious meal.
* * *
Waking up the next morning, Mia bounced out of bed full of energy. Quickly brushing her teeth, she put on the two-piece bathing suit that Korum had thoughtfully left for her and went to look for him.
She found him lounging by the pool, sunning himself like a big golden cat. Unlike a human, Korum never burned, his skin always the same lightly bronzed shade. Come to think of it, Mia had somehow managed to avoid sunburn herself thus far, despite not using any sunblock. For a second, she wondered if Korum had given her something to protect her skin without her knowing and then forgot about it, too excited to start the day.
Seeing her enter the pool area, Korum gave her a slow, sensuous smile that reminded Mia of the wicked things he’d done to her last night. Her lower belly tightened with remembered pleasure. He couldn’t seem to get enough of her – and she of him – to the point that Mia was beginning to wonder whether they were addicted to each other after all. Of course, Korum had warned her of blood addiction, not sexual addiction, but she couldn’t imagine craving him more than she did already.
Tall shrubs and a solid white fence surrounded the pool area, blocking it from the view of anyone passing by on the beach and providing privacy for the mansion’s residents. Encouraged by that, Mia came up to him and ran her hand down his chest, reveling in the feel of his smooth, sun-warmed skin.
He grinned and caught her hand, bringing it to his mouth for a kiss. “Ah, my lady awakes,” he teased, his soft lips nibbling lightly at the back of her hand.
A shiver of pleasure ran through her at his touch, and she suddenly felt much warmer. Fighting a blush, she asked, “Do you want to go to the beach this morning?”
They were supposed to meet her parents for lunch today and then drive to St. Augustine to visit the Alligator Farm, one of Mia’s favorite attractions in the area. However, it was only 9 a.m. right now, so they had plenty of time to kill.
“What about breakfast?” he asked her. “You’re not hungry?”
“I can eat a banana on the way,” Mia told him, itching to go for a swim in the ocean. “I’m still sort of full from yesterday’s dinner.”
“Then let’s go.”
The beach in front of their house was beautiful and almost completely deserted. Although it was not a private beach, there were no hotels nearby and no easy parking for the potential beach-goers. As a result, only the wealthy residents of the beachfront houses and a few hardy souls practicing long-distance beach walking were likely to be found there.
Exiting through the gated pool area, they walked on a narrow wooden bridge that led from the house to the sand, bypassing the dunes.
As soon as they stepped off the bridge, Mia kicked off her flip-flops and ran toward the water, eager to test its temperature. At this time of year, the Atlantic was not as warm as it would be later in the summer, but she didn’t care. Despite the relatively early hour, it was already hot outside, and she was looking forward to the coolness of the ocean.
They swam for a solid hour until Mia felt pleasantly tired, her muscles aching from the unusual exertion. She was surprised at her own endurance; other than swimming a little in Costa Rica in the evenings, she really hadn’t done much cardio in recent months. Perhaps she was still in shape from a year ago, when Jessie had signed both of them up for a 5K charity race and Mia had gone on a mad exercise spree to prepare for it. Or maybe all that nutritious food Korum was feeding her was actually that good for her body.
When they finally came out of the water, Mia stretched out on a big towel they had brought from the house, and Korum lay down beside her. Closing her eyes, she relaxed, the hot rays of the sun beaming down on her skin. She vaguely wondered if she should put on sunblock, but she felt far too lazy to move. Just a few minutes, she promised herself, just enough to produce some vitamin D . . .
A pleasant tickling sensation woke her up from her nap some time later.
Opening her eyes, she turned her head to the side, squinting a little from the bright light. Korum was lying there beside her, propped up on one elbow. Looking down at her with a
smile, he was gently stroking the side of her ribcage with one long finger. His dark hair gleamed in the sunlight, and there was a warm glow in his thickly lashed amber eyes.
“What?” Mia murmured, feeling a bit self-conscious. The bikini she was wearing left very little to the imagination, and the way he was staring at her right now made her feel absurdly shy.
“Nothing,” he said softly. “Your skin just looks so delectable in this light. I never realized before how pretty such pale skin could be.”
“Um, thank you . . .”
“And it blushes so prettily too,” he teased, brushing his fingers against her suddenly too-warm cheeks.
Mia gave him a slightly embarrassed smile. It was still so new to her, being in a relationship, having someone touching and admiring her body like that. And to have that someone be the gorgeous creature lying beside her – that was beyond anything Mia could’ve ever imagined.
