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Nick plants a kiss on my forehead. “Don’t be. I promise I’ll take care of you.”
I sigh. Being in his arms feels like coming home, and I can’t believe I’ve lasted seven whole days without him. Somehow, someway, despite all the darkness, we will find a way to make this work.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Dark Proposal
Patches of sunlight filter in through the curtains, highlighting the intricate wood carvings on the bedpost. The room is warm and cosy and remnants of a fire still burn in the hearth. For a moment, I stare at the black-silk sheets, trying to remember what happened and how I came to be here. Then, with a sexy smile, I roll over and bury my face in Nick’s pillow, greedily savouring his sweet aroma. The bed feels so empty without him, and I’m desperately craving his heat. Without him inside me, I feel incomplete, like I’ve lost a part of me.
Suddenly, images from last night flash through my mind and I get a rush of butterflies.Oh my gosh, did that really happen?I’m still having trouble believing any of it was real.
My boyfriend is a vampire. My boyfriend is a vampire.
Once I get over the initial shock, I start to calm down a little, and what once seemed hopelessly bleak, now has a strange appealthat fills me with a deep sense of excitement. Yesterday, I was a total wreck, but today my mood is somewhat more philosophical.
Yes, Nick Craven, the man I love, is a vampire, but he also just happens to have saved my father’s life, and for that I will be eternally grateful. He’s also bought unimaginable joy to my life and made me happier than I ever dreamed I could be. For those two reasons, I’m determined to make this relationship work.
Smiling, I turn onto my back and gaze up at the ceiling. Every part of my body aches, and my nether regions are so sore it hurts whenever I move; but I wouldn’t change a single thing. Last night was amazing. Nick took me to levels of ecstasy I didn’t think possible and I’m literally salivating at the prospect of what else he has in store. In my giddy, lust-filled state, I feel totally invincible; ready to take on the world. It’s like I’m in the endless throes of a rolling orgasm.
I run my fingers down my face, grinning like a perpetually happy five-year-old.Last night I made love to a vampire! Oh my God.This is insane; totally insane.In the space of just a few hours, my humdrum existence has been shaken to the core and nothing will ever be the same again. It’s like I’ve stepped into the pages of a romance novel and got the excitement I’ve always craved.
Before Nick, my world was a narrative of sorrow and broken dreams—now when I wake up, I look forward to the future, and it’s all because of him. For years I’d dreamed of finding my Prince Charming; always dreamed that out there, somewhere, witches and magic and fairies really do exist. Well, this is not quite a fairy tale, but what I’ve found is pretty damn close, and I cannot,will notgive it up.
The bedroom door opens and Nick appears. His short black hair is damp from a recent shower and he’s wearing a red dressing gown with gold embroidery. Under his arm, he carries a stack of fluffy towels.
“Morning, gorgeous,” he grins. “Did you have a good sleep?”
“Mmm. The best ever.” I shift into a sitting position. “What time is it?”
“Just past twelve. No, don’t get up. There’s no rush darling; you can take your time.” He smiles angelically and his eyes glisten with love.
“Where have you been?” I pout. “When I woke up and found you weren’t there, I was distraught.”
He snickers. “I was downstairs doing a little spring cleaning. I was also fixing your breakfast.”
“Aww, how lovely. You’re much too good to me.”
“Don’t be silly; it’s the least I can do for my beautiful bride-to-be.”
I stiffen. “You still want us to get married?”
“Of course. Don’t you?”
“Yes, but how can we?” I falter. “I mean, that is, you’re… you’re dead.”
Laughing, Nick places the towels on a chair and walks over to the bed. Taking my hand, he presses my palm firmly against his chest. “Does this feel dead to you?” he whispers.
I close my eyes. He’s right. His heart is beating so fast it feels like it will explode.
“It wasn’t always like this,” he continues. “I’ll let you into a little secret. For over sixty years, my heart had ceased to function; my whole body had shut down and I’d lost the will to live. Then came the day you walked into my office, and the instant I laid eyes on you, my heart came back to life, and it hasn’t stopped beating since. Your love is like oxygen to me.”
A deep thrill courses through me; he’s so romantic it makes me want to weep.
Nick releases my hand and I find my voice again. “But I still don’t see how we can get married. Aren’t there other things for us to consider?”
“Such as?”
“Well, for one, I thought churches would be off limits. I mean, after what happened to you with the crucifix...”
