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“Sorry,” he says with a little smirk, “didn’t mean to startle you.”
I snap the cap on my highlighter and toss it into the textbook before closing it. “What’s up?”
He walks over and sits on the edge of my bed. “Considering it’s well after midnight, and you’re in here studying, I came to ask you that very question.”
I purse my lips. “I lost track of time,” I tell him with a sigh. “Finals are, like, next week and I needed something else to focus on for a little while.”
Lex nods. “I get that.” He reaches over and collects the books, stacking them on the table next to the bed. “You should get some sleep. Aren’t you tired?”
“Honestly? No. I mean, I’m physically exhausted, but the thought of sleeping… How can I when I know where Gabriel is andwhohe’s with?”
“Gabriel is strong,” he assures me. “Whatever happens, he’s going to be okay.”
I glance down at my lap, unprepared for the sting of tears in my eyes. “You sound so sure.”
Lex chuckles, wrapping his hand around my knee. “I’ve known him for over a century. I am certain.”
I nod, still feeling at such a loss. “What are we supposed to do now?”
He exhales a heavy breath. “Now we figure out what the hell the hunters are doing conspiring with a vampire. Once we find out, we can send Selene to the depths of hell and call it a day.”
I look up, raising my brows at him. “What?”
He shoots me a wink. “I’m kidding about the hell part. But once we find out what Selene was doing with your friend’s father, we can eliminate her, and Gabriel can come home.”
“Are you finally going to let me help then?”
“You are, Calla.”
My eyes narrow. “That’s not… You know what I mean. I can do more, and all of you know it, you just won’t let me.”
“Why don’t we talk about that tomorrow? Today has already been a long one, and I think we could all use a quick timeout before the next period.”
“Fine,” I finally say. “And a sports analogy?” I shake my head at him. “Know your audience, Lex.”
His lips curl into a grin, and he leans in, sliding his hand from my knee up my thigh. “Oh, I know plenty about my audience.” His mouth traces the shell of my ear, sending shivers through me, and I lean toward him. He smells faintly of pine and soap and his white hair is still a bit damp from a shower. I trace the lines of vines across his arm while his lips find the delicate skin between my neck and shoulder.
“I want to taste you,” he murmurs against my skin.
My pulse jumps, and I tilt my head to the side, offering him my neck. We know my blood is safe now, and the thought of Lex biting me has my belly pooling with heat.
“Mmm…” His tongue flicks out, and he snakes an arm around my waist. “Not what I meant, but fuck, you offering yourself to me like that went right to my cock.”
Pressing my lips together, my gaze drops to his groin and my cheeks flush at the obvious erection there.
He leans back and pulls off his shirt before closing the distance between us and dropping his mouth to mine, claiming it. Claimingme.
Our lips move together, and I close my eyes, letting him take the lead. Lex guides me onto my back, and I stretch my legs out as my head hits the pillows at the headboard. We lay next to each other on our sides, and he deepens the kiss, grabbing my hips and hauling me flush against him. My breasts press against his bare chest, my nipples pebbling at the friction between him and my shirt.
Anticipation sparks to life inside me, and I can’t tug my shirt off fast enough. I break the kiss to do it, but quickly return to his mouth, moaning against his lips when his hands palm my breasts. He uses that opportunity to push his tongue into my mouth, grazing mine sensually as my heart hammers against my chest. Heat gathers between my legs, and before long, I grab his hand and guide it down my stomach to the waistband of my pants.
He chuckles softly, pulling his lips away from me for a moment. “Something you want?”
“Thought I was being pretty clear,” I shoot back, the tension coiling in me growing more intense by the second. I hadn’t realized how tightly wound I was until he started touching me. And now that he has… “I need you inside me.”
He steals my lips again, briefly, then meets my gaze, his own ablaze with lust. “I know exactly what you need, and I intend to give it to you.”
Lex moves at a preternatural speed, curling his fingers around the waistband of my pants and pulling them off in a single, quick motion. They end up somewhere on the floor at the end of the bed, but I really couldn’t care less. Especially when Lex is looking at me as if he’s a death row prisoner, and I’m his last meal.
