Was he my mate?
I needed to know more about this whole mating thing, but how could I ask him? Jacqueline said he seemed to be fighting it. Why? It felt like my head might explode from the sheer number of questions that wanted to come out. But as I watched the sharp lines of his face, softened by sleep, a deep ache swelled in my chest.
Yesterday, I wasn’t sure if I could stay.
Today, I wasn’t sure if I could leave.
I slipped quietly from the bed and tiptoed into the en suite bath. Closing the door as quietly as possible, I went about my morning routine. Between getting dressed up last night and knowing I would be expected to again this evening, I decided to skip makeup altogether. I splashed a little cold water on my face and reached for the towel.
Julian handed it to me.
“Oh my god!” I clutched my chest as my heart tried to escape through my throat. Taking a few deep breaths to calm myself, I glared at him in the mirror. “Make some noise!”
“I could demand the same,” he said dryly, but his face remained contorted with anxiety. “You weren’t in bed when I woke up.”
“I didn’t go far. You were still asleep.” I patted dry my face before applying some sunscreen.
“Still…” His hands found my hips as he leaned to nuzzle my shoulder. He lingered there, his eyes closing for a moment as he inhaled. “I’m sorry.”
I should push him away, but I didn’t want to. After everything he kept from me, I should be angry. I should demand answers. Instead, I only wanted to stay like this, with him. It felt so simple in these moments that I almost forgot how complicated our relationship was becoming.
“Sorry for what?”
“Do you want a list?” His eyes met mine in the mirror. “To start, I should have told you about tethering.”
“You think?”
“I’m not sure why I didn’t,” he admitted, planting a kiss on my shoulder that made me shudder with pleasure. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know about weird vampire shit.”
“Really?” I arched an eyebrow, debating if that was a sign that I should ask him about what Jacqueline had said. For some reason, despite the offer, I wasn’t ready to ask about it. The truth was that I just didn’t believe her. Julian barely knew me. He couldn’t possibly want to be stuck with me for the rest of my life. I might not understand what vampire mating was precisely, but I’d seen enough nature documentaries to understand the basic concept.
“But first,” he said, and I caught my breath waiting for his condition, “I want to take you on that date.”
“Now?”
“Yes.” He paused, his eyes darkening slightly. “Sooner rather than later.”
“Because we have the theatre tonight.” I sighed. Attending a theatre in Paris sounded like a dream. Unfortunately, knowing I would be attending with an audience of vampires sent that dream into nightmare territory.
He kissed my shoulder again and shook his head. The five o’clock shadow dusting his chin scratched my skin in a tantalizing way. “Because if you don’t put some clothes on soon,” he said with a thick rasp, “I’m going to carry you back to bed and spend the whole day with my face buried between your legs.”
Warmth pooled in my core, and my knees nearly buckled. I gripped the marble counter to keep upright. “That’s tempting. I’m not sure I want to get dressed.”
His low chuckle made my stomach flutter. “I’m afraid that if we don’t make an effort, we will spend every moment we have in Paris in bed or at a bloody event.”
“We could just spend all our time in bed and skip the bloody events,” I suggested. Cautiously, I brushed my index finger across the top of his hand. His eyes hooded and a low rumble vibrated in his chest.
“Careful, pet,” he warned me. “I’d rather not spend the day in a fit of blood-lust.”
I wanted to point out that there was a way to cure him of that, but I needed to decide if I was willing to pay the price it would exact on both of us. I lifted my hand and reached for my hairbrush. Swallowing, I forced myself to think of something normal to say. “What should I wear?”
“Whatever you like. Although I prefer when you wear nothing.”
“I think the weather is a bit cold for that.” A smile tugged at my lips. Despite everything, there was something deeply satisfying about being wanted as much as I wanted him.
“I’m going to take a shower, and then we’ll explore.”
On cue, my stomach growled, and he smirked.
“We’ll start with breakfast.”
“Me and my stupid human stomach,” I muttered. Now that a day in Paris was on the table, stopping for breakfast sounded so mundane. “I bet you wish I didn’t have to eat all the time.”
“I wouldn’t change a thing about you, even your stupid human stomach.” He moved to the shower, turned toward it, and began unbuttoning his shirt. “It’s my pleasure to care for you.”
A new hunger developed as he spoke. My eyes followed the progress of his nimble fingers as he unfastened the final button. He slipped the shirt off and hung it on a nearby hook. By the time he reached to unbuckle his pants, I was starving.
“If you keep looking at me like that, neither of us will make it farther than the next room,” he said, nearly growling.
“Sorry!” I heard the shower turn on as I reached the bathroom door. I couldn’t help but steal one peek.
Julian stood under the showerhead, letting it wash over him. He turned and shook the water from his hair. “You have about three seconds to get your pretty little ass out of here before I put you over my knee. Boundaries, pet.”
My eyes swept lower, pleased to see that he was at least as aroused as I was. I blew him a kiss and shut the door behind me. Now I had another problem. What did I wear on a date in Paris with a vampire?
“You’ve got champagne problems, Thea,” I said to myself, unable to hold back a grin, as I headed toward the closet to figure it out.
