skimmed her face, and it felt like a caress. “Your cheek is almost healed.”
It was time to trust him. He was not the monster who had turned her. She stepped into his personal space. “I’ll be fine.” She leaned into him, and he stiffened. She closed her eyes and sniffed him the same way he had scented her in the past. His scent was woodsy with a hint of citrus.
He wrapped his hands around her upper arms, and her breath caught in anticipation, until he pushed her back gently. “Talia, you have had an emotional day. You must be exhausted. And you must long to wash off the blood.”
She glanced down at her blood-spattered clothes. It wasn’t exactly the most romantic of statements, even for a vampire. She nodded and he stepped away from her, breaking contact. She bit the inside of her bottom lip so she wouldn’t protest.
Minutes later, she stood under the warm shower spray and wanted to slam her head against the tiles. God, she had practically thrown herself at him. What had she been thinking?
In point of fact, she hadn’t been thinking. For the first time in the past five ridiculously lonely years she hadn’t been thinking about protecting herself or hiding from the world around her. Had she not made the decision to move forward? And he had pushed her away due to some stupid code.
It was time to figure out how to convince this stuffy, noble vampire that what he saw as a baby vamp was in actuality a fully grown female. A female who wanted him.
Chapter 12
Jean Luc stood in the shower wanting to beat his head against the tiles, repeatedly.
He was a fool! How could he have backed away from her downstairs? When she sniffed him, it had required every ounce of control not to grab her and ravish her lips.
He hadn’t wanted to take advantage of an emotional situation. But hadn’t Adam told him he wasn’t taking advantage if she felt the same way? If he couldn’t trust the advice of someone who was thousands of years old, whom could he trust?
It was time to allow someone to get close to him. He had lost Jacqueline. But she would not have wanted him to remain alone forever. He could not continue slogging through an endless life without at least the potential of love.
The phone rang in his bedroom, interrupting his self-imposed “soliloquy of misery.” Jean Luc turned off the shower and toweled himself off quickly. Wrapping the towel around his waist, he jerked open the door.
And froze.
Talia was lying on his bed with the phone against her ear. She wore nothing but the clean button-down shirt he had left on the bed.
She chuckled softly into the phone. “I’ll let him know, Misha. No, no need to rush home. We are fine.” Her eyes lifted, and she gazed into his face. “Not to worry, I’ll take care of him.” She disconnected the phone and placed it back into its cradle.
Jean Luc cleared his throat in an attempt to dislodge the sudden lump. “What did Misha have to say?”
Talia sat up and scooted to the foot of the bed. The bottom of his shirt edged further up her thighs. “He said he was waiting to see Deanna, so he is going to be gone for awhile.”
He took a step. “And why are you in my room?”
She stood. “I need some more schooling.”
“In what regard?”
“Regarding the whole heartbeat thing you taught me. I need some more practice.”
“After what you accomplished in the alley, I believe you have that skill mastered.”
“But my teacher says practice makes perfect.” She reached up and undid her top button, and then the next, exposing rich, dark skin…and he was lost. All the reasons why this shouldn’t happen deserted him.
She smirked while continuing to undo buttons. “Like right now, if I’m not mistaken, your heartbeat just sped up a teensy bit.”
He growled, and she laughed, the laugh of a female who had another being completely in her power. And he fell for her completely in that moment. His stubborn, beautiful, vampire charge. There would be no backing away
It was time to trust him. He was not the monster who had turned her. She stepped into his personal space. “I’ll be fine.” She leaned into him, and he stiffened. She closed her eyes and sniffed him the same way he had scented her in the past. His scent was woodsy with a hint of citrus.
He wrapped his hands around her upper arms, and her breath caught in anticipation, until he pushed her back gently. “Talia, you have had an emotional day. You must be exhausted. And you must long to wash off the blood.”
She glanced down at her blood-spattered clothes. It wasn’t exactly the most romantic of statements, even for a vampire. She nodded and he stepped away from her, breaking contact. She bit the inside of her bottom lip so she wouldn’t protest.
Minutes later, she stood under the warm shower spray and wanted to slam her head against the tiles. God, she had practically thrown herself at him. What had she been thinking?
In point of fact, she hadn’t been thinking. For the first time in the past five ridiculously lonely years she hadn’t been thinking about protecting herself or hiding from the world around her. Had she not made the decision to move forward? And he had pushed her away due to some stupid code.
It was time to figure out how to convince this stuffy, noble vampire that what he saw as a baby vamp was in actuality a fully grown female. A female who wanted him.
Chapter 12
Jean Luc stood in the shower wanting to beat his head against the tiles, repeatedly.
He was a fool! How could he have backed away from her downstairs? When she sniffed him, it had required every ounce of control not to grab her and ravish her lips.
He hadn’t wanted to take advantage of an emotional situation. But hadn’t Adam told him he wasn’t taking advantage if she felt the same way? If he couldn’t trust the advice of someone who was thousands of years old, whom could he trust?
It was time to allow someone to get close to him. He had lost Jacqueline. But she would not have wanted him to remain alone forever. He could not continue slogging through an endless life without at least the potential of love.
The phone rang in his bedroom, interrupting his self-imposed “soliloquy of misery.” Jean Luc turned off the shower and toweled himself off quickly. Wrapping the towel around his waist, he jerked open the door.
And froze.
Talia was lying on his bed with the phone against her ear. She wore nothing but the clean button-down shirt he had left on the bed.
She chuckled softly into the phone. “I’ll let him know, Misha. No, no need to rush home. We are fine.” Her eyes lifted, and she gazed into his face. “Not to worry, I’ll take care of him.” She disconnected the phone and placed it back into its cradle.
Jean Luc cleared his throat in an attempt to dislodge the sudden lump. “What did Misha have to say?”
Talia sat up and scooted to the foot of the bed. The bottom of his shirt edged further up her thighs. “He said he was waiting to see Deanna, so he is going to be gone for awhile.”
He took a step. “And why are you in my room?”
She stood. “I need some more schooling.”
“In what regard?”
“Regarding the whole heartbeat thing you taught me. I need some more practice.”
“After what you accomplished in the alley, I believe you have that skill mastered.”
“But my teacher says practice makes perfect.” She reached up and undid her top button, and then the next, exposing rich, dark skin…and he was lost. All the reasons why this shouldn’t happen deserted him.
She smirked while continuing to undo buttons. “Like right now, if I’m not mistaken, your heartbeat just sped up a teensy bit.”
He growled, and she laughed, the laugh of a female who had another being completely in her power. And he fell for her completely in that moment. His stubborn, beautiful, vampire charge. There would be no backing away
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