Page 133 of Vampire's Choice
Come now, Ruth.
The Goddess must have created the stars in the wheeling dark sky during a climax like this. Ruth lost time and sense of anything but the pounding sensations, his touch, his scent, his closeness, and all those showers of light against the insides of her eyelids. When she was done, she was hanging limp in his arms, her upper body bent over one, head pressed to his biceps as he stroked the curve of her spine with the other. His lips were against her hair.
“Good girl,” he murmured. “Very good girl. You’ve pleased me, Ruth. You’ve done well. I have you.”
Her body was still not under her own control. He’d released her from the spellcraft, yes, but she had no bones or muscles.
She felt his smile against her hair. They’re still there. You are just relying on me for now, giving your body a moment because you can. Thank you for the meal.
“Will it keep you from sucking the life out of Lady Kaela, Garron, and the household staff?”
“I believe so.”
When she was able to tip her head back, reach up to touch his face, his eye twitched, just a little, as her hand rested on his cheek. “It’s still new to me, a woman’s willing touch,” he said. “Uncompelled.”
“Is that part of my appeal?”
“It’s part of it, yes. There are other parts.”
He carried her back to their clothes. After they donned them, he circled her to brush off any sand. Amused, she did the same. He gave her a sidelong glance.
“I don’t think there was that much sand on the back of my slacks.”
She shot him an impish smile, but then had a serious question to ask. “You said my fear has a different taste. Is it a substitute, for what it used to be?”
“You mean, am I settling for it, rather than having the kind I really want?” At her cautious nod, he considered. “When I was younger, their fear added…flavoring. But now, I don’t feel like…I don’t miss it the same way.”
He seemed as if he was figuring his way through his own answer, and when he met her gaze, a wry smile tilted up one side of his mouth in an appealing way. “So, no. I’m not settling.”
He glanced up the cliff, toward Kaela’s home. “I could use a drink, and Lady Kaela has a well-stocked bar.”
He didn’t want to dwell in the past, not after having an experience that was all the right things. She understood that. “Well, she said to make ourselves at home. I’ve never seen you drink.”
“Alcohol doesn’t affect my blood, any more than it does a vampire’s. Though your father didn’t offer me any.”
“It has a bad history with Native Americans, and a good number of his human staff are from the tribes. He prohibits it on the island. Only time I’ve ever seen it in his hand is when he shared a Guinness with my mother at Lord Marshall’s.” She smiled at the memory, his horrified expression at the thick texture and strong taste, her mother’s laughter.
“So what does he like to drink?”
“Duh. Blood.”
“Smartass.” He took her hand, and they strolled along the beach.
“We’re not walking the whole way, right? I’m not putting my pretty boots through two miles of scratchy sand. I worked hard for them.”
“Your father pays you for your work?”
“When I’m working for him, I’m staff, so yeah.” She paused to lift a foot in front of her, admiring the stitched embroidery. “But these were a birthday gift. Etsi asked what I wanted. I paid for half. Etsi and Sgidoda paid the other.”
At his curious look, she raised a brow. “What?”
“Except for Cai, my experience has been limited to more highly placed vampires. And he steals what he needs. I’ve never thought about there being working class vampires.”
“Plenty of us are, especially the made ones under a century old. Becoming a vampire doesn’t include a kit with a manual and a billionaire’s bank account. Though it would be really nice if the Council would arrange for that.”
“You should speak to Lyssa about it.”
“Yeah,” she said dryly. “I’ll get right on that. But seriously, most vampires who see the north side of two or three hundred years have accumulated wealth for themselves, if they have any brains or ambition at all. Sometimes by legal means, sometimes not. Most pay lip service to human laws and have no problem using their strength, speed and compulsion abilities to get them ahead in the material gain department.”