Page 39 of Fire in My Blood
With my heart fluttering in my chest, I cup her face and stare into her eyes. “I’m okay now. You saved me.”
After tipping her face up to mine, I slant my lips over hers. I lick the seam of her lips, and when she opens for me, I push my tongue into her mouth. The taste of her explodes on my tongue, and I groan. Her fingers sink into my hair, and she kisses me back eagerly.
The sound of someone clearing their throat causes reality to crash back into my mind, and I pull back and lower my handto my lap to try to conceal the hard evidence of where my mind went.
The beautiful woman who made me forget where I was for a moment lowers her gaze to the floor with a becoming blush coloring her cheeks.
“Sorry, I got carried away.” I can’t stop the grin that spreads across my face as I turn to look at Lyn.
One of her eyebrows is raised while she studies my face. “Clearly.”
“I thought Lucas was dead.” Erica’s voice is shaky, but her head is lifted, and she’s looking at Lyn with confidence when she speaks. “But then he spoke to me. I wanted to take him to a hospital, but he convinced me he wasn’t dying. He can heal through his element or by drinking blood. He asked if he could take some of mine, and I agreed. I think he wanted to get me out of there to a safe place, and I wanted to get him out of there in case David came back. We left the base, and Lucas took me here.”
Lyn’s gaze darts between us, but I can’t determine what she’s thinking.
“Have you spoken to your brother after you rescued Lucas? Does he know where you are?” Lyn is looking at Erica with a gentle smile curving her lips.
Erica shakes her head and lets out a sigh. “No, I promised I would call him after I found a place to stay for the night. I was going to go to a motel and pay cash. David wanted me to stay with his family, but I refused because I don’t want them to be targeted. But with everything that’s happened I’ve forgotten to call him. He’s probably worried sick about me. I have to let him know I’m okay.”
She starts to get up, but I tighten my arm around her. “You can call him in a few minutes, okay? I’ll find an untraceable phone for you.”
She rounds on me with a hurt look on her face. “David is my brother. He’s not going to do anything to hurt me.”
Nodding, I caress her shoulder. “I believe you, but what if someone has cloned his phone? Or yours for that matter? They will know your location within seconds of you turning it on, and I’m not taking that chance. I’ll find you an untraceable phone as soon as Lyn is done with us. She’ll have to go downstairs in less than half an hour anyway.”
“Downstairs?” Erica’s brows scrunch up in confusion.
“I’m a vampire, so a bit of a night person.” Lyn smiles.
Erica’s fingers hook into my thigh like a claw, and her body becomes rigid.
“Fuck.” I quickly slide off the couch and kneel in front of her. “Erica, look at me.” Leaning forward to block her view of the vampire behind me, I take her head in my hands.
Staring into her terrified eyes, I give her a soft smile. “Lyn is one of the good vampires. Remember how I told you most of them are nice, fun-loving creatures? I don’t know if I’d call Lyn fun-loving exactly, but she is good. She has made it her mission in life to protect humans from rogue supernaturals. I’ve known her for centuries, and I trust her. Do you really think I would let her talk to you if I believed for one second she would harm you?”
Chapter 24
Erica
I can see the truth in Lucas’s eyes, but my heart and body aren’t ready to understand and accept it. My pulse is thundering in my ears, and my breathing is reduced to wheezing gasps.
Closing my eyes, I lean forward to rest my forehead against his chest and wrap my arms around his waist.
He slides his fingers into my hair and gently massages my scalp while murmuring something into my ear that I can’t make out. But his deep voice is soothing.
After a few minutes, I straighten and look up into Lucas’s stunning blue eyes. Nobody has ever made me feel the way he does. And if I believed it possible after such a short time, I might have thought I was falling in love with him.
But that’s crazy. Not to mention stupid. He’s immortal. My lifespan is but a blink of an eye compared to his. What would he possibly want with me? The warmth in his eyes is confusing, though, and can easily be mistaken for feelings he shouldn’t entertain with someone like me.
“Thank you, Lucas,” I whisper and put my hand on his warm solid chest.
After giving him a smile, I lean to the side to look at Lyn, who’s still sitting on the other couch. “I’m sorry, Lyn. My experience with vampires hasn’t been great.”
“I think you’re dealing with all this remarkably well.” Lyn’s smile is full of compassion and warmth.
Lucas gets up off the floor and sits down next to me again. He wraps an arm around my shoulders and pulls me tightly against his side. Sliding his hand over the back of mine, he braids his fingers with mine and caresses my palm with his thumb.
The intimacy of his touch makes my face flush with heat, and my body immediately reminds me of another part of me he has caressed with that thumb. The thought makes my pussy clench with need, and I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from squirming.