Page 54 of Fire in My Blood
I quickly shake my head as I lean forward and put my hands on his chest. “No, I’m sorry. I know you would never hurt me.”
He reaches for me again, more slowly this time, before placing his hands gently on either side of my neck. Moving closer, he brushes his lips gently over mine.
The skin on my neck tingles as his lips move in a tender kiss. He licks my lips, and I open my mouth and greet his tongue with mine.
Chapter 33
Erica
Burying my hands in his hair, I kiss him harder and immediately feel it between my legs. But before the passion between us can develop any further, he pulls away from me.
There’s regret in his eyes when he looks at me. “I need to get a few things organized before Lyn wakes up. Why don’t you get a couple of hours’ sleep? You didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”
“I’m not really that tired.” I start to shake my head but stop when I realize I won’t be able to sleep tonight while staying here alone, worrying about Lucas. “Maybe a little. Can you wake me up in two hours?”
“Yes.” Lucas looks like he’s about to say something more, but then he closes his mouth and gives me a gentle smile instead.
After putting my sock and shoe back on, I get to my feet and move over to the door. When I look back at him, he throws me a kiss, and I return the gesture before leaving his room.
After returning to my room, I take a quick shower before brushing out my hair and braiding it to keep it tidy while I take a nap. Looking in the mirror, I frown with confusion when my eyes land on my throat. My skin is completely smooth without any scars or bruises. The marks left by my attacker’s nails are gone.
A smile stretches my lips when I remember the tingling sensation when Lucas kissed me. He never let me know that he noticed the marks on my throat, but he must have since he made the effort to heal them.
Tears prick my eyes, and I bite my lip to stop myself from bawling. He’s a truly remarkable man, and I don’t know how I’m going to be able to let him go. My chest tightens painfully at the thought.
People would tell me I was crazy if I admitted to it, but I already know I love him. I love him more than I’ve ever loved anyone. Far more. And it’s the type of love I know will never fade.
I take a shaky breath and stare at myself in the mirror. I—never thinking I’d connect with a man again, let alone fall in love—have found the one I want to share my life with. The one I’ll never forget no matter how long I live.
Balling my fists, I push my thoughts to the back of my mind. There will be plenty of time to mourn the loss of him later. Right now I need to enjoy the time we have together while I have the chance. But to do that I need to stop thinking about the future and the loneliness and heartache that awaits me.
Impatiently swiping the tears from my eyes, I look around the bathroom and the clothes strewn all over the floor.
The jeans, sweater, and bra I put on this morning are still reasonably clean, so I fold them and put them on one of the shelves. The work clothes I stuffed into a corner yesterday are full of blood, so I throw them in the trash.
I gather the rest of the clothes. Using shower gel, I clean them the best I can and hang them to dry on the towel rack.
I should have been foresighted enough to pack more clothes, but I guess it doesn’t matter. If everything goes according to plan, and Lucas kills the vampire who’s after me tonight, I’ll probably be home in my apartment by morning.
Biting back a sigh, I pull Lucas’s large T-shirt over my head. It’s still reasonably clean, and it smells like him. Perhaps I can take it with me when I leave this place.
It’s a small comfort, but I hang on to that thought as I go back into my bedroom and put on the last pair of clean panties from my bag. Exhaustion and hopelessness fill me as soon as I crawl beneath the sheets.
Perhaps I’m just tired. Perhaps my future will seem a bit brighter again once I’m rested. Not that I believe that.
∞∞∞
Lucas
My hands are curled into tight fists as I pace in front of the window in my room. I should have told Erica about Markus coming tonight. He will want to talk to her when he gets here, and I should be preparing her for that instead of pushing her away. But I don’t know what to say.
It’s already too late for me to give her up. I can’t. She’s mine, and the mere thought of losing her is almost enough to send me spiraling down into a dark abyss.
I stop and stare out of the window, unable to focus on the view. I still don’t know how Erica feels about me. She cares about me, yes, but is it just a temporary crush based on my above-average appearance? Or, is it more than that? I don’t know, and I’m too scared of what she’ll say to ask her.
As far as I know, mating doesn’t work the same for a human as it does for an elemental. I’m already irrevocably tied to her, even if we haven’t mated yet, but she might never feel the same about me. My only hope is that if I play my cards right, she might fall in love with me too.
But that will take time. It’s less than a week since we first met, and even though I feel like we already have a special connection, it’s too early for her to feel the same.