Page 51 of Heartbeat Girl
I stared at him. “What do you mean?”
“She doesn’t have to,” Liam began.
Steve broke in. “It’s a good idea. Feeding every day like we do keeps us from needing a lot. She can find out for herself we don’t hurt anyone.”
Watch Liam touch another woman? Stick his mouth on another?
Bile rose up my throat. It was hard enough to come to terms with him being otherworldly, and nowthis. His lips were just on me hours ago. The idea annoyed me. Plus, it seemed like a betrayal.Absurd! To react that way over someone who wasn’t my boyfriend?It’s wrong.My emotions tried to fool me. I didn’t know what our kiss or attraction meant, but he was still my boss. And I needed to learn their truths myself. I wanted to learn about these vampires. Did they kill women like me?
“I’m going to regret this…” I murmured.
Pete and Steve grinned while Liam clenched his jaws.
Chapter Seventeen
LIAM
If I’d known earlier Jayne would get attacked by Marilyn’s minions, I wouldn’t have let her go anywhere alone. Fuck, I wouldn’t have hidden my eyes or pulled away either. I didn’t want her to find out the truth about us the way she did.
I’d spentmonthsobsessing over how I’d reveal who I was—all of me—after putting myself in her life again. I didn’t want to be revealed by the cut on her leg in a dingy-ass bathroom, so I ran. And I really didn’t want to put her in danger. There werebetterways…
I wanted it to be special because it was Jayne. I thought about showing her my strength. How much I could do for her because of what I was. I’d protect her from anything. Even heal her wounds with my blood.
In the less heroic versions, my desire was about what I’d make her feel. The way I’d heighten her pleasure with my saliva. I’d flip her world inside out and make her sense things no one else could. That one was my favorite, even though I spent a good portion of time crossing it out. I’d never take advantage of someone under the throes of my aphrodisiac. But if shewanted it…Well, that would have been different. Since I refrained from sex, my lust for her only intensified.
When someone else already consumed my thoughts and made my undead flesh heat, why would I waste my desire on another female? Although I’d never have Jayne, it didn’t stop me from seeking her out. She was closer than ever and that had me dreaming for too much.
She saw the ugliest side of being vampires when she witnessed Pete and me kill those vampires. Her fear was at an all-time high.
Hooking my arm around the shoulder of a male fan, I took a picture of him. My eyes sought Jayne in between every photo op. Her fear had turned to bitterness. She was also anxious and confused.A jumble of fruity flavors I considered uniquely hers. So many uncertainties must have been weighing on her mind, but she spoke to the fans with ease. Our eyes met briefly, but she quickly averted hers.
Her shock seemed to wear off. An hour after working with the living, Jayne looked stable compared to her reaction to Steve’s healed wound. She’d been so panicked at first, until she saw there was no reason to be. When her face paled, reality must have hit her then. Everything she witnessed in those few minutes. She’d gotten so jittery, pacing back and forth. If I’d let her sink too far into her thoughts, I might have lost her. That was when I intervened and gripped her shoulders. She needed someone to ground her—break her away from her mind. She was allowed to be afraid. She was allowed to ask her questions as long as she didn’t ignore her own emotions.
“She’s handling this well.” Steve stopped beside me. His gaze tracked Jayne as she smiled and spoke to a group of young girls.
“I told you she could handle it this time.” My voice hid my worry well. It didn’t tremble like my hands did when I wondered if she’d run. “But we need to tread carefully. She’s handling ittoowell. She needs to process and go through her emotions. Only then will she be completely comfortable around us.”
“You sound so smart.”
“Of course,mutt.”
“Leech.”
+++
There’s no way I’m feeding in front of Jayne.
I discovered Heaven with Jayne’s lips on mine. Even though I shouldn’t, I wanted to get closer to her. Nothing more. If she saw my mouth on another, she’d have more reason to never let me kiss her again. Or she might not care at all. Both ideas didn’t sit well with me.
“You’re feeding,” Steve muttered, as if he read my thoughts. He shoved me toward the door and my palm slapped against it. I glared as Steve smacked his hand against my back, twisted the knob, and ushered me inside. Pete, Jayne, and the woman Pete picked were already inside the room.
Christ.Pete had the chick on his lap.
Jayne bit the side of her lip and tapped her foot as she watched Pete. She asked, “Won’t that hurt her? Controlling her mind?”
I said, “It won’t hurt her. Plus, it’s easier than trying to explain what we are every time we feed.”
“What will she think happened tonight?” Jayne’s posture straightened.