she sighed, then frowned. I will die happy. No, she wouldn't consider it dying. She was leaving—simply moving on to a new existence. And after sharing this body with Conrad, allowing them both to know this pleasure, she was even more confident with her decision.
He never would have experienced this if he hadn't been blooded... .
'How could I have lived without that?' he grated. 'I never knew.' He'd demanded... everything from her. She'd seen it in his eyes as he came. He'd wanted her to yield to him, to desire him, to love him.
And she did love this vampire, with all her heart.
When he raised himself up, he gave her a sexy, cocky grin that made her breath hitch. 'I was good, wasn't I?'
She reached up and stroked his face. 'The best I've ever had or imagined.' When he went still, she said, 'It's the truth. Some men are just instinctively better lovers.'
The grin returned. 'Imagine when I practice on you five times a night.'
'I can't wait.' At her murmured words, his shaft jerked inside her, hardening and thickening so fast, she gasped.
'Time for practice, koeri.'
32
'Where did you go this morning?' Néomi asked, once she'd finished savoring the most delectable croissant ever crafted in the history of mankind.
After the second time they'd made love, he'd been ready—and raring—for another round, but she'd groaned, 'Food. Your mortal needs food.'
He'd asked her what she would like if she could have anything in the world. 'A hot, buttery croissant, with café au lait and fresh-squeezed orange juice.' So naturally, Conrad had traced to France and brought exactly that back to her.
'I had errands to do,' he answered. It was then that she noticed his hair was freshly cut, though it remained a tad too long, as she liked it. The ends were still wet from his quick shower. And he was wearing crisp new clothes—understated, dark, but unmistakably moneyed.
He was handsome as the devil, and with those fiery eyes, he looked more than a little devilish.
Forever the red would remind her of fire.
'Errands? Like what?'
'I've brought things for you.' He handed over shopping bags that said Harrods on them. Lots of bags. Apparently, he'd been to London as well. 'You needed clothes. And there are... gifts.' He coughed into his fist, his voice gruff. And she knew with certainty that he'd never bought anything for a woman before.
There was everything—shoes, dresses, sweaters, slacks. She found a toiletry kit with shampoos, perfumes, and lotions.
'A saleswoman said this would have anything you could need.'
Néomi dug into more bags, savoring the different fabrics and the expensive designs. And not a black satin party gown among the offerings! 'Vampire, you have excellent taste!' she said in delight.
He shrugged, but she could tell he was satisfied that he'd pleased her.
She found a felt box with a jeweled hair comb inside. 'Conrad, it's so lovely!' Then she frowned at the facets of light in the stones. 'These aren't real, are they?'
'Of course.'
'Are you rich, then?'
'Exceedingly.' His shoulders shot back, his posture straightening. 'I don't look like I'd have money?'
'Oh, that's not it. It's just so dear. I adore these types of combs.'
'I know. You stole one from Murdoch.'
With a sheepish grin, she continued exploring. She pulled out a tiny pair of black thong panties—one among many colors and styles—and quirked a brow. 'Let me guess. This is what they're wearing in London?'
'It cost me much to buy you those.'
'Were they expensive?'
His face flushed. 'They cost me because I could scarcely walk after imagining your body in them. Women's undergarments have a whole new appeal now that I've felt and kissed what goes into them.'
She nibbled her bottom lip. 'You were aroused in the store?' He glanced away and nodded. She'd have loved to have seen that. 'Next time you can take me with you, and I'll model them for you.'
Returning his gaze to her, he said, 'Néomi, tell me how this transformation happened.'
And just like that, it happened. The question she had been dreading. 'The specifics are my secret, Conrad. I made a vow never to reveal them. I'm sorry, but that's how it must be.'
'You won't confide in me?' he asked, his tone astonished.
'Non,' she said firmly. 'If you insist, I still won't tell you, and then we'll quarrel.'
'I'm to know nothing about how my Bride went from ghost to mortal?'
'I'm going to ask you to do this for me. I'm going to hope that you won't question why, and that you'll just accept when something good has happened for us.'
'I can't simply ignore this.'
Making her demeanor businesslike, she said, 'Then I'm going to have to make it one of the conditions for us to be together.'
'One of the conditions? You have more?'
'Yes, as a matter of fact. You have to promise me that there won't be any killing while I'm with you. Unless it's in self-defense.'
He narrowed his eyes. 'I can make that promise.'
'And I have a last one.' This morning when she'd awakened, she'd realized how close he'd come to taking her neck last night. If Conrad drank her blood, it wouldn't matter how guarded they all were about the secret. With her memories, he could discover everything—he would know her secret, and then that would be the end of her.
Néomi's new existence was going to last as long as possible, just as long as Conrad didn't discover how short it was destined to be.
'I know I told you in the past that I wouldn't deny you if you wanted to drink from me, but I've had a change of heart.'
'Agreed,' he hastily said. 'It will not happen.'
She frowned. This was the answer she'd hoped for, but his adamant tone confused her. 'I'd thought you would want to. Do you fear getting my memories? Perhaps of other men?'
'A vampire never sees his Bride's memories of other males. The way my kind fixates—it'd be impossible to get past that. I won't drink you, because I could kill you.'
'But don't your brothers drink from their wives?'
'Their wives are immortal—they can't die like that. I could drain your body dry in seconds.'
'Then you won't ever slip up?'
'I can't slip up.'
She studied his face. 'So you agree to my terms for our liaison?'
'Did you always spell out stipulations for the use of your body?'
Her lips thinned. 'Yes, I did. Since I intend to use yours as well, I'd be glad to hear your terms.'
He stood and paced. 'There will be times when I have to leave, but I'll do it when you sleep. I've put a protection on Elancourt against intruders, so you must vow to me that you'll stay inside the manor when I'm gone.'
'Very well, but I won't be sleeping much.' I can sleep when I'm dead. 'And why do you have to leave if you're not working again?' When he hesitated, she said, 'I've witnessed your recovery, Conrad. I can't watch you succumb again.'
'I have to track the demon who marked my arm and destroy him before he kills me.'
