Bitten in Two

remember for the rest of his days. She peered up at me. Shook her head. Never mind.

I opened my mouth. What came out was this: “I’m thinking you’re a huge tease. Knowing how hard up I am and just hanging that sweet tush of yours out there for me to ogle when you real y oughtta be—”

The rest of my sentence was lost in the rush of his return to me. My chair tipped backward as his body covered mine, but he caught us, and with a growl of laughter that made my toes curl, rol ed us away from the hearth before it could cause any lasting damage.

Hard to return every one of his kisses. Hundreds of them, hot and so sweet that I felt tears prick my eyelids as I final y let myself admit how much I’d missed them. I’d thrown my arms around his shoulders when we’d begun to fal .

Now I let my hands roam the hard planes of his back, run up his sides and down his thighs, remind me that he was real and here and—

“Mine,” I whispered.

“Yes,” he murmured, his lips brushing down my bare stomach and back up the curve of my ribs as he pushed my shirt out of his way.

“Always?” I didn’t mean to make it a question. Pul ing his hips closer as I wrapped my legs around him, I felt him shudder.

His eyes were ful of green fire when they met mine.

“Until the end of time.”

“Then…” I lifted his shirt so I could watch my fingers slide down the length of his broad chest, covered with lovely black curls, to his flat bel y with its arrow of soft hair leading my hands where they’d been aching to go for days. When he drew in a breath and then let it out slowly, hissing through his teeth like a sore athlete lowering himself into a hot bath, I nearly shouted with triumph. That I could make a man like Vayl, who had seen and felt everything, drop his head against mine and moan with desire—yes! This was how I wanted to use my time. Loving this man—no, this vampire—eternal y.

I whispered, “Would it be okay if I got you a ring?” He went stil under my fingers. But I could stil feel his skin, hot with excitement, leaning in to my touch. I said, “I have Cirilai. And I hope you know by now what that means to me.

But you don’t have anything of mine. So, you know, would you—”

“Yes.”

He covered my hands with his, lifted them both to his lips, and kissed my fingers, one by one. “How ever did I find you?”

“I was that skinny redhead kil ing your leftovers.” He chuckled. “Oh. Right.” He cupped my face in his hands. I clutched his shoulders as he began to nibble my lower lip. Then every control I’d had to snap on since Vayl had forgotten my name broke. With a groan that shook me head to toe, I rol ed over on top of my vampire and reminded him of exactly what we’d been missing.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

When I came back to my senses I was sprawled across the coffee table with guest mints scattered around my head like confetti. My T-shirt was bunched up around my neck, Vayl was wrapped around my torso, and I won’t even mention what tangled around my ankles.

“Uh, now that I can breathe again?” I said.

Muffled sound from somewhere near my col arbone. I interpreted it as, “Yoof?”

“I kinda need to move. I think I’m getting goosed by your cane.”

“So that is where it went.” Low chuckle. Gawd I’d missed that sound! I felt myself bodily lifted from the scene of my latest indiscretion. But, realizing how deeply my dad would disapprove, I decided the guilt could wait, like, forever. Because Vayl was back. In a bold and reckless sorta way.

I began pul ing myself together. Realized I had an audience and slowed down. “You’re… watching?” He’d dressed faster than me. A gift both of guys and vamps, I guess. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, eyeing my wounds, checking out his own. “It has been…

quite a night.”

“Yuh-huh. And if we’re smart we’l get the hel outta here before the cops catch up to us and cause a delay we can’t afford.”

He stood, nodding decisively. “Yes, we should go.” He hesitated, cocking his head like he’d just thought of something. “Of course, you could open your present first. If you like.”

you like.”

Yikes! Birthday present! Gaudy diamonds! Where are you, Lucille?

Shit!

She didn’t want to come out for him. Because it wasn’t right. He’d only just gotten back from the 1700s. And after the most incredible moments of passion we’d shared yet, how could I fake anything now?

I said, “Of course. A present would be fabulous.” Oh crap. He can tell I’m not psyched about this. It’ll be our first fight since he got back and it’s only been, what, an hour? This is going to be some kind of record!

He reached into his pocket and pul ed out a black velvet box. It wasn’t big enough to hold a massive necklace.

Maybe it was just one gigantic stone. Maybe it was earrings. I could probably deal with that.

I opened the box, trying my best to smile.

It was a key.