From the kitchen, she could smell coffee brewing, and the scent of bacon frying caused her stomach to rumble. She brushed back a strand of his hair before placing a kiss on his cheek. The stubble lining his jaw tickled her lips, but she found the sensation enjoyable.
His emerald eyes were on her when she pulled back. Heat crept into her cheeks as his eyes ran over her face. "Good morning," he greeted in a tone of voice that caused her stomach to do a strange little flip.
"I didn't mean to wake you."
He chuckled as he wrapped his hand around the back of her head and pulled her toward him. "The rumbling of your stomach woke me," he said against her mouth.
She laughed, but she was already losing herself to him as his lips slid over her mouth and his tongue brushed against hers. A quickening of her pulse spread through her when he pulled away and kissed the tip of her nose.
"Let's get you something to eat before your stomach wakes the dead," he teased.
"Ugh," she groaned in protest.
He grinned at her before rolling away. Propping her head on her hand, she admired his chiseled ass and the carved muscles of his back and thighs as he walked away from her. The tattoo on his arm flexed as he stretched out his shoulders and back. She admired the black flames on his wrist licking upward toward the black phoenix on his upper bicep.
"Does the tattoo mean anything?" she inquired.
Ethan glanced absently down at his arm. He'd gotten it because he'd relished in feeling the pain from the needle. He'd been determined to punish himself for his endless thirst for blood and to drown out the insanity begging to be heard within him. It had taken almost three days to complete, but he'd sat patiently in the chair as the vampire tattoo artist repeatedly went over the lines until his body stopped healing itself and rejecting the ink.
The tattoo artist assured him after a few hours the ink would begin to stay in, but it had taken days longer than the tattooist expected, probably due to his purebred heritage. Even though it had taken much longer than anticipated to be completed, it hadn't been enough pain for him, and it had done nothing to drown his incessant bloodlust.
"Eternal life," he said to her over his shoulder. "Rebirth. A new start."
She frowned at him, and he could understand her confusion, but he didn't know how to explain he'd hoped the pain would somehow cleanse what was inside him. He should have known it would never work. Looking at her, he felt cleansed and free.
He walked over to her, and brushing the hair back from her face, he bent to kiss her. He fought against the blood flowing into his dick. All he wanted was to climb into bed with her and lose himself again, but she was hungry. Anyone within a hundred feet would know that, and her needs came first.
He reluctantly pulled back and walked away before he couldn't anymore. "It was something to do," he said as he pulled on his underwear.
"I like it," she murmured.
He lifted his jeans to examine them before pulling them on. They were still wet but not soaking, and he didn't have another choice unless he was going to walk around in his boxers. He buttoned them before turning and holding his hand out to her. She took his hand and he helped her rise. He drew her against him.
This man could do the most amazing things she'd ever experienced; he could also make her feel like a child, especially since he was so much larger than she was. She had to tilt her head back to look at anything above mid-chest. The spread of his shoulders was almost three times the size of hers. The thought he could kill her in a second hit her, but even with that realization, she felt immeasurably safe in his arms.
His fingers brushed over her neck as he pushed the hair back from her shoulder. She detested her stomach as it grumbled loudly again. He chuckled, took a step back, and grabbed his shirt from the floor. He flicked his shirt at her, hitting her lightly on the butt with the tip of it.
"Get dressed," he said with a grin.
She frowned at him, but still gathered her clothes and stepped into the bathroom her room shared with Jill's. She brushed her teeth and took a fast shower before dressing in her tank top and cutoff jeans. She didn't bother to blow dry her hair, as she was eager to get back to Ethan and eat some breakfast.
He stood by the window, leaning against the wall, and staring outside when she rejoined him. His head turned toward her, and a lazy smile spread across his lips before he stepped away from the wall and strode toward her. Taking her hands, he pulled her toward him and kissed her forehead.
"You look lovely." She shrugged his words off with a little snort, but a thrill went through her at his sweet compliment. "I was thinking about taking a trip today, and exploring some of the island; would you like to come with me?"
"Sounds like fun."
Goosebumps erupted over her skin when his mouth brushed hers again. She really didn't have to eat right now; she found her appetite for him was far stronger than for food as her hands encircled his biceps. His eyes were nearly black when he ended the kiss, and she could feel the evidence of his arousal against her belly, but he stepped away from her.
"Food for you, fresh clothes for me," he informed her with a grin.
"Food is overrated," she muttered.
He chuckled as he took her hand and led her toward the door. Pulling it open, he made a sweeping gesture with his arm as he stepped back to let her move into the hallway first. He walked with her
