His eyes darkened several shades, not quite black but almost. “What I did earlier… that wasn’t for pleasure. That was… too hard and raw.” He averted his gaze and resumed teasing my neck with tiny kisses.
His lips grazed the mark, and my knees weakened. Lust whipped through me, heating me from the inside out. Trent’s arm tightened around my midsection. A low, sexy growl rumbled from deep within his chest.
“If you still want to know what it feels like to have me bite you for pleasure, just say—”
“Yes,” I said before either of us changed our minds.
My gaze was glued to the mirror, to his reflection. Using his free hand, he tilted my head and then threaded his fingers through my hair. His face twisted, and his fangs protruded. I watched him with equal parts fear and awe.
The second his fangs pierced my skin, though, I let out a small cry, and my eyes closed of their own volition. This was nothing at all like earlier. This was softer, more loving. There was nothing terrifying about this at all.
Waves of pure, uninhibited passion and lust crashed over me. Intense, almost debilitating desire twisted through my veins, consuming me, dragging me toward the precipice of a chasm so full of want and need that should I plunge over the edge, I’d never recover. And I wasn’t sure I wanted to.
After what felt like mere seconds, Trent released my neck. Behind me, his chest heaved with his ragged breaths, each exhale pushing against my back in an erotic rhythm. My eyes fluttered open, my gaze drawn to Trent’s in the mirror. His expression was heated, his gaze ravenous. And now my breaths were ragged, too.
Slowly, he spun me around to face him, and I wrapped my arms around his neck at the same time he crushed his lips over mine. His kiss was greedy and demanding, and I willingly gave him everything I had, everything he wanted.
Trent lifted me and set me on top of the sink, and I hooked my legs around his waist. With one expert flick of his hand, he had my robe untied, leaving me fully exposed. I didn’t hesitate to give myself to him.
I ABSENTLY DREW LAZY circles on Trent’s bare chest, perfectly content to just lay here with him for the rest of the night. I never expected him to bite me again, but I was glad he did. The entire experience had been euphoric, and a million times better than I could have ever imagined.
Now, all we had left to do was get married, and everything on my human bucket list would be crossed off, exactly like Trent had promised.
I desperately wanted to add “have a baby” to my list, but I still had no idea if we were actually going to do that. Neither of us had brought it up since the last time.
Admittedly, I was afraid to broach the topic again because I wasn’t sure I could handle hearing Trent say with any level of certainty that he didn’t want to have a baby. His reasons for not wanting to were valid and impossible to argue, but they didn’t change how I felt about the situation.
Maybe Isach was right about me. Maybe I was so obsessed with having a baby that I was willing to risk everything and everyone I loved. Was it time to let this dream go?
“You’re deep in thought,” Trent said. “What’s on your mind?”
I sighed. No use in prolonging this. I flattened my palm against his stomach.
“I keep thinking about something Isach said to me. About how having your baby is the most important thing to me, and how I’ll risk anything and anyone to get what I want,” I said, fighting to keep my voice steady. “Maybe he’s right.”
“He’s not,” Trent said forcefully. “He was angry and scared when he said that to you. I’m sure he didn’t mean it.”
Oh, he meant it all right. But I didn’t say that to Trent. In the grand scheme of things, it didn’t really matter if Isach meant what he said—he’d said it, and that was enough to make me question everything.
“I also keep thinking about everything you said, too, about why having a baby isn’t a good idea, and you’re right. It’s way too dangerous, and there are way too many things we’d have to work out. But…” I took a deep breath. “None of that changes how I feel about this. I want to have a baby, and I know that’s stupid and makes me incredibly selfish and—”
“Hey, stop,” Trent said softly. He nudged my chin, and I shifted so I could see his face. “Not many girls your age know what they want from life, but you do, and you’re fighting hard for what you want. That doesn’t make you selfish. That makes you incredibly strong and determined.”
I swallowed against the threat of tears.
“And that’s just one of so many reasons why I love you so much,” he said. “I know this is complicated, but we will figure it out. I promise.”
I scooted up until my lips reached his, and I kissed him deeply. “Thank you,” I whispered. “You always know how to make me feel better.”
He smiled. “And that’s just one of so many reasons why I’m going to be the best husband in the world.”
I laughed and snuggled up to him, once again resting my head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around me, the gesture making me feel safer than ever.
“Get some sleep,” he said, placing a tender kiss on my forehead.
I closed my eyes, intending to stay awake and savor every moment with Trent. But sometime later, I yawned and attempted to stretch, but Trent’s body was curled around mine, and I didn’t want to wake him, so I settled for snuggling a little closer.
I was on my side, and he was behind me. His arm was draped over my waist,
