Luther brushed his knuckles over her cheek. “Thank you.” He touched his lips to hers, giving her a kiss so tender she could barely believe that this was the same man who’d taken her with such ferocity only moments earlier.

She slid her hand to his nape and pulled him back down to her. “Thank you.”

He chuckled, and the sound reverberated in her heart and made hope spread inside it.

“I wasn’t exactly expecting a thank you after the way I took you.” He held her to his naked body, one hand sliding down to her backside, one thigh wedged between her legs. “I’m assuming that means you didn’t mind me being rough.”

She gazed into his eyes. His irises were still shimmering golden, a sign that the vampire in him was waiting in the wings, ready for more. She combed her hand through his damp hair. “As long as you take me, I don’t care how.”

He groaned. “Katie…” He stroked his hand over her torso, caressing her. “Next time I’ll be gentler.” He dropped his gaze to the spot where he’d bitten her. His lips parted and he looked like he wanted to say something, but hesitated.

“I loved feeling your fangs in my breast,” she encouraged him.

“Your blood is sweet.” He touched her breast, playing with her nipple and turning it hard again.

She moaned and arched her back, eager for more. Luther had awakened something in her. A hunger she’d never experienced before.

“Give me a few minutes,” he murmured, “and I’ll give you anything you want.”

“I’d like that.”

Luther smiled and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. “You’re an insatiable woman.”

“Do you mind?”

“I’d hate it if it were different.” He rolled onto his side and pulled her into the curve of his body, so her back pressed against his chest and her behind slid against his groin.

“Hmm.”

He pressed a kiss to her neck. “How did you convince your brother to let me protect you, when he clearly didn’t want me around you?”

She sighed. “Haven is a big softy.”

“Could have fooled me.”

She turned her head to look at him. “I told him that I feel safe with you.”

“Then why did you cry?”

“I—”

“I saw it in your eyes when you got back in the car.”

She looked away. “It’s complicated.”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me. I was just surprised that he would cave so easily. He seemed pretty dead set against me getting anywhere near you.”

“He was,” Katie admitted. “But he knows how important it is for me to feel safe. And I haven’t felt safe in a very long time. He couldn’t deny me my wish when I told him I needed you to stay with me. All these years Haven worked so hard to make me feel safe. To help me forget…” She hesitated, waiting for the panic to set in that she always felt when she thought back to the events of five years ago that had almost cost her her life. To her surprise, it didn’t. The darkness didn’t encroach this time. Didn’t swoop down on her and engulf her like it usually did.

Luther took her chin between thumb and forefinger and gently turned her face to him. “To forget what?”

She dropped her lids halfway. “There was a stalker back then. He did terrible things. He…”

Luther’s nostrils flared, and she felt his body around her tense. “What happened?”

The concern in his eyes made her continue. “I trusted him. The studio had assigned him to me as an assistant. He was invaluable. Always there when I needed him. Nobody saw it. Nobody realized how disturbed he was. He wasn’t right in his head, but he was smart. So smart that he fooled everybody.”

She felt Luther’s arms tighten around her. “What did he do to you?”

Katie turned her face away, looking into the distance. “He was driving me to a meeting with a producer, or so he’d said. I didn’t even get suspicious when he drove up that deserted canyon. He was all cheerful and chatty. Just like always. But when he stopped at an old house, I felt it. I knew something was wrong. I felt a prickling sensation on my nape, and I pulled out my cell phone. The last number I had called was Haven, because he was coming down to LA on business the next day and wanted to visit. I pressed the recall button. I heard it ring once, then a fist hit me in the face, and I was knocked out.”

“Fuck!” Luther cursed, shooting up to a sitting position.

She reached for his hand, squeezing it, turning to him. “When I came to I was in a dark room, tied up. I saw it then. He was crazy. Mentally ill. Delusional. He wanted to turn me into a doll he could play with. A doll that did everything he wanted.”