A huge grin spread over his entire face. “There’s no need to be jealous.”

“Jealous? Who’s jealous?” She didn’t want to be seen as some needy, nagging girlfriend. Men ran from that first chance they got.

“You, chérie. You’re jealous.” Amaury kissed along the edge of her jaw. “It’s lovely.” His lips trailed down her neck, planting feather-light kisses along the way.

She tilted her head to give him better access and held her breath. She would feel his fangs any moment now. Heart racing, her pulse beat a violent tat-TAT-tat-TAT-tat-TAT under her ribcage, and blood pounded in her ears.

Suddenly, he chuckled and lifted his head to meet her gaze. “You didn’t think I was going to bite you just now?”

Nina tried to pull herself out of his arms. He was toying with her. “You— ”

“Shh, Nina.” He put his finger on her lips. “When I take your blood, I want to be making love to you. I want to feel your naked body joined with mine. I want you to remember this moment for the rest of your life and think back on it as the most amazing pleasure two people can ever experience together. This will be special for both of us. There’s no way I’d rush this. Trust me, I want this more than you can even imagine.”

Her heart leapt at his admission. She eased back into his embrace and moved her lips over his. “You can’t possibly want this more than I do.”

His soft laugh tickled her mouth. “If you want this only half as much as I do, I’ll die a happy man.”

“But aren’t you immortal?”

“Pretty much. I guess I’ll just have to be the happiest man alive then.”

“You mean this will make you happy?”

“Not this, but you, chérie. Only you.”

Amaury’s kiss was soft and tender, almost reverent, as if he worshipped her. His mouth fitted to hers, nibbling gently on her lips, teasing and tasting. Nina inhaled his scent, a mixture of earth and leather, and she catalogued it. She would recognize him anywhere just by his lips and his scent.

Her senses were attuned to him, taking in every detail: how his skin felt, how he sounded, even the heartbeat she felt under her hand which she’d rested on his chest. The heartbeat of a vampire. A heart which beat rapidly and unevenly against her hand as if he wanted to tell her of his feelings in Morse Code. Just as lower, his need pulsed against her in a different rhythm. His long, hard cock ground against her with every breath he took, assuredly and evenly.

She felt secure in his arms as he held her, one hand cradling the back of her neck, the other snaked around her waist. Only now she noticed that her feet didn’t touch the ground. He’d lifted her up and kept her suspended in midair as if she weighed nothing.

“Am I dreaming?” she mumbled against his lips.

“If you are, then we’re having the same dream. And I’d rather not ever wake up from it.” His lips claimed hers, and this time he kissed her with more urgency, nudging her lips apart with his probing tongue, until she surrendered to his demand.

Nina felt him move, and moments later he lowered them onto the bed. As Amaury rolled to the side, his hand went underneath her t-shirt. The moment his fingers touched the naked skin on her back, she felt as if she would spontaneously combust. She couldn’t stop a moan from escaping her lips, all the while turning into a puddle of unbridled desire.

His skillful tongue tunneled deeper and coaxed her body to feel more pleasure, while his thumb stroked upwards along her spine. Her trembling hands worked on the buttons of his shirt, but his mouth was too distracting for her to concentrate on anything else. She was unable to make her hands work in a coordinated fashion.

Nina released a frustrated sigh.

He instantly pulled away to look at her. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t get those damn buttons open.”

Amaury’s chuckle sounded like music in her ears. It felt like a drizzle of warmth descended on her, calming her. “Why don’t you just rip them open? I know you’re good at that.”

She didn’t need another invitation. His damaged shirt landed on the floor a few seconds later. Before she could cuddle back into his chest though, he pulled her t-shirt over her head.

“Much better,” he commented, his eyes landing on her naked breasts. Under his hot gaze she felt her nipples turn hard. Nina noticed his wicked smile as he looked back at her face.

“Oh, yeah, much, much better. I hope you have no other plans for tonight, chérie, because I have no intention of ever letting you escape from my arms again.”