Page 88 of Veiled Yearning

3 Months Later

GAVRIL

I’ve never considered being a vampire a blessing before.

Before, my unique abilities were just a part of my duty. As a Sentinel, I could use them for good, but there was always regret tainting them. Above all else, I wished I could have been someone different.

Not a vampire. Just an ordinary human who grew old and pursued his dream of being a scholar. A man who didn’t lose his family violently. Someone who wasn’t forced to see visions of things he’d never forget.

Did I help people? When I could.

But selfishly, I wanted to be normal. I didn’t want to live for centuries.

That was before I met Chiara.

Now, I feel blessed to have hundreds, perhaps thousands of years with her. Eons to spend with the woman I love more than anything.

And I do. I love everything about Chiara.

I love the way she smiles at me, like I’m the one responsible for putting it there.

I love how smart she is, solving complicated crosswords easily, pouring through books, and beating me at Trivial Pursuit almost every time.

The only time I win is when I get lots of history questions, and Chiara makes fun of me for being so much older than her.

I love how kind and gentle she is; coddling each of our rescue animals, coaxing them back to health, and teaching them to trust again.

We started out with one dog when we moved to our island on Saranac Lake, and a month later, we rescued two more. Now three months on the island, we have four dogs, three cats, and a goat.

A goat. Frederick laughed himself silly over that one. “Gavril with a goat,” he chortled when I told him. “I could never have pictured it.”

Neither could I, but here I am. Living on an island with the most gorgeous woman in the world, raising a small zoo of rescues, hiking and doing all sorts of outdoorsy things in the Adirondacks, and being unbelievably, incredibly happy.

“Gavril.” Chiara comes out of the bathroom, steam billowing around her, and I nearly swallow my tongue. “Are you sure we have everything ready?”

She’s naked; a sight I never tire of.

Fresh out of the shower, her cheeks are flushed, and there’s a dewy glow to her golden skin. Her hair is still damp and one long tendril drapes over her shoulder and curves around one plump breast.

Chiara is all luscious curves—full breasts tipped with dark pink nipples, a slender waist with just a hint of silken softness at her belly, and her ass… It’s the perfect size to fit in my hands, like a perfectly shaped peach.

“Gorgeous,” I groan, and I cross the room to pull her into my arms. “How can you ask me about being ready when you’re looking like this?”

She tilts her head up to look at me, her eyes widening innocently. “What are you talking about?”

“You know.” It’s a rough growl. I dip my head to nibble at the sensitive spot just below her jaw, the spot that always gets her.

“Gav. We have to get ready for everyone.” Chiara’s tone is scolding, but she arches her neck to give me better access. Her nipples harden, brushing temptingly against my bare chest.

“Do we?” I slide one hand down her back and cup her ass, pulling her closer to me. “I think we have some time.”

I’m hard and jutting against her belly, and the pressure inside me is building, a desperate need to be inside her.

One small hand wraps around my neck, nails scratching lightly. “Everyone is supposed to start coming”—she gasps as I flick at her nipple, and her hips jerk toward me—“in an hour. And I still have to finish setting up the deck.”

I lift Chiara in my arms, notching myself at the apex of her thighs. She’s hot and wet and opening for me, and her legs go around my waist instinctively.

Between nips at her throat, I murmur, “We can do this fast. This time. And make up for it later.”

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