Page 35 of Hot Blooded

Amos let out a disbelieving snort. “Hot?”

“Yes. You’re so polite. So buttoned up. I like seeing you fight for self-control. I wonder what it’ll be like when you finally let yourself off the leash.”

Predatory hunger sharpened to a piercing ache in his fangs. “Ah, Tessa, you make it so hard to be a gentleman,” he growled.

Her gaze dipped briefly to his lap and the obvious bulge beneath his jeans, a dangerous smile curling one corner of her mouth. She looked back up, meeting his eyes again. “Good.”

He couldn’t believe his fortune. Tessa was too good to be true. The monstrous side of him wanted nothing more than to take her captive, make her his forever, make it so she could never escape him. But he wanted more than that. He didn’t want her an unwilling captive—at least, not in their everyday lives. He wanted her to want him back with the same intensity, to be a willing victim to his depravity and an equal partner in his heart. The rational part of his mind—growing weaker every day, it seemed—knew that to achieve his ends, he needed to be patient, gentle, careful.

“So…” Tessa pulled her knees to her chest, resting her chin on them as she continued to survey him. “You mentioned wanting to ‘hunt’ me.”

And just like that, the predator was back. He clenched his throbbing fangs together, swallowed the envenomated saliva pooling in his mouth. “Yes.”

“Could we do it soon?”

He had to grip the edges of the sofa cushion to keep himself from leaping on her. “We could.”

“I’m off tomorrow and Friday, too. We could do something either of those days.”

That soon? A fine tremor ran through him. He clenched his teeth again, swallowed again. “Tomorrow?”

“Yeah. I mean, if that works for you.”

Amos stared at her. There was nothing in the world that could possibly prevent him from making it work. “Yes. Tomorrow works.”

“Okay.” She eased up next to him again, settling into the same casual cuddle, turning her attention back to the movie. “Could you rewind it? I don’t know what’s going on anymore.”

Amos tried to relax, tried to enjoy the simple pleasure of Tessa’s nearness and the movie. It took time. A long time. But eventually, he managed to unclench his jaw, lower his shoulders. He let his mind drift, only half paying attention to the movie, mostly focused on memorizing the feel of Tessa pressed against him.

When the movie ended, he was in a near-catatonic state, blissed out on the pleasure of the current moment and the promise of tomorrow. As the final credits rolled, he glanced down at Tessa, surprised to find her sound asleep against him.

She trusted him that much.

She enjoyed his aggression. She wanted to be hunted. And she felt safe falling asleep in his arms.

His heart thumped heavily. He drew in a shaky breath. He sat in the silence and the dark, gazing down at her, and for the first time in a long time, he truly felt hope.

Chapter 10

“Tessa,” Amos’s voice came softly, near her ear. “Sweetheart, wake up. It’s getting close to sunrise.”

She blinked blearily, trying to get her bearings. Eventually, her brain came back online, and she sat up abruptly. “What—what time is it?” She scrubbed at her face, trying to get the sleep out of her eyes. “Oh, god, did I fall asleep on you? I’m so sorry, Amos.”

He tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “Don’t be sorry. I enjoyed it.”

Tessa felt herself flushing. She normally wasn’t a bashful, blushing sort of person. But something about Amos’s sweetness brought it out in her. “Oh. Um…”

He let his fingers trail gently along her jaw before he pulled back. “I don’t want to rush you, but if I’m going to see you safely home and then return to mine in time for the sunrise, we’ll need to leave soon.”

Less than an hour later, Tessa found herself standing in front of her mother’s house.

“Thank you for walking with me,” Tessa said, fishing in her pocket for her house key.

“Thank you for letting me,” Amos answered.

She nodded, hands stuffed in her pockets, weight shifting from heel to toe, heel to toe. “So… tomorrow…?”

“Ah.” In the soft glow cast by the streetlights, Amos’s pupils dilated to predatory darkness. “Yes. I’ve been thinking on that.”

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