Page 74 of Hot Blooded

Tessa grimaced. “Well then, you may have your claim mark on me—”

Amos’s purr abruptly increased in volume.

“—but our courtship might not conclude for a good long while. My family is… stubborn.”

“Hmm.”

“Anyway, I’m going to tell Ma about us, and I need to pack my things to bring here.”

Amos nipped her shoulder. “That’s reasonable, I suppose. Do you want me to come with?”

“I think it would be better if I told her alone. She’ll want to meet you eventually, but I can spare you the initial blow-up at least.”

“I’m not afraid of conflict. I can be there to support you.”

Tessa shook her head. “That would make it worse.”

Amos kissed the top of her head. “Alright. But if you change your mind, call me, and I’ll be over right away, okay?”

Tessa twisted in his arms to face him, planting a kiss on his lips. “Okay.”

After she cleaned up in the bathroom and put yesterday’s outfit back on (minus her ripped panties), Tessa stood in front of the mirror, examining the claim mark high on the left side of her neck. Every time she touched it a wave of comforting warmth seemed to wash over her, and then Amos would appear a second later in the doorway, eyes bright and doting. She had to shoo him away each time, lest she be distracted from the task at hand—breaking the news to her mother.

Down in the front hall, she pulled her coat on and looked at herself again in the mirror hanging near the door. The claim mark was livid and red, the skin tender and puffy around the bite. Thick bloody scabs crusted over skin that was deeply punctured in a perfect cast of Amos’s dental print. She pulled her hair over her left shoulder, letting the curling mass of it hide the mark. For extra insurance, she flipped her jacket collar up. It would have to do.

Amos brought her home, setting her at the foot of the front steps. Before he left, he gently cupped the side of her neck, trailing his fingers over the mark. The powerful feeling elicited by Amos’s touch on the mark nearly made her knees buckle. They stared at each other, both breathing a little unevenly.

“Later,” she promised. “But first, I have to talk to my mother.”

Reluctantly he released her, watching from the sidewalk as she climbed the steps to her mother’s house. She let herself inside with mingling feelings of dread and relief. At last, she was no longer going to be living with her mother. But breaking the news was going to be an ordeal. She shut the door and glanced out the window once more at Amos before turning to face the music.

“Ma?” she called. “You home?”

“In the kitchen!” Ma called back.

Tessa found her in her usual place at the kitchen table, reading glasses perched on the end of her nose as she clipped coupons from the Sunday paper while Family Feud played on the little TV above the microwave. It was an achingly familiar sight—one that she had witnessed since the earliest days of her life. The only thing missing was Dad sitting at the other side of the table, drinking coffee and doing the crossword.

“Hey, Ma. I have to tell you something.” Tessa slid into the chair next to the one that used to be Dad’s.

Ma looked up, brow furrowed. She set the coupons down. “What happened? Are you pregnant?”

Tessa half-choked on a laugh. “No. But… I’m moving in with the guy I’ve been seeing.”

Ma blinked, apparently stunned into silence.

“I’m sorry to spring this on you so suddenly. But the credit cards are paid off and the mortgage is back under control, so you don’t need my help anymore.”

The stunned silence didn’t last long. “You’re what?” Ma demanded, aghast. “You’re moving in with some man that you just met? Are you out of your goddamn mind, Teresa?”

“No, I—”

“This is Lucas all over again! He’s taking advantage of your soft heart! As soon as you move in with him, he’s going to oh-so-conveniently get laid off, and you’ll end up footing all the bills while he spends all day playing video games, pretending he’s looking for work. You’re smarter than this!”

“He’s nothing like Lucas. I learned my lesson from that, Ma. Listen, he’s—”

“Oh god, you’re just like your father,” Ma lamented. “You’re a caretaker and provider, and people take advantage of that. Just have a little common sense, Teresa. What kind of trustworthy man wants to move in with a woman he’s only known for a few weeks? A crazy one! A lazy slob who’s looking for a meal ticket! Don’t you remember what happened to Ceci with that useless man she almost married? I can’t believe you’re—”

Ma kept talking, but the words blurred into meaningless noise in Tessa’s ears. She realized there’d be no reasoning with Ma until she’d gotten this tirade out of her system. So she waited patiently until Ma ran out of calamitous prophecies to sputter.

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