Page 33 of The Vampire's Mate

“Oh, shit,” he muttered, stopping in his tracks. No doubt it was the stutter of my heart that tipped him off. Glancing up, I saw him looking at me over his shoulder, lust-filled eyes blazing. “Youdowant to get caught.”

I shrugged and threw out my best grin. “Sue me.”

“I won’t, but Shiloh might.”

“Who’s suing who?” Shiloh called, returning from their coffee run with a drink in one hand and some chocolate-covered monstrosity in the other.

“No one, because Ryder is going to learn to behave.”

“Ha! I’ll believe that when I see it.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Are you two teaming up against me now?”

James opened his mouth to speak, but Shi beat him to it. “Aw. You mad, Clark?”

My jaw dropped. “Who are you and what have you done with Shi Baby?”

Shiloh laughed, disappearing into the kitchen.

James looked…proud. “I knew they’d find their voice someday,” he said, shrugging off my glare. “With you around, people don’t have a choice.” He playfully shoved my shoulder, kicking me out of whatever trance I’d been in.

I moved closer to James. I told myself it was so Shi wouldn’t overhear me, but that was a total lie. The clanging of dishes from the back let me know that they wouldn’t be hearing a word we’d say. I just wanted to be closer to him—neededto be closer. His arm snaked around my waist as if it belonged there. I felt strangely vulnerable after spending the night alone, and I hated that more than feeling smothered.

“I’m sorry,” I repeated.

“Are we stocking up on apologies—hey!”

I’d smacked his chest, and he was rubbing the spot dramatically. “That didn’t even hurt,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I should have cleared it with you before I told Hannah about you.”

James shrugged. “I’m not upset, love. But why are you bringing this up now?”

“Because it’s time to tell Kian, but every single person that we tell only adds to the risk.”

James weighed his options. Neither of us were under any illusion that the hunters had given up merely because we’d foiled Dani and Luke. As his thumb rubbed the same spot on my back, I fought the urge to wriggle out of his grip. Touching me clearly brought him comfort, and I didn’t want to interrupt his train of thought.

“I appreciate you wanting to protect me,” he finally whispered, “but I think it would be better to tell Kian the truth. He’s already had so much kept from him that it might backfire on you otherwise.”

“What if?—”

“Shh, love. Don’t overthink it.” James pressed his lips to my forehead and I closed my eyes, savoring the feeling. “We will cross that bridge when we come to it. Kian came toyoufor help. You promised Luke you’d take care of him.”

“A promise to Luke isn’t as important as your safety.”

“I’m a big, scary vampire,” he said, dropping his tone even more. “I’ve beaten death so many times I’m on a first name basis with the Grim Reaper. I think I can take it.”

I bit my lip, but James pulled it free. “Come on, love. Don’t deny me that gorgeous smile.”

Damn him. Heat crept under my collar and my grin tugged at the corners of my mouth. “You’re sure you’re ready for this? Ready for me to start telling the world that,” I took in a deep breath, “my boyfriend’s a vampire?”

James shook his head. “No, I’m not ready. But it seems like it’ssupposed to happen this way, so I’ll stand by your side no matter what.”

I leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. “Thank you for offering to risk your life so I don’t have to lie to my daughter’s boyfriend.”

“I’d do anything for you, love. You know that.” My stomach flipped, and I ignored how much I liked hearing him say that. “Would you help Shiloh with the prep, please?”

Meaningless prep work seemed to be exactly what I needed to get my mind off of things. “Happy to.”

James retreated to the office, and Shiloh joined me behind the bar. I looked over and snickered. “You’ve got chocolate all over your face.”

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