Page 49 of The Vampire's Mate

Surely, Shi Baby wasn’t about to do what I thought they were.

Our eyes met, then, and I knew.

I was frozen in place, breath held, as they leaned in. Time seemed to dilate, then…

I dove for the water bottle they’d dropped, and in record time twisted the top off and pressed the spout to their lips. They sputtered on the first sip but took the bottle from my hand and tipped it up, draining it.

“You’re too drunk to do anything with that mouth but drink water,” I told them gently. “When you can speak without slurring—hell, withoutgiggling—we can talk about it.”

“What about James?”

“I’m sure he’dloveto be a part of that conversation. You ready for bed?”

“Mmhmm.” Shiloh sat up and set their water bottle on the table. “I’ll go.”

“Absolutely not. You’re staying here.”

“I’m not some charity case, Ryder. I can get myself home.” They stood and swayed on the spot, and I jumped up to steady them with an arm around their waist.

“Uh huh, if ‘home’ is face down in the middle of the street somewhere.” They snickered, and I rolled my eyes. “Let’s go.”

I led them down the hall to Hannah’s room, parking them on the edge of the bed. “Do you want some clothes to change into?”

“Um,” Shi clutched their stomach.

I lunged for the trash bin under Hannah’s desk and fell to my knees in front of Shi as every one of those mojitos came back up. I brushed their hair away from their face, soothing them as much as I could. They tried to apologize between heaves, but I shushed them, combing through the sweat-drenched locks. I only set the trash aside once I was sure they were finished.

“Think you can manage the bathroom?” I asked. At their nod, I helped them to their feet. “There’s a spare toothbrush under the sink.”

While Shiloh readied themselves for bed, I switched out the liner in the trash can. By the time I reappeared in the bedroom with a new water bottle, they were sprawled face down on the bed—jeans and all. I snickered, placing the water on the nightstand and creeping out of the room. A soft mutter of my name made me turn back.

“Did you dodge my kiss because you don’t find me attractive?”

Damn. I felt my heart crack in two. “No, Shiloh. You’re beautiful.” I padded back across the room and leaned over the bed. Shiloh’s breathing began to slow. I moved in close, whispering softly. “I have a boyfriend, and you’ve had too much to drink. And we work together, but none of those reasons are the true problem. Your ex is an idiot and you were too good for him. The right person is going to besolucky to have you, Shi Baby.” I tenderly pressed my lips to their temple, hoping that they would remember it and that it would soften the blow of the double rejection. “No matter what, youalwayshave someone in this town. You’re not alone—not ever.”

Shiloh finally let their eyes fall shut. I stood, quietly retreating to the doorway where I could make sure they drifted off to sleep. Only after their breathing slowed did I let myself retreat to my own bedroom.

I went through my nightly routine and crawled under the covers, but my brain wouldn’t turn off. Usually, alcohol lulled me into a gentle sleep, but tonight I could only lie there and stare at the ceiling while the booze slowly faded from my system. I kept replaying that moment on the couch, wondering what would’ve happened if I hadn’t interrupted Shi.

Would it have stopped with a kiss? Would I even want that—any of it—if James wasn’t in the picture?

My stomach twisted at the thought. I sat up, thinkingIwas about to be sick.

No, I didn’t.

I wasn’t quite sure what to do with that realization. As Shiloh had pointed out earlier, I’d never been an overthinker. But damn it, those confusing emotions swirling around in my stomach had made one out of me and I couldn’t stand it. The last week or so had been a complete whirlwind, and I had no idea how to make sense of it all. The stubborn part of me wanted to hole myself up to avoid dealing with it. But I couldn’t do that anymore. There was another part of me, one that was bonded to a damn vampire, and I kept hearing his voice in my head.

“You don’t have to do this alone.”

The voice was so vivid, so clear, that for a split second I looked around the room, expecting to see James lurking in the corner or sneaking out of the bathroom. I eyed my phone on the nightstand, and the window beyond that. No, I couldn’t have him over right now—not with Shiloh in the next room.

I calculated the time difference to Vegas. It wasn’ttoolate, especially if Raleigh worked that night. But what if he didn’t? He still had a husband and a daughter at home.

I groaned and threw myself back down on the pillows. I couldn’t call Raleigh to get me out of this either. Not only was it my problem to deal with, but I already knew what he would say. And I didn’t need to hear his smug voice saying it. Whatever it was I needed to work through, it would need to wait until morning.

Yet again, I spent the night tossing and turning. With each hour of the clock, I cycled through the different emotions plaguing my mind. I couldn’t put a name to any of them, but in the end, there was only one fact I was certain of.

I wanted my vampire.

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