Page 73 of Afflicted

I want to explain to her why I looked her up. That I was desperate to know more. That my heart ached when I saw the picture attached to the file. The eyes wide with terror. The blurred fingerprints so obviously delivered by a trembling hand. Humans had known of our existence for all of her life - but to suddenly be a captive, to be tied down and harvested for blood, who could have foreseen that?

But I say nothing, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

“Juliet,” I say softly as we approach the perimeter of the facility in Savannah. “When we get there, just stay in the truck, OK? Get in the back and lie down. There’s a blanket for you to hide under. You’ll be perfectly safe.”

“Fine.” She tucks her arms across her body, leaning her head against the seat in a way that makes the delicate veins on her neck stand out. My mouth waters at the sight.

I give myself a shake and focus on the road. As we get closer, Juliet climbs between the seats into the back, giving me the perfect view of her long legs and her ass as it passes my head.Goddammit.

“Silas?” The whisper comes from underneath the blanket in the back seat.

I cock my head. “Yeah?”

“Were you going to kiss me in the forest?”

My hands grip the steering wheel. The perimeter fence is in sight. This isn’t the time for this conversation.

“I’m sorry about that.”

She lets out an annoyed little grunt. “That’s not an answer.”

“Juliet-”

“Yes or no?”

I growl out a breath between gritted teeth. The guards up ahead spot me, lining up at the gate to prepare to let me in. “Yeah, maybe. I dunno.”

“Yes you do.”

“Juliet, not the fucking time. Now stay quiet.”

“I would have let you.”

I nearly tear the damn steering wheel from the dash. Blood roars through my body, remembering the feeling of her against me, pliant and wanting. Her hand pinned above her head, her eyes closed as she waited for me to kiss her. I can’t tell her I wanted to do more than kiss her. I wanted to give in to every depraved fantasy I’ve had about her.

I breathe in and out heavily, steadying myself. I raise a hand in greeting to the other vamps who wave me in through the gate, completely unaware of the emotional and physical torment I’m going through right now. I jump down from the truck, slamming the door closed quickly. The blanket is covered in pheromone oil, so I’m sure it will throw off Juliet’s scent, but I feel better knowing she’s inside behind tinted glass all the same.

The vamps help me load up the supplies, bemoaning the growing number of Afflicted attacks and apologizing for the unnecessary trip. I make as much small talk as I can bear, the balls of my feet burning with the need to get her the fuck out of there. Maybe this was a bad idea.

But the vamps don’t seem to notice my uneasiness, slapping me on the shoulder as I say I should head back before it gets too late,don’t want to get stuck out on these roads at the moment, haha.

Finally I’m back in the truck, gunning the engine and heading out of the facility. Juliet stays in the backseat for a long time, until we’re almost on the outskirts of Savannah, and I wonder if she’s fallen asleep.

“You can come out now,” I say in a low voice, not wanting to wake her.

The blanket shuffles and moves, and a long leg extends between the seats, followed by a small ass and another leg. She flips around to plop down in the seat next to me, her hair sticking to her face. She’s sweaty and smellsfantastic. Her cheeks are all flushed and her lips are full.

Why the fuck does she look turned on?

“You OK?”

She nods, biting her lip. “I’m fine. Just… hot.”

It takes my stupid brain a second to register what the fuck I did. I cast a glance into the back seat, at the blanket doused in pheromone oil.Mypheromones.

You fucking idiot. It didn’t even occur to me that while it would throw the guards off her scent, it would drive Juliet crazy.

“It’s OK,” I say quickly, trying not to focus on her thighs as she squeezes them together, her nipples that are peaking under her shit.Shit. What the fuck have I done? “It’s the oil on the blanket, it’s just going to heighten everything for you. Just breathe through it.”Yeah, just breathe through your erection, Silas.

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