Page 17 of Another Curvy Girl and Grumpy Vamp

I sigh and know it’s true.

Dammit.

Vampire or not. I’m his.

Baden

Merri’s soft breath against my chest is the first thing I register as consciousness slowly returns. Her fingers rest, light as feathers, on my belly, and for once, I can't think of a single reason to move. I'm rarely gifted with a morning this quiet, with someone this... fierce and unguarded, pressed close beside me.?

?I kiss her forehead, hot lips pressing lingering kisses to the line of her neck. Her breath hitches, in her sleep and her hand curls near?my straining erection—driving me closer to madness. I continue mapping her collarbone with the tip of my tongue, inching aside the comforter to bare more of her skin to my greedy view. I'm rewarded with the barest shiver when I rake my teeth across the fine bones, slowly working my way downwards, savoring every inch of her.?

I pause just short of her breasts, head rising to meet her foggy gaze, espresso-colored eyes darken with the beginnings of arousal. "Can't believe I'm actually waking up next to Steele City's grumpiest vampire," she murmurs, her voice warm andteasing. "You know, people would pay good money for a picture of this."?

A lazy smile pulls at my lips.?"They'd pay a lot more than that," I reply, my voice low and husky, "for a glimpse of you like this. Rumpled and sexy, your beautiful face, this sexpot body—too bad, I’d have to kill them first."?

Merri’s brows furrow as she tries to figure out if I’m serious. I give her a half-smile making sure to drop my fangs. Instead of being intimidated her?eyes sparkle and her lips curl into a wide smile. She stretches, arching her back in a languid curve that makes my mouth dry. "Yeah, right," she says, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I?don’t think Baden Eames became one of the most successful vampires in Steele City, without learning a modicum of civility."?

I growl and lean in to nip at her earlobe. "Don’t try me," I whisper, "All that civility would vanish the second someone put their hands on you. No one gets this," I rub my hands up and down her body before settling them on her ass. “Except me.”?

Merri's breath catches, and she wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me down for a kiss. Our lips meet, and the spark of attraction ignites into a full-blown flame. Instantly, I’m lost in the taste of her, the softness of her skin, the way her body fits into mine like two matching puzzle pieces.?

I slide down again. Refusing the temptation of her lips to worship her breasts with my mouth and hands. Reveling as she arcs beneath me and cries out in pleasure. Her hands wander down my back, tracing lines of muscle and bone, and I shudder.?

"Want you," she whispers, her voice barely audible over my pounding heart.?

“Take me.” I roll onto my back, pulling her on top of me. Merri accepts the invitation, straddling me with a smile that's pure, unadulterated sin. She takes me in hand and guides?me home. The vaccine muted my senses—grayed them. But Merri bringsme more pleasure than I’ve had in years. Vaccine be damned. I’d take the risk of being the monster just to behermonster.?

She rides me and the world narrows down to this one moment, this one sensation. The universe gasps, sucking in time and space as if preparing to release it all in another big bang. I’m losing control in the best possible way, free-falling into a sea of pleasure.?

Merri's voice rises, her sweet cry is my symphony. Wrapping my arms around her, I hold her close as we crest the wave together, our bodies crashing, colliding as we break apart upon the shore.?

For a moment, we just lie there, panting, our hearts still racing from the exertion. Then Merri lifts her head, a slow smile spreading across her face.?

"You know," she says, her voice husky with satisfaction, "I’m not a morning person. But I could get used to you as an alarm clock."?

I laugh. Some would be surprised that my face doesn’t crack from the rarely used smile. ?"I'm glad to hear that," I reply, pulling her down for another kiss.?

She’s breathless when I finally release her. Her stomach rumbles and she tucks her chin in embarrassment. After all the things we’ve saidand doneto and with each other. This is what embarrasses her? I trace my fingers across her stomach?enjoying the curves. Curves, softer than the finest silk, quake under my exploration. ?

I imagine her rounded belly, full and heavy with my child. I even cup the weight under her navel before jerking my hand away. Nothing good can come from these thoughts. Vampires can’t procreate. Now, in modern times, there are options for us. A vampire can withhold giving his mate the mating bite. Giving her enough time for surrogacy. But that path is rarely traveled. Would Merri want children? Would she wantmemore???

Her stomach rumbles again shaking me out of my gloomy speculations. “Fine. Hold on a few minutes. I’ll go and see what foods I can burn for you.”?

Merri laughs. “Tempting as that offer is… Why don’t we go out instead?”?

“Deal,” I say. Sweeping her up and carrying her to the bathroom. I love carrying her around, despite how she tenses in protest. She feels so right in my arms. If she were mine, her feet would never touch the floor.?As soon as we hit the showers, I take her again. Unable to resist the water glistening her cocoa skin and her excited squeal at my luxury shower. I'm jealous of the way she leans into the body jets with a wicked gleam and a saucy wink. Jealous of a damn shower head—if Luca could see me now. I tug her away, stopping her before she can make love to the wall, and I punch a hole in it. She stops laughing when I pin her arms above her head, press her into the warm tile and slam into her from behind while the damn body jet pulses her mound.

It's another hour before we leave, and I can feed her.

***

Later, back at my apartment, we lounge on the couch. Merri’s feet are tucked under her. Her head rests on my shoulder and she sips on a cup of tea while I rub my hand up and down her arm, playing with her fingers. I haven’t enjoyed this kind of mellow, comfortable silence since Luca. I remember the times he and Claudia would sit together in this exact pose. By the time she came into our lives we had lost everyone else in our circle of family and friends. We were satisfied living like monsters, taking and leaving, hunting and feeding. But when he found her—he swore, she returned his humanity. I was happy for him—for them. She became my sister. He gave her the bite, so they’d have eternity. Only… they didn’t. When I lost him, I pushed everyoneelse away. What was the point in loving and losing? I tighten my arm around her, almost reflexively, as if I could hold her here forever. And yet… that’s exactly what I can’t do.

She must feel the shift, because she tilts her head, eyes narrowing. “Okay, what’s with the serious face? Don’t tell me you’re planning on getting rid of me already.”

I smile, though it’s strained. “No, the opposite. I’d keep you here forever, if I could.”

Her brow lifts, clearly catching my meaning. “And by that, you mean…” Her voice trails off, a hint of unease creeping in.

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