Page 13 of Another Curvy Girl and Grumpy Vamp

I blink, taken aback by his bluntness. “Why?”

He takes a step toward me, his tall frame towering over mine, and I feel the air shift—heavy, charged with something dangerous. “Because you’re not safe.”

My heart skips a beat. “That’s not your decision to make.”

His jaw clenches, the silver in his eyes turning to molten steel. “You don’t get it, do you? I’ll do anything to protect you. Any. Thing.”

I swallow hard, my throat tightening at the intensity in his voice. “Baden—”

“You’re my One,” he growls, cutting me off, his eyes blazing with an emotion that sends a chill down my spine. “You don’t have to like it.Hell, I don’t like it.But it doesn’t change the fact.”

I take a step back, my pulse hammering in my ears. “What are you saying?”

He moves closer, his gaze locking onto mine with an intensity that makes it hard to breathe. “No one,” he says, his voice low, dangerous, “is going to lay a finger on what belongs to me. Ever.” His words hang in the air like a threat, a promise, and I’m left standing there, frozen in place as the weight of his declaration settles over me. I open my mouth to respond, but the words won’t come. Because for the first time, I realize just how deep this connection between us runs—and how dangerous it could be.

Merri

Ipace back and forth across the living room like a madwoman. “What does that even mean—his One?” I throw my hands up in frustration. “It sounds like a tagline for some gothic horror flick. I mean, how many vamps do you know running around saying that?”

Nina, sprawled on my couch with her head dangling upside-down, just laughs. “Girl, if a tall, brooding vampire declaredmehis One, I’d be halfway down the aisle.”

“Wouldn’t even need the aisle,” I mutter, eyeing her. “You’d be halfway down the altar.”

Greer, the sensible one, just shrugs from her spot on the armrest. “You don’t owe him anything, Merri. Just because he staked some weird claim doesn’t mean you can’t walk away.”

She’s right, but I feel myself bristle, anyway. What makes him think he can just…chooseme? “And for all I know, he just wants to turn me into his personal blood bank.” I shudder, remembering the flash of crimson in his eyes that no amount of ‘vaccine’ could hide.

“You should at least figure out what he means.” Greer’s voice is calm, level, but I can feel her eyes on me, assessing. Greer seesthroughpeople, like x-ray glasses for emotions. And right now, she’s reading me like the Sunday paper.

I’m halfway through thinking up a response when a loud knock interrupts us. I freeze, exchanging a look with Nina. “Uh-oh. It’s not him, is it?”

“It better not be. He may own the building, but he can wait to be buzzed in. Like everybody else,” I say, rolling my eyes as I swing open the door. A wall of flowers meets me—dark, velvet roses practically spilling into my arms. And of course, there’s a card, elegant and smug. I pull it out and wave it at my girls.

Dinner tonight? 7 PM. -B

Nina’s off the couch in a flash, squealing like a little kid on Christmas morning. “Oh, those roses aresexy.”

“Sexy?” I deadpan, tossing them onto the armchair like a rotten potato. “Try ‘stalker-ish’ And no, I’m not going.”

Nina shakes her head, sighing in mock disappointment. “Seriously? Not even for some expensive takeout and vampire-approved ambiance?”

Just as I’m about to launch into all the reasons why I’m definitely not going, my phone vibrates in my hand. I glance down, expecting another one of those endless school notifications. Nope. It’s Pick Ups. The app flashes a new message, and with it, my blood pressure skyrockets.

“He did not.” I say it flatly, but my heart’s hammering in my chest.

“Did not what?” Greer asks.

“He bought out my entire week of ride-share jobs.”

Greer’s eyes go wide. “You mean, like… every single night?”

I nod, exasperated. “That’s seven nights of fares gone. He’s paying to keep me out of work. Does he seriously think he can buy his way into my life?”

Nina raises a finger, the picture of calm delight. “Well, if he’s going through all this trouble, maybe you should go see what he has to say. Like, get your questions answered,andsnag yourself some free food.”

“Are you hungry, Nina?”

“Naw, justthirsty,” she says without missing a beat, wiggling her brows.

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