Page 49 of The Huntress

His control was thinning, but he buried his face in her hair to inhale her scent and the fragrance of her shampoo. If her stomach hadn’t gurgled, he might have succumbed and kissed her.

He laced his fingers through hers and led her down the stairs to the bike.

She gaped, circling the bike to admire it, before accepting the helmet he held out to her. She tugged it on and raised her chin so he could do the straps. After pulling his on, he threw a leg over the bike, kicking the stand back. He closed his eyes when she gripped his shoulder, swung her leg across, and nestled her hips against his backside.

Then she hugged him, and contentment settled deep within him. This felt perfect, like a photograph capturing true companionship. He engulfed her with warm air so she wouldn’t feel the cold or the wind tearing at her. As he took the corners along a hidden road, she laughed, pulling away from him before pressing her breasts against his back again.

His spirit answered her siren’s call of freedom and exhilaration, reminding him what it felt like to be human, to live in the present.

After parking the bike at the top of the tunnel to his home, he waited for her to dismount before he powered off and kicked out the stand.

She fiddled with the clasp, tugged off her helmet, and blessed him with a bright smile. “I loved that.”

Flipping up the visor, he smiled at her. “I can see that.” He hung their helmets on the bike’s bars, held a hand to the base of her spine, and escorted her to his front door. “Are you hungry? I have more than cereal,” he teased, seeing her thoughtful expression.

“I’ll cook if you keep me company.” She opened his door and stepped across his threshold of her own free will.

He loved the ease with which they communicated. She had no idea how precious she was.

“Sounds like a plan,” he said, his voice gruff. He trailed her to the kitchen and chose a chair as she familiarized herself with the contents of his cabinets.

“We’ll need to go shopping tomorrow.”

His breath caught. “We?”

“After today,usis a matter of time, isn’t it?” She faced him but twirled her foot on the toe of her sneaker. “You were right. This isn’t my world. I didn’t understand the dangers, and I thought I knew everything about suckbloods.” She raised her gaze to his. “Gabe, I’m a little scared to take the leap.”

He gasped, rising to reach for her, but she shuffled back.

“I don’t want to lose myself as a person, nor do I want you to be my knight, as if I can’t stand on my own.” She drew in a long breath. “I assume it’s safer for me here in your home until we level the playing field.”

He froze, then his fingers twitched with the urge to hold her.

“I don’t know if I can have sex with you, I’m not skilled, and you make me nervous.” She closed the distance between them. “I’m willing to try though.”

His chest swelled with warm, consuming joy. He hugged her, crushing her against his chest. At first, she kept her body stiff then she softened, wrapping her arms around him.

“Thank you, Callie.” He kissed her temple. “We’ll take this step-by-step.”

She cleared her throat. “So…um, shopping tomorrow?”

He nodded, visualizing browsing food aisles and tossing items into the trolley, like a couple. The idea pleased him. “I can order in. Theydodeliver.” He offered to be respectful, though he hoped she didn’t accept his suggestion.

“Where’s the fun in that?” She pulled away to pop a pot on to boil. “Do you even own a car?”

“Yes, quite a few.” He returned to his chair, resting his elbows on the table.

“And you hide them where?” She glanced around his home with a frown.

“I’ll give you the tour tomorrow.” He smiled, liking how she showed genuine interest in him, in his life.

“Okay, sounds like a plan.” She flashed a grin, echoing his words from earlier as she spooned salt into the near-boiling water.

“What time do you start work?” He refused to ask the real question everything in his body demanded to know—how long would he have to guard her? There was no leaving her unprotected, not when each second passing intensified this attraction and growing affection between them.

“Eight, but I should take time off, don’t you think?” She put a saucepan on the stovetop and poured in the pasta sauce to warm. “If I plan on ravishing you, that will need time.”

Though she added the pasta to the boiling water with nonchalance, everything in him stood at attention at her words. And he meanteverything.

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