Page 59 of Vampire Bite

“Yes,” I said quickly, my voice coming out softer than I’d intended. “I just... I needed to talk to you.”

He nodded, his eyes never leaving mine, patient and steady, even as I felt like I was unraveling inside.

“I’ve been thinking,” I began, my voice barely above a whisper. “About everything. About... what happens now.”

His jaw tightened, and I saw the way his shoulders tensed. He didn’t say anything, but I knew he was bracing himself for what I might say.

“I told myself I couldn’t stay,” I said, forcing the words out even as my throat threatened to close up. “That I needed to go back. To my mother, to my old life. It’s what I’ve been holding onto this whole time, the thought of going home. But...”

I hesitated, my heart pounding painfully against my ribs. His gaze hadn’t wavered, but there was something in his eyes now, something raw and unguarded that made it even harder to speak.

“But I can’t imagine leaving this place,” I admitted finally, the words tumbling out like a confession. “I can’t imagine leaving... you.”

The weight of the truth settled between us, heavy and fragile. I couldn’t bring myself to look at him, afraid of what I might see on his face. But when I finally dared to glance up, the intensity in his eyes took my breath away.

“You’re sure?” he asked, his voice low and rough, as if the question cost him something to ask.

“Yes,” I whispered. “I’m sure.”

For a moment, neither of us moved, the air between us charged with something I couldn’t name. Then he stepped forward, closing the distance between us, and took my hands in his.

“Annika,” he said softly, his thumb brushing over my knuckles. “You have no idea what this means to me. I… I love you…”

The tension in my chest eased, replaced by something warm and steady. I hadn’t realized how much I’d needed to hear those words until he said them.

“I love you, too,” I admitted, feeling his arms wrap around me.

Before I could draw another breath, Lucas leaned down and kissed me. It wasn’t soft or tentative like I might have expected. It was fire and thunder, a clash of everything we’d held back. His lips were warm, firm, claiming mine with a need that made my heart race and my knees weaken.

I gasped softly against his mouth, and he took that as permission, deepening the kiss. One hand slid to the small of my back, pulling me closer until there was nothing between us but the rapid rise and fall of my chest.

My fingers found their way to his shirt, clutching at the fabric like it was the only thing keeping me steady. He tasted of wine from the celebration downstairs, heady and intoxicating, and the faintest hint of something darker, something uniquely him.

Everything else, the noise from below, the weight of the past, even the uncertainty of the future, it all faded into nothing. All I could feel was him.

When he finally pulled back, just enough to rest his forehead against mine, I was breathless, my lips tingling. His eyes, dark and full of something unspoken, searched mine.

“Annika,” he murmured, his voice hoarse, like he was afraid of breaking whatever fragile thing had just bloomed between us.

I swallowed hard, my fingers still fisted in his shirt. “Lucas,” I whispered back, my voice shaking as much as the rest of me.

There were no more words after that. None were needed. Everything we couldn’t say out loud had been poured into that kiss, and it left me feeling unmoored and entirely alive at the same time.

Gently, he picked me up and took me to the sofa. I trembled from his touch, as if it were our first time. In a way, it was. We’d silently promised each other everything, our forever after.

He spread my legs, as he dropped down onto his knees before me. He kept his gaze on me, drinking in the sight of me, almost as if he were noticing little details about me for the first time, falling in love all over again. I couldn’t help but smile. He smiled back, as his finger traced an invisible line down the inside of my thigh.

My entire body shivered, yearning for more. But he was taking it slow. Almost painfully slow, but that made it all the more pleasurable.

Tenderly, he kissed my knee, then traversed upward. His kisses were feather-light, filled with the devotion only he could bestow upon me.

While still smiling, his fingers gently took the straps of my pants sliding them down, over my trembling knees, calves, then toes. Then, his lips found my panties. A small explosion blossomed inside of me, releasing pent up heat. I swallowed heavily, not taking my eyes off of him.

A moment later, I felt his warm breath on me, but instead of bestowing more kisses on my throbbing flower, his entire tongue pressed against me, allowing me to feel the tidal wave of warmth, pleasure, a sensation that took hold of me immediately.

“Mmm, you taste so good, Annika…” he spoke as he lapped up the juices which were already trickling downward out of me. There was nothing I could do to prevent that from happening. He always knew how to awaken the animal inside of me, the animal I didn’t even know I had.

He kept on playing with my swollen bud, flicking his tongue over it, sucking it, only to slide his entire tongue over it again. I could see stars before my closed eyes, if such a thing was even possible.

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