Page 24 of Daring Her Vampires
“Tell me the truth,” Sally says once they are gone, and I tense. “Did that turn you on or off?” she asks, surprising me.
“On.” I grin.
“Good.” She grins back but sobers quickly. “I’ve never needed a man to run to the rescue. Some guys get their feelings hurt by my lack of dependence on them. I can take care of myself.”
“It was hot as fuck,” I state. “We don’t think you are weak or in need of rescue. That doesn’t mean I won’t kill someone for fucking with you in the future. I’ll always give you the option of the first hit.” I cup the side of her neck. “We won’t try to control you. We want to be in this together.”
“Thank you.” She turns her head, kissing my palm. “Just because I don’t want to be controlled doesn’t mean I don’t get wet from your possessiveness.”
“You’re going to be wet a lot.” I drop my hand and glide it from her hip to the middle of her back, guiding her down the hallway, and she laughs.
“I can’t wait.”
My past is messy, and telling Sally will be uncomfortable. But it will be worth it. She is worth it.
I didn’t expect her, but I can’t imagine not having her.
Chapter Six
Sally
Dangling the cherry over my tongue while I sit on Atlas’s lap, a thrill moves through me as I feel his eyes focused on the stem. I love games. Sometimes, the old tricks work just fine. I lean further back, snuggling against his hard chest.
Kissing Luca was like nothing I’ve experienced before. I didn’t like his need for space, but I understood it. The family can be overwhelming, and I don’t know my mates’ background. I wanted to ease his anxiety, and it wasn’t a sacrifice to kiss him. My heat is in overdrive. Being in their presence is enough to make it flare hotter. Winning the game would be fun to hold over their heads for years to come, but my goal is to get to know them. I honestly don’t know how long I will hold out.
The human ruined the moment, and it pissed me off more than his words towards me. I’ve had worse things said about me, but it was fun to teach him a lesson. The guys came back from escorting him out and changed his memories. His words weren’t severe enough to kill him. I have gifts that I haven’t talked about or shared with my friends. Rabbits don’t talk about everything we can do.
Heath walks with a cane, which he wields as his weapon. He infuses it with the power of his snake, and without his power, it’s just a cane. I can do the same. It took years to perfect it, and I chose a rabbit's foot when it came time to pick an object to hold the power. I thought it was hilarious. I can touch it to a human to change their memories and make them do anything I want. I don’t use it often, and I could have on the human, but I didn’t want to reveal it to the group. I will share everything with my mates in time.
I swallow the cherry and drop the stem into my empty glass. Luca seems more relaxed as he speaks with Allie and Kerian. Everyone has broken off into little groups. Most of us have been to many gatherings and aren’t surprised by the excitement of our nights out. Some of them have been friends for a long time. We don’t spend every day together, but everyone is very involved in each other's lives. Rowen left, having had enough of the noise, but I was grateful he stayed as long as he did. Ryker left shortly after he came back from escorting the human out, frowning as he studied his phone.
Atlas slides his hand from my knee to the middle of my thigh. He pulls and turns me sideways, my back to Luca, draping my legs over his.
Good move.
“Little Bunny, you’re quiet,” he rumbles, his voice low.
“Just thinking about cherries,” I whisper, toying with the seam of his vest.
“Me too.” His grip tightens, and the heat rises.
“Did you ask for cherries in my drink?” I ask.
“Of course.” He smirks and pulls me closer, sliding his arm around my waist.
“I’ll taste like cherries again when you kiss me.”
“When?” He lifts a brow.
I lean closer. “You know you want to,” I rasp, my lips brushing his ear.
“I do,” he admits, pressing his cheek against mine, his mouth at my ear. “I don’t want to do it in front of everyone.”
“Why?” I ask, curious.
“I’m afraid you’ll lose control.” He bites my earlobe. “I don’t want them to hear you beg.” I throw back my head and laugh. My mate is funny. He’s smirking when I straighten.
“You wish,” I tease. Gliding my hand back and forth underneath his vest, I tilt my head. “Can I ask you something?”
