Page 126 of Taste of Forever
I peeled back the band-aid, brought her raw wrist to my mouth, and kissed it before sliding my tongue over the wound to heal it. I repeated the motion on her other wrist, then leaned forward to kiss the tears falling down her cheeks.
“I love you, Science Barbie.” My forehead leaned on hers. “And I would face that basement again in a heartbeat to keep you safe.”
Heather shook her head. “You didn’t expect to make it out of there, did you?”
“It seemed like a long shot,” I admitted. “All that mattered to me was that you got away.”
She lifted her head, bringing her hands to the sides of my neck. “How about neither of us get involved in dangerous, crazy shit like that again?”
“That sounds like a fine idea to me.”
A full-on grin spread across her beautiful face. “I love you too, Vampire Ken.”
“Temkra above, I love you so much.”
I pressed up to sit against the headboard and drew her into me. She followed eagerly, sliding her legs over my lap to straddle me. While our kiss moments ago was one out of desperation and relief, this one was unhurried. Slow and melting.
I wanted to show her how grateful I was to be alive by savoring her for hours. But she pulled away, reaching for the small knife on the nightstand.
“No, don’t.” I pulled the blade from her grip and kissed her again to stop any argument. “You’re not using that anymore.”
Heather scoffed. “Like hell I’m not. I just want to help you get better.”
My arm settled around the small of her back, keeping the knife out of her reach. “How long was I out?”
“Almost a week.” A sigh left her mouth. “They think all the silver in your system put you in a coma. Your organs were in danger of shutting down.”
I thumbed the tip of the knife. It wasn’t silver. Just run-of-the-mill stainless steel. “And how often did you cut yourself with this to feed me during that time?”
“At least once a day.” Her chin lifted. Her eyes were defiant but calm. “And I’ll keep using it until your fangs grow back.”
“No, you won’t.”
“Laith.”
“Heather.” My free hand slid up her back to grip the hair at the base of her skull. “The blood bank has better tools. Proxy fangs are used by elderly vampires sometimes if they can’t get a proper bite. They’re more sanitary and will better replicate the punctures for drinking.”
Heather snorted. “You could have just said that.” Her fingers dragged deliciously over the back of my head. “Fine. We’ll get you some grandpa fangs, then.”
“Don’t you start with that.” I tickled her ribs, loving her surprised shriek of laughter.
“Stop! I’m telling Des,” she wheezed, squirming to get away.
“Ugh. You don’t love me at all.” I held her in place and leaned in to suck at the base of her throat.
Heather’s laughter turned to soft moans. Her squirms slowed to a gentle rocking in my lap as I laved on her neck and collarbones. Her skin was the warm, yielding softness I fell in love with at the first taste through that screen. The flutteringpulse beneath the surface thrummed like a kiss against my lips. That beautiful, precious life force that saved and sustained both of us.
When my mouth reached the edge of her shirt, I realized the actual depth of my hunger.
“Take this off.” I tugged at the hem of her shirt while my other hand tightened around the knife’s handle.
We’d get to the blood bank soon enough, but I couldn’t wait for proxy fangs right then. Not while I needed to worship every inch of her skin more than I needed to breathe.
Heather had just lifted the shirt to her bra when a knock came to the door and someone started to push it open.
“Fuck!” I yanked Heather’s shirt back into place just as Thorne poked his head in.
“Hey, you are awake. I thought I heard your voice.” He stiffened the moment he noticed our position. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to interrupt.”
