Page 48 of Vampires of Eden: Oliver
“Correct.”
I laugh. “That was blunt.”
“You are. This is a truth that we can’t deny. However, you’re also just…” He sighs, meeting my eyes. “You’re very different.”
“I’m strange.” I grin. “Erratic.”
“No. Unconventional. Completely unexpected.”
Hesitantly, I slide my other hand over so that both of mine clasp his. “I know this circumstance isn’t ideal, but I appreciate that you encourage me to have more confidence and speak my mind. I wish I could return the favor, somehow.”
Shifting a little closer so that my knees brush his, I push myself to speak the words that I want to convey. Wanting to be assertive. “If there’s anything that you want from me, say it and I… I’ll give it to you.”
He doesn’t want anything from me. Aries has made that clear, and I know that this situation is impossible. But he also makes me feel alive. He generates these brilliant sparks in my heart, body and nature, and the sensation is priceless. Extraordinary.
Aries slides his hand from within my palms and draws back slightly. He takes a deep breath to where his chest rises and falls beneath his sweater.
“What’s wrong?” I ask. I’m beginning to think that I’ve committed some terrible faux pas, or that I’ve offended him greatly.
But then, I marvel. The deep, midnight hue of his blue eyes brightens. Intensifies. His irises burn so brightly that it steals my breath away and I gasp.
The color is deep and enchanting, like a winter night sky under a full moon.
ChapterSixteen
Aries closes his glowing eyes, takes another deep breath and speaks on an exhale. “God help me. I can’t believe this is happening.”
Worried, I stand with a jolt. “What’s the matter? Why?” I step into the gap of his legs and cup his face, mesmerized as my own eyes brighten in response. “Are you alright? You told me that you could control this.”
“I have excellent control. Typically.” He shakes his head, breaking free of my hands. “I am tryingveryhard to behave myself, but it’s as if I’m being pushed to the edges of my sanity. You cannot sit here in a bathrobe and tell me that you’ll give me anything I want.”
“Even though it’s the truth?” The luster of his irises is spellbinding. I can’t look away from him. “Am I hurting you? Is this encouraging the addiction?”
“No.” Aries’s shoulders drop as he exhales. “It wouldn’t happen this easily or quickly. You aren’t hurting me… In some ways, it feels as if you would never hurt me—but I’m not sure if that’s simply the allure of your nature or my being foolishly optimistic.”
I want him. I want us to be closer and I want to touch him. His eyes have alighted, which means he wants me, too. For certain, he reciprocates my desire, and resisting the inherent attraction between us is becoming painful.
“If I were free… if I were my own vampire, you wouldn’t need to worry about being addicted. I would happily offer myself to you, Aries. Without hesitation.” I don’t care that I’m purebred and he’s first-gen. I don’t care that he’s older, and I have no interest in being a pawn in Lord Blakeley’s political goals. The only thing that matters is this moment and what my nature is telling me.
“You should not be saying these things to me, Oliver. You shouldn’t…” He shakes his head as if the words escape him.
“Why?”
“Because this situation is… This circumstance worries me.”
“In what way? I already promised that I wouldn’t expose you to my nature. I don’t care about my engagement, and I—”
“Not just those things.” Aries raises his head. His jaw is set sternly and his eyes are razor sharp.
Concerned, I shift my weight. “Okay… I’m listening.”
“Forgive me for speaking bluntly, but you’re very sheltered. It feels as if I’m the first and only vampire outside of your isolated existence that you’ve ever had an authentic conversation with, and this… this makes me cautious. The chemistry between our natures is irrefutable. It is marvelous, but simultaneously, I’m not certain that I should act on it. Do you understand my hesitation?”
Standing in front of him, I absently pick the knot of my robe. Too many thoughts are zipping through my mind, along with the usual blush of embarrassment warming my chest and face. I stare over the top of his head, trying to understand my emotions.
“This isn’t a rebuke,” he says delicately. “I simply don’t want us to fall into something that we might regret later.”
I close my eyes, concentrating. Slowly, I comb through my heart, finding the words that I need to express. “I can’t help my situation,” I begin, then take a breath. “Because everything in my life is decided for me.”
