Page 79 of Fanged Embrace
River set me on the mattress like I was made of glass, then crawled up beside me, returning to my lips before gravity had time to reassert itself. This kiss was slower, searching, offering me ample time to acclimatize to the new sensation—to the molten heat pooling low in my belly.
When I pressed a hand to her chest, River lay on her back and let me explore freely. I straddled her torso, well past the point of feeling embarrassed, and bent down to brush my lips along the pale column of her throat. She shivered beneath me, back arching ever so slightly off the bed, and it sent a thrill through my own body.
It felt strange, knowing I had this kind of power over her, that the slightest touch of my lips to her throat could get her pulse fluttering wild and frantic.
I spared a fraction of a moment to look at her; I took in the way she drew her bottom lip between her pointed teeth, the way she gazed back at me under heavy-lidded eyes. My heart was slamming against my ribs but I kissed her slow, keeping my own eyes open until the very last second, until my lips were flush against hers.
I lost track of minutes, indulging in slow kisses, curiousfingers tracing her jawline and collarbone. Every slight touch coaxed a new sound from her, and I kept up my exploration until pure lightheadedness forced me to pull back.
River’s fingers rose to comb through my hair and I lay panting against her chest, mildly upset at my own very human need for oxygen keeping me from kissing her forever.
“Laurie?”
I felt her intake of breath under my cheek and lifted my head. “Yeah?”
River peered down at me, one hand still petting my hair, the other sliding over my back, tracing the light ridges of my spine. “Before this goes any further—” she paused, chewing on her lip. I’d never seen River look nervous before. “Ifthis goes any further. You’ve got to tell me what’s okay and what isn’t.”
I lifted myself higher and crooked a brow, confused. “What do you mean?”
That desperate, wantingneedwas still pulsing between my legs, clouding my mind and turning her words to vapor—in one ear and out the other. All I knew was that I wanted her. All of her.
“You know, like… boundaries?” River brushed a stray lock behind my ear. “What feels safe, and what doesn’t.”
I stared at her. Mortification flared in my chest—because I had no idea what she was talking about.
I was suddenly, painfully, and shamefully aware of how out of my depth I was. I had no idea what I was doing, no past experience to speak of. Heat rose in my cheeks and I fell back on my usual defenses when facing the unknown.
My hackles raised and my words snapped out like a whip crack. “I don’t know! I’ve never done this before!”
Maybe it showed. Maybe she didn’t like that. Hell, she was a vampire with centuries of experience. What could I possibly offer her that she hadn’t had already? I was a novice,inexperienced, fucking broken if I was being completely honest with myself.
Laurie, you’re such an idiot.Who was I trying to fool? I was nothing to her, nothing at all. Whatever spark I’d felt between us had to be one sided because why the hell would she—this gorgeous, charismatic creature of the night—want anything to do with someone like me?
“I should… this was a mistake.” I rolled off her, suddenly unsure of myself, floundering and fumbling and mentally berating myself for having the audacity to assume there was anything special between us.
I almost made it to the edge of the bed, but River followed—gently pinning me with a palm flat over my racing heart.
“Hey,” she whispered, eyes luminous in the moonlight, “it’s okay. You don’t have to bolt.”
I flopped down on my back and stared at the ceiling, cheeks on fire, scowling like I always did when I didn’t know what else to do. “I’m… not exactly a seasoned pro. I don’t know how to?—”
“Stop.” Her thumb brushed slow circles through the fabric of my shirt. “Laurie, I’m not here for experience points. I just want you… And only if you want me back.”
I swallowed. The room felt too quiet, too intimate. My default defense—snark and sarcasm—itched to surface, so I let the sneer form, hoping it hid how close I was to shaking.
River’s sigh rustled in my ear. “Laurie, are you a virgin?”
Heat flooded every inch of my skin. I looked away, muttering, “Is it that obvious?”
“That’s fine. We can figure it out together. There’s no rush.” Her hand slipped to my cheek, urging me to face her. I let her turn my head until our eyes met. “We go at your pace.”
Then she kissed me—slow, unhurried, a patient invitation. Her palm stayed over my heart, and after a few stunned seconds, I felt it: my pulse slowing, the rapid beat evening under her fingers.
“Tell me what feels good,” she murmured, breath hot and languid against my mouth.
The vulnerability of that request had the knot of unease uncoiling inside me. “This… This feels good,” I admitted, voice smaller than I liked, but it couldn’t be helped. River’s presence was bigger than the room, all encompassing. Everything else paled in comparison.
“Then we start here.” She leaned in again, lips grazing mine, featherlight. When she pulled away I chased her mouth, regaining confidence as hot magma seeped into my veins, reigniting that fire burning away in the deepest confines of my body.
