Page 33 of His True Beloved

My hand reached around her back, slithering toward her shoulders until it held onto her neck. My claws tangled into her hair, pulling her head back and exposing her neck’s beautiful artery. It called to me. It wanted me to sink my fangs into it.

Seeing the blood pulse through her, her heartbeat thrummed with delicious blood that had never been tasted by another vampire.

Until now.

Gods, she tasted exquisite. It reminded me of tiramisu or a perfect crème brulée. My tongue savored my lips again, hoping to find another drop of blood I had missed, but to no avail did I taste anything.

Christine was limp in my arms, her arousal seeping toward my nose as I took a deep breath. I had done something so intimate, tasted my mate’s blood, and I had yet to consume her lips. She wouldn’t understand how ass-backward it was but still, my body, my fangs craved her.

Venom flooded my mouth, begging me for a bite. Christine would feel nothing but bliss, and the way her legs had tightened, I expected she wanted it too.

My tongue flicked out of my mouth, licking the side of her neck. Her hands tightened into fists on my chest, and a breathy moan escaped her. This was intense, far too intense for us if we were trying to go slow. Thinking of backing away, Christine pulled at my jacket, dragging me closer.

“Sebastian.” She whimpered. My lips descended, kissing her soft, smooth skin. I couldn’t control it. I needed her. Her hands wrapped around my neck, her breasts pushed to my chest. Christine’s warmth engulfed me, and my mouth opened, my fangs grazing her neck.

I’m playing with fire. I can’t do this here. Not out in the open for her first time.Hell, I haven’t even properly asked.My head backed away, and her shoulders slumped. Trailing my nose to her jawline, my lips grazed hers, hoping a kiss would satisfy us both until an annoying buzzing noise continued to vibrate through her bag.

She let out a breath, backing away. “My phone,” she whispered. My hand that was still behind her neck squeezed.

“Leave it,” I muttered near her lips, but she was already distracted. I bit my cheek, pulling back and letting her know it was all right. It could be her mother, something wrong, and I wasn’t going to be a dick of a mate to deny her that.

She leaned over the table, grabbing her purse, giving me the perfect view of her back end. I grabbed my cock, shifting it in a more comfortable position as she said a greeting into the phone.

“Hello?” Her eyebrow rose. “Hello?” Pulling the phone away, checking if they were still on the line, she put it back to her ear. “Listen, I don’t know who you are, but stop calling me…” My hand reached out so fast to catch the phone. Christine fell back into my lap, still disoriented from our lusty gaze.

“Who is this?” I growled. Obviously, she didn’t know who this person was, and I was going to end it. Heavy breathing on the other side irked me. Some pervert wanted to hear my beloved speak. “Stop calling, or I’ll hunt you down and deal with you myself,” I spat, tossing the phone.

Christine’s cheeks reddened, her legs pressing tightly again. “Woah,” she said to herself. “You went all alpha male on me.” I rubbed my hand through my hair, shaking my head.

“I’m sorry, I just didn’t want you to be bothered. You seemed bothered—” Christine put a finger on my lips.

“I didn’t say it was a bad thing.” She winked, standing from her seated position on my lap. She grabbed her small bag and put it over her shoulder. “In fact, I find it quite sexy.” I smiled, standing at full height.

“You do now?” I pulled her in by the waist, still wanting to kiss those lips.

“I’ll be sure to let it out more often then.” Christine laughed, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear.

“Do they call a lot? This person?” I pulled her chin up with my finger.

“Just the second time they have done it. The breathing kind of weirds me out. An unsettling feeling.” She rubbed her arms.

“Let me know if it happens again.” I held out my arm, leading her out of the restaurant.

***

“Thank you for taking me out tonight,” Christine said as I walked her up the path to her home. The sun had set, and the fireflies of summer had invaded the walkways. It was the perfect night for the perfect ending of a date.

The lights were on upstairs, but the flickering light downstairs made me think her roommates were watching a movie. Great.

Christine stood in front of the door, turning around and giving me the once over. “I hope we can do this again.” Her eyes darted to the ground, tugging at her dress. My hand reached out, pulling hers into mine.

“I think we both know that another date will happen.” She blushed as I stepped closer. I wasn’t going to end this night without kissing her. My head lowered, my hand cupping her cheek until bloody Ashton opened the door.

I growled, pulling Christine away from him. The disgusted look on his face when he saw me had me seething. “What do you want?” I hissed.

“I was just checking on Chrissy. You both have been out a while, making sure you didn’t harm her.” He squinted his eyes.

“I would never—” Christine patted my back and let go of me. My hand refused to let go as I kept it close to her lower back. The rolling heat of possessiveness unfurled. She wasmine.

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