Page 27 of Last Shot at Love

Deep down, silly as it was, I’d wanted to save this form for my mate. It embarrassed me to acknowledge that maybe there was a romantic bone somewhere in my body.

Cerulean took a ragged breath. “You’ve never shown a partner your natural self?”

Shaking my head, I nibbled at my lip.

“That means more to me than you could know.” Cer reached out, brushing a finger across my cheek.

His touch left a trail of tingles in its wake, and my stomach quivered. What was wrong with me? Hades knew I’d been aroused before, but it had always been a quick thing for me—a business transaction to scratch an itch so I could return my focus to work.

Foreplay and tender caresses were completely unfamiliar. I’d always thought they were an unnecessary waste of time, but now I wanted to scoot closer. My body ached with the longing to feel his touch everywhere.

Cerulean cleared his throat and dropped his eyes from my face. “Maybe we should eat.”

Blowing out a breath, I pulled myself together before I threw myself at him. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”

How was this man affecting me this much when it had been less than three hours since I’d met him?

I tried to tell myself it was a good thing I was attracted to him since we were soon-to-be mates. It would have sucked—and not the good kind of suck—if he’d been a turnoff.

We ate in companionable silence, his gaze rarely leaving the dark sea that lay in front of us.

Finishing the last of my meal, I sipped the mixed drink he’d brought for me. “Do you live far from here?”

The tentacle wrapped loosely around me twitched, and his eyes jerked to meet mine. “Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts. Yes. I live close to the Australian coast, so it is a long way from here.”

It was my turn to be surprised. “Surely you didn’t swim all the way here?”

“A witch owed me a favor and used a little magic to teleport me to the Bermuda Triangle portal. After that, I hitched a ride with a whale friend up the coast. It has been years since I’ve traveled, so it was an enjoyable experience.”

The alcohol was sending cozy warmth through my veins, and I found myself relaxing further into his tentacle.

“Do you work?” I asked, trying to focus on business and not the way I enjoyed the flex of his muscles as he adjusted his grip around me.

“Yes, in my family’s business with my sister and brother. Things run smoothly between us and my father.”

“A family business? That must be so nice.” I popped the strawberry garnish from my drink into my mouth. “My father tried to execute a hostile takeover of my company a couple of years ago, so in my life, business and family don’t mix.”

Cerulean’s grip tightened around me. “That is terrible, darling.”

I shrugged. “It’s fine. We laughed about it over New Year’s dinner last year.”

My mate looked horrified. “You still talk to him?”

“Of course I do. Stuff like this is common in vampire families. If you see a weakness that you can exploit to your advantage, you are duty-bound to take it. Blood or not. It is the vampire way.” My bark of laughter lacked any genuine amusement.

Cerulean was silent for so long that I assumed he was thinking about other things. “Have you done that to one of your family members?”

I wiggled the straw in my drink, knowing that if I looked up, he’d see the emotion in my eyes. “No. Although I’ve seen plenty of opportunities where I could have easily taken business away from my father and brother. Instead of seizing those opportunities, I let them pass. According to the vampire code, that is a testament to my weakness.”

Cerulean set the tray on the stone at the edge of the pool and turned toward me. Now that they no longer needed to hold the tray, his tentacles moved around me like eager puppies wanting to play.

The tentacle around my waist shifted, pulling me closer to Cerulean until he could capture my face between his palms.

“Beryl, you aren’t weak, and you’re one heck of a businesswoman. You saw the opportunities because you are smart, but you let them pass because you are kind. That isn’t a weakness… regardless of what other vampires might say.”

My heart began thudding hard in my chest at his praise. Or was I reacting to the nearness of his lips and the way his playful tentacles were brushing against my bare thighs?

“Thank you.” Blinking hard, I tried to clear the fog of lust that was causing my eyelids to grow heavy.

---