I drew back. “But they’re kids, Christian.”
“Aye, and you are their protector, not their friend. The dangerous world you lived in before Keystone hardened you. Don’t let go of that quality, lass. You can’t do this job with a tender heart. Even Viktor knows it, and that’s why he keeps his distance.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
He stroked my cheek. “I’ve got years of experience as a guard. Not everyone in that room does. Will you not learn from me? I have more to offer than just blood and kisses.”
I reached for his hand and held it. “I’m listening. Even when it seems like I’m not, I am.”
He jerked his arm, and the outside door suddenly opened. “Do you trust me?”
The roar of the train against the tracks filled my ears. “Not if you’re going to break up with me by tossing me off a train.”
He winked, gripped the top of the door, and literally flung himself upward. There was a moment where Christian looked like a pool of black water before he vanished.
My heart raced as I approached the open door and looked out. His hand appeared overhead.
“This is the dumbest thing you’ve ever done,” I muttered, grabbing his wrist.
With a hard yank, Christian didn’t just pull me up, he swung me right out the door and onto the roof. I might have actually screamed before he rolled on top of me and pinned me with his body.
“You all right?” he yelled over the roar of the wind.
It felt as if I might slide right off the train. The ridges of metal pushed against my back, and I gripped them for balance.
“Are you ready?” he asked against my ear.
Christian slowly pulled me to a sitting position. The wind blasted all my hair forward. Once I got my balance, I turned around. Hills and trees moved past like slow-moving shadows, and my Vampire eyes allowed me to see much more from this vantage point. I had always dreamed about riding a train, but never like this.
Sitting on my knees, I felt the cool wind rushing against my fingers. I threw my head back and howled like a wolf, my arms wide.
Christian wrapped his arms around me, his lips to my ear. “I knew you’d like it.”
I didn’t care how cold my face was. I didn’t even care how I was going to get down. This was the most spectacular gift anyone had ever given me.
When I leaned my head against his shoulder, he turned so our lips met. We fell into a deep kiss, one so hot and erotic that I might compare all future kisses to it. His tongue swept over mine, and I felt him moan against my mouth. Christian’s hand roamed over my breast and stomach before cupping between my legs.
It could have led to sex on a train. Christian was like an untamed horse, and I loved his wild soul. We could have met those primal needs with absolute privacy and complete danger. But instead, we kissed for an eternity.
And that was enough.
* * *
I combedmy tangled hair with my fingers, still coming down off the high from the train surfing. Christian shut the outside door.
“I remember you telling me you did that once,” Christian said, straightening out his own hair.
“It was a freight train and not anywhere near this fast. That was amazing.”
He took my hands to warm them. “The ride or the kiss?”
“You need to stop with all the romantic gestures.”
“And why’s that?”
I put my hoodie over my head. “You’re making me look bad. I haven’t given you anything.”
He wrapped his arms around me and growled in that sexy way he often did late at night in bed. “You give me more than you think, Precious.”
