“How would you know? Apparently, I was talking too fast for you to understand the first time.”
“Touché.” I tap his nose. “You’re being a little cheeky this morning.”
“Morning? I think it’s nearly afternoon.”
“All right, you’re being a lot cheeky.”
I tickle him below the ribs. Laughing, he flops onto his back. Although he arches his back as I continue to tickle him, his legs stay perfectly still. He laughs but doesn’t try to talk. I want to straddle him and kiss him, but concern makes me stop. I pull my hands away from his sides, certain I’ve gone too far.
His laughter dies. He stares at the ceiling as his breathing calms. “Why did you stop?”
“You were struggling.”
He scowls. “I was having fun. I dreamt you kissed me while you tickled me. It was sexy.”
“That’s what I wanted to do.”
“But you didn’t.”
“You were vulnerable. I wasn’t sure you could give or withdraw consent. So I stopped.”
He finally looks at me. “That’s going to happen a lot, Stefan. I wouldn’t want you trying to fuck me while I’m having a cataplexy attack, but if my lips are awake, I’m good with kissing.”
I kneel over him, with my legs on either side of his thighs, and lean down to kiss him. “Like this?”
“Yes.” His eyelids flutter, and for a second, I see nothing but the whites of his eyes beneath his flickering lids. He starts and shakes himself. “Sorry. I was dreaming again.”
“What about?”
“What you did after that kiss.”
“What did I do?”
He rakes his teeth over his lip. “You kissed me right here.” He touches the side of his neck.
“Here?” I brush my lips over the spot.
“Yes, but not like that. In my dream, it was a much sexier kiss.”
I arch an eyebrow. “Sexier? How?”
He snorts. “I’m sure you can use your imagination, especially after I asked you to mark me.”
“Actually, I think you asked me to act like a vampire and mark you.”
“So you did hear me the first time?”
I smile and shrug. “Indulge me. Tell me what made the dream kiss sexier.”
Quinn plays with my chest hair. “It involved your teeth, suction, and a little bit of pain.”
“It was a love bite?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Here?” I run my finger over the spot I kissed.
“Right there.”
