“Come on,” I said. “They’ve got this. Let’s go home.”
* * *
“Eli,” Nicolas protested. “You needn’t fuss.”
“I do, actually, need to fuss,” I told him, unbuttoning his shirt. With his chest bared, I sucked in a breath, letting my gaze fall over him. He was stunning—heart-wrenchingly gorgeous. More so now that I understood all that he was.
“Eli,” he repeated, catching my gaze. Hunger ignited in his eyes. But through the bond, I knew it was the ordinary hunger of a man desperate for touch.
I helped him out of his shirt, then peeled mine off in one go. I turned to help him out of his pants, but he was already naked and perfect under the harsh lighting.
“I’ll be getting those replaced,” he said, smiling. “Maybe something incandescent.”
I laughed. “That… will take some getting used to. The mind-reading, I mean.”
“Yes,” he agreed. “But the bond doesn’t show me everything. I won’t pry.”
“It came in handy tonight.”
He hummed, but I saw it again—that hollow look that made something twist in my chest.
Taking a steadying breath, I busied myself with the shower, testing the water. Hot, but not too hot. Just right.
When I turned back, I found him watching me. “I’m in an advanced state of nudity. You’re still wearing pants.”
“Easily fixed.” I grinned, then undid my fly. “See?”
“Indeed, I do.” His lips parted, gaze both soft and heated as he drank me in. “Doctor De La Cruz, you are the most beautiful man I have ever seen.”
Shaking my head, smile still on my lips, I took his hand and led him into the shower.
“I—” He hesitated beneath the warm spray, looking suddenly uncomfortable. “I’ve never done this before.”
“You’ve never showered?” I arched a brow. “How do you remove the evidence?”
He snorted, eyes crinkling. But when he met my gaze, I saw—and felt—the vulnerability. “There’s so much I’ve never done with another man,” he admitted. “I’ve spent years with a singular focus. It hasn’t left room for… closeness. What if I don’t know how?”
“It’s not like I’m an expert,” I told him. “My track record isn’t exactly stellar. Maybe we learn how to do this part together.”
“Yes.” He paused. “Eli, I would like to touch you.”
My beautiful, sweet, brave vampire—the man I’d always loved with everything in me—was asking permission.
“Yes,” I said. “I want you to.”
Then his hands were on me, palms flat on my chest, mapping every line and angle of my body. His touch was cooler than the water, but still perfect. My eyes drifted shut with pleasure.
Somehow, through the bond, I could see myself as he saw me: warm, vibrant, pure, and electric with life. Kind, but with a temper. Gentle, but fierce and brave. It was the way he had seen me in my former life as well.
I let my hands explore him as well. The lean muscles of his chest. The smooth, firm curves of his ass, decidedly masculine and inviting. The hardness of his cock.
He took me in his hand at the same moment, stroking me until my hardness ached for release.
“I need you to make love to me,” he breathed, turning around and arching his back. He glanced back at me, over his shoulder. “I need you inside me, warm and alive.”
I gazed down at curves of his perfect ass, interested but not wanting to cause him discomfort. “We don’t have any—”
Behind you, his voice spoke into my mind.
