“That’s our home.”
“And we will keep it safe,” I say.
Rachel gives me a venomous look all the same. I doubt she likes me much more than she likes Grant right now; in fact, perhaps far less, considering all she knows of me is that I turned her beloved cousin into a vampire.
“We’re doing this,” Margot says and looks at me and Asher. “Come on. We can take him to our place.”
Rachel glares at Margot but doesn’t comment as Asher and I lift the bodyguard between us. Quinn shifts back, making Rachel let out a little shout of surprise, and dresses quickly as they both look away.
“All good?” Asher murmurs, and Quinn nods.
He and Grant fall in just behind the two of us, the women up front as they lead us to their home. They argue in low tones the entire way, and when we arrive, I shift the bodyguard’s right arm onto Quinn’s shoulder.
Asher gives me a questioning look. “We will be up in a moment,” I reply.
He nods. The sky is not yet light, but I can feel the pull of the sun as dawn approaches. Grant pauses when I grasp his wrist, tilting his head up to look at me.
I wait until the door has closed and I can hear footsteps on the stairs before I kiss him. He wraps one arm around my neck and kisses me back, and desire and affection echo between us.
“Mm,” Grant hums when our mouths part. “What was that for?”
“You are magnificent.”
He flushes, eyes going wide with delight, and I curl one arm around his waist, pulling him closer. “Well, that’s… Thank you?”
I chuckle and kiss him again. It would be nothing at all to take things further, even out in the open and exposed as we are. Grant would let me. He would allow me anything I asked for.
I tear my mouth from his at that thought because we have more pressing matters to attend to than getting lost in one another. There will be time for that later. I will demand it.
For now… “Do not let her upset you,” I say, knowing the command is fruitless by the way Grant’s lips twist into a wry smile. It is a smile with his mouth only, and I do not like that at all. “Try not to, at least.”
Grant sighs. He digs his fingers in at the base of my scalp and I bite back a groan. “It’s not that easy.”
“I know.”
“She’s right to be angry, too. I would be if I were in her place.”
“Not for this long.”
“You don’t know how long I can hold a grudge.”
“Really? Because you appear to hold no grudge against me, despite the fact that I…” I clear my throat. Do I want to bring this up? Yes. I want no doubts. “That I never told you about the bond between us.”
Grant leans back to study my face. “Are you sorry about that?”
“Yes.” Desperately so, and I think he can hear it.
“I was angry with you because I couldn’t understand why you’d do it,” Grant says slowly, apparently choosing each word with care. “I didn’t know why you wanted to keep me that close when it seemed like I meant nothing to you beyond being your turn.”
“You were never just that.”
“You didn’t tell me. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because…” I sigh. “Because I did not wish for you to say you returned affection you did not feel. I needed you close because I needed—Ineed—to protect you. And I wanted all of you. Every touch, every smile, every breath—”
Grant’s breath hitches now. He has gone still in my hold, but he is not pulling away.
“I wanted you to feel the same for me, but I wished for you to be certain of it, not dazzled by the fact that I turned you.”
