“You’re jealous.” It wasn’t a question.
“No!” He expelled a breath. “Okay, maybe I don’t like to share.”
“No one’s asking you to.”
He still refused to look at me. “That’s not all. I-I’ve smelled that expensive cologne of his after hours. He hangs around here more than you realize.”
I reached out to halt his pacing, and though he let me, I hissed and pulled back the second my hand touched his bare skin. “You need to chill out; both literally and figuratively. I was just telling him I was off the market.”
That made him pause and look up at me. “You were?”
“I was—but pull a stunt like that again, and I may not be.”
James closed his eyes, seeming to center himself before opening them again and meeting my gaze. He stepped forward, and I noted that his body was significantly cooler. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I was out of line.”
I fought a shudder as he brushed my hair off my forehead. “That’s better.”
“Let me know the second you get home? You see Hannah on Sundays, right?”
“How did you know that?” I asked with a smile.
“I’m observant. Tell her I said hello.” James leaned in, giving me a slow, tender kiss that made my knees buckle.
“I will.”
I finally got into my car, and when I looked out the driver’s window, James was nowhere in sight. I dropped my head back onto the headrest, closing my eyes and taking a few deep breaths. I was twenty-four hours into this whole relationship thing and it already felt like it was too much. That tight feeling in my chest returned. I clenched the steering wheel to fight the shaking in my hands. Nausea churned my stomach. Bile rose in the back of my throat, but I choked it down. I wasn’t going to do this again—this wasn’t me.
I breathed through the burgeoning sense of panic, swallowing down the threat of vomiting. I refused to give into the way my hands wanted to shake. It took a while, longer than I cared to admit, but the feeling passed. My breathing evened out, my stomach settled, and my hands steadied. As my body temperature came down, I turned the car on and cranked up the heat to ward off the chill creeping into my veins.
It was nearing four in the morning by the time I got home, and I was desperate to crawl into bed. I went through my routine, forcing myself to shower off the events of the day before I collapsed onto the mattress. I pulled the blanket over me.
When I felt that familiar chill down my spine, I smiled. When James was with me, my fears seemed to melt away. I hadn’t even known his presence was what I needed. Was this what Raleigh and Angel were always going on about?
The bed dipped, and my vampire climbed in behind me. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, kissing the cleft of my ear.
“I know.”
I was too tired to turn over, but leaned back into his touch as he tightened his arm around me, easily drifting off to sleep.
I rolled over in his arms the next morning, teasing and taunting my way into him using his tongue to show me exactly how sorry he was—and I returned the favor. Morning dragged on, but we didn’t care, barely moving for hours. All I wanted wasmy lips and hands on any part of James I could cling to for just a little longer.
Later, as I drove to the restaurant where I was meeting Hannah for lunch, I couldn’t sit still. I was anxiously hoping she’d bring up the idea of spending the weekend with me. I wanted to broach the topic myself, but Erin was right—it needed to be Hannah’s idea.
I arrived first. Hannah appeared a few minutes later, covered head to toe in white fluff. Seriously, whoever chose black uniforms for a pet store needed help. As she neared, I realized her clothes were drenched too. “What happened to you?” I asked, both concerned and amused.
She glared at me, that classic Erin glare that used to make my blood run cold. Coming from her—especially in her current state—I couldn’t keep from laughing, and eventually a smile split her lips. “We have a litter of puppies at the store. We had to take pictures of them for an adoption event and that meant today was bath day.”
“Who got the bath?” That earned me another glare. “Do you want me to take you home to change clothes? We can always come back out.”
She waved me off, turning her attention to the menu. “I can’t be bothered with all that. Besides, they’re cute enough to get away with it.”
My mouth was moving before I could turn my brain off. “You know, I live alone. My place gets pretty lonely sometimes.”
Hannah’s eyes lit up. “You’d seriously consider adopting one of the puppies?”
I loved animals, and it wouldn’t hurt for me to have something to come home to at night—even if it was covered in fur. “Why not? I kept you alive for a night, didn’t I?”
She paused. “You know this is the parental equivalent of bribery, right?”
