She heard him blow out a breath and knew she’d made the first step in getting him where she wanted him.
“Are you hungry?” he asked. “I got held up in the city so I didn’t have time to cook, but I could order us something.”
Astra stopped in the center of the living room and turned to face him. “Not really. Are you hungry?”
She ran a fingertip up the open edge of her shirt to the base of her throat. His eyes tracked the movement and he swallowed hard.
“Not for food,” he answered, his voice hoarse.
He took a step toward her, but she took one back. Rune paused before he stepped forward again. She moved back once more.
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
“I was hoping you would tell me,” she said.
A frown creased his brow. “You think something is wrong with me?”
“Actually, I was wondering if you thought something was wrong with me.”
He blinked. “What? Of course not. Why would you think that?”
“We’ve been having sex for nearly a month now and you still haven’t bitten me.”
Rune’s mouth fell open and he stared at her as if completely shocked. He closed it with a snap. “Well, um, the last time we discussed it, you made it clear you were uncomfortable with the idea.” His tone was becoming defensive.
“That’s because we were just starting our relationship, Rune. You said yourself that biting requires trust from your lover, and I needed time to build trust in you.”
Once again, he looked surprised, which made her laugh. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “I didn’t want to bring it up again because I didn’t want you to feel pressured,” he said.
“I realized as much,” she replied, taking another step back, but angling her body toward the hall behind her. Her hands reached up to her shirt, slipping another button loose. She ran a palm up her chest to her neck, tugging the shirt away from her throat. “That’s why we’re talking about it now.”
His gaze ran from the green lace of her bra, up her chest, to the pulse that thrummed in her throat.
“Are you saying that you’ve changed your mind?” he asked, his voice quiet.
There was a look in his eyes that Astra had never seen before. Heated but also predatory.
At their core, vampires were hunters. Many found donors or used blood banks that had supernatural employees who would sell them blood that couldn’t be used on humans for one reason or another. Modern vampires rarely had the chance to chase their prey.
Astra took another step back and Rune froze. His body leaned forward as though he were about to follow her, but his face tightened and his eyes blazed.
“Astra,” he said. “It’s very important that you communicate with me right now because I’m walking a fine line here.”
She slipped another button free and took another small step back. “A fine line?” she asked, her voice light.
Rune’s eyes blazed, more silver than grey now. “You know exactly what you’re doing.”
Yes. Yes, she did. She wanted to see beneath the veneer of civilization that he wore, to the core of the man. And the vampire.
“I do understand,” she said. “But do you?”
Another step. Another button. There were nearly eight feet separating them now and she was close to the doorway of his bedroom.
Rune shut his eyes and took a deep breath, whether to keep from pouncing on her or to focus on her words, she didn’t know. When he opened them, she knew that he understood. A wicked grin spread across his face.
He leaned forward, shifting his weight to the balls of his feet. Astra knew that he was about to move, not just a step or two, but the entire length of the hallway.
No more buttons. She stripped the shirt off her body and flung it at him as she darted toward his bedroom.
