Maxwell’s narrowed eyes softened a little. “Why? Have you let Adriel’s words get to you?”
“I’m just saying, Max, what if he’s right? If I can’t control myself and I accidentally hurt you, what would I do?”
“Why would you hurt me?”
I bit my lip hard and growled, “Because I can smell your blood.”
He blinked. “Oh.” He tapped his chin. “Interesting.”
I frowned and watched him as he became lost in thought, the gears turning in his mind.
“Can you notalwayssmell my blood?” Maxwell asked.
“Yeah, but for some reason, it seemed really potent this time,” I admitted.
“What about when you kissed me?”
I shrugged. “I wasn’t really thinking about it then.”
“Can you smell it right now?”
“What’s with all the questions, Max?” I mumbled, feeling self-conscious.
Maxwell crossed his arms. “I’m trying to figure out your trigger. If we can determine that, maybe we can avoid it and this doesn’t have to be a problem. I’m also wondering if this is all in your head, brought on by the doubt Adriel placed in you. Your mind can have a powerful effect on your body.”
“I don’t know,” I said honestly.
“You’ve never had this problem before, have you? Not with any other human?”
“No.” I paused. “But I’ve also never been in love with a human before.”
Maxwell paused, startled at my words. His face turned deep pink. He cleared his throat before continuing. “Well, it’s worth investigating. But, er, I would still like to try… having sex.” He clapped his hands together. “I have an idea.”
He came closer, putting his hand firmly on my chest. His warmth radiated through my skin.
“Why don’t I initiate?” Maxwell offered. “You can just, uh, sit back and relax. Perhaps you’ll be less tempted to suck my blood that way.”
Despite my nerves, I laughed. “I’m not sure how much that’s gonna help. I could still turn on you.”
Maxwell frowned and stared me dead in the eyes. “Theo, the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. You’ve never once turned on me, and I doubt you’re going to start now.”
His words made sense, so I nodded slowly, even though I was still unsure. But he was right that I’d never turned on him, or any other human. My reaction to the mugger was restrained, and brought on from fear of violence, of him hurting Maxwell. This was an entirely different situation. Sex was supposed to feel good, not scary.
“Okay,” I said. “But for the time being, I have a single condition.”
Maxwell nodded. “Sure. What is it?”
“There’s a pair of handcuffs in the drawer. I want you to put my hands behind my back and cuff me.”
His jaw dropped and his voice cracked. “What?”
“I’m serious. That way if anything bad does happen, I’ll be restrained.”
Maxwell sighed deeply. “I think that’s going a bit overboard, but if that’s what you want, I’ll oblige.”
I smirked. “Good. Then let’s do it.”
