“Agreed.” She took a deep breath and let it out in a whoosh. “So should we just dive in, then?”
For a moment, just a split second, when she reached for the hem of her shirt, I contemplated letting her take it off. I wanted to see her so badly that my teeth ached. But for that reason, I couldn’t let her do it. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep my hands to myself if I got a glimpse of her bare breasts.
My skin felt like it was on fire. Every muscle in my body ached. The tether between us seemed to pulse.
“I’m not going to complete the bond with your father across the hallway,” I said, my hand shooting out to stop her.
“But, I thought you said?—”
“When we complete the bond, I’d rather your hands weren’t shaking with nerves,” I murmured dryly, giving her hand a slight squeeze. “You’re not ready yet.”
“I’m not a virgin,” she argued. “And it’s not like I haven’t had one-night stands before. I didn’t know them either.”
I tried and failed to hide my distaste at the idea of her having sex with anyone else. Thankfully, she ignored my expression.
“Finding someone you think is attractive and fucking their brains out isn’t the same as committing your body and life to someone you just met,” I replied, sitting up.
“I thought you wanted me to be protected,” she said, throwing her hands in the air.
“I do.” Leaning into her space, I inhaled the spicy scent of her hair. Gods, I wanted her. “But your father has exceptional hearing for a human, and I doubt he wants to hear his daughter getting railed across the hall.”
Rosemary’s breath caught.
“I’m going to fuck you, and if the Gods are merciful, you’re going to fuck me?—”
“That can be arranged,” she replied hoarsely.
I groaned. “I’m not going to be able to get the fantasy of you riding me out of my head now,” I chastised, nipping at her jaw. She tilted her head back to give me more room to work. “But it won’t be tonight.”
I leaned back, and by the furious look in her eyes, it was a wonder she didn’t take my head off. I couldn’t really blame her. Yeah, she was nervous, but she clearly had no problem touching me. She’d leaned into the fact that we were mates from the moment I’d confirmed it. No hesitation or disbelief, just immediate acceptance.
That wasn’t something that happened often—or ever. Being raised in a Vampire family had given her an understanding that most humans didn’t have. She didn’t seem scared that she was going to be bound to a Vampire she didn’t know. She wasn’t worried if we would get along or if she could ever love me. She just assumed correctly that those things would come.
I rounded the bed and locked her bedroom door before pulling off my T-shirt.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” she groaned, watching me from the bed. “Are you serious?”
“I should probably shower,” I replied, pausing.
“You are not stripping naked one room away,” she snapped, shaking her head. “Come on, dude. Be a pal here.”
I chuckled as I tossed the T-shirt on top of the clothes already on her armchair and reached for my trousers.
Rosemary let out a quiet grunt as I unbuttoned my pants, flouncing away from me as she tugged the bedding out from under her ass. She scooted down until the blanket covered her to her chin. Seconds later, she pulled out the little shorts she’d been wearing and tossed them on the floor.
My cock ached as I took off my boots and trousers and slid into the bedding from the opposite side of the bed.
The sheets were cool against my heated skin as I stretched. My feet hit the footboard before my legs were even fully extended. She hadn’t been kidding when she’d mentioned that her bed was small. It reminded me of the beds in hotels a hundred years ago. They’d never been long enough either.
Rosemary sighed loudly and reached out to turn off the lamp.
Seconds later, she sighed again.
I stared at the back of her head, less than a foot separating our bodies.
“Something to say?” I asked, smiling.
When she rolled toward me, our knees knocked together. I didn’t think she could fully stretch out in the bed either. I wondered how she ever got any comfortable sleep.
