“They don’t.”
“Have I met other vampires?”
“Probably.”
“Like everyone who works at Nightfall?” Carina probed.
“That’s their story to tell, Little girl. Not mine. Do you always wake up so curious?” he asked, arching an eyebrow with humor.
“If I say yes, does that mean you won’t be here tomorrow?” She tried to appear nonchalant while inside she had every finger and toe crossed.
“I plan to wrap myself around you every night. Tonight, I hoped you might like to see my house.”
“Really? You want me to spend the night at your place?” That was a big step commitment-wise.
“I plan for you to move in with me,” Marcus told her with no hesitation.
A thrill kindled inside her at his decisiveness. She didn’t doubt his intentions one iota. Marcus wasn’t playing around. He wanted her with him.
“You’re my Little girl. You need to play and be taken care of in your nursery.”
“I have a nursery?” Her brain cranked into overdrive as she replayed all those sweet and steamy scenes she’d read in age play books. The specialized room for adult Littles existed?
“The beginning of a nursery exists in my home. We need to make it yours,” Marcus said, studying her face.
“Oh, I probably look awful.” Carina pulled the covers up to hide partially behind them.
He tugged the comforter off and leaned forward to kiss her hard. When he lifted his lips from hers, Carina took a shaky breath. His every caress was magical. An image of the flash of his long white teeth in the early hours of the night rebounded in hermind. Carina sneaked a hand up to explore the spot where he’d bitten her. Her finger traced the small depressions in her skin, and she shivered as the memory bounced back into her mind.
“Does it hurt, Little one?” he asked, instantly concerned. He pulled her hand away to check.
“No, it’s so sensitive. If I touch it, I remember….”
“Ah,” he said as if he understood. “Pleasure floods your senses?”
“Is that normal?”
“Between mates, yes,” Marcus told her.
“Have you had many mates?”
“No, Little one. Only one mate exists for me. I have searched for many years to find you.”
“But you’ve been alive for—forever!” she finished.
“A long time. Yes, Carina. You were worth the wait.”
Delighted by that statement but sorry he’d been alone for so long, Carina stroked a hand over his cheek. “I’m glad you found me. What if I hadn’t come to Nightfall?”
“Who knows what fate would have had in store for us. Maybe a chance meeting at the gas station. Perhaps we would have missed each other at every turn. Let’s not dwell on that. A celebration is in order.”
“I’m off on the weekends. Maybe we could spend the day together?”
“I would like that. Do you wish to come to Nightfall tonight?” Marcus asked.
Remembering the long line and how early she’d gotten there, Carina wrinkled her nose. “I don’t want to waste the whole day with you. I got to Nightfall about three yesterday. Karla and I made a party out of it. Oh, Karla! I didn’t check that she got into her apartment safely.”
Carina launched herself toward the side of the bed and jerked to a stop when Marcus looped a restraining arm around her waist.
