He should have been satisfied, but all he could think about after they returned from their evening shopping trip at the state line was how quickly he might be able to get her naked and underneath him again.
It didn’t help his nearly permanent erection that when he stepped into the house after taking care of the horses and chickens, Naomi was bent over in the kitchen, her pert little ass looking ripe for the taking in her curve-hugging jeans as she rummaged through the cabinets and pulled out a frying pan.
Soft music drifted in from the living room sound system. Not one of Ned’s favorite country albums, but a soulful jazz number the old man used to listen to on the days when Ruth seemed to be on his mind more than usual. As Asher watched Naomi sway and hum to the sensual song, he didn’t imagine he’d be able to hear it again without thinking of her.
She glanced over at him as he let the screen door quietly close. Her slow smile as their eyes connected made his cock twitch behind his zipper.
“I’m making a chicken breast to put on some salad,” she said, placing the pan on the stovetop. “Does that sound all right to you?”
“Make whatever you like. The kitchen is yours.”
“Okay.” She walked to the refrigerator and pulled out some of the fresh produce they bought, setting it on the counter next to the sink where he was now washing and drying his hands. “What’s it like not being able to eat actual food?”
He shrugged, leaning against the counter as she rinsed the lettuce and shook off the water. “Your definition of food and mine are different, that’s all.”
“So, you’ve never even tasted fresh fruit or a perfectly seared steak? Or really good chocolate?”
“No. I could taste human food if I wanted, but only a bite or two. Breed digestive systems aren’t equipped for crude nourishment like that.”
Her gaze drifted to his mouth. “Only blood?”
“Yes. And only fresh blood, taken from a living vein.”
She swallowed, and as her delicate throat worked he was suddenly very aware of the fact that it had been a few days since he last fed—too many, especially for a Gen One like him. Later generations could push their bodies upward of a week, but not the purest of the Breed.
Yet as thirsty as he was, the idea of taking a basicHomo sapienscarotid held even less appeal than usual. Not when Naomi was standing in front of him.
“Why haven’t you tried to take my vein, Asher?”
He ground his teeth together at her innocent question. She was off-limits for a lot of reasons, not the least of which being the fact that she was a Breedmate. He reached out and touched the small birthmark below her chin. “Because of this.”
One sip of her blood would nourish him the way human blood never could, but it would also bind him to her like an unbreakable chain. For as long as either of them lived, he would feel her in his own veins, in his senses. And if she drank from him, there would be no other male for her, either. The blood bond was not only sacred between a Breed male and his woman, but eternal.
She deserved someone better. Someone worthy of her.
So, why did he feel such a profound yearning to pierce her tender skin regardless of all that?
He cleared his throat, his mouth suddenly as parched as the Mojave outside.
“Better get cooking,” he muttered. “If Sam wakes up in the other room and smells chicken on the stove, you may have to fight him for your dinner.”
She laughed softly. “Okay. No dinner for you, but you’re sure you don’t want anything?”
“I didn’t say that.” He prowled toward her, unable to resist the need to be close to her. “I definitely see something I want.”
His arms circled her from behind and he stepped in close, groaning at the feel of her pressed against the front of his body. As small as she was compared to his immense size, he’d never felt anything more perfect than the soft warmth of her body leaning into his hardness. He moved his hips against her backside, his arousal on the verge of agony just to be near her.
She tipped her head back and sighed, slowly rocking to the music within the cage of his arms. “I’ve always loved this old song.”
He grunted. “I’ve never appreciated it more than right now.”
Her mouth curved as she gazed up at him from under the thick fringes of her lashes. “Dance with me.” She turned inside the circle of his loose embrace, until they were facing each other with no space between them. She moved fluidly, rotating her hips as she looped her arms around his neck and held his heated gaze. “You’re so stiff, Asher.”
“I’m not much of a dancer.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Rising up on her toes, she pulled his head down to her and slanted her mouth over his.
Her kiss exploded through his senses like gasoline thrown on a raging fire. He smoothed his hands down onto her rounded behind, squeezing her and drawing her up tight against his arousal. He wanted to be inside her, fused together with her. He would be, if not for the damnable barriers of their clothing.
