His voice was gruff, choked, as he said, “My scars…”
A gentle hand cupped his scarred cheek, and he couldn’t help but flinch.
“These are the mark of a warrior,” she told him almost reverently. “A badge of strength. You called me a survivor, but Erik, you’re a survivor too.”
A tear dripped from his lashes when he blinked and landed on the toe of his boot, but he didn’t see it, too lost in his thoughts. Did he dare to believe her?
There was gentle pressure on his face as Chloe murmured, “Look at me.”
Raising his head, he did as she commanded, and she offered him a soft smile as her fingers stroked over the ridges and grooves of his scars. “To me, you’re beautiful.”
He could see it reflected in her hazel eyes. She meant what she said, and now…
Stepping back with a fierce frown as too many emotions collided inside of him, he broke their connection to shake his head. “I don’t know what to do with that.”
Chloe grabbed for his hand, and he let her take it. “You don’t need to do anything with it right now. If you want, we can draw.”
“I’d rather kiss you.”
Her smile was a thing of beauty as she tugged lightly on his hand. “Then kiss me.”
Erik didn’t have to be told twice. Pulling her into his arms, his mouth met hers as her arms wrapped around his neck. His hunger for her was a beast inside of him that he kept tightly leashed. Chloe had given him a gift today that he never thought he’d receive. He wouldn’t spoil this moment by overwhelming her with his need. Carefully, paying attention to her responses in case she wanted him to stop, his hands stroked over her back above her sweatshirt before sinking into the silky-soft mass of her hair.
Chloe moaned against his mouth as she stepped closer to him, fitting her body tightly to his. Erik wanted to growl. His cock was so hard it was like he had an iron rod trapped in his pants. He wanted to free it, ease the pressure, but he knew he couldn’t. That would be too far, too fast. This had to be a careful dance because he refused to risk scaring her away.
Her tongue licked at his lips, and without thought, he opened his mouth to her, allowing her in. Too late, he realized his mistake as Chloe’s tongue encountered one of his fangs, and she stiffened slightly in his arms before she broke their kiss.
“What…?” She looked at him in confusion, and Erik wanted to rage at the unfairness of it all. He’d messed up, and now, like every beautiful dream he’d ever had, it was time to wake up.
Chapter Thirteen
As Chloe looked atErik’s tight-lipped expression, she questioned her sanity. Surely she hadn’t felt what she thought she’d felt. Vampires were a myth. Not to mention, she’d seen Erik plenty of times out in the sun. But she’d felt, what her mind could only surmise, was a fang.
Erik dropped his arms and stepped back. Worse, he turned away from her, his shoulders moving with every hard breath he took.
“Did you have some sort of cosmetic procedure?” She’d heard some people did that sort of thing. Had caps permanently adhered to their teeth to give them fangs.
Erik’s laugh was devoid of humor. “Yeah,” he remarked dryly. “Because of all the things that need fixing, I went with my teeth.”
Chloe stiffened. “You don’t need to be rude about it.”
“Shit.” With a growl so fierce he actually sounded like a dog, he roughly gripped the sides of his head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”
Turning, he avoided her gaze as he bent to pick up the sketch pad and the scattered pencils. “Do you still wantme to teach you?”
The way he asked that made Chloe think he expected her to decline. “Yes. But first, I’d like to hear about the teeth – if you’re willing to share.”
Erik straightened up, eyeing her as if he were contemplating what to tell her. The hesitation only made her more curious, more determined to get it out of him.
Sitting on the couch, she patted the cushion next to her. “Sit with me.”
He was still watching her with leery eyes. “It’s not a good story, Chloe.”
She frowned, staring at her coffee table without really seeing it. Finally, she nodded. “Okay.” Looking up at him, she repeated, “Okay. But I’d still like to hear it.”
She wanted to know him. Truly know him. Dark parts and all.
Erik sat, keeping to the front edge of the couch like he needed to be ready to bolt at a moment’s notice. He wouldn’t, or maybe couldn’t, look at her, his eyes trained on the closed drapes of her living room windows instead.
