He chuckled, the sound low and rumbling. “A text would have sufficed, nyet?”
“Nyet,” she proclaimed, mimicking him fairly well. “You showed up to have a date with me and then left. You owe me.”
“Oh, I do, do I?” Anatoly’s eyes sparkled playfully as he shifted a little closer, leaning across the distance that still felt like miles of endless space between them.
She nodded, her jaw set stubbornly. “Do you always play with your food like this?” she abruptly changed the subject.
Anatoly nearly laughed, but he held it in, his gaze flicking to her mouth as she wet her lips. “Is that what you think is happening?”
“I don’t know what to think, Anatoly…” she whispered, the puff of her breath taking him back to their near kiss not so very long ago.
“You are not prey,” he reassured her, surprising even himself with how true those words were. Yes, he would enjoy feeding from her, but only in the sense that it was such an intimate act for him and he longed to share it with her. There were many things he longed to share with her.
“Then, what am I?” Maggie asked, her voice barely audible.
In an instant, the tables had turned and Anatoly felt nervousness squirm its way into his chest. He wasn’t sure how to answer because he wasn’t sure of his own feelings yet. She was his friend, but that word wasn’t adequate to describe the emotion she had stirred to life within him.
“You are temptation,” he found himself saying, the words flowing from him before he could stop them. “You have awakened part of me I did not know existed and now I will never be same…”
“Oh,” she breathed, her eyes gleaming with emotions that were mirrored in his heart. She bumped against him as she shifted on her feet and the brief touch nearly made him come undone. “But, you’re a priest…” she blurted suddenly.
This time he let a chuckle escape, even as he brushed the back of his hand against her cheek. Being a priest was the farthest thing from his mind right now. His faith, which was core to his identity, was never far from his heart, but he was surprised to find that his heart no longer belonged only to him and God.
The realization should have frightened him, just as being so close to Maggie should have felt wrong, but the rightness of it gave him a sense of peace he’d not known his unlife had lacked.
“I am dead priest, vows were broken when I took final breath,” he answered her as honestly as he could.
“Oh,” she said again. “But?—”
Anatoly put a finger to her mouth, silencing her with the soft touch alone. Then he slowly dragged that same finger down her chin, over her throat, to the silver crucifix she had worn tonight.
The religious icon was uncomfortable against his skin, but he didn’t mind. He was used to handling such objects as part of his duties; it was Maggie’s flesh beneath that made him feel unsteady. He wanted so badly to explore all of her and the thought made him blush.
A soft smile tugged at her lips, drawing his gaze back to them. They were pink and full, and he found himself staring intently, imagining what they might feel like against his own…
Maggie must have read his mind, either that or his desire was plainly written on his face. While he couldn’t figure out why he had hesitated to take action, she simply went for it.
Heat surged through Anatoly as Maggie pressed her mouth to his. The gesture took him off guard and at first all he could do was stand there in shock. When she started to pull away, he captured her in a kiss of his own.
Chapter Twenty
Maggie had been kissed before, but never like this. Never with such passion and reverence. Anatoly pulled her in close, embracing her to his chest with the same gentleness she’d come to expect from him. His hands were on her hips, holding her in place, but she didn’t feel trapped or restrained. She was engulfed in him, from his earthy scent to the softness of his mouth, there was only Anatoly.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she tried to move closer, pressing against him as the kiss deepened. She felt him groan as her fingers brushed over his hair and it occurred to her that she had never seen him with his hair down before. Being careful not to pull on his scalp, she slipped the elastic tie from his hair onto her wrist for safekeeping.
Abruptly, he pulled from the kiss, his expression one of curiosity.
Maggie whined and drew him back in, her fingers tangling in his dark, unbound locks. She was rewarded with another groan and she smiled against his mouth, continuing to play in his hair as their kiss grew more intense.
She wondered how far he wanted to go, but she didn’t ask, she suggested, letting a hand drift over his shoulder and down his chest. Her palm didn’t even make it as far as his belt before he stopped her by softly taking hold of her wrist.
“Maggie…” He sounded breathless. “As pleasing as it is to kiss you, you must have more questions for me.”
That was an understatement. So far this night had been a whirlwind of emotion and revelations. She’d learned that vampires were real and now she was making out with one that was also a priest. Her day off was not going as planned and yet she was very keen to see where their romantic encounter would lead. She wanted to press for more, but her good sense won out.
It would be easy to get lost in each other now and worry about picking up the pieces later, but that was not a situation she wanted to experience ever again. It wasn’t a lack of desire, she could feel his arousal against her belly, that had made Anatoly stop her; he was protecting her from making any hasty decisions.
“Yeah, I have a lot of questions,” Maggie admitted, forcing herself to take a step back and drop her hands to her sides.
