Maggie could only stare at him for a long time, trying to process what he had just said. She wasn’t used to someone being so mindful of her needs, except, she really wanted to fuck Anatoly’s brains out. He had more than proven he deserved a good time, but if he wanted to wait, she’d wait for him; he was worth it.
Then something occurred to her and she raised an eyebrow at him. “Our first time? Or your first time?”
Another blush colored his cheeks and he glanced away sheepishly. “Both, if I am honest. Does that bother you?”
This brought a smile to Maggie’s lips. She slipped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest as she hugged him. “Not at all. Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be ready, trust me on that.”
They shared another sweet kiss, and this time Maggie didn’t push for anything more. Knowing how he felt and that it was a big deal to him, she would be respectful just as he was trying to be of her. Boy was it difficult though. The man was a seriously good kisser and she couldn’t help but wonder what other talents he was hiding.
“Do you mind if I take a few minutes to get cleaned up and changed?” she asked after their lips parted. “I don’t want to abandon you out here…”
“Not at all, please, do what you need,” came his swift answer. “Are you hungry? I cannot imagine you have had time to eat anything…”
Maggie nodded. “I’ll get something when I’m out of the shower,” she answered, kissing his beard as she moved by him. Now that she’d set her mind to it, a shower sounded really damn good. She trusted Anatoly would be able to entertain himself for a little while, and so she slipped into her bedroom, gathered up a fresh set of pajamas and then headed to the bathroom.
She didn’t take too long getting undressed, her body still buzzing with arousal. It was a temptation to take care of her other needs herself, but there was a kind of deliciousness in forcing herself to wait for Anatoly to be ready. She’d see how long she could go without pleasuring herself.
Once she was under the hot water though, she thought about his hands on her hips and how good it had felt to be held in his arms. Yeah, she’d also found out he was a vampire, but that seemed insignificant next to the reality that she was in yet another forbidden relationship.
All of a sudden, the shower didn’t feel as good and a stray trace of guilt lashed her. She’d promised herself no more toxic relationships, and here she was dating a vampire she’d known for all of two weeks.
And yet it didn’t feel wrong. Yeah, it was foolish on paper, but it felt right. Everything about him felt right and she owed it to herself to give him a fair shake. He deserved the same chance that she’d been willing to give a random guy she met on a dating app. At least Anatoly had already proven himself several times over.
A smile spread over her face at the thought of him and that’s all it took to chase the last vestiges of guilt from her wounded heart.
She wrapped up in the shower shortly after that. Her hair and body scrubbed clean, she stepped out and was just wrapping a towel around herself, when the familiar buzzing of her smartphone alerted her to an incoming call. She glanced at the name on the display and swore out loud, even as she moved to answer it.
“Yeah.”
“Maggie, about fucking time,” came the lieutenant’s gruff voice. “Get your ass moving, they found another body.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Much to Anatoly’s dismay, Maggie was all business by the time they arrived at the crime scene. As they pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex, she slipped her hand away from his and he lamented the loss of her warm touch.
The news there had been another killing had not dampened his feelings for her. Though he too was somber and not in the mood for conversation, he was very much glad to be in her presence, even if they must now act professionally.
He would much rather have been back in her little kitchen, watching her hastily eat the sandwich he’d prepared for her. Anatoly had known the second she returned from her shower dressed in her usual slacks and a blouse that something was wrong.
Now a young woman had died and he feared he had only himself to blame. He worried that his affection for Maggie might have slowed her down, but the moment he thought it into existence, he swatted it away like a persistent fly.
More than ever, they were becoming partners and despite the circumstances, they were working as hard as they could. This death rested squarely on the shoulders of the one who had done the deed and there was no good that could come from Anatoly bearing that shame in their stead.
“Good, you’re here, Detective,” a woman in a police uniform called as the pair entered the apartment where the body had been found. “I’m pretty sure this is one of yours, though there are some inconsistencies…” The officer cut straight to the chase. “Do you want to see the body before the coroner starts packing it up?”
Maggie nodded, her ponytail bobbing, and then she was on the move, following the officer further inside to the bedroom. “What do we know so far?”
“The victim is Jean Thomas, age forty-one, lives alone…” The younger woman wasted no time rattling off the details from her notepad. “Preliminary findings are exsanguination as the cause of death. Someone drained Miss Thomas of all her blood, just like the others.”
A sick feeling curled in Anatoly’s stomach, souring him to his own nature not for the first time since he had become a vampire. He risked a glance at Maggie, hoping to figure out what she was thinking, but her expression remained stony.
For her to have just found out about vampires and then be forced to stare their darkness in the face had to be difficult. Anatoly wanted to comfort her in some way, but he dared not. She was far too closed off to him, back to the way she was when they had first met. Would she make the same promise to this victim?
Anatoly watched Maggie work, admiring how methodical she was and that she always seemed to ask the right questions. It was the same admiration he had felt in the beginning, that first fateful night that now seemed so very long ago. Only this time, he knew her, knew the taste of her lips and the sensation of completeness that came from holding her in his arms. Those small, intimate moments were held in his heart like treasures as his eyes beheld the horror of this poor woman’s final moments.
“You mentioned inconsistencies?” Maggie was asking the officer, watching over the victim’s remains as she was carefully placed by the medical team into a body bag.
“That’s right,” came the answer. “Your gal isn’t a preacher. She’s a counselor at the Starry Meadows Rehab Facility. Weird, huh?”
