“No, darlin’, I'm not going anywhere,” he promised as he swirled the tip of his tongue over the small cut on her chest, licking away the blood and easing the sting.
Offering him a shy smile, she fought a yawn. “Okay, that’s good. I wasn't ready for you to leave. Is that okay to say?”
Chuckling, Blade nuzzled her neck as he rolled them slightly so she was tucked against his side. “Yeah, darlin’, it’s okay to say.”
Better than okay. He was in too deep, and he had no idea what Whitney wanted, or what he wanted. Only right now, he didn't have it in him to care.
January 14th
7:13 A.M.
“You're still here,” Whitney said in surprised wonder when she yawned, rolled over, and found herself staring at a naked chest.
An extremely delicious naked chest, and the urge to run her tongue along each defining ridge caught her by surprise. That wasn't her. She didn't have those thoughts, and yet … apparently now she did.
“We’re going to have to talk about those abandonment issues of yours at some point, darlin’.”
That low, steady voice of his seemed to roll right over her, blanketing her with a warmth that had been lacking in her lifeeven before she’d been sold off. Blade seemed to actually care about her, but she didn't understand it at all.
“Thank you for last night,” she said shyly. There was a slight pain between her legs, but it was the most delicious kind. She felt like she was no longer a scared little girl, she was a woman now. A brave one? Maybe not yet, but at least she felt like she was getting there, taking control of her own life, making her own decisions, and it was wonderful.
Beside her, Blade’s face grew troubled, and that tentative hope that had been building inside her seemed to pop like a balloon.
He regretted it.
Of course he would.
There was no way a confident man who looked like Blade wasn't experienced. She’d probably done it wrong, not been very good at it. She’d said she was okay with the knife thing, but he hadn't really cut her much, maybe she’d been a disappointment, and …
“Whoa, don’t go spiraling there, darlin’.”
Although she remembered falling asleep with Blade still inside her, worn out by their lovemaking and feeling safe and content, at some point in the last few hours, he’d slipped out of her and she’d put a little distance between them. Or maybe that had been Blade. Now, though, he hooked an arm around her and hauled her up against him.
“Whatever thoughts were running through your mind just now, get rid of them. Last night was perfect, you were perfect, but, Whitney … we didn't use protection.”
It was clear Blade was troubled about this, and she relaxed at his praise. She doubted she was actually perfect, but if he cared enough to try to reassure her, that was a good thing, so she hurried to reassure him. “It’s not the right time in my cycle, I just finished my period a couple of days before you found me, so I'mnot ovulating. We didn't get pregnant, and since I was a virgin up until a couple of hours ago, I didn't give you anything.” Before he could open his mouth, she continued, “I don’t think you would have risked my health by taking me without a condom if you had something you could have passed onto me.”
“I'm clean,” he confirmed. “But I still should have been more careful. I won't be reckless like that again. Not when it comes to you.”
Impulsively, she leaned up and kissed his cheek, touched by his sweet words. Whitney had no idea what was going to happen between her and Blade, but she wasn't going to fight against it. Worst case scenario, she made some fun memories and learned some things about her body and sex, then left once Dr. Gardner was dead. Best case scenario, maybe she really had found a family who wanted to keep her.
“We’d better get up,” Blade said, although he didn't sound pleased about the idea. Something had shifted in his demeanor, though, and she tried not to panic that she’d somehow done something wrong.
“Did something happen?” It was weird remembering that Blade’s superior hearing probably meant he could hear every conversation happening in the house. Because of her job she knew better than anyone exactly what these men could do, but knowing it, and being with them to see it, were very different things.
“Maybe, I'm not sure.” Somewhat sheepishly he shrugged. “When I'm with you, I can dull it a little. My hearing. Maybe it’s because you make me feel more so I can shut it down a little. It’s nice. Peaceful.”
Beaming with pride, Whitney kissed him again on the cheek before climbing out of the bed. She was halfway to the bathroom when Blade stopped her, his hand closed around her wrist. Shehadn't even heard him moving, it was like he’d crossed the room in a split second.
“Where do you think you're going?” he growled, the possessiveness easy to hear in his tone.
“Umm … to take a shower?”
“But you're …” Blade waved a hand at her body, at the small scratches from his knife that would be healed in a day or two, and the evidence of what they’d shared still staining her legs.
“Covered in blood and your semen?” she asked, unsure if she was reading his expression correctly.
“Yes,” he growled again, but it wasn't an angry growl, just one that made her blood heat and her body pulse with desire.
