He’s still laughing. He tries to push my arms away. “Ouch. Stop. I meant—‘not in a bad way.’ ”
“There’s nogoodway to be in bed with a vampire.”
“I beg to differ,” he says, biting my neck. “It’s only been good so far.”
I close my eyes and push my face into the side of Simon’s head. I want that to be true. I want it to stay true.
“I’m sorry I lied to you,” he whispers.
I wrap my arms around his waist. “Promise me you won’t do it again.”
“No.”
“Snowww,” I groan. “I thought you didn’t want me to be angry right now.”
Simon lifts himself up, rests on his side, on his elbow, and takes my face in both hands. “I think I made the right decision. To protect you and Penny.”
“We don’t need protection.”
“You do,” he says, mulish. “Sometimes.”
“What I need is to be able to trust you.”
“Youcan,Baz. Trust me to make the right decision. In the moment. Trust me to think on my feet.”
Simon’s blue eyes are open, guileless. He isn’t manipulating me now. His eyebrows are tense. His lips are parted. His teeth are very white.
“You can trust me,” he says again. “You already do.”
He’s right . . .
But he’s alsowrong.
“You’re infuriating,” I say.
He kisses my cheek. Quickly. “Be infuriated later.”
“No. You’ve run out of extensions.”
He brushes my hair out of my eyes, runs his fingers along my scalp. “I think this is what people do . . .”
“What are you talking about, Snow?”
“You said last night that I disappoint you constantly.”
I shake my head. “I didn’t mean—”
He catches my chin. “You did. I do. I let you down. And yet you don’t stop . . .”
“I don’t stop?”
Simon swallows; it’s my favourite show. “Loving me.”
“Simon . . .” I kiss him. He kisses me back. My arms are tight around his waist. My head is in his hands.
I’ve wanted this . . .
With Simon . . .
