Her cheeks flush with a pretty blush, and the rush of blood isn’t only going to her face. Delicious. I knew from the moment I scented her blood she had never been bitten. We vampires are vain creatures, and we like to mark our prey. Only another vampire would know the signs, and Quinn Shaw had none, until me. Now that I’ve given her my blood, there isn’t a blooded vampire who wouldn’t know she was mine.
In the cafeteria when she wrongly assumed I preferred bagged blood over hers, I almost let my creature slip right then and there and showed her just how badly we wanted her, but I regained control at the last second and again asked for her patience so we could speak privately.
Her easy acquiescence and acceptance is a rarity among my kind, where plots and machinations are centuries old. It only makes me treasure what she is even more. The humanity she possesses may make her a little reluctant to embrace the nature of our bond, but it also makes her exactly who she is—perfect.
Evan moves to take a step back, and she darts her gaze to him, waiting to see our reactions. We need to show her that neither of us are going anywhere. I don’t move in as fast as Evan, I let her see me coming, but I lean in for a kiss all the same. Her lips purse under mine. Even if her head is telling her to be cautious, her body can’t help but react.
Quinn
Griffin moves in close the second Evan takes a half step back. His intent is clear as he leans down. Instead of worrying about what they are thinking, I just allow myself to sink into the moment. I close my eyes and feel the way Griffin’s lips tease mine coaxingly.
Evan shifts until he’s standing behind me, his presence impossible to ignore. He’s huge and warm, and my body automatically attunes to his, even while my lips are against Griffin’s. I feel his hands trace over my sides until he’s pushing my hair away from the side of my neck. My breath catches when I feel his lips blaze across the path he just revealed.
Holy hell, this is really happening. I’m not going to admit how many times I’ve thought about this since the last time either one of them has kissed me, but let’s just say it’s more than a few. While my sex life hasn’t been adventurous so far, I’m certainly willing to try a great many things.
Griffin flips his hold on my hand so our fingers are laced together. His hand is much larger than mine, and the rings he wears makes it a little uncomfortable, but not enough that I want him to let go. His other hand slides into my hair, so I lean against his palm, giving Evan more access to my neck and shoulder. I can feel his stubble against my skin, leaving me feeling like I need to shiver every time his chin brushes against me.
Evan uses his mouth to push aside the collar of my shirt, and when the fabric resists stretching, he uses his hand to tug on my sleeve, exposing my shoulder and a little of my upper back. His kisses grow more frantic, and the touch of his pillow soft lips is intermingled with the blunt edges of his teeth. I gasp when he snakes his hand around my stomach and snatches me back so my body is flush against his.
I let out a huff of air, the jarring movement causing Griffin’s and my teeth to hit, only my lip gets pinched in the middle. Griffin freezes. His entire body just stops. I don’t even think he’s breathing. I move my tongue to soothe the spot that got bumped, but Griffin beats me to it. He lets out a low groan, and I feel the pressure of him sucking my lip into his mouth. His tongue makes a lazy lap over the tender spot, and the slight sting disappears as if it never was.
Griffin releases my lip and pulls his mouth from mine, but he doesn’t back away. His eyes stare right into mine as he mutters gutturally, “I couldn’t help myself,” as if he’s apologizing.
Evan’s chin scrapes along my shoulder as he lifts his head. “What happened?” His words are damn near purred in my ear.
“Nothing, our teeth bumped.”
“Bumped hard enough that she bled. You can’t jerk her around,” Griffin admonishes Evan.
“Did I? Shit, I’m sorry. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, I’m not that fragile,” I answer. Griffin still hasn’t pulled away, so I notice when his pupils shrink and his blue irises get larger.
“Are you like a vegan vampire or something? I’m clean, I promise.”
Evan is still holding me against him, so I feel it when his entire body shudders. I glance over my shoulder. “Areyouokay?” He buries his face between my shoulder blades and really starts to shake.
“Shut up, bear, this is your fucking fault,” Griffin snaps.
I spin out of Evan’s hold when the convulsions grow worse. When he eventually looks up, I notice his entire face is red and there’s an actual tear falling down his cheek. “Are you crying?” I reach out to comfort him, and that’s when he lets out a roar of laughter. I’m so startled, I jump back, which makes him laugh even harder.
“You said,” Evan wheezes, “vegan vampire.” He flicks the tear off his cheek.
“It’s not even funny,” Griffin snarls.
“You’re right—it’s fucking hilarious.” Evan’s voice is high-pitched and breathy. He’s still laughing pretty hard.
“She thinks I only drink bagged blood, you moron.” Griffin darts his eyes to me. “Which is true for the most part. I haven’t bitten anyone in…a very long time.”
“That’s fine. You don’t have to validate your choice to me or him.” I hook my thumb in Evan’s direction. I think this is the first time I’ve gotten aggravated with him. Evan abruptly stops laughing when he catches sight of my not so pleased expression. I feel like he’s making fun of me too. How the hell am I supposed to know what to call a vampire who doesn’t drink from the vein?
In my peripheral, I see Griffin send a triumphant smile in his friend’s direction. I almost roll my eyes, but that would mean I was just as juvenile as they are.
“Sorry if I offended you,” I tell Griffin.
“You didn’t.” He takes my hand into his and bends his knees a little so he’s looking right into my eyes. “We should talk about it though.”
“I’m gonna grab my stuff,” Evan says quietly and heads down the hallway to give Griffin and me some privacy.
