Paige bit back her reminder that shewouldn’t always be with him. She’d lost the battle in the alley,but next time she’d be better prepared. And no matter what Iansaid, she knew there would be a next time. There always was.
“You were looking for him when you were inthe bar,” Ian deduced. Paige refused to look at him. “You couldn’thave been looking for me, I don’t leave a trail of bodies, and Idon’t leave evidence of my feeding habits.”
“You don’t,” she agreed. “I actuallybelieved you were just a drunken, college whore.”
The small vulnerability she’d allowed toshow had vanished beneath her steely exterior again. Walking over,he sat on the couch beside her. “You don’t pull any punches, doyou?” he asked.
“You’re being honest with me, I should dothe same.”I also have to remember who and what you are,shethought as she took another swallow of her drink. Because sittingnext to him right now, feeling all warm and out of sorts, she wasfinding it extremely easy to forget.
“Thank you,” he replied. “I guess.”
He gave her a halfhearted smile that didnothing to ease the heat of her body. She hopped to her feet. Herabrupt rise caused her to take an unsteady step forward. She didn’tsee him move before his hand wrapped around her elbow and hesteadied her.
“Are you ok?” he demanded.
“I’m fine,” she assured him. She batted athis hand, but he continued to hold onto her elbow, heating herfurther. “I need another drink.”
“I’ll get it for you.”
“No, I think it’s better if I move around alittle right now.” Her bare feet sank into the plush white carpetas she walked to the bar. It was even more comfortable and invitingthan it looked; she dug her toes into it before stepping onto thewood floor again. “What happens if you somehow end up falling inlove with one of these girls, and then you have to explain what youdid to her, or what you are?”
“Not possible.”
She paused in the act of searching thelabels on the bottles to look up at him. “What’s not possible?”
“I won’t fall in love with one of them.”
She placed her hands on her hips as shestared at him. “How do you know that?”
He grinned at her as he leaned back on thecouch and crossed his long legs before him. The firelight playingover his golden skin and chiseled body did little to ease thedesire he’d stoked in her earlier. A desire she’d assumed buried bythe reminder of her past.
Dear Lord, his smile was unbelievablyluring, especially when it made that little dimple in his rightcheek appear. The loose fitting jeans and baggy sweater she woresuddenly felt stifling and far too burdensome. She glanced at herdrink, but no matter how badly she wanted him right now, she couldnever blame it on the alcohol in the morning if she gave into herurges. If she jumped him, it would be one hundred percent herdecision, and no matter how tempted she was by him, she could notallow that to happen. She’dneverforgive herself.
“That’s one more thing about us you don’tknow,” he replied.
“And what exactly is that?”
“When vampires fall in love, it’s forever.When we find our mates, it’s a bond that can never be severed. Wemay not recognize what another is to us right away, but theconnection is there from the beginning. I’ve never encountered thatwith any of the women I’ve slept with.”
“And you’re so certain she hasn’t alreadywalked out of your life?”
“Positive.”
She grabbed the bottle of Scotch. Shecontemplated slugging shots out of it as she stared at hisfrustratingly, tantalizing body. “How can you be so sure?”
Her hand shook, causing the bottle to clinkagainst the glass as she poured her drink. She hoped he wrote theshaking off to the effects of the Scotch, but she knew the truth.It was the alcohol’s fault she didn’t hate herself over what shewas feeling for him right now, but he didn’t need to know that.
“I’ve seen what the connection is like, whatit does to two vampires or a vampire and a human. I’ve seen theconnection in the beginning stages, and then later when the bondbetween mates has been completed. I grew up in a household wherethe true, intense love between vampires was a constant part of oureveryday lives. You can believe me, or not, but it’s a beautifulthing.”
She couldn’t tear her gaze away from theintensity of his sky colored eyes. “It sounds… interesting.” Shedidn’t know what else to say to him about it, didn’t know how totake his revelation.
“It is far more than that. Believe me, noneof the women I’ve been with have aroused more in me than what wasnecessary, and after we were done screwing, all I felt for them wasthe urge to get them out of my room.”
This time she couldn’t stop her mouth fromgaping at the bluntness of his words. He kept his eyes locked onhers while he leisurely took a sip of his drink. The idea of himwith another woman made her want to barf, but the thought of hisbody moving over hers made her skin feel too tight and caused herheart to race.
“I… uh… I see,” she managed to stammerout.
“Good, because believe me, it is one moreastonishing thing about my race that you’re overlooking. We’reactually quite loving and very protective when it comes to those wecare for.”
