“I’m a monster,” he replied honestly.
Willow’s breath sucked in. She wouldneverconsider him a monster, but he believed it.What happened in his past to make him think such a thing?She was as determined to learn the answer as she was scared.
“I’m sorry for what happened upstairs,” he said.
“I’m not.”
She’d had time to come back to her senses and recall why screwing a man she worked with was a horrible idea, but she didn’t regret what happened. He’d made her feel things she’d never felt before. She could still smell and taste him on her, which only made her yearn to finish what they started.
Declan sensed the truth of her words as well as her rising passion. He almost yanked his hand away when her desire enflamed his again, but her touch was the only thing keeping him somewhat rational. When this was over, he would lock himself away until he learned to control himself once more, but he didn’t have that luxury right now.
“You don’t want to get involved with me,” he said. “I’m no good for you.”
Despite the warning in his words, the gravelly tone of his voice made her recall the heat of his lips, the brush of his hands, and the way he expertly brought her body to climax. She pulled at the collar of her shirt to cool herself, but that was never going to happen when she was this close to him.
What was it about this vampire that affected her so? Could he be her mate?
Willow’s mouth went dry as a small bolt of panic ran through her. She knew how amazing things could be between mates. She’d grown up with two parents who loved each other dearly; most of her siblings and her uncles had found their mates, but she wasn’t ready.
She was still supposed to have a few years before finding her mate, maybe centuries. Plus, she barely knew Declan, and as eager as she was to learn more about him, he seemed as determined to keep her away. And it pissed her off.
“I decide what is and isn’t good for me,” she said. “If you don’t want to finish what we started, then have the balls to say it, but don’t hide behind this‘I’m no good for you’bullshit. I’ve lived in the vampire world my entire life; I know what I can and can’t handle.”
Declan studied the resolute expression on her face and the determination filling her eyes; her face kept her anger concealed, but the emotion vibrated against his skin. She was a stubborn woman, and he liked it.
“You’ve lived in this world your whole life, but you don’t know whatIam,” he said.
“You’re a purebred, male vampire fighting to keep yourself from becoming a Savage. I have brothers; I’ve heard what can happen, and I know it’s no joke.”
“They’re not the same as me.”
Noone was the same as him, but she sensed there was something more to him. Something she’d never seen before and something terrifying, but instead of running from it as she probably should, her hand tightened on his.
“No one is the same as you,” she said honestly.
Thankfully he was saved from having to reply by Gus opening the door and stepping outside. He shaded his eyes against the fading sun as he squinted at them. “There you are.”
Gus descended the steps and strode toward them. Though Gus remained smiling as he strode toward them, Declan sensed his distress, and the lines around his eyes and mouth were deeper. The fight inside had taken its toll on him.
“Are you ready to go?”
“Yes,” Willow said. “Thank you so much for doing this for us.”
Gus waved his hand dismissively through the air. “No reason to thank me. I’ve got to report the problem anyway. I checked the phone before coming out, but it’s still not working. We’ll take my good truck this time.”
He hit a button on his keys, and one of the garage doors started to open. “Come on,” he said.
Willow didn’t let go of his hand as they followed Gus, and Declan didn’t release her.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
This truck wasa lot more comfortable than the last one, Willow decided as she rested her head against the back of the seat. Her earlier happiness was starting to return.
They’d find a phone and be home soon, and once they were, she couldn’t wait to hug her family. She knew her parents would go to the compound to wait for her.
Most of her siblings would probably want to go too, but she didn’t think Ronan would allow so many outsiders in at once. She hoped Abby and Brian hadn’t cut their trip short; her sister was looking forward to their vacation.
Still holding Declan’s hand, she clasped it in both of hers and rested it on her thigh. She didn’t know what would happen when they returned to the compound. She suspected he might try to avoid her, and as much as the idea of that made her want to kick him, she couldn’t stop him. Fantastic orgasm or not, she wasn’t going to chase the stubborn fool.
