“What do you want to do now?” Ruby asked when we returned to our hotel room. “It’s too early to go to bed.”
My mind immediately filled with dirty images. As if Ruby could read my mind, she stepped closer. The sweet scent of her arousal filled the air around us, making my own panties grow instantly damp. It was crazy how much she affected me already, even though we weren’t officially mated yet.
“You know, I’ve been feeling kind of tense the last few days,” she said silkily. “And there’s one thing that really helps.”
“A bubble bath?” I asked, remembering that she’d taken a long bath the other night.
“No. Orgasms.”
I choked on my own saliva. She stepped a little closer, the air heating around us as I read the intention in her eyes. In the back of my brain I could hear Lois warning me to keep my distance. To keep my wits about me. But then Ruby slid her hands up to my shoulders and all of my good intentions flew out the window.
“Can I ask you something?” My mate’s voice was soft, breathy.
“Yeah.”
“Can we have sex without officially becoming mates?”
I nodded. “Yeah, but the closer we get, the more intimate we are, the stronger the bond between us gets, even if I don’t mark you and fully activate it.”
“So we could have sex without strings?”
I’m not going to lie, the hopeful tone of her voice hurt. I took a deep breath, trying to decide how to answer.
“You can,” I landed on. “But I’ve already spent enough time with you that it would be impossible for me to be casual about anything with you.”
Ruby looked disappointed. “I don’t want to lead you on or cause you pain if this doesn’t work out.”
“You don’t think it will?” I asked, ignoring the stab of pain in my belly.
Ruby stared into my eyes for a long moment. “I feel… something for you. But this whole mate thing is a lot to take in. I know you’re sure about us, but I need some more time to process it all. To decide if this is what I want long term. I don’t want to be blinded by lust and realize later that I jumped into something I shouldn’t have. I hope you understand.”
“I do.”
I didn’t. I totally didn’t.
My vampire was making a wailing sound, demanding to be let out so she could claim our mate, whether she was ready or not. I beat her back with effort.
“But I also want you so bad I can hardly think of anything else,” Ruby continued, oblivious to the battle raging inside me.
I didn’t have it in me to deny my mate anything she wanted, so I gave her a small smile and said, “Well, that’s one thing I can help you with.”
Ruby
On some level I knew that my request was selfish, knowing how Cassie felt about me. Well, actually I didn’t know how she felt about me at all, I just knew that her vampire was convinced that we were mates. It wasn’t like she had a choice in the matter. But how could I think about a future with this woman? We scarcely knew each other. It wasn’t like there’d been any declarations of love between us or anything.
But even as I thought that I realized I was kidding myself. I was already half in love with her. At least I thought I was. I’d never been in love before, but I was pretty sure what I felt qualified. Maybe if I could burn off some of this lust I felt, I could think more clearly. Right now I was a horny mess. After spending a few days in close proximity with Cassie I couldn’t make an informed decision about anything.
Cassie’s hands came up to my face, holding my head in place as her lips crashed against mine. When we kissed before, I’d taken the lead, but this time I wasn’t the one in charge. I felt a little bite of fang as Cassie nipped at my lower lip, demanding entrance. I opened with a sigh, and her tongue swooped in, dominating my mouth.
I moaned deep in my throat, wrapping my arms around her waist to pull her even closer. Our bodies were plastered against each other, not even a millimeter of space between us. I loved this, loved the feeling like we were so connected that I couldn’t tell where one of us started and the other ended.
Cassie’s hands left my face, moving to my shoulders to push my jacket off before she grabbed the hem of my shirt. When it got caught between us she made a growling sound that raised the hair on my neck, then I heard something rip. I pulled back, realizing that her fingernails were now sharp and elongated and that she’d torn my shirt right off my body.
“I liked that shirt,” I protested.
“Do you like the pants?” she shot back. “Because if so, you’d better get them the fuck off.”
There was something different about Cassie now. Like the veneer of polite professionalism was gone, leaving behind a combination of dominance and eagerness.
