Page 21 of Her Vampire, His Ruin

“Of course you’re sexy. You’re tall and honed like a weapon⁠—”

“A weapon, huh?” My smile widens. “You’ve no idea.”

“Shut up,” she snaps, pressing her palm against my chest to shove me away.

This time I’m ready for it. Grabbing her hand, I bring it up to my mouth and press an open-mouthed kiss against her wrist. She falls silent, her eyes widening and her breath hitching.

“You were saying?” I mumble against her flesh, my teeth gently scraping over her wrist as her pulse beats erratically beneath my lips.

All it would take is one quick bite, and Edie will be putty in my hands, the initial sharp sting quickly making way for intense pleasure for both of us. I don’t bite her, knowing to do so would break the first rule I invented to protect our clan: do not draw blood from a human outside of Avant Garde. Ever.

It would also break my second rule: never feed from an Aegis. Yet here I stand, knowing if I can’t control my bloodlust, I could bite her and reveal what I am, with no way to glamour her memories.

“Look, you can’t turn up unannounced and expect me to do whatever you say just because you’re hot,” she argues, and even though she’s glaring at me, I know the anger is slipping away because she doesn’t yank her hand from my hold, instead she takes a step closer. “I don’t care who you are, or how you’re used to being treated. I am my own person, and I deserve some respect.”

There’s hesitation in her eyes, but also a hell of a lot of lust. I can see her warring with herself. She’s afraid. Not of me, the man, but I suspect the damage I could do to her heart. She has every reason to be.

“You need to leave, Dorian,” she eventually says, her fingertips gently grazing my cheek as I continue to kiss her wrist. Even the slightest touch from her has me desperate for more.

“I don’t want to,” I say, pressing one last kiss against her pulse before releasing her hand.

“We barely know each other,” she protests, taking a step backwards.

“Then invite me in so we can get to know each other better,” I say, taking a step forward and eating up the space between us so that we’re toe-to-toe once more. “I can’t stay away, Edie. I’ve tried. I want to⁠—”

“Fuck me?” she asks, putting more space between us once again.

“Yes, I want to fuck you. You’re beautiful, you’re sexy, and your take no shit attitude turns me on. But I meant it when I said I want to get to know you better. I like you, and I rarely like anyone.”

“Regardless, you’re not coming in,” she says, moving to take another step away from me.

I can’t fucking bear it. So I reach for her, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her against my chest. “Don’t do that. Don’t throw up your walls because you’ve been hurt before.”

“You’ve got this all wrong,” she replies, her palms pressing against my chest as she puts some space between us, when all I want to do is invade hers.

“What have I got wrong?”

“I’m not throwing up my walls to protect myself because I’m some broken woman. Well, I might’ve been up until very recently,” she admits with a shrug, “But I’m done being her.”

“Then what’s happening here? I know you want me. So why not invite me in?”

“Again with the presumption,” she replies, but there’s laughter in her eyes this time before she adds, “I can’t let you in.”

I’m about to throw caution to the wind and kiss her in the hopes she’ll relent when a sweet voice interrupts.

“Auntie Edie, are you okay?”

“Shit,” she mumbles, turning her back to me. A move no one would do if they knew me better.

“Nina, sweetheart, go back into the sitting room. I won’t be long,” she says, flicking me a look over her shoulder.

“Who’s that?” Nina asks, as she completely ignores Edie and approaches us both.

Edie steps inside her home and hugs Nina into her side. She can’t be more than five or six, but looks at me with the same no nonsense glare Edie has thrown at me more than once.

“I’m Dorian Crow, and I’m guessing you’re Edie’s niece?” I say.

“Well, duh,” she retorts, lifting her chin defiantly as her dark curls bounce around her face.