Chapter 7 #3
I gasp and reach for his hand. He lets me take it and holds our entwined fingers in his lap, his thumb brushing mine. “I’m so sorry. It completely slipped my mind about your family.”
Xander shrugs. “It was sad, but I had to leave the town. I didn’t have a chance to grieve for them. Being a vampire and gay in the 1800s wasn’t a great time.”
I smile at that. I guess I'm lucky to be alive in this generation after all. Despite my own family not having accepted me, at least I haven't been shunned for it.
“What’s on your mind, sweetheart? I can smell guilt.” Xander runs his fingers over the inside of my palm in calming circles.
Sweetheart. I shiver and go tingly, unable to hide how much being called that affects me.
Sighing, I reply, “I don’t know. I’ve just been feeling guilty about Richard. I ran away from him without telling him anything and then blocked his number, and now I'm…” I trail off, biting the inside of my cheek as a blush runs up my neck.
“Now you’re completely besotted with your strange vampire roommate who’s old enough to be your great grandfather?” Xander grins. His fangs catch in the sunlight, and I swallow, unable to take my gaze away from them.
I nod. “That and the fact it took me a whole three seconds before deciding I liked it.”
Xander is quiet as he watches me, his finger dancing across my palm. With a quiet voice he replies, “I’ve waited a century to meet you, Noah. I’ll wait for as long as you need.”
I can’t hide the cheesy smile that spreads across my lips. I’ve never smiled this much in my life, and I'm sure my smile lines have grown a lot deeper this past week. But I won't complain.
“Richard never treated me like this. Well, he did at the start. But then he just went cold on me. Blamed me for everything bad that happened to him, even though his attitude was the problem.” I grit my teeth, remembering all the arguments and broken glasses and plates.
I’d become really close friends with my dustpan and brush.
The muscle in Xander’s jaw twitches. “I’m sorry.” He looks over at me, his gaze burning into mine. “You didn’t deserve that. He didn’t deserve you.”
I look at him through hooded brows. “And do you deserve me?”
Xander’s breath fans my cheek, and I realize how close we’ve become. Our arms brush as we breathe the same air. His nose touches the tip of mine, and his hand gently cups the junction of my jaw and neck, his fingers sending sparks across my skin.
“I’ll do everything in my power to gain even a drop of your worth,” he whispers, and the lake disappears around us. The smell of the forest is overpowered by Xander’s spicy scent, and the mountains flatten to dust as his lips brush against mine.
They’re so warm, so soft. I gasp. Unable to fight the pull within me, I let myself fall into him.
Our lips crush together and large, firm hands are wrapping around my waist, pulling me from my spot and into Xander’s lap.
He groans against my lips as I chase after him.
Our tongues dance, our saliva mixes, and sharp teeth scrape across my bottom lip.
It’s like a tsunami of pleasure explodes inside of me at just the faintest scratch from his fangs. Maybe I have a fetish for vampires, or maybe I have a fetish for Xander entirely. This man who smells like heaven and tastes like sin. Who’s turned my world upside down and reorganized it.
“I want this,” I mewl against Xander’s lips, feeling the rapid rise and fall of his chest against mine.
His hands roam my sides, my back, until they grip my waist, tugging me closer to him. I can’t get enough as I bite down against his lip, drawing a gasp from him and another ravenous kiss.
“I want you.” I kiss him harder, pushing myself against him, trying to get as close as possible. My fingers run through his hair, scratching the back of his neck. I need more. So much more.
“I want you, too.” Xander softens the kiss before pulling away. My lips grow cold and his glistens with saliva. “I want you more than the clouds want rain. More than trees want sunlight. I want you more than the mountains…”
“Yeah, yeah. I get it, you’re a poetic, 18th-century, Shakespearean old man.”
I rush him, pushing him over onto his back and devouring his lips again. His laugh vibrates through my chest and his hands cup my waist, digging into the soft flesh at the top of my ass. I wiggle a little, earning a pleasant groan to slip from Xander’s lips.
“19th, actually,” he laughs against my mouth, and I roll my eyes, giving him a final smooch before sitting up and straddling his waist.
“Still an old man.” I grin cheekily, enjoying that I can finally be more like myself without the fear of being told off. Or told I'm too much.
Xander’s arms wrap around my shoulders, pulling me down until his lips brush mine.
Yet he doesn’t kiss me. Instead, he sucks in a heavy breath, his chest expanding beneath me.
I smile at the knowledge that he gets more from his sense of smell than anything else.
If he weren’t a vampire, I'd have bagged him as a werewolf with the way he’s sniffing at me.
I giggle as his nose brushes behind my ear, and I feel the way his lips spread against my skin. The skin across my neck.
I freeze. Heart pounding and breath caught in my lungs, my entire body tingles with excitement as I wait for him to bite.
Yet as the seconds tick by, Xander simply holds me close, his breath fanning across my throat.
“Xander?” I whisper, barely daring to move a muscle. “You can feed from me.”
His groan is deep and pained as he pulls away, cupping my jaw instead and smiling warmly at me. His eyes swim with affection. “It’s been a very long time since I drank from someone. I don't trust myself, especially not with you.”
I pout, but the way Xander shakes beneath me, I know he’s holding himself back with every ounce of strength. So instead I nod and roll my face into his palm, enjoying the way he’s so warm against the cooling breeze as the sun begins to set.
“How does homemade pizza sound for dinner?” He asks.
I tilt my head, wondering where on earth that question came from, when my stomach decides to take part in the conversation, grumbling and gurgling loudly. We both laugh and I don't think I've ever had such a wonderful afternoon in my life.