Page 17 of Cold Heir

With my gaze trained on the ceiling, I decided it would be a terrible idea to look at him—powerful, beautiful him. Inheriting the ravenous portion of his nature had put my willpower to the test on so many occasions. Only now, the excuses I relied on to resist his allure no longer existed.

As if I weren’t already struggling enough, he’d come to bed wearing the plaid pants that matched my shirt, a set Glenn had graciously loaned us to share during our stay. Watching as he sauntered toward the bed with them riding low on his hips did me in even further. The waistband settled at the base of his toned pelvis, and the defined divots that drew my eye every time.

The room went dark when he breathed on a candle that burned in a mounted sconce near the headboard. Right after, he climbed into bed, and my body shifted with the mattress. Levi’s heavy gaze settled directly on me, causing the heat that had already been too much to intensify even more.

Since sharing a bed—or cot—had become the norm for us since Blackthorn, there was no awkward period of warming up to one another, no energy wasted trying to decide whether we ought to give one another space. That was one thing neither of us needed.

He’d been on guard for weeks, listening out while I slept, but now he’d get to rest, too. Even if that only meant his mind no longer had to race a mile a minute, trying to stay one step ahead in case someone tried to sneak into our cell in the middle of the night.

He brought me to him by the curve of my waist, keeping his stare locked on mine.

“You’re always so warm. I don’t think I realized how much I enjoyed that until the first time I held you.”

I blinked sleepily when he made me smile.

“Yeah, that’s kind of a perk of being human, ya know?” He’d gotten used to my sarcasm by now, so I didn’t apologize for it. Not that I would have anyway. “Did you ever wonder?” I asked.

Beneath the moonlight that streamed through the window, his brow quirked. “Wonder what?”

“About being with a human woman?” I clarified, smiling again.

Wetting his lips, Levi chuckled. “That depends.”

“On?”

“Which answer would make you think less of me?”

A laugh slipped out of me. “Neither. This is a no-judgment zone. I’m just curious.” My legs intertwined with his beneath the blanket.

For a moment, he became thoughtful. “Well, first, a disclaimer. It goes without saying that being attracted to a human is somewhat of a taboo among my people.”

“Blah, blah, blah. Spit it out,” I urged playfully, rolling my eyes.

“I’m just making it clear that, for that reason only, I’ve been aclosetedadmirer as opposed to sharing my fascination outright,” Levi admitted. “So, to answer your question, yes. I’ve wondered.”

“Interesting,” was my initial response, which was followed by another smile when he offered one first.

“Is that hard to believe?”

Pulling the blanket further up my shoulder, I shrugged. “Only because … well, you all tend to have a bit of a … superiority complex.” It should have been hard sharing this opinion, but it wasn’t.

“I think you may have mentioned that once or twice,” he joked. We both knew it had been more than a few.

“Only because it’s true. However, I’m woman enough to admit I’ve discovered a few good apples in the bunch.” Several weeks ago, I would have never guessed this to be true, but it was.

“So, what about you? Ever been with someone like me?” Levi pushed a few stray strands away from my cheek when he asked.

“No, not anyone like you.”

He bounced his eyebrows suggestively. “But therehasbeen someone.”

Ofcoursehe read between the lines.

“Not sure how things work inyourworld, Mr. Buchanan, but in mine, a girl never kisses and tells,” I teased.

His gaze lowered to my lips and he wet his own. “Well, I always thought that was kind of a lame rule. So, in the future, if you’re ever unsure, you have my permission to do whatever you want to me, and I don’t care if you tell the wholeworld.”

“Cute.” Secretly wanting to explore all those options he hinted toward, I shoved his shoulder playfully.

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