Page 74 of Love Bites

“You’ve already got one.” He nudged the side of my throat with his nose.

“Lou?” I teased, as the elevator dinged with its arrival.

He whisked me off my feet and ran me to the bed, tossing me onto the mattress just to make me laugh.

“I’m picking your swimsuit,” he said, as he strode into the closet.

“Pick the pink bikini.” It was the skimpiest one I owned, though a few of my sisters had some far skimpier ones.

“I’d sooner burn it,” he called back.

I couldn’t fight my grin.

Damian picked out my bathing suit while I sent a message to my sisters to let them know about the movie night in case they were interested. I tossed my phone onto our bed when I was done, deciding to do my best to make some friends.

I was going to spend my life at Vamp Manor for better or worse, so it was time to make it a little better.

sixteen

BLAIR

We madeit back to the pool fairly quickly. I was wearing one of my one-piece swimsuits, thanks to a certain possessive vampire asshole, but I didn’t mind.

After our conversation about nudity earlier, I was trying to see things from his perspective, and I understood enough to play along.

The movie had started and the drinks were distributed when we got there. We made ourselves comfortable on the far side of the pool, tucked in a small gap between two floating tubes. Our butts were on the rock and our feet in the water.

My back was pressed comfortably against Damian’s front as we sat, his arm securely around my middle. Someone passed me a fruity cocktail, and I took a sip, lifting my eyebrows at the flavor.

“I don’t drink very often, but that’s pretty good,” I remarked. “Try it.” I passed the glass to Damian, and he took a sip, nodding and handing it back.

“You hate it, don’t you?” I teased.

His lips quirked upward. “Not my favorite.”

“If they give you one, I want it.”

“Deal.” He pressed a kiss to the side of my throat, his lips brushing the sensitive mate mark there.

Sure enough, he was given a drink a few minutes later, and it became mine too.

Alcohol didn’t affect magical beings very much, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t have fun drinking it.

The movie was a rom-com that made me laugh a few times, and the intermittent chatter around us was really comfortable. Being surrounded by my sisters all the time meant I was used to that easy-going camaraderie, and many of Damian’s vampires seemed to share it.

So it made me feel like I was home.

Then again, the big, strong arm around my waist might’ve made a difference too.

When the movie ended, I thought everyone would split up… but someone turned on some music instead.

All of the inner tubes and other floatation devices were tossed out, and the guy who’d greeted us at the door announced loudly that it was time for Sharks and Minnows.

“What’s that?” I whispered to Damian.

He summed up the rules of the game—a big group of “minnows” swam across the pool while a small group of “sharks” tried to tag them, turning them into sharks too.

“We want Blair,” the first shark announced, and groans echoed through the room as a bunch of people looked at me.

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