“Let’s sit down. I want to watch for a while.”

We situate ourselves after Zavier runs over to grab the blanket and sets it down, so the glass won’t be as cold to us. I rest my head against his shoulder, and he stiffens for a second in shock before wrapping an arm around my back. Somehow, he’s beginning to lower my defenses in a way no one has before.

Cars zip by beneath us like little ants.

I’m not sure how much time passes, but Zav suddenly breaks the silence. “Thanks for agreeing to come on this date. I know I can come across as a lot sometimes, but I really do like you.” He strokes my shoulder with a featherlight touch. “I wasn’t sure you’d say yes, and then Ava pushed you into doing it so, yeah, thanks for coming.” He sounds so small when he says it, but it warms my heart.

I pick my head up from his shoulder and smile. “Of course. I had a wonderful evening with you.”

Determination fills his emerald eyes, our faces inch closer once more. He gives me time to pull away if I want to, but I don’t. I want this. I wanthim.

“Wait.”

Zav pulls back immediately when I say it, but I’m not protesting for the reason he thinks.

Properly facing him I gently rest my hands on his lean chest. The muscles tighten under my hold beneath his black sweater, and I clutch him tighter. I slowly push his glasses up onto his head where they sit out of the way. While I love them on him, I want complete access to his gorgeous face. Fingering a lock of red hair that has fallen into his eyes I brush it away. We both lean forward and the anticipatory breaths we release mingle in the air.

Zavier grabs my wrist when I move it up his shoulder and cups the back of my neck with his other hand. It’s strong and warm but not suffocating. A pause is given as if he’s allowing me one last chance to stop this, but I break down that barrier by closing the last bit of distance between us.

My lips are on his.

It starts as a soft, sweet peck and we pull back after it happens, staring into each other’s eyes, as we revel in the moment. Then, like a raging inferno our lips slam back together and I’m holding onto his shoulders, fully seated in his lap. We consume each other, weeks of sexual tension building to this. The floodgates have finally been opened.

Zav yanks the hair tie out of my ponytail, the length cascading around my shoulders, and he fists it, controlling the direction of the kiss.

Our cores grind against each other and a moan slips out of me. Zav’s answering moan tells me he’s as affected by this as I am.

His tongue swipes across my lips asking for entrance and I part mine letting him in. Our tongues tangle and he continues to clutch me like a life preserver. A small prick against my lip has me questioning the contact but with another quick swipe of his tongue I’m consumed by pleasure. My fingers run through his silky crimson strands, and I pull on the silver chain around his neck just enough for a bite of pain to leave him whimpering under me, asking for more.

I love that sound.

A man who whimpers and moans for his woman is such a turn on. While I love to be dominated, sometimes I also love to do the dominating. My sexual history isn’t extensive by any means but enough for me to know a few of my kinks.

Coming up for air we rest our foreheads against each other.

Zav whispers my name like a prayer and tucks his face into my neck. He peppers kisses along the column of my throat, and I hug his broad back reveling in the feeling of being worshipped.

Teeth scrape along my skin and when he starts to suck, I know a hickey is going to be left behind. His heavy breaths bring goosebumps to my flesh when he pulls back slightly to admire his work.

“Shit, Zav.” I can’t help but call out his name when he flips us and lays me down flat on my back. The hard floor smooshes me against the full length of his body and I clench my thighs together. His thick cock presses against my thigh and I moan his name when he licks over his work.

“I had to mark you.” One last kiss to my neck before pulling back. “Look at you splayed out beneath me.” Checking the silver watch on his wrist he smirks. “Just in time for dessert.”

God help me.

CHAPTER 18

ZAVIER

I’m hard as a fucking rock.

I’m talking dick absolutely weeping, steel rod in my pants, borderline moaning mess. The whole nine yards.

All it took was Celine’s body laid out in front of me and now I’m having a hard time keeping my vampire instincts under lock. My stupid fangboner already popped with the initial excitement of our kiss. It got worse when I accidentally nipped her lip and got a taste of her blood. The honey flavor was the sweetest thing I’ve tasted in all my life. It’s taken me years of practice to control my thirst, but Celine’s blood calls to me like no other.

I turned the almost bite into a hickey both to soothe myself with a mark of some sort and to hide my mouth until I could get my fangs to recede.

“As much as I’d love to have you for my dessert”—I stand and offer my hand which she grabs with a frown— “I have actual dessert for us.”