Page 17 of Making Haven
“A cow? Why?”
I take the shampoo from him and pass over the bar of soap. “To drink from. Blood isn’t the only thing that I can drink to keep me going. Anything that’s close to blood also works. That’s why I have the chickens, I can essentially drink their eggs and it’s similar enough to blood that it keeps me alive.”
“Seriously? Eggs and milk?”
I nod my head, getting a lather going through my hair before dunking myself under the water. “Weird, right? Not at all what the horror movies would have us believe,” I add on with a smirk.
Devin gives me the tiniest smile before rolling his eyes. Without my permission, my eyes follow the path his hands take over his body. Droplets slide down his stomach before finding their way down into the creek. They snap back up to meet Devin’s eyes and I realize he’s watching me watching him.
My stomach flips but this time it’s a pleasant feeling. I didn’t even know I was capable of feeling like this anymore. I thought vampirism had stolen this desire to be with another person or that the apocalypse had stripped it from me, the same way it had stripped me of hope.
But here I am,desiringDevin.
The look in Devin’s eyes mirrors the feelings swirling around inside of me. A tentative hope, that just maybe things could bemore.
He reaches out towards me. I take a step in his direction only to have him pull away, turning away when something moves behind him. He curses, his body tensing. His footing slips and he starts to fall. I move without thinking, keeping him upright.
Our bodies are flush, his back against my front. Fuck, he’s sowarmthat I almost whimper.
I make sure he’s okay before taking a step away, not wanting to overstep any more than I already have.
“Sorry,” I murmur, “it was just a squirrel being curious. I heard it a bit ago. I should have warned you.”
“It’s fine,” he says under his breath. “I’m done. I’m gonna get out.”
“Okay,” I say slowly, cursing myself for ruining a perfectly good moment. I should have been faster to reach back. I should have warned him about the stupid squirrel. I should have said something to tell him that I’m okay with him reaching for me.
I dunk my head under the water one last time before making my way out of the creek. I can feel Devin’s eyes on me again as I step out and grab my towel. I feel like my body is heating up, blushing under his scrutiny despite knowing that’s impossible. Once I’ve got my pants on, I turn around.
“I have one more thing, if you want.”
“What’s that?”
I hold up the razor and shaving cream. “Would you like to shave?”
Devin touches his own cheek. “I would love that, but I don’t trust myself to shave without a mirror.”
Before I can think better of it, I offer, “I can do it for you.”
I watch as a wide array of emotions play across Devin’s features before, finally, he nods. Sitting down on the stump, he pats the ground between his legs. “Alright, but if you cut me, I’m going to kill you.”
I smile at him, wondering how it’s possible to feel like my heart is skipping a beat when it doesn’t beat at all. “You have a deal.”
Chapter Nine
Devin
My heart is hammeringagainst the inside of my ribs. I feel like I can barely suck in enough breath to survive. This is a mistake. This is so fucking stupid. Yet I can’t find it in myself to regret the words.
I watch with wide eyes as Lawrence steps over to me. He falls to his knees with a grace that makes my mouth run dry. Why the hell did I tell him to do this? Why am I letting him kneel between my legs?
Why the fuck do I find this position so fucking hot?
I do my best to keep my breathing in check but my heart has a mind of its own, slamming against my ribs. I clench my fingers where they lay against the stump I’m sitting on, keeping myself from doing something foolish like running my fingers through his white hair.
Why do I ache to touch him? What the fuck is happening to me? Can vampires put humans under spells?
“Ready?”
