Page 78 of The Hunted
I tipped her chin up. “Agreed, for now.” I pecked her on the lips and was about to release her when she smashed her mouth into mine.
“I want a proper kiss, Sam Mason. Kiss me like you mean it.”
It was the least I could do. I had to embed her essence into my psyche, or maybe that was the wrong thing to do. If I couldn’t get her out of my system, it would be hard to stay away from her.Who am I kidding?No matter if I kissed her or not, Layla Aberdeen was a part of me now.
Our tongues fought for dominance as I gave her everything I had in that kiss until my phone rang, and just like that, the heated passion burst.
She jumped back. “Shit! Jordyn! I’m such an idiot. Did you find her?”
I held up my finger as I answered.
“We have eyes on Roman,” Tripp said. “Get your ass down here now! And make sure Layla is in the barracks in ten minutes, or else I’ll throw you in the brig.” Then he was gone.
At least he didn’t threaten me with my old man. In my mind, that would be a worse punishment.
27
LAYLA
After I took a quick shower, Sam escorted me down to the barracks. The sound of silence between his apartment and the women’s barracks was deafening.
I felt a whole lot different now that I’d slept with a vampire. Several emotions overwhelmed me—equal parts embarrassment, happiness, dread at what my sisters would think, fear that my uncles would find out, and confusion over how I really felt about Sam and me. But beneath all that, a boulder sat heavy in my stomach as I scolded myself for not asking him sooner about Jordyn. I should’ve been out there searching for her, tearing shit up to find her—not sleeping with a vampire.
“Here we are.” Sam’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.
I blinked to find us outside my room. I glanced both ways. The images of Sam and me in this hallway only hours before sent a wave of flutters through my stomach, replacing the boulder that had been there a minute before.
“I meant to ask up in my apartment,” Sam said. “Any dizzy spells from drinking my blood?”
That was the furthest thing from my thoughts, although now that he’d brought it up, I didn’t feel queasy or dizzy. Then again, right after sex, I’d slept. Maybe that had quelled the aftereffects of drinking several drops of his blood.
I cleared my throat, hoping I could speak. “No on the dizzy spells. Any news about Jordyn?” I craned my neck up, swallowing the dryness in my throat.
He was looking at me as though he was trying to decide whether to kiss me or not. “No. Just on Roman. I’ll find out what’s going on.” He continued to study me. “I feel regret dripping off you.”
I opened my mouth to speak when the door to my room flung open.
Horror etched lines in Rianne’s smooth forehead. “What the heck?” She swung her angry brown-eyed gaze from me to Sam and back to me. “You were with him?” Her disgust was clearly evident in her tone.
Sam didn’t acknowledge Rianne. Instead, he pulled out his phone and read something on it. “I’ll send word once I talk to Tripp,” he said, and then he swaggered away.
Rianne jerked on my arm as she pulled me into the room and slammed the door. “I’ve been worried sick that you’d been compelled or… argh! At least leave me a freaking note. When I saw the heap of clothes on the floor in the hall, I thought the worst.” She stabbed a finger at my bed. “They are over there if you want to change.”
I’d never planned to disappear with a vampire. “Calm down,” I told her as I started to undress. It would be nice to put on fresh underwear. “I’m sorry. You were asleep, and I was only going to the bathroom.”
I glanced at the clock on the wall, not sure how long I’d been gone. I’d woken up at eleven p.m., and it was now one thirty in the morning.
She glued her hands to her hips. “So, what? You got lost and ended up in Sam’s bed?” She sized me up. “It looks to me like you two showered together. Does that mean you fucked him?”
Taking in a deep breath, I closed my eyes briefly. I didn’t think she would judge me. After all, my sisters and I had all fantasized about having sex with a vampire, although Rianne had never been as into sex with a vampire as Jordyn and me. I wasn’t ready to admit out loud that I’d slept with one. That would make it more real, and then I would have to deal with my actions.
I quickly changed before I grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge.
“Well, answer me,” she demanded.
I guzzled the water as fast as I could to ease the sandpapery feeling coating my throat. Maybe it was the need to taste Sam’s blood again? No, I couldn’t possibly want Sam’s blood. If I were being honest though, I liked the taste of his blood. It was irony but sweet. Weird as fuck. None of what was happening to me with Sam was making any sense.
“Do you really want to know?”
