Page 65 of Discovery of the Vampire
She smiled for the first time that night. "I don't mind. I kind of like it. It's bright and colorful and a little bit messy, like you."
I closed the door behind us, and the moment the latch clicked, something shifted between us. Esme lifted dark, needy eyes to mine, and the desperate need I had to have her close suddenly overwhelmed me, the desire that had been simmering just beneath the surface since I'd last seen her finally boiling over. Urgent. Uncontrollable. I stepped into her, my body drawn to hers like a magnet, until I could feel the heat radiating from her skin.
Her breath hitched as I reached out, my fingers grazing the soft, smooth texture of her cheek before tangling in her long, silky hair. The world around us faded away until nothing existed except the two of us and the irresistible pull of our longing. Before I could overthink it, I kissed her, and heard the thud of her bag hitting the floor.
Her lips were soft and warm, and she tasted like the tea in Lizzy’s shop, like mint and honey. Her hands slid up my chest, fingers tangling in the fabric of my shirt as she kissed me back with a hunger that matched my own. The feel of her, the scent of her—sweet and spicy and uniquelyEsme—was so fucking intoxicating. My fangs ached and my cock hardened, the urge to mark her, to claim her, almost overwhelming.
I kissed her hungrily. Desperately. Careful of my fangs, because if I got a taste of her blood…Jesus, I'd be lost. It was bad enough that I could still smell the cut on her hand, though it was better than back at the shop. But barely.
Esme moaned, her arms sliding up to wrap around my neck. She pressed her soft curves against me and I wound my free arm around her waist, pulling her into me until the tight grip of my arm was the only thing that held her upright. God, I never wanted to stop holding her like this.
The thought of forever slammed into me with the force of a wrecking ball, and with a desperate groan, I broke off the kiss, pulling back just enough to look into her eyes. Her breath was quick, her lips slightly parted and smeared with lipstick, and I had a sudden vision of that mouth wrapped around the head of my cock.
“Esme,” I said, my voice rough with need as I did my best to wipe the lipstick from around her mouth. “There’s something I need to tell you, too.”
She blinked up at me with passion-glazed eyes as her thumb swiped below my lower lip. “Tell me later," she breathed. "I don't want to talk right now.”
"Darlin', we have to talk. And we need to do it before this goes any further."
She sighed heavily. "Are you sure you shouldn't fuck me first? Am I going to be angry after you tell me what it is that’s been bothering you?”
That was a good question. “I hope not, but anything's possible."
"Then don't tell me."
"Es…"
"No." She shook her head, her chin getting that stubborn tilt. “We can talk later. Not now."
But this time, it couldn't wait. "Es, I'm serious."
Her dark eyes flashed up to mine. "So am I. I don't want to discuss anything serious tonight. There'll be time enough for that tomorrow. The only thing I want to talk about tonight is finding a lipstick that doesn’t smear.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. This was more than her being shaken up by Marcus’s presence in her apartment. "Why is that? What's going on?"
She gripped my hand tight, and her spine straightened, like she was bracing herself. “Because I made a deal with Marcus, and tonight might be all we have.” She swallowed hard. “I have five days to find the book. Well, two now. And if I don’t, he’ll kill everyone I care about. Including you.”
A muscle ticked in my jaw. “And you didn’t think to tell me this?”
“I was trying to protect you.”
“By keeping me in the dark? That’s not protection, Esme. That’s a death sentence.”
She shook her head. “I didn't want to drag you into this. It’s my fight.”
“It stopped being just your fight the moment you became MINE,” I growled.
Her breath hitched, and for a moment, neither of us spoke as we stared at each other.
“Brogan—”
I cut her off. “No. We’re in this together, whether you like it or not.”
She stared at me, her eyes searching mine.
“Promise me,” I said, my voice hard. “Promise me you won’t try to face this alone anymore.”
She stared at me for a long time. “I promise,” she whispered.
