Page 89 of Discovery of the Vampire
"I thought I'd lost you," I whispered, my arms encircling her waist and pulling her closer.
"You saved me." Her hands moved from my hair to my face, sudsy thumbs brushing over my cheekbones.
"Of course, I did. I would die for you, Esme." Bringing her with me as we swapped spots, I leaned my head back and rinsed out the shampoo.
"Why?"
The word was so quiet, I wasn't sure I'd heard her right at first. "Why?"
"Sí. Why?"
I stared at Esme through the steam, water running down her face and shoulders, making her skin glisten. Confusion made me frown down at her, but she wouldn’t meet my eyes. I cupped her face in my hands, forcing her to look at me.
"Because I love you, Esme. I'm in love with you."
The words came out of my mouth before I could stop them—before I could analyze or question them. It was the most natural thing I'd ever said, like exhaling after holding my breath for centuries.
"I know we haven't known each other long. I know it sounds crazy." I ran my thumb over her bottom lip. "But I've lived for decades feeling nothing but emptiness and shame, and then you walked into that club and changed everything." A smile tugged at my lips as I remembered. "Hell, I think I was halfway in love with you the first night I saw you, looking so pretty sitting at the bar. I wanted you to join me in the private room just so I could talk to you alone. So I could see how beautiful you were close up."
She remained silent, her dark eyes searching mine.
"I tried to fight it. I told myself it was just bloodlust or physical attraction." My voice cracked as memories of my cult upbringing threatened to surface. "I still thought that feelings like these were sinful, dangerous. I've spent my whole life—human and vampire—believing I don’t deserve love."
The water pounded against my back as I pressed my forehead against hers.
"But I can't deny what I feel for you anymore. It's like you've woken something inside me that I didn't even know was there. I don't know if it's fate, or just because I can't get enough of that red lipstick on your perfect mouth, but it's true." I closed my eyes, feeling way too vulnerable for my own liking. "When I saw you with him in the cemetery…Christ, Es, there's nothing I wouldn’t have done to save you."
I pulled back slightly, needing to see her face. "You're the strongest, smartest, sweetest, most courageous and fucking annoying woman I've ever met. And I love you, Esme."
My hands trembled as I searched her face, trying to get some idea of how she felt about all this.
The water continued to cascade down around us, filling the silence between my confession and her answer as I waited for her response, trembling with vulnerability and feeling naked inside as well as out.
Her eyes filled with tears, and for one terrible moment, I feared I'd made a horrible mistake. Then her hands came up to wrap around my wrists, her touch so gentle it made my chest ache.
"I love you too, Brogan." Her voice broke on my name. "I tried not to. I told myself I couldn't fall for anyone because Marcus would use it against me." A tear slipped down her cheek, mingling with the shower water. "But I couldn't stop myself. And I'm so sorry I dragged you into my mess. But I'm also very glad I did, or I never would've gotten to know you."
The breath rushed out of my lungs as I gathered her closer, feeling the strong beats of her heart against my chest and listening to her blood rush through her veins over the sound of the shower.
"When Marcus was hurting me, all I could think about was you. How I needed to survive for you." She pressed her forehead against my chest. "I was so scared he'd kill you to punish me."
"I'm right here," I whispered, pressing my lips to her wet hair. "We're both here."
"And when I was dying, I could feel you. I felt your rage, your fear. I felt how desperately you tried to reach me."
"I would've torn the world apart to save you," I admitted. “I still would.”
"I know." She smiled against my skin.
I kissed her then, tasting salt and water and the sweetness that was uniquely Esme. Every wall I'd built around myself over decades crumbled in that moment, washed away by her love.
The kiss deepened, her tongue brushing against mine as water streamed down around us. Her confession had unlocked something primal inside me—a need that went beyond blood or physical release. I needed to show her what words couldn't express, needed to feel her alive and whole against me.
My hands slid down her wet skin, mapping the curves I'd nearly lost forever. Every inch of her was a miracle—restored, healed, vibrant with life. I lifted her against the shower wall, her legs wrapping around my waist as our mouths remained fused together.
"I thought I'd lost you," I murmured against her lips. "When I saw what he did to you?—"
"I'm here," she whispered, her fingers threading through my wet hair. "I'm right here."
