Ripper (Hunter #1)(28)

I felt my whole face go red with emotion and I tried hard to force the tears that threatened back, but he said it with such great longing that I couldn’t argue with him. He believed in this and that made me want to believe, too. Who didn’t want to believe there was one person out there who could complete them? Who didn’t feel lonely enough to want that?

He stood there and looked down at me with such deep desire. It went past anything sexual and I wished I could have seen what he saw that day. His eyes were filled with regret. “Look, I know I screwed everything up so I can be honest with you. I love you. I know that sounds ridiculous and it’s too soon to say anything like that, but you’re the other half of me. You always have been. You always will be. If you need anything, I’ll get it for you. All you have to do is call me.”

He stared at me for another second. In that weird time, I felt like I saw myself through his eyes and it was a revelation. I was f*cked up and yet I was still beautiful to him. For one stupid moment, I felt radiant and I couldn’t let it go. I jumped out of my chair and my hand was on his arm. He turned and the minute he saw my face I was in his arms. They caged me and I felt safe and small and feminine in a way I hadn’t up to that point.

I lifted my face and he kissed me.

It was gentle at first, a meshing of lips as he lowered his mouth almost reverently to mine. He had to bend over to press our lips together. The moment our mouths met, something seemed to open up inside me. He gently ate at my lips, his tongue barely a whisper, but I felt it there almost begging entry, and I softened against him. I’d had sex before. My experience wasn’t vast. It wasn’t nonexistent either. My sexual history up to Grayson Sloane consisted of seeking a way out. I indulged in sex for the same reason I drank that last tequila shot I didn’t need. I wanted to get out of myself for a while and not think about anything.

Gray’s kiss didn’t simply take me away. It was so much more than a meeting of lips that led to something else. I was more myself than I had ever been in my life. I didn’t want to be anywhere but right where I was—in his arms.

I let my hands trail up his body, feeling the strength of him. He was all muscle, from his lean waist to a chest that felt like a well-made statue against my hands. Pressing my body against his, I sighed and opened my mouth. His hands tangled in my hair and I had no idea how much time passed as his tongue danced with mine. When he groaned, I felt it deep in my own body, and everything that was female inside me answered him. He pulled me close, his hands dangerously near my ass, and I felt how much I affected him. His erection rocked firmly against me, not trying to hide what he wanted. His cock was hard against my stomach and I went up on my toes, trying to get it where it belonged. It belonged at the center of me. He belonged inside me.

The door to the private room opened and I was pulled roughly from my little slice of nirvana as the waitstaff entered carrying trays of food. Gray let me go, his hands shaking as he steadied me against his chest. He laughed, a nervous sound, and I couldn’t help but lean against him and laugh, too. The waitstaff was professional and pretended like they hadn’t interrupted a serious make-out session. I felt like I was sixteen and my mom had caught me with my boyfriend. It was silly and innocent and I felt younger than I had in years.

“Kelsey,” Gray said achingly, and when I looked into his eyes I saw such devotion in them. It scared me, but I decided to try a little bravery.

“Gray, I don’t know about the whole love thing,” I said honestly because it was all too fast for me. “But how about we start with dinner?”

He smiled. “All right, sweetheart.”





“So who was the vampire you appeared to have a distinct dislike for?” I polished off the last of my excellent lobster. I’d drowned it in butter.

We’d spent the majority of dinner on safe topics. He talked about being a Texas Ranger and how obnoxious it was when people called him Walker. I talked about the weird parts of growing up with two ridiculously overprotective brothers. We stayed far away from anything too emotional. We’d had that portion of the evening and it was nice to laugh. Now I was ready to push him on the professional level.

He smiled as he finished his steak. “His name is Marcus Vorenus. Until tonight, I really didn’t have a problem with him. He’s fairly easy to deal with and almost always reasonable. I didn’t like him looking at you though. He seemed interested.”

“He felt old.” I ignored his possessiveness. I wasn’t used to anyone feeling that way about me, but I couldn’t forget that odd connection I’d had with Vorenus. I played with his name in my mind, rolling it around and letting it run through my brain.

“He is old, sweetheart,” Gray said and I was getting used to the endearment. “He’s roughly two thousand years old. He was born in ancient Rome. As far as anyone can tell, since the coup Donovan led, Vorenus is the world’s oldest walking vampire.”

“He seemed sad.” I could still see his face when he realized Gray was there. He’d been smiling before, and then I’d watched it all go a polite blank. I wondered what it must be like to be so unique in the world, to remember a time no one else could recall, to have seen so many people he undoubtedly cared about grow old and leave him.

Gray made a choking sound. “Uhm, I don’t know what the guy has to be sad about. According to my research, he’s worth about a billion dollars, has an important seat on the Council and the king’s ear. He backed Donovan in the fight and Donovan won. He’s one of the most influential individuals in the supernatural world.”