Steal the Light (Thieves #1)(69)

“Shhh, I promise I won’t tell you how stupid that was. It can be our secret.” He slid over to get closer to me. His smile was so warm and intimate, I began to relax. I could see the adorable dimples he got when he really lit up. “Thank you, Zoey. You were magnificent. Tonight, you were amazing, and I owe you my life. Now sit up.” He lifted me up slightly, and there was a Styrofoam cup in his hand. “I took too much. You need to drink this. It will make you feel better.”

I looked at the cup but couldn’t quite make my hands reach out for it. “Do I want to know what it is?”

“No, you don’t. Bottoms up.”

He held the cup to my lips and I drank. It tasted better than I expected. It wasn’t sweet. There was a solid feel to it. Even as it slipped down my throat, I started to feel better. When I had gulped it all down, Daniel tossed the cup away and pulled me into his arms.

“I thought you would be mad at me,” I whispered into his chest. The drink was warm in my belly, and now I realized how cold I’d been without it. I nestled close to him, and I heard the reassuring beat of his heart. My blood was pumping in his veins. I had brought him back to life. I could keep him alive.

“I was scared for you. There’s a difference.” Daniel kissed the top of my head. “While you’ve been resting, I’ve been thinking, and I made a decision. I love you, Zoey. I’m not going to fight it anymore. I thought I was bad for you, and I probably am. I thought I would hurt you, but the truth is I could have done that when I was human. I did do that when I was human. I forgot how good it feels to be with you. I feel more like myself than I have in years. I can’t believe I wasted so much time. I was wrong to deny us this. It’s our right. It doesn’t matter why I love you. It only matters that I do. I need you, and I’m not letting you go again. So you can tell that freaking faery who’s been stalking you to go to hell.”

Some of his words didn’t make sense. Why he loved me? What did he mean by that? Why was it our right? But the feel of him holding me and saying the words I longed to hear crowded out all the little doubts.

“I love you, too.” And I did. He was the first thing I thought of in the morning and the last thought I had before falling asleep. For the first time in years I felt safe and loved, and I was going to hold on to that feeling for as long as possible. I felt strong enough to put my arms around him and was surprised he still had his pants on.

“You didn’t…” The only other time I’d given him blood, it hadn’t ended with him being dressed.

“Have sex with your unconscious body?” Daniel chuckled. “No, I was a gentleman. But I wanted to, Zoey. I really wanted to. I thought I should ask.”

“What if I say no?” I wasn’t going to say no, but it felt nice to joke with him again. I was already warming up in all the right places at the thought of being with Daniel again. I let my hand run across his chest. I loved his big, hard body and the way it felt when he was on top of me. My hands started to find the waistband of his pants and delve underneath.

“If you say no, then I’ll ask again,” he said in that low voice that told me he meant business. He pressed his pelvis forward and groaned when my hand swept across his straining cock. “I will wear you down. Please, Zoey. Please let me make love to you. It’s been so long. I want to f*ck you so bad I think I’ll die if I can’t.”

All vestiges of the dream were pushed out of my mind. Hell had no place here. This was heaven and I was with Danny.

I pushed the covers off and brought one leg up around his waist. I looked into his eyes, and they didn’t seem alien anymore. They were beautiful and filled with desire. It was a look he’d only ever given to me. “I worked hard to keep you alive, baby. I think I can make one more sacrifice.”

Then he kissed me. He pressed his lips against mine so softly, so gently, I could feel them shaking. I wrapped my arms around him and realized his whole body was quivering slightly.

“Danny, what’s wrong?” I asked, concerned he still wasn’t strong enough. His body had taken a beating. I didn’t want to push him.

He rested his head against mine. “I’m scared, Zoey. I don’t want to f*ck this up. I haven’t…it’s been a really long time.”

“Well, I haven’t either.” I tried hard not to laugh. The humor bubbling inside me was affectionate. He might not remember the first time we made love, but I did. He’d been worried that night, too. He’d shaken with anxiety at the thought I might not like it. We’d been dumb kids who hadn’t really understood the promise we were making. But it was a promise we’d kept.

“It wouldn’t matter if you had,” he said. “You could have slept with the offensive line of the Cowboys and I would still shake at the thought of being with you. My whole life my only real fear has been that I won’t be good enough for you. I’m not a good man. I’ve done things in the last five years…horrible things, things I’m not proud of. I’m a monster, but if you’ll let me, I will do everything I can to make you happy. You never have to be afraid of me.”

“I could never be afraid you.” I didn’t care what he’d done to survive. It only mattered that he had. It only mattered that he was here.

His tongue surged in, playing against mine, tentative at first, but then he seemed to find his rhythm. He covered my body with his, his weight a welcome presence. He was so big. Danny made me feel delicate and feminine when he pressed me into the mattress, his muscular body holding me down. He kissed my mouth, his tongue sliding deep, but then he touched the tip of my nose with the lightest of caresses. His lips worked their way across my face, placing butterfly kisses on my eyes, a reverent kiss to my forehead. A low growl rumbled against my neck.