Fractured (Deep In Your Veins, #5)(15)

“You can.” And she would.

“I don’t know you well enough to give you everything.”

“Then we’ll fix that. But you might not like everything you hear.” But I wouldn’t lie to her. We couldn’t build something that was based on untruths.

“You’re saying you’ll share stuff?”

I couldn’t blame her for sounding dubious, since I’d dodged every personal question she’d ever asked me in the past. “If that’s what you need.”

“I have a lot of questions,” she warned me. “You don’t like questions.”

“I like being without you even less. So I’ll give you what answers you want, but I won’t give them to you all at once.”

“Why?”

“You’re incredibly curious; you like puzzles. If I drip feed you the things you need to know, you’ll be more likely to come back to me again and again.”

She scowled, but there was a glint of humour in her eyes. “You don’t think that’s a little devious?”

“I think it’s extremely devious.” But I’d do it. Besides, only a dumbass would lay out his dirty laundry in the early stages of a relationship. Only once he was sure that she was happy and as attached to him as possible did he dump it all on her. Otherwise, he’d risk losing her. There was no way I’d risk losing Imani. I’d done it before, and I wasn’t keen on doing it again.

“Will you answer me one question now?”

Liking her curiosity, I said, “Ask.”

“You said you don’t do ‘more.’ I always wondered if that was because you tried it and it was so bad that you didn’t want to try again. Have you ever been in a relationship before?”

“Yes. Twice. Both relationships f*cked up because, like I told you, I’m not good for people.”

“Or maybe they weren’t good for you. Two people can be good but be absolutely shit when together.”

“True,” I allowed.

“Were they both human relationships?”

I tutted. “That was another question. We agreed on one. But…I’m willing to bargain.”

Suspiciousness flickered across her face. “Yeah?”

“I’ll answer your question”—I tapped her lower lip—“if you give me a little taste of this mouth.”

She swallowed. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

It was a f*cking great idea. I pressed a kiss to the side of her neck, inhaling her tantalising scent. “I just want one little taste of what’s mine. A kiss, nothing more.”

“Butch—”

“You know how good it will feel.”

“You really think you can just walk out after a single kiss, without pushing for more?”

“I give you my word that I won’t push.” Even though all I wanted was to strip her naked and feast on her. It took extreme effort to shove that thought from my mind. “One taste and I’ll stop, I promise.”

I could see that she was warring with herself. Eventually, she said, “Answer my question first.”

I hid my satisfaction. “Both were human relationships.” As curiosity again lit her eyes and she went to speak, I shook my head. “No more questions. We had a deal. Now you have to live up to your end. Of course, I’ll answer another question if you’re willing to give me more than a kiss.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Just one kiss.”

“One.” I tugged her lower lip with my teeth, her lips parted on a gasp, and I thrust my tongue into her mouth. I groaned at the addictive taste of her. It was just as sweet as her scent, and it was a punch to my senses. I’d missed it. Been without it for too f*cking long, and hadn’t expected to have it again.

I needed more.

Sliding my hands into her hair, I angled her head; allowing me to go deeper. I took. Feasted. Sank into her. Gorged on what I craved day and night. She had no idea what she did to me. No idea how much I needed this, needed her. No idea how far I’d go to keep her.

Once I’d tasted her a year ago, there had been no going back. I’d just realised that too late.

My cock throbbed as her scent changed, ripening with need. Growling low in my throat, I pulled back before I broke my promise, bent her over the arm of the couch, and f*cked her until neither of us could walk. She took a steadying breath, licking her lips. I nearly groaned. “Three nights, baby. Then I’m coming and we’ll talk it all out.”

“You know that no one on this island would give us their blessing, don’t you?”

“Can’t say I’d blame them.” I had a reputation as a hit and run, and I’d let her go once before.

“Your squad is very protective of mine, which means they really won’t like it. Do you want to be at odds with them?”

She just wasn’t getting it. “Nothing is going to keep me away from you, Imani. Not them. Not you.” I brushed a kiss over her forehead. “Sleep well.” With that, I left.





CHAPTER FIVE


(Imani)



Settling in the luxury cabana, I sighed happily. I loved the beach at night. Contrary to popular belief, sunlight didn’t harm vampires. But we were nocturnal creatures that preferred the cover of darkness for hunting.