Until the Sun Falls from the Sky (The Three #1)(49)

“Mm,” he murmured effectively, so effectively the timbre slid across my skin, making me shiver. “I like that idea. Maybe I’ll only allow you to bathe when you’re with me.”

Oh my God.

Now what had I done?

I had no choice. I had to go with it.

Trying to keep my voice even, I enquired, “Do you want to do that now?”

I felt his tongue touch my neck and that made me shiver too.

Then he said, “Not now. I’m hungry.”

A sudden bolt of electricity slammed between my legs giving me an off the charts happy tingle.

He wanted to feed. And I wanted him to feed. I despised that I did but I also couldn’t deny it.

“You’re hungry?”

“Yes,” he said against my neck and then lifted his head to look at me. “Your choice today, Leah, in here or in the kitchen.”

He wanted to feed in the kitchen?

Really?

That was crazy! What if Edwina walked in?

“If we do it in the kitchen, what if Edwina walks in?”

His brows drew together. “She’ll have to be there, unless you intend to cook for me.”

“Cook for you?” I parroted stupidly, finding that idea both intriguing and terrifying.

I mean, I know how to cook. And the idea of cooking for Lucien was kind of nice even though that admission further proved my insanity. But what if I messed it up? This I did a lot, especially when I tried something fancy and I doubted Lucien ate non-fancy food.

And anyway, why were we talking about cooking?

He studied me while these thoughts chased themselves through my head before saying, “You can cook, Leah. You can do what you like. It’s your house, not Edwina’s. Are you saying you want to cook?”

Oh. I got it.

“You’re talking about breakfast,” I breathed in a voice that denoted my mental heel of hand to head slap.

He smiled another arrogant, self-satisfied, now even so far as smug smile before he said, “You thought I wanted to feed.”

“Erm…” I wriggled in his lap then remembered I was mostly na**d so getting away from him would expose my upper body and I wasn’t ready for that so I stilled.

His large hands slid to my h*ps and tensed. “I can’t feed, pet. Not until tonight.”

That was news to me.

“You can’t?”

He shook his head saying, “You aren’t used to me yet.”

This further confused me.

“I’m not?”

The smug smile came back before his face disappeared in my neck again. “We could try.”

Oh my.

“But you’d be weak all day and it’s Saturday. I have plans for you today.”

He had plans for me. Plans that required me not being weak.

I didn’t know if that was good or not.

“Plans?”

One of his hands came up to cup the back of my head and he looked at me again. “First up, another lesson, this time about feeding.”

“Okay,” I breathed trying but not quite achieving the feat of not sounding disappointed.

He grinned.

Damn the vampire!

I tried to look dutiful. It was hard.

He studied my face then burst out laughing while he stood, putting me on my feet.

He began to set me away from him and, panicked at the idea of baring myself, I latched onto his shoulders and pressed my body against his.

His head tilted down to look at me.

“Leah?”

“Close your eyes,” I whispered before I could stop myself

“Pardon?”

“Um…” How to do this and be submissive? “Would you please close your eyes, darling?”

His hands at my waist gave me an impatient squeeze.

“Why?”

“I’m nearly naked,” I explained softly and, I thought, unnecessarily.

His hands gave me another squeeze, this time also pulling me even deeper into his body as his head dipped closer.

“I saw you last night, pet.”

“I know.”

His face came even closer.

“You have a beautiful body, Leah.”

My eyes slid to the side.

“Look at me,” he demanded.

My eyes slid back to his.

“I don’t want you hiding yourself from me,” he ordered.

“Is that an order?” I asked just to confirm.

“Not unless you make it one,” he answered.

What the hell did that mean?

“So, what you’re saying is, you’re not going to close your eyes?”

“No.”

Really, he was a jerk.

He must have read my thoughts or, since he couldn’t do that unless I was speaking to him in my thoughts, he must have read my face.

Therefore he kept talking, “I’d like to understand why this is an issue.”

“I’m naked,” I explained, again unnecessarily.

“And I saw you last night,” he repeated, his tone stating clearly he thought this was unnecessary too.

“It isn’t last night anymore. It’s this morning.”

“And?”

“The sun is shining,” I went on.

“The sun?” he asked