Page 83

She wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment. She was hardly ready for what we were doing now.

I shouldn’t have been ready either. It wasn’t like me to throw caution to the wind and dive headfirst into limerence.

But here I was. And here she was with me.

Not pushing away but pulling closer.

I chided myself for considering it, even as Vi nuzzled her face against my skin, her lips grazing along my chest and neck with her soft breaths.

A desperate keen rattled in my core, the comfort and ease between us whispering to my very soul that this had the potential to go beyond my wildest dreams.

It was no secret I wanted her.

I’d wanted her from the moment I’d first laid eyes on her in that cafe. So much so that the smell of her blood, brought to the surface with her embarrassed blush, made my fangs ache.

It left me with a bone-weary restlessness, the feeling of returning home after a long time away only to find the entire thing had burned to ash.

Terrifying.

Anxiety-inducing.

And unforgettable.

My eyes strayed to my jacket as if I could see through the heavy wool to the long, wrapped box in the left pocket. A gift, forgotten in my desperate need this morning.

This is all out of order.

A frustrated sigh slipped from between my teeth, my mixed emotions continuing to churn restlessly.

She deserved much better than me.

My phone buzzed where I left it on the arm of the couch, and I glanced at the screen to see our takeout order was waiting on the other side of the door.

“Vi,” I murmured, gently nudging her as I reluctantly tried to untangle our limbs. “Food is here.”

“I’m comfy,” she groaned, shifting to bury her face into the crook of my neck.

I chuckled, running a hand down her warm back. I should get up and grab our delivery from the step before it turned cold and soggy, but if Vi wanted me close, I wasn’t going to deny her.

I sincerely doubted I’d be able to deny her ever again.

Did she realize the effect that she had on me? On the entire coven?

Not just Elsie and Dana, but even Juniper, notoriously distant, had a fascination with the girl.

A crush, I’d say, if I didn’t mind a thump to the back of the head.

“If you’re sure.”

She sighed, pressing soft kisses on every bit of my skin she could reach. “But… I am kind of hungry.”

With a little shifting, I rolled over her, landing lithely on the floor on her opposite side. “One moment then, Pet. I’ll be right back.”

I headed for the door, confident with my heightened hearing that no one was in the hall as I threw it wide in my underwear to collect the takeout bag.

“Plates are beside the sink,” Vi called, the sofa rustling as she fought to sit up.

The door swung shut with a soft click, and I turned to her. Peaked nipples stood out in my shirt, the white fabric drowning her. The sleeves fell almost to her elbow, and its hem hit her mid-thigh, an obvious indicator of our over-a-foot height difference. My eyes roved over every inch of flesh, from her slender ankles up her shapely legs, over the soft swell of her hips to where I could see the bruises from my hands and mouth proudly visible against the fair skin of her throat.