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I press up with my hands and turn as much as I can. He makes sure I did what he told me to and then looks down at where we are joined. He watches as he disappears inside me.

The sound of the cupboard banging and our heavy breathing fills the room. It turns me on even more.

“This pretty pussy takes my cock so well.” He glances at me. “Are you ready?”

I thought he was asking if I was ready to come. That was not the case. He uses his speed, and unexpectedly, he blurs. Naturally, without thinking about it, I call on my gifts to adjust so I can see him clearly.

Holy, fuck. This is out of this world.

I come quickly, screaming as I thrash. He follows, bellowing loudly.

I drop, letting the counter support me, with my heart beating crazily. Ryker’s head is resting on my back, still inside me, gliding slowly. Shit, I love when he does that.

“We may have to cook more breakfast.” His voice is muffled, his breath tickling my skin.

***

We did have to cook more. Somehow the French toast ended up on the floor. The syrup bottle was knocked over and spilled all over the counter and my hair. Ryker made sure every sticky inch was cleaned thoroughly, and of course, I returned the favor.

It was totally worth it.

Finally, after we cleaned the kitchen and ourselves, we sat down to eat.

“I bet you have more stories about the life you have led,” I hint.

“I do. Not all of them are nice stories,” he says, concentrating on his plate.

“I want to know more about you. Have you lived here for a long time?” I push. I’m pretty sure I’m in love with him. I know it’s hard for him to open up, but I need him to. Maybe then I won’t feel so crazy for loving him.

“Not long to me. The years sometimes blur together.”

“Did you always want to own a club?” I take a drink of the blood he gave me from the fridge and grimace. I prefer blood from his veins.

“No. Bash was more interested than I was. We had tried many things, going from one business to the other. It became a game to see how much money we could make. After a while, even making money gets boring. We have amassed a fortune over the years. The challenge loses its appeal. I gave in to Bash. We bought it, and it became something more than I thought. I like it. I like having a home here. I like making a home for those that depend on me. It’s always exciting trying to control a group of vampires.” He smiles. “As you can imagine, they can get crazy once in a while. I have learned to like the other packs in the area. They have become friends—I think. I didn’t have much experience with friends before Harmony. Which is sad, really.”

“How did she become a friend? I know she had some drama, but no one explained.” I ask.

“She got into some trouble. Her mates asked me for help. I didn’t associate with them much in the past, but we had a friendly, if reserved, respect for each other. I decided to do what I could. She was their mate, and I value that. I distracted the psycho so they could ride to the rescue. That was the time I left my knives at home. If I hadn’t, I could have ended it much sooner. At first, she was cautious around me, but she gave me a chance. She saw me as something other than a monster. She didn’t care that I was called The King of Vampires. She looked beyond that. She made me realize I wanted more than fear from others. Her mates tolerated her wishes.”

“It seems to me they are looking beyond your title too. Especially Blue. You have a friendship.” I tug at his hair. “I’m happy you were able to help save her.”

He smiles indulgently. “You have an obsession with my hair.”

“Maybe I do. It’s beautiful,” I say shyly.

“It makes me feel good,” he says softly. For the first time, he shows me some insecurity.

“I’m glad. That's how I meant it,” I run through the ends. “I’m sure you have had loads of women falling at your feet.”

“No one that mattered,” he says quickly, pushing at his plate.

“I don’t believe that.”

“I had many relationships. None that were fulfilling or very important to me. Some would last longer than others. None, more than a couple of months,” he says, looking at me, unsure. He studies my attentive face. “There was a woman that became more. She was human. She didn’t know who I was. She was nice and normal at a time I needed that. I felt normal being with her. After so long with her, it became harder to hide my nature. I had to feed on others, although I wanted to feed off her.

“Did you know there are born vampires?” he asks, and I shake my head. “There are. It’s not common, but if you get lucky with your mate, you can have children. Sometimes, a human can have a vampire's baby. We don’t have to be true mates for that to happen. It’s all a mystery, and it is never easy for humans to go full term.” He takes a deep breath.

“She became pregnant. She hadn’t been with anyone but me. I didn’t know how to feel about it. I was happy, of course, but with a baby, so many other obstacles came up. I had to tell her what I was. I had heard the stories but really had no idea how a human body would handle giving birth to a vampire. Many of the births end in death, but there had been some that had worked out. I decided I had no choice but to come clean. She didn’t take it as I hoped,” he says, swallowing harshly. His eyes were glued to the window.