Page 43

As before, when Dominique peaked, his true self erupted. He trembled, stared at her with the hyper-dilated eyes of the vampire in a timeless moment of understanding.

“Mon amour,” he whispered, full of wonder.

Then he was gone.

This far north and this time of year, there was a stupid amount of daylight to get through. Cassidy spent the hours catching up on her sleep, checking in with theV-zette, answering email, getting caught up with news, and enjoying room service—several times—with an appetite that wouldn’t quit.

It was well past eight o’clock before the bedspread burrito she had made of Dominique unraveled and promptly emptied his guts into the ice bucket she held at the ready.

“Why did you not stop me eating today?” Dominique groaned when he was done turning inside out and dropped his head into her lap.

“You’re always hungry.” She finger-combed his tousled hair. It slipped like satin through her hands. “Until your daytime self remembers what he’s really hungry for, I won’t stand in his way.” Especially not for some of those appetites. The memory of their lovemaking still thrummed in her body.

Dominique untangled himself from the rest of the comforter and, noting his nakedness, slanted her a sultry look. “You wicked woman. Do you have him under your spell as completely as me?”

She gave him her most seductive leer as she leaned back on one hand and allowed her bathrobe to fall open a little more.

“Femme méchante,” he told her in a husky whisper. “You drive me mad.”

“And you love that about me.”

“Beyond measure.” He lowered his gaze, rueful. “I paid a high price to be here when no one expects me to be.” He got up and placed a kiss on her forehead. “If I don’t get out into the city and recover my strength—” Her hand, on his more sensitive anatomy, made him break off on a sharp inhale.

“It’s been two weeks. You can recover some of your strength with me,” she said, tilting her head to expose her best vein, all innocence. Her supposed safety be damned. She needed him to bite her, renew their bond, and then…

Dominique’s eyes darkened with desire, but he took her hand from his cock and held it, rubbing her knuckles with his thumb.

Getting up, she untied her robe and pressed close to him, letting him feel her. Her lips found the pulse in his neck, his hair brushing her face. “Husband,” she murmured. “Do thy duty.”

“It is…not safe tonight.” He sounded distracted, drawing in her scent. “I am too weak to…to…” He groaned at the renewed efforts of her hand.

“I’m willing to risk it for one short night.”

“If anyone…gets into my thoughts and…learns about you—” Again, he inhaled, deeper this time, like he was feeding on air. Then he pushed back and held her at arm’s length. He stared at her, his eyes flashing to full black, fire glowing in their depths.

With some reluctance, Cassidy banked her lust. “What?”

“Your scent.Mon Dieu.You have never smelled like this.”

She lifted an arm and sniffed self-consciously. “Are you sure? I took a shower earlier.”

An awed, tentative smile grew on his face as he studied her. “And your aura. It has…a new color.”

“A new what?” Damn, she hated not being in his head. Hated not seeing what he saw, or knowing what he perceived through his supernatural senses. What little she heard of his thoughts through their touch felt scattered and insubstantial.

“There is a ribbon of emerald…” With his fingers, he traced a winding pattern over her shoulder and between her breasts. “It comes from…here.”

Cassidy frowned down at his hand flattening over her belly. Her ravenous belly. As she thought about it, a weight seemed to settle there. Then her jaw dropped. “No.”

“Oui.” He broke into a grin.

Oh God, oh my God.“This can’t be right. I don’t…I mean…I mean, I can’t be…I…can’t be—”

“Enceinte?Oui, chérie, you are pregnant.” He held both her hands in his, squeezing them as a wave of dizziness washed over her. “I can see it in your aura. I can smell it in your scent.”

“But…how is this possible?”

“We made love during the day today,” he said, practically bubbling with excitement. “And the last time, too,non?”