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“Resting.” The corner of his lips quirked up. Her drowsy brain short-circuited. Wow. Had he always been this hot?

Beep. Beep.

Betsy!She yanked her hand back and glanced at her sister. No change.Phew.

“What happened?” she asked. “What am I doing in bed?”

She scooted to put some distance between them, not that she had much space on the narrow bed meant for one person. His proximity sent all sorts of wrong signals to her sex-starved body. Her face was level with the bend of his waist, so there was no way she could miss the jut of his pants. She looked away lightning fast, her eyes snatching on the lines of his six-pack under his shirt, up higher, to the strong column of his throat, stopping on his lips.

Her nerves tingled, recalling their hot and hungry kiss. Her body lit up like fireworks, her core throbbing with an almost painful need.

Damn it. Why did her libido pick a vampire of all people to be attracted to?

“You passed out.” His smile vanished, but the underlying huskiness in his voice didn’t. “After you trusted a witch you don’t know and performed magic you don’t understand.”

Was this the third time she passed out in three days?That’s got to be a record.Though he’d made a good point, his tone irked her. It didn’t stop her nipples from pebbling under his perusal.You don’t like arrogant, know-it-all men, remember?

“Is that why I’m so tired?”

“Yes. You used too much magic at once. Again.”

“Where is Andrea? Did it work?” She lifted herself onto her elbow with a grunt so she could look over his legs at the window while stubbornly not acknowledging his erection.

Andrea’s purse was in the chair, but the woman was nowhere.

“She had to get something. She’ll be back soon.”

Olivia dropped back to her side, her breathing heavy from using that bit of strength. Marek was suddenly bending over her, his solid form shadowing hers. If she tried to move farther, she’d fall off the bed. That might not be a bad option.

Yet, she leaned closer toward him, his cedar scent making her dizzy. His heat swamped her. His chest brushed hers and a whimper of need escaped her. If she had the strength, she would’ve dragged him down and rubbed up on him like a cat in heat.

Six months without sex was clearly driving her crazy.

He touched his forehead to hers, tenderness and urgent need warring on his face. “Olivia.” The word seemed wrenched from his soul. “I want to kiss you again.”

God, yes. She wanted it, too, more than anything. To feel that electric heat in her blood again, that deep tug in her center indicating everything was right in the world.

Someone coughed. “Should I come back later?”

The voice jolted her back to the real world. Had she about to jump his bones in a hospital bed? With Betsy right there?

“Move!” She pushed at his chest, hating her weakness. His face was blank as he sat back up and dropped his legs on the floor. A twinge of loss stabbed through her, which she brushed off.

Andrea waited at the door, holding two bags of takeout while smiling knowingly. “Vampires. I leave you for two minutes…”

Olivia worried her head might explode if her face got any hotter.

Andrea sauntered inside like she owned the space and dropped her bags on the chair. At the sight of “Dillon’s Chicken” on the bag, Olivia’s stomach grumbled. When was the last time she ate? On the plane, maybe? She had a terrible habit of forgetting to eat when caught up with other things.

“How long was I asleep?” she asked.

“A day. The sun’s already set,” Marek replied.

“A full day? I don’t feel rested at all.” Instead, she felt like she had brain fog from when she’d stayed up for seventy-two hours to finish her thesis.

“It takes time to recover energy after using magic,” Andrea said as she unpacked the food. “Have you been using your bracelet a lot?”

The scent of sweet and spicy fried chicken perfumed the room. Olivia’s mouth watered. Tantalized by the food, she gathered enough strength to sit up.