Page 81 of Moretti Blood Brothers: Vol. One Books #1-4

B rianna awoke to find the bed beside her empty. She reached for her phone. Brayden had returned it to her during the emergency after she swore on her life not to divulge their secrets. It was the least he could do, given they may have had to evacuate at any minute if an explosion happened.

It was late afternoon. Her mind raced with all the reasons Craig wasn’t lying next to her right now. Instead of driving herself crazy, she figured it was because of the rebellion and the fact he was in charge of protecting the race. He’d shared his upset at the deaths that had occurred last night. She couldn’t imagine the pressure he was under.

She dressed and stepped out into the hallway to make her way to the dining hall. As she walked, she texted Willow to see if she was awake, and as she turned the corner, she ran into a solid, muscular object.

“Bri! Shit.” They both grabbed each other so she didn’t ricochet off him. “I was on my way to see if you were awake. How are you?”

Missing you, even though you’re standing right here. I’m a mess. “I’m fine. Good. You?”

“Same.”

She chewed her lip. He stared at it.

“Can I...”

“Do you...” they both started at the same time.

Craig drew in a breath and pulled her down the hall and into his rooms. He pressed her up against the door and planted his lips on hers. She dug her fingers into his huge biceps and felt like she was hanging on for dear life. Bri tugged up her dress, and he ripped away yet another pair of great panties.

His pants flew across the room, and he planted her on the edge of the table, spreading her. He stared at her for a long moment, groaned, and pressed into her. It was quick, powerful, and incredible. The type of passion women searched their entire lives for.

“God, Craig, my God,” she cried as his powerful arms wrapped around her with such dominance and possession, she felt her eyes burning.

Afterward, he lifted her off the table and helped straighten her dress before pulling on his pants. Then he grabbed her for another kiss.

“I can see the questions in your eyes, Brianna. About her. You may ask.”

She closed her eyes. “It’s okay. Heck, maybe neither of us are your mate.”

Craig shook his head. “It’s not that simple.”

“Love usually never is.” She looked down at her hand where she still wore her wedding ring.

“Is that his?” Craig asked, his voice strained.

She nodded.

“See, even if you are my mate, you’re not ready to open your heart to someone else. Not completely.”

He moved away from her, and she was irritated. It was okay for him to have a past, but not her. She went to disagree, but realized he may be right. The night before, she had broken down at the thought of losing him, but he was a vampire. Giving her physical life to be with him was on a whole other level.

“I’m going out into the field tonight with the teams. When I return, I want to take you somewhere.”

“Like a date?”

He shrugged. “Sure, like a date.”

“Where are you going tonight? Will it be dangerous?”

He smirked. “Worried about me?”

She gave a quick nod.

“No more dangerous than you are to my heart, Brianna.”

Her own heart leapt at his words. She hadn’t realized how much she had been waiting for him to tell her how he felt. Sure, he showed her with his body, but it was his heart she was interested in now.

As much as she was unsure if her own heart was ready to commit to another man, she knew she had feelings for the big sex god standing in front of her, and knowing it was somewhat reciprocated was nice. So nice, in fact, she felt herself blush.

“So you do like me?”

“Oh, I like you, alright. Every single inch of you.” He grinned, and her face dropped.

“It’s just sex, then.” She sighed.

“No,” he said sternly.

“If not your mate, then what?!” she suddenly and surprisingly spat out.

“You want to be my mate?” he asked, surprised.

“Well...shit, no, yes, I don’t know!”

His eyebrows crept closer to his hairline as she continued speaking.

“I just want to know what this is between us. There’s something, and we both know it.”

“Bri. I can’t make the same mistake again. I need to be sure.” He stared down at her somberly. “I don’t expect you to understand, but it’s very dangerous for me to jump to any conclusion about this.”

She frowned.

“We have to let nature take its course. If you are my mate, we will know in time.”

How long? Did he realize she was aging as they spoke? Ten years for him was probably the blink of an eye.

“And you must decide how you feel about me.”

His eyes flared with emotion and what looked like a good dose of vulnerability.

“I am not human, Brianna. You need to think very carefully about this. Vampires do not date. We mate. Please do not misunderstand me. I want you; I want your body, and if you are my mate, I will want all of you.”

A chill ran the entire length of her body, and she shivered.

“And if I don’t?”

A dark shadow fell over his face. One that sent a different kind of feeling through her. One that warned she needed to be careful. It was a reminder that she was standing in front of a predator, a being different from her. Someone from a race not her own.

“Then we’ll be having a very different conversation.”