Page 14 of Taste of Forever (Vampires of Sanguine #3)

“I wanted to make sure you got home safely.” He said it so earnestly, like we’d been on a first date and he was doing the gentlemanly thing of seeing me to my door. “Heather, are you okay?” Laith started toward me. “You’re shaking like a leaf. Did someone?—”

“Stop.” I held my palms out in front of me. “Don’t come any closer. Do not fucking touch me.”

If I got manhandled again by a stranger, I would lose my everloving shit.

To his credit, Laith stopped short a few feet away from me. His angelic face looked torn, like he wanted to blow past the boundary I set, but chose to restrain himself.

“What happened?” he asked in a soft tone.

“Just some creepy guy. He’s gone now, though.”

Mentally, I chided myself. Was Laith not just as creepy for following me home from Sanguine? The two situations felt different, although I couldn’t place how. Part of me was glad that Laith had showed up. If only he had gotten here a moment sooner.

“How did you even follow me on that thing?” I asked again, nodding at the idling motorcycle.

“Your scent and your heartbeat,” Laith said as if it were obvious.

“I followed you on foot at first, then had to run back for my bike when I saw you had a vehicle.” He frowned and rubbed the back of his neck.

“I did get a little lost at first and didn’t know which direction to go.

But then it was like…I could sense your distress.

Something was wrong and your heart was going crazy.

I followed that feeling to here.” A grin pulled at one side of his mouth. “Told you there was a bond between us.”

I chose to ignore that part. “And you can just come here, to this world, whenever you want?”

“Not during the daytime, obviously. But otherwise, yeah. Why not? As long as no one sees my eyes or teeth too closely, I can slip in and out just like you can.” His grin grew wider. “There are more of us popping in and out of your world than you realize.”

That was not a comforting thought. Especially considering there was some shadowy government agency collecting intelligence on vampires.

Exhaustion sank into my bones. I’d had quite enough for one night. My front door was doing more to keep me upright than my own two feet.

“Well, thanks for looking out for me, I guess. Goodnight, Laith.”

I started a half-hearted rummage through my purse again for my keys while Laith continued to stand there. His magenta eyes did not seem to miss anything. Were bruises forming on my upper arms? They sure as hell felt like it.

“Is your boyfriend home?” he asked after a moment.

The smart thing to say would have been a lie. Yes, he’s home and we have guns. Or holy water. Garlands of braided garlic all over the kitchen. Whatever the hell deters vampires.

Instead, I spoke the truth. “No, he’s not home.”

Laith gave a small nod. “I should stay with you so you’re not alone.” He looked toward the eastern sky. “I have to leave before dawn, though. Unless you have a lightproof room I can spend the day in.”

“No.” I shook my head. “Absolutely not.”

“No touching, I promise.” Laith brought up his hands, wiggling his long fingers, then brought his wrists together in front of him. “You can even tie me up. Actually…” He let his hands fall to his sides. “Maybe not a good idea. I might enjoy that too much.”

For once, my nerves were too frayed and my exhaustion too deep to crack a smile. “You’re not coming into my house.”

It didn’t matter that he was right. That I didn’t want to be home alone. Maybe that was the reason I was still out here talking to him. But, whatever the case, letting him into my place was a step too far.

In my mind, bringing Laith inside crossed a bigger line than him kissing me. It was way more than nearly having an orgasm while he drank my blood. Worse than talking to a handsome stranger in a bar.

This was the home I shared with Justin. We made memories within those walls. We made plans, had arguments, and made up from arguments. No matter the cracks in our relationship, it was between us and no one else. This vampire was not part of our life.

Going to the blood bank and then the club had been a mistake. Meeting Laith had been a mistake. He was just a convenient distraction. It was probably better for both of us to never cross paths again.

He didn’t push the issue, instead shoving his hands into his jacket pockets.

“There’s no need to be embarrassed about your secret Beanie Baby collection or whatever you’re hiding but, fine.

” He turned to lean against the exterior wall, propping one booted foot behind him. “I’ll keep watch from outside.”

Again, I was too exhausted to respond to his joke and felt my teeth grinding. “No, you need to leave. And don’t come back here.”

His smirk was infuriating. “Worried I’ll scare your boyfriend off?”

“No, just… whatever, I don’t care. Stay out here or go, just leave me alone.”

I patted my jeans pockets and…there were my keys, for fuck’s sake. Heaving a sigh of relief, I turned my back on Laith to unlock the door.

“I’m staying.” His tone was serious for once. “Sleep well, Heather. No one will bother you until I have to go before sun up.”

I didn’t respond as I went inside. Didn’t even meet his eye as I turned to shut and lock the door.

He would keep his word and stay out there all damn night. For some reason, I knew he would do exactly as he said: keep watch like a loyal bodyguard until he retreated with the darkness of night.

Guilt stabbed through me. Now I felt like an asshole for not letting him in. You were supposed to keep stray animals out of your house, not people trying to help.

I raked my fingers through my hair, blowing out a long breath. “Don’t be stupid, Heather,” I muttered, digging through my purse for my phone.

Laith’s behavior was weird and obsessive. He shouldn’t have followed me home, shouldn’t have kissed me, shouldn’t have insisted on staying all night to protect me. If he were human, I would have called the cops.

So why did I feel a little bit calmer, knowing he was out there? Why did I carry a smidge of regret for not letting him inside?

Once I located my phone in the great purse abyss, I called Justin. His phone rang several times before going to voicemail. Not surprising, but disappointing all the same. I ended the call and typed out a text message.

Me: Hey, let me know when you’re coming home.

I almost added ‘miss you’ at the end, but ended up deleting the words before hitting Send. I was already needy enough to be texting and calling while he was out with friends.

At least someone wanted to be near me all night. Even if that someone wanted to spend forever drinking my blood.