Page 27 of The Vampire's Mate

“We’re sleeping together,” I say slowly, “but we haven’t actually gone out on a date, or anything.”

Steph’s face lights up, her voice a purr when she says, “Oh, tell me everything. Who is he? Where did you meet him? Is he hot?”

“He’s my new next-door neighbor,” I admit, feeling my face heat. “And he’s gorgeous. A ten. But not very hot, I’m afraid.”

“What do you mean?” she asks, her face scrunching in confusion. “He’s gorgeous, but not hot?”

I tug my bottom lip between my teeth, nibbling it for a moment. Steph eyes me impatiently, so I decide to just say it.

“He’s tall, dark, and extremely handsome. His body is…it’s a chef’s kiss, Steph. All chiseled and hard and strong.” I pause to take a breath, then lean closer to whisper, “He’s not hot because he’s cold. He’s a vampire.”

Silence.

Steph stares at me for a moment, her eyes blinking slowly as she tries to process my words. Discomfort washes over me as the silence drags on a beat too long, and I open my mouth to say something, anything, to fill the empty space between us.

“Shut the fuck up!” she shouts before I can utter a syllable.

“Steph,” I admonish, my hands shushing her as I peer over my shoulder.

The occupants of a table across the room are staring at us, but when the couple sees me looking, they quickly turn back to each other, speaking in low tones.

“Forget them,” Steph says, pulling my attention back to her. “Talk to me, Eden. I want every sordid detail. How did it happen? When did it start? Oh, is it like it is in your books? How long does he last?”

Her rapid-fire questions make me chuckle, and I hold up my palms in a “slow down” motion before trying to answer.

“I’ll tell you as much as I can,” I promise.

“As much as you can?” she asks, cocking her head.

“He is kind of secretive,” I say my words slow and measured. “He has his reasons, and I respect them. I can give you the juicier details, but I can’t tell you who he is or where he’s from.”

She stares at me for a moment, then nods. “Okay. Fair enough. Tell me what you can.”

“He moved in the day of the big reveal.”

I go on to tell her about meeting him, how much he turned me on, and how he could sense my need. She listens silently, her body frozen in rapt attention until I get to the part about him popping into my room that first time and making me come.

“Wait, wait, wait,” she says, leaning closer and lowering her voice. “Are you saying he can make you come just by thinking it?”

“Over and over and over again,” I say with a grin, nodding.

“Holy shit,” she murmurs. Then louder, she says, “Holy shit, E. Does he have any friends? Where can I get one?”

A laugh bursts out of me, and I shake my head.

“It’s not a common vampire power, Steph. He’s…unique.”

“Damn,” she says, her voice laced with disappointment.

“But he doesn’t just use his mind. He makes me come harder and faster than any man I’ve ever been with. There’s something to be said for decades and decades of practice.”

I say that with a smirk even though something twists in my gut at the words. I don’t want to think about Jesse being with other women, even though I know there have probably been dozens in all the years he’s been a vampire.

All he has to do is crook a finger, I’m sure, and the women would come running. So why did he pick me?

“Do you have a picture of him?” she asks, pulling me from my chaotic thoughts. “Wait. Can vampires even be photographed?”

“Well, since we saw them on television, I would assume so,” I say with a shrug. “But, no, I don’t have any pictures of him. Sorry.”