“I could get staked by a rival or caught by the sun tomorrow. I don’t want to lock you into an immortality you do not want if I’m not there to help you through it.”
She sighed. “I’ll think about it,” she promised. “But we’re not waiting too long.”
He stroked her cheek. “As you wish.”
“I’m glad you came back,” she confessed, her gaze on his lips.
“I should have been here sooner.”
“What made you come now?”
His smile was rueful. “Melissa. You have quite a champion in her.”
“I like her, too.”
Without warning, his hands tightened on her waist. “And when I did arrive, what exactly did I see?”
She remembered Christian’s good-bye kiss and lifted her chin. “You should have knocked.”
“You shouldn’t have been embracing another man days after our parting.”
“What did it matter? I broke up with you. You were gone.”
“I was coming back!”
“And how did I know that? I thought we were finished.”
He scowled. “And so you turned to the wolf?”
Abbey shook her head, sitting back on her heels. “Christian came to me with a similar proposal to yours.”
A low growl escaped Lucian.
“I turned him down. What you saw was a good-bye, nothing more. How could I even think about Christian when my heart was filled with you?”
The tension in his shoulders eased. “In that case, he can live.”
She rolled her eyes. “You supernatural men. Such drama queens.”
Lucian tumbled her back onto the carpet without warning. “Mocking a vampire?” he purred. “Such a slight cannot go unpunished.”
“Mmm.” Abbey twined her arms around his neck. “Promises, promises.”
His mouth covered hers as she gripped him tighter. An hour ago, she’d thought she’d never hold him again, and yet here they were. He was hers. Permanently.
“You hurt me,” she said. She might forgive but she wouldn’t easily forget. “When I thought you could never love me. That I’d never be enough for you.”
His head dropped against her breast. “I know. And I will regret it for the rest of my life.” Lucian raised his head to meet her eyes. “All I can do is promise never to leave your side. Marry me, mate me, be with me for eternity. Any way you wish to tie us, I will do. Any test you put to me, I will pass. I swear to you, Abbey, I will never hurt you again. Not if I can help it.”
Tears prickled her eyes. “Tell me you love me.”
“I love you.” He kissed the skin between her breasts. “I’ll spend an eternity loving you.”
The honesty in his words was a balm on her heart. He wanted her. Not just for now but for always.
A vampire’s mate.
It was a daunting future but looking up at him, she’d never regret it. As his thigh wedged between her legs, she knew this wasn’t a man she’d ever grow tired of.
“Hard floor,” she murmured.
“Want to switch?” A wicked spark lit his eyes.
She thought of casting her thighs astride him and shivered. “Next time,” she whispered, heat flooding her cheeks.
He grinned even as he dragged the fluffy blanket from the sofa.
“I have a bed,” she said as he rolled her onto it.
“Next, next time.”
“In that case, I also have a kitchen table, a shower, an oddly spacious closet, a—”
His lips cut off her words.
Abbey arched against the soft blanket and rubbed her breasts against his chest. She’d never thought she’d touch him like this again and the relief made her dizzy. With his mouth on hers, the world made sense. In his arms, she had somewhere to belong. Her heart clenched at the thought of their future together. Her wildest dreams had just become her reality and it was a lot to take in.
But she knew one thing that was easy. One thing that would still the racing thoughts in her mind.
One thing that would be a lot easier with fewer clothes.
“Off,” she said, dragging her nails lightly over his shirt.
Lucian rose to his knees, straddling her. He looked down at her with molten eyes as he removed the black pullover.
She grinned at the sight of him. Would she ever get tired of seeing it? She couldn’t imagine a day when Lucian’s stripping for her didn’t rob her of breath.
Abbey ran her hands up his chest. Her perfect, wicked man.
He caught one of her questing hands and brought it to his lips. Lucian kissed her palm with searing heat before placing it against his chest and sliding it lower.
Her breath caught as her fingers drifted over his abdomen. Muscles tightened beneath her hand as she drew closer to the clasp of his black jeans.