The question, which implied a lasting relationship, filled her with warmth. “A few years ago, my parents took me to Italy on vacation. I’ve always wanted to go back.”
She ate the last of the muffin, drained the glass and set it aside.
When Derek slipped his arm around her shoulders, she snuggled against him. “Do you need to rest?”
“No, I’m good.” Which was odd, he mused. He usually wasn’t able to be awake this long during the day. Another perk of Sheree’s blood, he wondered? Or an unexpected side effect of the werewolf gene? There was no way of knowing. But it didn’t matter. He was content to stay where he was, with Sheree beside him.
Of course, he couldn’t sit there without touching her, kissing her. Before long, they were stretched out on the sofa, arms and legs entwined. Slowly at first, he explored her body, as she explored his, each caress longer, bolder, more intimate than the last.
And that was how Mara and Logan found them.
At the sound of amused laughter, Sheree bolted upright, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment.
“Ah, young love,” Logan remarked, waggling his eyebrows. “Ain’t it grand?”
“I doubt if you can remember what it was like, old man.” Derek sat up, his arm wrapping around Sheree in an unmistakably male gesture of protection.
“Old man!” Logan looked at Mara. “Are you going to let your son talk to me like that?”
“Do you remember?” Mara asked with a beguiling smile.
Logan’s eyes turned smoky with desire. “Want me to show you?”
“Later.” She cuffed him on the arm, then looked at Derek. “How do you feel?”
He shrugged. “Fine.”
“No cravings?” Mara glanced at Sheree, her brow furrowed.
“No.” Derek rubbed his jaw, his expression thoughtful, and then, he, too, glanced at Sheree.
She fidgeted under their combined scrutiny. “What’s wrong?”
“I told you so,” Mara said with a smug grin.
Sheree looked at Derek. “Told you what? What’s going on?”
Derek gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Nothing to worry about. Mara brought you here because I told her that being with you calms me. . . .” He hesitated before adding, “And because your blood satisfies my hunger like nothing else.”
“Why would my blood be different from anyone else’s?” Sheree asked anxiously. “Is there something wrong with it?”
“Your blood is fine,” Mara assured her. “Some believe that certain bloodlines or types have that effect on certain vampires. It’s very rare that the vampire and the mortal find each other.”
“And you wanted me here because you think my blood will somehow help Derek during the full moon?”
Mara nodded. “Exactly. Now that we’ve settled that, I’m hungry. Are you coming, Logan?”
“Of course.”
“Excuse me,” Sheree said, “but can I ask you something?”
“Only if you think you can handle the answer,” Mara replied somewhat acerbically.
“Do you . . . I’m not sure what you call it . . . need blood every day?”
“We call it hunting or feeding,” Mara replied. “And no, I don’t need to feed every day. But I enjoy the hunt. And to answer your next question, I rarely kill my prey these days.”
“The same goes for me,” Logan said. “Enjoy yourselves, you two. We’ll be gone for quite a while.”
Clasping hands, the two vampires vanished from sight.
“I hope I didn’t make her angry,” Sheree said.
“No. It’s natural for you to be curious about us.” He caressed her cheek with his knuckles. “Anything else you’d like to know?”
“Do you have to . . . to feed . . . every day?”
“No, but I’m a predator, and like most vampires, I also enjoy the hunt.”
Sheree shivered as she imagined him stalking helpless humans, throwing them on the ground, burying his fangs in their throats.
Derek snorted softly. “I use a little more finesse than that, love.”
“If people knew how wonderful it felt, you wouldn’t have to hunt them down. They’d come to you.”
His easy laughter filled the air as he pulled her into a bear hug. “Sheree, my love, how did I ever live without you?”
As promised, Derek took Sheree out to dinner that night. Deciding to try the house specialty, she ordered Csirke-paprikás, a chicken stew flavored with paprika, cumin, and chilis. The waitress suggested Sheree add a side of buttered potatoes, which she did. Sheree hadn’t expected Derek to order anything, but he asked for a steak, seared on the outside, and a bottle of wine.