“You okay?”
She opened her eyes. “What is it about you?”
He chuckled. “What do you mean?”
“I’ve never been like this with anyone. After what we just did, I’m ready to…” She blushed.
He grinned. “Come again?”
She laughed. “Yes.”
Just to verify it, he pulled her closer and pushed farther inside her, causing her to close her eyes and moan.
Fucking right she’s never been like this with anyone else. “Well, maybe we should do something about it.”
“But don’t we need to leave before we get caught?”
“I think this will only take a minute,” he said.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
“Naya, don’t be embarrassed. Your reaction to me is incredibly sexy.”
He stepped back and withdrew from her body. She wrinkled her forehead until he knelt between her legs.
She tried to pull on his shoulders. “Vaughn, you don’t have to do this.”
He looked in her eyes. “Naya, I want to do this for you.”
Tonight, she’d either held a look of sadness or passion in her eyes. If this was the only way he could keep the sorrow at bay, he would do it—even though having his mouth on her wasn’t exactly a hardship. After a few seconds, she relaxed her hands and rested her elbows back against the dryer.
He spread her legs wider and kissed the inside of each thigh. Then, he kissed the top of her cleft and inhaled her scent. He’d noticed before that her scent was different tonight. It wasn’t the first time he’d noted a change during the last few times he saw her, but it was very apparent tonight. He couldn’t quite place her smell because her strong vanilla scent was more obvious than usual, and it overpowered almost anything else. Regardless, he loved it. It was pure Naya.
He extended his tongue and licked her from the bottom to the top. He paused to brush her clit before he wrapped his lips around it and sucked it into his mouth, drawing a cry from her. She tasted more distinct than he remembered. It was her but richer. Along with her desire, he caught the aroma of what he’d left behind earlier from his orgasm. He savored the combination of them together. It only made the experience greater. It meant a part of him would be inside her body after they left this room.
He inserted two fingers into her and bent them at the knuckle in a come-here motion to hit her sweet spot. As he rubbed his fingers inside her, he used his tongue and lips on her clit. He nibbled, flicked, and sucked as she saturated him with her wetness. Within a short time, she was contracting around his fingers, and he kept up his motions until he saw her through her orgasm.
When he pulled away, his face and hand were damp from her, and he loved it. It made him feel good to know he could do this to her, for her. Her head remained thrown back, and her chest continued to heave.
As Naya’s breathing returned to normal, Vaughn stood and grabbed one of the towels in the room. He tidied himself up and buttoned his jeans. Then, he placed the towel between her legs, and she flinched as he cleaned her off.
“Sorry, baby. I know you’re sensitive.” He tossed the towel in the dirty laundry bin and lifted her butt to pull her skirt down around her lower thighs. He found her shirt on the floor and looked for her underwear. He found it ripped in half. “Uh…your underwear is trashed.” He held them up to show her. “Sorry.” He smiled as he threw it in the garbage.
She looked up and smiled at him. “Liar.”
Damn, she’s gorgeous when she smiles.
“You’re right.” He walked back to her. “Knowing you’re going to be walking around out there with no underwear on and part of me inside you”—he groaned—“is such a fucking turn-on.”
“You sound like a male marking his territory.”
He grunted, but it was pretty much true. “Damn straight.” At least for tonight, she belonged to him.
He handed Naya her shirt. He grabbed her hand and helped her sit up as she pulled it on.
“Whoa.” She put her head down toward her knees.
“What’s wrong?”
He held on to her, so she wouldn’t fall off the dryer.
“I’m just dizzy. I guess I sat up too fast. I’ve been feeling like that a lot lately. It’ll pass in a second.”
Vaughn let her head rest against his chest, and he rubbed her back for a minute.
She lifted her head.
“Better?” he asked.
“Well, I don’t feel dizzy anymore, but my stomach is a little upset now.”
“Are you going to throw up?”
“I don’t think so. It’s just queasy. I’m sorry. I wanted to spend the rest of the evening with you but not like this.”
“Baby, it’s okay. Did you come with Kenzie?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s go find her, and we’ll get you home.”
“Okay.”
He picked her up her off the dryer and set her on her feet. “You good?”
“Yeah.”
They stood there, and he hugged her. Holding her close, he kissed the top of her head and breathed in her scent. He remembered the reason they had come in here in the first place—to talk.
“I know you don’t feel great, but you were upset earlier. Do you want to talk about it?”
Naya reached up and placed a hand on his cheek. Her beautiful eyes were full of sadness. “Oh, Vaughn, you are wonderful. Do you know that?”
He turned his head and kissed her palm. “I have my faults,” he said.
She gave him a half smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I suppose we all do.” She dropped her arm, turned slightly away from him, and clasped her hands. “Remember when I told you that my family is wealthy?”
“Yes.”
He raised his eyebrows as she started pacing in the tiny room.
“Well, since I’m their only child and heir, I have this legacy I have to live up to.” She paused and sighed. “My parents are basically arranging a, uh…a marriage for me. I’ve known for a long time, and I thought I would be okay with it”—she stopped in front of him, meeting his eyes—“until you.” She looked down at her hands. “I found out their choice the evening after I met you. He’s a great guy, but—”
She took a step back. “Are you growling?” Her eyes widened. “And what’s going on with your eyes?”
Mine, he thought. He closed his lids and quieted. He hadn’t realized he’d shown his possessiveness, but the idea of her being with anyone else made him angry and jealous. When he’d thought about it before, it was just a future possibility. Now, it was a reality glaring him in the face, and he didn’t like it.
He counted to ten, knowing he needed to control his emotions. This time was about her. He watched her again and motioned for her to keep going.
She studied him for a moment before she continued pacing. “Anyway, he’s a great guy, but”—she sighed—“he’s not the one I think about when I go to bed. He’s not the one I think about in the shower. He’s not the one I dream about. He’s not the one I picture having a home and family with.” Her voice dropped on the last sentence. She stopped in mid-stride to face him again. “That man is you.”
He forgot some of his anger. It pleased a part of him, knowing he was the one who made her feel that way, not some asshole her parents had set her up with. But he still couldn’t stand the idea of her being with anyone else, and regrettably, it wasn’t his choice.
Looking down again, Naya continued, “I realized we’ve never talked about becoming serious, and even if you don’t feel the same way, I want you to know how wonderful you are. If you gave me, us, a chance and if I could choose who I wanted to be with, I would pick you.” She looked him in the eyes. “I could see myself falling in love with you.”
And wasn’t that just a sock to the gut?
“My parents are out of the country, and they will return in a few weeks,” Naya said. “They will expect me to go ahead with the arrangement. If I say no, they will just find someone else. You pr
obably think I’m crazy for going along with this, but the situation…well, it’s complicated to say the least.”
She stared at him, waiting for a response, but he didn’t have the words to tell her how he felt.
“Well, aren’t you going to say anything?” she demanded.
“Shit. You’re sexy when you’re mad,” he teased her, hoping to release some of the tension in the room. But inside, he felt edgy.
“Vaughn,” she said, trying to be serious.
He could see a hint of a smile.
He pulled her into his arms and lost all humor. “Naya, I wish I had something wise to offer you. I want to find this guy your parents are forcing on you and make sure he never touches you. I want to find your parents and shake some sense into them for putting you in this situation.” He remained calm for Naya, but in reality, he wanted to hunt them all down for what they were doing to her. “I wish we could see where this relationship would go. I would love to tell you to say screw everyone, but I understand family and responsibility, and I recognize how selfish it would be to abandon them.” His words had never been truer, and that was a bitch.
He’d finally found someone he liked and wanted to be with, and she liked him for him, but it wasn’t meant to be.
He tilted her away from him, so he could look in her eyes and still keep his arms around her. “You are quite possibly the most extraordinary female I have ever met.” He ran his finger down her cheek. “And I am going to miss you.”
A few tears made their way down her face.
He wiped them away with his thumbs. “Oh, baby. I’m sorry.” It frustrated him to see her hurt.
She gave him another weak smile. “It’s okay. Sometimes, life doesn’t work out the way we want.” She reached up and placed a tender kiss on his lips. “I think it’s best if we cut off all contact. It’s just too hard otherwise.”
Vaughn nodded, swallowing his anger, as he agreed for her sake.
“I’d better go find Kenzie. Thank you…for everything.”
He leaned down and kissed her again. “No, thank you.” He reluctantly let go of their embrace.
Then, he took her hand and headed toward the door, feeling like someone had just gutted him.
NAYA EXITED THE laundry room with her hand in Vaughn’s. As they neared the end of the hallway, she saw Kenzie leaning with her head against the wall, her eyes closed. Drawing closer to Kenzie, Naya noticed she smelled like Sawyer and was immediately curious. She wondered what had happened between the two of them now.
“Kenzie?”
At the sound of Naya’s voice, Kenzie opened her eyes and lifted her head. Seeing Kenzie’s stormy brown eyes and mouth set in a grim line, Naya decided to wait to ask about Sawyer when they were alone. She glanced back at Vaughn, seeing his narrowed eyes and pursed lips probably matched the expression on her face. Perhaps he knew something she didn’t.
“Are you ready? I want to go home,” Kenzie said.
Naya turned back to Kenzie. “Yes. I actually came to find you.”
“Good. Let’s go.” Kenzie’s tone was brusque.
Naya assumed Kenzie was upset about Sawyer, but she also wondered if Kenzie was upset with her. Naya had kind of ditched Kenzie as soon as they’d walked through the door.
Vaughn either missed or ignored Kenzie’s anger. “Naya felt a little dizzy, and her stomach is upset. Will you make sure she gets home safe for me?”
“Yes.” Kenzie looked at her. “You okay?” she asked, concern filling her eyes.
“Yeah, I feel better now, but I think I should still go home just in case.” She motioned toward Vaughn. “Give me a second, please.”
Kenzie nodded, spun around, and walked a few steps away.
Naya turned to Vaughn. She had no idea what to say. I’m going to miss you certainly didn’t begin to cover everything she felt.
She stretched up and kissed him tenderly on the lips. Then, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. He buried his nose and mouth in her neck and kissed her where he’d bitten her earlier.
She whispered in his ear, “I’ll never forget you.”
Earlier, when she’d told him she could fall in love with him, she’d lied. She had already fallen.
When they parted and he gazed into her eyes, she thought he might feel the same.
He grabbed her hands, brought them to his mouth, and kissed each one. “Good-bye, Naya.”
“Good-bye, Vaughn.”
He squeezed her hands in reassurance and then slowly released them. Both turning away, they knew it was time to let go, and a long farewell would only make it harder.
Naya nudged Kenzie’s back to let her know it was time to go. Naya fought tears all the way to the front doors. She could cry later when she was alone.
Once they were outside and away from the entrance, Naya stopped Kenzie. “What’s wrong? Are you upset with me for leaving you earlier?” Welcoming the distraction, Naya focused on Kenzie rather than thinking about Vaughn.
Kenzie looked away, sighed, and then turned back to Naya. “No, I’m upset about something else. I’m sorry if you thought I was mad at you.”
“Did something happen? Do you want to talk about it?”
“No.” Kenzie let out another sigh. She looked down and off to the side, avoiding Naya’s eyes. “Let’s just say, men suck, and leave it at that.”
With Kenzie’s head turned, her jacket was pulled away from her neck, and Naya noticed that it looked red. She reached up and moved the collar of Kenzie’s jacket, and she saw teeth marks.
Kenzie looked at her. “What?”
Naya nodded toward her neck. “That’s some love bite you have there.”
“What?” Kenzie craned her neck, but it was impossible to see without a mirror. She put her hand on the spot, feeling the impression in her skin. She groaned in anger. “That jackass. I’m going to kill him.”
Who? Sawyer? “Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?”
“No. I mean, yes, I’m sure.”
“If you’re certain. But it looks like a—”
Kenzie shrugged away from Naya’s arm. “I know, okay? Plus, you’re one to talk.” Kenzie nodded toward Naya’s neck.
Naya put her hand up, and she could feel the indentation from Vaughn’s teeth. But she wasn’t mad. Instead, she smiled at how he’d branded her. She felt sad though because she knew it wouldn’t last long with her accelerated healing.
Turning her thoughts back to her friend, she wondered why Kenzie was bitten. Sawyer always acted like he couldn’t stand her. Did something intimate happen between them?
“I get why Vaughn bit me.” It had happened in the heat of the moment. “But why did Sawyer bite you?”
“How did you—” Kenzie pursed her lips. “You can smell him, can’t you?”
Naya nodded.
“Naya, I love you, and I’m sorry that I’m in a mood, but I really don’t want to talk about it right now.” Kenzie tried to reassure her with a smile. “Is that okay?”
“Yes, but I’m here if and when you want to talk.”
Kenzie smiled at her. “Thank you. Now, let’s go home.”
They walked toward the car when Kenzie suddenly stopped.
Naya turned around, having walked a few steps past Kenzie. “What?”
Kenzie put her hand up to her mouth, and she appeared to be deep in thought. She caught up to Naya and looked around to see if anyone else was nearby.
“Don’t you think it’s kind of odd that we were both bitten in the same place?” Kenzie said. “From two guys who live and work together?”
“Hmm…” It did seem unusual and more than coincidental.
“All of them—they’re all big and macho, and they give off this…predatory quality.”
“That’s the perfect way to describe them.”
Kenzie leaned in close and whispered, “What if they aren’t human? You’re a vampire. What if they are something…else? More than human. Like you. Unless they’re vampires?”
“What?”
“Well, it’s just that they all have sort of an outdoorsy smell. I never really thought about it before.”
That would be ironic. Most vampires thought humans were arrogant to think they were the only species within their genus, and vampires—herself included—might be doing the exact same thing.
But Vaughn’s and Sawyer’s smell didn’t necessarily mean they were different.
Plus, Kenzie liked to read a lot. Maybe her imagination had taken over.
“I realize it’s ignorant to think humans and vampires are the only species that exist. But don’t you think I would have been told at some point?”
Kenzie snorted. “And who would have told you? Your parents? Since when do they feel like you need to know anything important?”
Naya rolled her eyes and sighed. “Yeah, you’re right.” Maybe all vampires weren’t naive. Maybe she was the only clueless one. “Well, it hardly matters now I suppose. Unless you plan on seeing Sawyer again?”
“Not if you paid me.”
Naya chuckled.
Kenzie looked at her with worry. “I’m such a shit. I’ve been feeling sorry for myself, and I haven’t even asked about you. I know you really care about Vaughn. Saying good-bye couldn’t have been easy. Are you okay?”
“Yes.” No. “I don’t know. I knew it was coming, but it was still harder than I’d thought it would be.” She gave Kenzie an encouraging smile.
Kenzie hugged her. “I’m sorry, Naya.” Stepping back, she added, “I’m here for you, too.”
“I know. Thank you. I’ll be fine.” I hope. She slipped her arm through Kenzie’s. “Let’s go home.”
On her front porch, Payton sipped on warm milk as she rocked on the porch swing. She couldn’t sleep, and she’d come outside to relax and enjoy the night air. It was the beginning of September, and the weather was cooler and less humid.
Figuring it was time to go to bed soon, she got up and headed inside. She paused halfway to the door when she saw Saxon’s car coming down the long driveway. She waved as it went past to park behind the house. She noticed Camden was the only one with him, so she sat back down and waited for them. After a minute, both of them strolled around the side of the house.
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