granted.
“Are you asking me if I want to fuck you?”
She wanted to shock him. He knew it in his bones, and so he smiled because, like her, he wasn’t easily thrown off his game.
“Yes. Exactly.”
“I shouldn’t.” She reached out to stroke the side of his face. “Only I do. Only not the same as before. Earlier my desire felt obsessive. This minute, my wanting you is slow. Hot. Needy.”
Hanzi kissed her. He needed her as he did blood, maybe even more.
Chapter Four
S he lost herself to his kiss. His embrace started out gentle, yet soon he took complete possession of her mouth. Adrienne closed her eyes. He licked her bottom lip. Shivers started at the base of her spine and moved upwards. His kiss was possession and she wanted more of it.
So when he drew back, she didn’t know why. He studied her face, and she wondered what the vampire, who she was sure was about to become her lover, saw there.
“Tell me something, kicsikém.”
She didn’t know what his word meant, but she liked it. Loved hearing how it rolled off his tongue. How the endearment seemed to caress her.
“If we had met under different circumstances. If I were a man, a living male, what could I say to you which would make you happy?”
Adrienne touched the side of his face to feel his soft skin. “You’re so warm, Hanzi. How can you not call yourself living?”
“I am something, only it is not alive. Were I able I would stay far from you for your whole life. I would protect you from anything harmful, including myself.” He closed his eyes. “And yet I can’t stay away. I was drawn here to you. Before Jerome read in his book it was to my turn to find my bride I knew you were coming to me. I felt it in my bones the day you were born. A jolt of electricity as if I had been struck by lightning.”
With her hand on his cheek, she rubbed the side of his eye until he opened his lid. “I didn’t choose to have a destiny. Yet, when I am with you, since I saw you in my dream, through Ema’s eyes, I can’t help but wonder what role I am to play in who you are.” She couldn’t breathe for the need to speak the question weighing on her heart. “Will it hurt me when I die?”
He sucked in a loud breath. “I won’t kill you.”
“My death is part of the path.” It had always been part of the destiny her parents described.
“I have to draw the line somewhere.” Hanzi took her hands in his. “I will not bring you into the dark night with me. I will not feed from you.”
“Hanzi.” She wouldn’t live in a dreamland or let him continue to fool himself. “I don’t think not dying’s how it’s going to work. I saw you earlier. You wanted to bite me; it went beyond a wish to do so and became a total need. And then I responded to it by desiring it, too.”
“Why don’t you let me worry about it?”
She wished she could. He was a vampire, and she’d gotten a strong dose of what it meant to be around him when he lost control. Adrienne stared into his blue eyes. No man should be so beautiful, and the sad truth was he’d always been good looking, even when he had been an ordinary human.
“You’re beautiful.”
“I’ve always been pretty enough. I really don’t care about those things. Better to focus my time elsewhere.” He bent over to kiss her hand.
“Play pretend with me.” He really did seem fixated. “What would I do next?”
“Dear vampire, have you been out of the game for so long you don’t know?”
She touched his chin. Touching Hanzi might become a habit if she wasn’t careful. His eyes flared to life every time she did it. When had the man in front of her last been caressed, stroked?
Hanzi sighed loudly. “When last I set about to court a woman, I barely touched her for potential impropriety. Since then, it has been a matter of trying not to make a lasting relationship.”
“Ah.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “So you’re being solo is how it has been then, has it? You and I share the
“Are you asking me if I want to fuck you?”
She wanted to shock him. He knew it in his bones, and so he smiled because, like her, he wasn’t easily thrown off his game.
“Yes. Exactly.”
“I shouldn’t.” She reached out to stroke the side of his face. “Only I do. Only not the same as before. Earlier my desire felt obsessive. This minute, my wanting you is slow. Hot. Needy.”
Hanzi kissed her. He needed her as he did blood, maybe even more.
Chapter Four
S he lost herself to his kiss. His embrace started out gentle, yet soon he took complete possession of her mouth. Adrienne closed her eyes. He licked her bottom lip. Shivers started at the base of her spine and moved upwards. His kiss was possession and she wanted more of it.
So when he drew back, she didn’t know why. He studied her face, and she wondered what the vampire, who she was sure was about to become her lover, saw there.
“Tell me something, kicsikém.”
She didn’t know what his word meant, but she liked it. Loved hearing how it rolled off his tongue. How the endearment seemed to caress her.
“If we had met under different circumstances. If I were a man, a living male, what could I say to you which would make you happy?”
Adrienne touched the side of his face to feel his soft skin. “You’re so warm, Hanzi. How can you not call yourself living?”
“I am something, only it is not alive. Were I able I would stay far from you for your whole life. I would protect you from anything harmful, including myself.” He closed his eyes. “And yet I can’t stay away. I was drawn here to you. Before Jerome read in his book it was to my turn to find my bride I knew you were coming to me. I felt it in my bones the day you were born. A jolt of electricity as if I had been struck by lightning.”
With her hand on his cheek, she rubbed the side of his eye until he opened his lid. “I didn’t choose to have a destiny. Yet, when I am with you, since I saw you in my dream, through Ema’s eyes, I can’t help but wonder what role I am to play in who you are.” She couldn’t breathe for the need to speak the question weighing on her heart. “Will it hurt me when I die?”
He sucked in a loud breath. “I won’t kill you.”
“My death is part of the path.” It had always been part of the destiny her parents described.
“I have to draw the line somewhere.” Hanzi took her hands in his. “I will not bring you into the dark night with me. I will not feed from you.”
“Hanzi.” She wouldn’t live in a dreamland or let him continue to fool himself. “I don’t think not dying’s how it’s going to work. I saw you earlier. You wanted to bite me; it went beyond a wish to do so and became a total need. And then I responded to it by desiring it, too.”
“Why don’t you let me worry about it?”
She wished she could. He was a vampire, and she’d gotten a strong dose of what it meant to be around him when he lost control. Adrienne stared into his blue eyes. No man should be so beautiful, and the sad truth was he’d always been good looking, even when he had been an ordinary human.
“You’re beautiful.”
“I’ve always been pretty enough. I really don’t care about those things. Better to focus my time elsewhere.” He bent over to kiss her hand.
“Play pretend with me.” He really did seem fixated. “What would I do next?”
“Dear vampire, have you been out of the game for so long you don’t know?”
She touched his chin. Touching Hanzi might become a habit if she wasn’t careful. His eyes flared to life every time she did it. When had the man in front of her last been caressed, stroked?
Hanzi sighed loudly. “When last I set about to court a woman, I barely touched her for potential impropriety. Since then, it has been a matter of trying not to make a lasting relationship.”
“Ah.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “So you’re being solo is how it has been then, has it? You and I share the
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