She looks at the clock on the wall and I recognize her confusion. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” I take her hands in mine and pull her to me. I wrap my arms around her and kiss the side of her neck just below her ear. “I couldn’t wait another minute to see you. I miss having you in my arms.”

“Mmm … I miss being in your arms.” She leans into me and my mouth finds hers but this kiss is different from any we’ve shared before. This one is urgent. And needy.

I trail my mouth down her neck but remember our conversation about trying a different spot next time I fed. “You mentioned trying a new place the next time I drank from you?”

“No three day wait?” Her voice is breathy. And desperate.

“No. I can’t wait another day. I need to be with you. To feel you.”

Her hands find mine and she walks backwards toward my desk. She hops up after pushing some papers aside and slides her silk gown up her legs to reveal her thighs. I can’t stop my eyes from following the black silk as it rises. She points to her femoral artery in the bend of her leg. “I thought you might like to try this one.”

I stand there speechless as I swallow hard. I’ve drunk from the femoral of others many times and it never phased me. Until now. I was definitely feeling excited about the prospect of drinking from Avery’s thigh.

She looks sad when I don’t reply. “You don’t want to?”

I step closer and put my arms around her. “It’s not that, baby doll.”

“Then what is it?” she whispers.

I don’t know what it is. “I have so many new emotions when I’m with you but I don’t know what any of them mean.”

She pulls away so she can see my face. “Do you want to talk about it?”

There it is again. That smell. My mind goes to mush every time it comes around. “No. Right now I want my mouth on you.” I drop to my knees in front of Avery. I grasp her thighs and pull her across my desk until her bottom is on the edge. She releases her gown and grasps the corner of the desk because she’s afraid of falling. “Don’t worry. I won’t let you fall. Ever.”

She relaxes and releases her grip. I’m looking up at her from where I’m kneeling between her knees and she reaches out to run one of her hands through the top of my hair. “I’m falling … but in a different kind of way.”

I kiss the top of her knee. “So I’m not the only one?”

“No. Not by a long shot.”

I move up and kiss the inside of her thigh. “Good. I’m happy to hear that.” She opens her legs to give me full access and I’m taken over by the scent as I kiss her higher on the inside of her opposite leg. I place my lips against the pulsation in the bend of her leg but look up at her face before piercing it. “This is a big vessel. It bleeds fast and hard once I puncture it so I want you to tell me if you feel woozy at all while I’m drinking.”

“I will.”

“Lean back and rest on your elbows. It’ll be more comfortable if your leg isn’t bent so much.”

She repositions and I’m wishing we were in her bedroom instead of this office. But that isn’t safe this time of night. “Are you okay?”

“Perfect.”

I push the edge of her underwear up for better access to her artery and see that her skin is bare and smooth beneath her black satin panties. It’s not at all what I was expecting. That’s when I realize I actually had expectations so I’m forced to admit I have been thinking about her body entirely more than what any vampire would consider normal. And it certainly wasn’t natural to be thinking about her body beneath her panties.

“What’s wrong?” She has a concerned look on her face and I sense her worry but I’m not certain what sparked it. Perhaps it’s the look on my face and she’s afraid I’ve changed my mind.

“Nothing is wrong.” I kiss her groin again. “I guess I’m just a little surprised by this.”

“By what?” She has no idea what I’m referring to.

I divert my eyes toward her panties. “You’re smooth there.”

“Oh.” She blushes crimson. “You don’t like it?”

Why would a man not like it? “No, it’s not that. I just wasn’t expecting it. I’m surprised. That’s all.”

“It’s not a problem for you?”

It most definitely could be a problem but not for the reasons she suspects. I like it far more than I should–just like everything else about her. “Not at all.”

She leans back again. “Good. I don’t want anything distracting you.”

Was she kidding me? It wasn’t possible to not be distracted by what was a mere two inches to the right of my nose and mouth.

I shook my head as if to clear its preoccupation and then sank my teeth into the vessel that would bring me and Avery as close as two people could possibly be. It’s like a geyser–both the blood and the link we are sharing. Large gushes of Avery’s blood pulsate into my mouth after I withdraw my teeth so I swallow fast. I knew this artery would be generous but I had forgotten how much so until the force of the first surge hits my tongue.

The tie occurring between us is different this time. It’s much more powerful than anything we’ve experienced thus far. I’m uncertain if it’s because I’m taking in a larger volume of blood at a faster rate or if it’s … something else. I’m able to go deeper into her mind than ever before and that’s when I see the depth of her affection for me. She loves me in a way I didn’t know was possible. Unconditionally.

It’s overwhelming. And it scares the hell out of me. We shouldn’t be doing this.

I jerk away from Avery and blood gushes from her wound, streaming down her leg to form a puddle on the floor. She sits up on my desk and looks down at the spurt coming from the bend of her leg. Her confusion is unmistakable. I would see it in her expression even if I didn’t know it from the union our minds and hearts share.

I’ve yanked the rug from beneath her. And I feel terrible.

“I’m so sorry.” I lower my mouth to her groin to stop the hemorrhage. I’m glad I must use it to close the two bleeding punctures because it gives me an excuse to not explain the way I just freaked out. But it’s only temporary.

I can’t look at her face when I finish. I don’t want to see the perplexity in her eyes. Nor do I want her to see the shame in mine.

I’m staring at the large puddle of blood on the wood flooring of my office. “I should wipe this up before the others smell it.”

I step away from her so I can grab a towel from the bathroom but she places her hand on my lower arm and stops me. She isn’t letting me get away without talking this over first. “That was different. And extremely intense.”

I find comfort in hearing her admit that it was a powerful experience for her as well but I still feel like I owe her an explanation for my reaction. “Your blood flowed more forcefully than I expected. I didn’t remember how quickly that vessel would bleed out and yours seemed to be gushing.” She knows I’m using that as an excuse for my response but it isn’t the part she wants me to clarify. “It was startling to be so deep within your mind. I wasn’t prepared for it and then I worried it was happening because I was taking too much blood.”

She brushes her fingers through my hair as she watches my eyes. “You have to stop being afraid and enjoy the things we do.”

I never want her to think I don’t cherish her. “Enjoy doesn’t even begin to describe how much I relish our relationship and the way we come together.”

“Good. Can we agree that what’s happening between us is beautiful–and that it’s a gift–so we should treat it as such and stop feeling guilty about taking pleasure in one another?”

I hadn’t thought of it that way. Avery is right. And she is what makes this beautiful. She is the gift. “You’re right.”

“I’m glad you’re starting to see things my way.” She grabs my hands and pulls me closer. “Because I can’t wait to see what happens when we do this again.”

Chapter Six

I’m beginning to think I could be addicted to Avery.

We originally agreed I would drink from her every three days. Three quickly became two. That decision lasted no time at all before it progressed to daily. Now, we’re stealing every possible moment behind closed doors.

And I’m waiting to get caught any day now. It’s only a matter of time.

It’s been a long night–too damn long–but dawn is finally approaching. The others have gone to bed for the day with the exception of Curry and Chansey. They’re trying to keep the babies on a normal routine sleep schedule. But it doesn’t matter. They have soundproof sleeping quarters and Curry no longer has the ability to hear or smell like he once did.

Avery and I are safe to do whatever we want with one another this morning–and there’s a whole lot I’d like to do with her. Things are progressively becoming more and more heated each time we’re together. I’m still not sure what’s happening between us but I don’t have to understand what it is for me to be able to enjoy it. I only know I never want it to stop.

We’ve outgrown my office. There’s only so much we can do in there and I think we’re both ready to explore other avenues of this bizarre relationship we have.

I slowly open Avery’s bedroom door and see her sit up in her bed as I come inside. I lock the door behind me because we need no interruptions or surprises even if the others are asleep or preoccupied with taking care of babies.

There’s just enough light spilling into the room that I can see her smile. “I thought you’d never come.”

She’s very alert for someone just waking up. “You haven’t slept tonight?”

“I tried but I couldn’t. All I could do was think about being with you this morning.”