“A few times. But it’s been ages. It’s one of those places that’s so stunning—” she put a hand over her heart “—so moving, you have to pinch yourself to believe that it’s real. That your eyes are actually taking in something so incredible.”
When she looked up, he had set the bowl down and was staring at her. Oh, great. Why was she always doing this around him? Giving him a dramatic play-by-play of how she saw things. He had to think she was much too emotional. Too sensitive. What was it about him that loosened the tight strings holding her together? Normally, she had better control than this.
“Sorry, I’m not usually this expressive.”
When he spoke, his voice was hoarse. “Never be ashamed of your emotions around me. I’ll have to take you up there sometime. I know of places you’ve probably never seen before.”
“Oh. I’d love that.” Something gripped her heart and squeezed. Do not get attached to him.
She sat taller on the stool and flicked her hair behind her shoulder. A current of something tangible shimmered in the air around them. Like she could reach forward and strum it with her fingers.
She only spoke again when she thought she could trust her voice. “So, what’s the nature of your work?”
“About all I can say is that it’s in the law enforcement field.”
“That’s a pretty broad brushstroke. Is it dangerous?”
“Yes.”
“Why do you do it?”
“Some risks are worth taking.”
DOM OPENED THE first door in the hallway and mounted the stairs two at a time, his hand at her back.
This is what it feels like when a human man escorts his woman to dinner. Even with everything stripped away, when they were ordinary, they seemed to fit together. He pushed open the heavy steel door at the top and they stepped out onto the rooftop garden. She gasped and her eyes widened as she craned her neck to see everything.
“Oh my gosh, Dom. It’s…amazing.”
Candlelight from the chandelier hanging beneath the trellis danced in her eyes. If he hadn’t made that regrettable promise to her back at the art studio, he’d have pulled her into his arms right now. Instead, he turned to get the salads, but she stopped him with a light hand on his wrist.
“Thank you.” She lifted her chin to him, her green eyes fiery in the warm glow from the chandelier. Were his mirroring the same passion?
“For what? You haven’t even tried the food yet.”
“For everything. Just in case I forget to tell you later.”
He swept four fingers under her jawline. She was delicate, yet so strong. Oh, how he wanted to place his lips there.
His erection surged, straining against the seam of his jeans, and his palate throbbed as the tips of his fangs began to protrude. He quickly turned away and stepped behind her. Grabbing at the leather band around his wrist, he grimaced as he cranked the buckle tighter, the metal barbs of the cilice digging farther into his skin.
Holy shit. Chuck hadn’t been kidding when he’d said this thing stung like a sonofabitch.
Sweat beaded on his upper lip as his body acclimated to the higher level of pain. He took a few halting steps toward the outdoor kitchen, grabbed a towel and dabbed at the thin trickle of blood running down his forearm. Chuck had told him he used one of these ancient self-torture devices to control his own feeding urges when he’d first married Shirl and met her large family. The pain it caused diverted his attention away from the blood desire. He ran his tongue over the roof of his mouth. Smooth again. He managed to set a couple of salmon steaks on the hot grill and returned to the table with the salads.
Mackenzie’s eyes narrowed to slits. She sensed his pain. Of course she did. But he couldn’t take the damn thing off, that was for sure. He wouldn’t dare take that chance. He flashed what he hoped was a distracting smile and sat down.
“How about you tell me your happiest memory?” Now it was time to keep himself diverted.
“Only if you will, too.”
He nodded.
“Okay, let me think.” She speared a large bite of salad and chewed. He liked that she not only ate—he’d been with plenty of women who didn’t—but that she did so with gusto. She put a finger up to indicate she must have come up with a story. Before she finished chewing, she began to