Reborn(16)

She pulled back. “I admitted to liking the bird’s kisses.” She couldn’t stop herself from grinning. Damn, he made her happy. And that was dangerous.

“I’ll remember that the next time I shift. Any kind of bird you like best?”

Then he kissed her—a soft, sweet kiss that pretty much made her putty in his hands.

She let herself get swept away for several seconds, maybe a minute; then she pulled back, gasped for air, and put her hand on his chest to stop him from coming back in for more.

“We shouldn’t…”

“Why not?” he asked.

“Because I’m not…”

“Ready to commit.” He frowned. “I know, you’ve told me that a dozen times. And I can accept that, but out here, it’s just you and me. We’re not committing, we’re just … kissing.”

“But you know where this will lead and I’m not ready for that either.” She looked away, partly out of embarrassment, and partly because she thought she heard something in the woods.

He touched the side of her face and made her look back at him. “Look, I enjoy kissing you, and if that’s all I can get, then that’s what I’ll take. At least until you’re ready for more.”

“What if I’m never ready and you’re just wasting your time?” she said.

He pulled her against him again. “I think I can persuade you to change your mind.”

“You think you’re that good?”

“I know I am,” he said, and chuckled. “A little birdie told me,” he teased.

She punched him in the ribs.

And right then she heard that noise again. She swung around, lifted her nose up, and got a whiff of another vampire. A vampire and fresh blood. Lots of blood.

Chapter Five

“What is it?” Steve asked, obviously sensing her quick turn to mean trouble.

“Vampire?” she muttered, and took another deep breath, half expecting it to be Chase, the panty perv.

But nope. This scent was different, and she could tell that even with the tangy, fresh aroma of blood mixed in. Human blood. B negative and … another type.

Della felt her eyes grow brighter.

She stared up and barely made out the bloody vampire passing overhead. She half considered going after him or her.

Before she could decide, another vampire scent hit, and this one she recognized. Della pulled away from Steve.

Burnett dropped beside them. He wore only his jeans, and his hair looked sleep-mussed. The man was all muscle and brawn. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“Fine,” Della and Steve said at the time.

“Someone jumped the north fence,” Burnett said, giving them a suspicious look.

“I know,” Della said, trying hard not to notice the man’s chest. The camp leader might be old, or at least too old for her, but he could do Diet Coke commercials. “I heard and smelled them. They flew past. I think they’re gone.”

“Yeah,” Burnett said.

“Did you catch the scent?”

“Yes,” she said. “With blood. Two different types.”