Survivor - By Kaye Draper Page 0,59
might have been behind the recent surge in health conscious whole foods. “So they are getting over it?” His voice was mild, but the corner of his lip quirked up with suppressed laughter.
I rolled my eyes. “Of course not. They’ll hate you for the rest of your life. And I mean your vampire life. We’re good at holding grudges.”
He chuckled. “I’m sure I’ll win them over again. If nothing else, the minute they see you they will forget why they are even mad.”
I stretched, looking down at my legs. “At this point they really could disown me for all I care. I can walk. Hell, I can run.” I grinned up at him and he bent down to plant a soft kiss on my forehead, sharing my elation. The smell of him was electric and my lips parted as my fangs shot out. “Son of a bitch,” I muttered, embarrassed.
Peter laughed and just kept right on invading my space. I pressed the back of my hand to my mouth and glared, fighting the urge to pin him. He only laughed in response. “You said you would be back home in about a month,” he reminded me mildly, a glint in his eyes. “You need to practice control if you want to achieve that kind of ridiculous goal.” He put a knee between my legs and leaned forward, his hands resting on the back of the couch on either side of me.
“I’ll be fine,” I said between clenched teeth. The smell of his skin was wafting to me every time he moved and I started to pant, trying not to breathe through my nose.
He leaned forward to nuzzle at my neck and I shoved him. Hard. He was probably expecting it, but he didn’t resist, falling back to sprawl on the floor like a weak victim. “Oh…” he said in mock helplessness, “that hurt.” He rubbed his hip as if he were injured, his emerald eyes flashing to silver.
I reached for my cup of orange juice. Pressing myself back into the fluffy couch cushions, I brought the drink to my mouth and inhaled the scent of oranges and sunshine. “Fuck off,” I said succinctly. Peter laughed, still refusing to get up off the floor. I took a sip of my juice, almost wincing at how wrong it tasted right now. What I wanted wasn’t fruit.
He raised his eyebrows and gave me a wide-eyed look. “Is there something wrong with your juice?” He sounded oh so concerned. I gave him the finger. He stretched slowly, then rolled over and started doing push-ups, making his heart beat a little faster. Asshole.
I swallowed hard. My mouth was watering. I took another gulp of the juice and almost gagged at the sweet, fruity taste. Peter rolled back over and fanned himself, as if he were all worked up. Like a vampire would be worked up after a few little push-ups. I set the glass down with trembling fingers. “Stop it, you stink,” I said flatly. “It’s disgusting.” His warm, spicy, male scent was going straight to my head. I made a face as if it sickened me.
Smiling, he grabbed the hem of his faded t-shirt and pulled it up over his head. He reclined on the floor, braced on his elbows, waiting. I narrowed my eyes at the self-assured look in his eyes.
He didn’t have to wait long, the jerk. I was pinning him to the floor within seconds.
*****
I opened the door and let Haine in. Technically, I wasn’t allowed to have visitors when Peter wasn’t there. To hell with it, I thought, irritated. The rule was in place to protect my human friends and family. It wasn’t as if I was going to hurt Haine. He was older and stronger, and more than capable of taking care of himself. I didn’t have many friends right now, especially those who knew what I was going through. I needed a non-human friend to talk to.
I wasn’t entirely oblivious to Peter’s reactions to Haine. Jealousy is not a laughing matter among supernatural creatures. It can be a big problem when inhumanly strong people start to argue. If Peter wasn’t here, then he wouldn’t go all alpha male on me. I knew he didn’t doubt my loyalty, but he got over protective any time any vampire was around, let alone one as pretty and powerful as Haine.
He flashed a stunning smile and made himself at home, kicking off his shoes, and hanging his jacket on the hook by