His arm at my waist slid up, his hand stopping at the side of my breast, his thumb stroking the skin over my dress there.
I felt his head move, his mouth no longer at my ear but his lips were against my neck.
“Yes,” he answered.
I forgot our audience, who were now getting a show, turned slightly to him and his head came up.
I got close to his face and asked, “What is that?”
He answered without delay. “I’ve tuned myself to you.”
I didn’t know what that meant.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“You know I can hear your heart?” he asked in return.
I nodded.
He hesitated before he went on, “You know I can control your mind?”
I swallowed before I nodded again and asked, “Are you reading my mind?”
“I can’t read your mind unless you’re speaking to me with it.”
Wow. That was a relief.
“So what are you doing?”
“I’ve adjusted you to me and me to you. At the same time I’ve attuned my senses to you, so every breath you take, every slight movement, I know it almost before you do it.”
I didn’t get it but whatever it was, it was freaking me out!
“What does that mean?”
“It means our hearts are beating in tandem. It means I’m anticipating your movements. It says to the vampires in this room who can hear it and feel it, that you’re mine.”
“Don’t they already know that?”
“Yes.”
“Then isn’t that overkill?”
For some reason his face got hard before he replied, “No.”
“Don’t you think you holding me pretty much sends the message?”
“Holding you is a message I’m sending to the mortals.”
I was surprised at that answer. “What do they care?”
“I don’t give a f**k if they care. I care. But it says I’m not here to feed. I’m not here to play. I’m not here to f**k. I’m here to be with you.”
Oh my God.
What did that mean?
I didn’t ask because I didn’t want to know.