His boot thumped into the far wall, and my face went cold. Ivy. Scented candles. Airing out the church. Making brownies to scent the air. Washing his scent off me. Swell.

Smiling his bad-boy smile, Kisten padded to me in his socks and open jeans. His wide hand cupped my jaw and he leaned close. “I don’t mind if she knows,” he said, and I didn’t move, enjoying the warmth. “She’s going to find out eventually. But I’d break it to her gently if I were you, not dump it on her.” He gave me a soft kiss on the corner of my mouth. His hand trailed reluctantly from me as he backed up and opened the door to the shower.

Crap, I’d forgotten about Ivy. “Yeah,” I said distantly, recalling her jealousy, her dislike of surprises, and how badly she reacted to both. “You think she’s going to be upset?”

Kisten turned, his shirt off and water beading on his hand from feeling the temperature. “Upset? She’s going to be as jealous as a green apple that you and I have a physical way to express our relationship and she doesn’t.”

Frustration filled me. “Damn it, Kisten. I’m not going to let her bite me so she knows I like her. Sex and blood. Blood and sex. It’s the same thing, and I can’t do that with Ivy. I’m not wired that way!”

He shook his head, a sad smile on him. “You can’t say blood and sex are the same thing. You’ve never given blood to another. You have nothing to base your view on.”

I frowned. “Every time a vamp puts his eyes on me looking for a snack, it feels sexual.”

He came forward, wedging his body between my knees, pressing close up to the washer. His hand went out, and he pushed my hair back over my shoulder. “Most living vampires who are looking for a quick fix find a willing partner faster when they stir them sexually. But Rachel, the meaning behind the giving and receiving blood isn’t supposed to be based on sex but respect and love. That you can’t be moved by the promise of great sex is why Ivy gave up that tack with you so quickly. But she’s still hunting you.”

I thought of all the facets of Ivy that Skimmer’s appearance had forced me to openly acknowledge. “I know.”

“Once she gets over her initial anger, I think she’ll be all right with us dating.”

“I never said I was dating you.”