“I wish to keep you with me,” he said gently. “And my further, most fervent wish is that you wish to keep me.”

She forced her breath out, saying, “I do.”

She felt him relax and hadn’t realized he was tense.

And when she did, she thought that was unbearably sweet.

“After the world is saved, we’ll work it out,” he declared.

“Yes, Yuri. After the world is saved, we’ll work it out.”

His eyes warmed and he bent again to give her a deep, lavish kiss.

Only after he broke it did he reach to the light to extinguish it.

Then, as he always did, he positioned her as he wanted her. This night, spooning, his arms around her, pressing her smaller body deep into the warm, hard curve of his bigger one.

She found his hand and laced her fingers through.

When she did, his tightened.

Again, unbearably sweet.

“Good night, sweetheart,” she whispered into the dark.

“Good night, button,” he murmured into her hair.

As cute as, he’d said.

Her vampire.

Unbearably sweet.

On that thought, she tried to relax, tried to calm her heart, knowing he’d know exactly when she went to sleep.

She couldn’t do either.

Now that it was quiet and he wasn’t touching her, making love to her, coloring her world by offering her his, in the silence, Aurora fretted.

She didn’t want to take him on the journey she knew she would make that night. It was dangerous. Too dangerous. And she was falling in love. She didn’t want to risk the chance of losing him.

But when she came back, he’d be so very angry that she went alone without him to protect her.

She had not known him long, and although they spent a lot of time together, he was centuries old. There was much to discover about him so she still did not know him well. Though, she was learning.

The one thing she did know was that he would indeed be very angry with her in a way that it wouldn’t earn her an enjoyable spanking ending in an outrageously fantastic orgasm.

He might never forgive her.

And she couldn’t have that.

Because, she couldn’t be sure, but she was beginning to believe, she wouldn’t be able to live without him.

So she had to take him.

And she hated that.

Even so, she prepared, keeping her hand tight with his and shifting her leg so he had no choice but to hook his thigh over her hip.

Tangling them up together, so that in sleep, they were connected.

So that when she dreamed, she would take her sweet vampire with her.

* * * * *

Abel

“Oh yeah, fuck yeah, Abel, baby, yes!” Delilah cried as she reared back into him on all fours and came.