Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 110664 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110664 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
The smile that crossed Marcus’s face seemed a little sad, but before Ethan could remark on it, Marcus was carefully pushing Ethan to his feet. “Let’s get cleaned up. We need to talk.”
Ethan climbed off Marcus and the couch. He was a little shaky for a moment, but Marcus was there with his hand on Ethan’s elbow, steadying him. Flushing when he looked down at himself, Ethan quickly tucked away his softened cock and closed his pants. Dried cum and blood were smeared across his stomach and chest, while both were encrusted on the remains of Marcus’s shirt. It was a harsh reminder of what they’d both gone through only hours earlier.
“Marcus…I’m so sorry about your mother. I spoke to her for a little bit before the attack. I know she wasn’t the woman who killed my family. Your mother…” Ethan paused when his voice cracked. Unshed tears burned his eyes, but he held them back. “She was amazing. She was so nice. So determined to protect me. Keep me safe. I tried to get to her.”
Marcus’s warm hand cupped his cheek, forcing him to look up. “And if you did, you’d both be dead right now. I hate to lose her, but I want to believe that she’s truly at peace now. My brothers and I said good-bye to the mother of our childhood a very long time ago. The woman who was reborn a vampire wasn’t truly our mother. Our mother would never have hurt one of us.”
Ethan wrapped his arms around Marcus’s waist and laid his head against his chest. “Then I’m glad she’s at peace.”
Marcus placed one last kiss against Ethan’s temple and released him. “Come. I need to feed more and we both need to shower.”
“I can feed you,” he offered as they started to walk out of the library. He stumbled, his feet seeming heavier than he’d realized, but Marcus was there to help steady him.
“I’ve already taken as much blood as you can safely spare. No more donations from you.”
“But does that mean you’ll have to find some other human?” The thought of Marcus putting his mouth on another person’s throat, that intimate contact, the idea of them being turned-on by that touch, all sent a wave of red-hot jealousy surging through Ethan. He didn’t want Marcus touching anyone like that. But he had to in order to survive.
Oh, this was bad.
Marcus’s low chuckle broke into his dark thoughts. He pressed the button to call for the elevator. “Your face is so expressive. I take it you don’t like the idea of me feeding on someone else.”
Ethan tried to nonchalantly shrug it off, but he had a feeling he was failing miserably. “It’s none of my business. I mean, you need blood to survive, and I certainly can’t dictate who you feed from.”
The metal doors slid open, and they stepped into the small box. Ethan leaned against the wall while Marcus reached over and pressed the button for the third floor. He then crowded close to Ethan, placing his hands on either side of his head so that he felt trapped in the very best way.
“Your blood has already started the healing process. I can supplement with bagged blood. I won’t be biting anyone else tonight,” Marcus whispered in his ear.
“Oh,” Ethan said, hating how obvious his relief sounded in that single word.
“I don’t want to bite anyone else. Don’t want to touch anyone but you, Ethan.” The tip of his tongue slid along his neck and Ethan groaned. Blood raced to his cock, which probably wasn’t a good thing since he definitely didn’t have enough in his system to run both his brain and dick at the same time.
“Fuck, Marcus,” Ethan groaned. His brain was scrambled. In a short period of time, he’d gone from relief to horror to fear to heartbreak to more fear and then a bone-melting orgasm. He was struggling to wrap his head around things that were all changing so damn fast. And in the eye of the storm was Marcus. Strong, immovable Marcus. Ethan wanted to wrap himself around Marcus and hang on tight until the storm was finally over.
The elevator softly dinged, announcing it had reached the desired floor. The door slid open and Marcus pulled away from him. Ethan’s heart picked up as Marcus threaded his fingers through Ethan’s and led him to the master bedroom. He never thought he’d be alone with Marcus in this room again. Hadn’t realized how badly he wanted it until they were standing there. The moment felt so big that a part of him was afraid to move or breathe. Ethan gave Marcus his best jaunty smile. There was nowhere else he wanted to be.
“Shower,” Marcus began, pointing toward the en suite bathroom, “while I grab another pint to drink. Then I want you to climb into my bed. I’ll join you after I shower.”