Four hours! Four fucking hours those morons had kept him online. Re-arguing points that had already been agreed upon. He’d almost lost it several times and it had taken every ounce of his steely control not to punch his fist through the damn screen. Finally he’d called their bluff, stating firmly he was calling an end to the meeting if they didn’t accept the previously negotiated terms, his hand reaching forward to terminate their conference call. Only then did they scramble to apologize and come to an agreement on the original terms already set out.

The lawyer that was also included in the call then quickly sent everyone the paperwork which was signed and sent back, and the deal was concluded. Finally. Victor thanked them, almost through gritted teeth, ending the meeting undoubtedly the richest person in the entire world. Any other day he would be elated and on his way to celebrate. Not today. All he wanted was to search out his Bloodmate and have her in his arms.

His long legs drove him through his home in a frenzy, rushing down the hallway, across his living room and upstairs towards the bedroom where he expected to find Kimber. With his mind a haze of feelings he’d never encountered before he dashed inside, calling her name, “Kimber!”

Noises from his adjoining dressing room which housed his massive collection of clothes had him turning and striding in that direction, his heart speeding up with the thought of finally being alone with his Dragon. As he drew closer a blonde head appeared . . . Suzette’s face beneath. Damn!

“Victor! You’ve been longer than I expected. I’m just arranging Kimber’s things for her and—”

“Where is she?” he ground out, his jaw clenched tight. Angry at himself for not realizing that his Bloodmate wasn’t even in the room. He was so out-of-sorts that he’d failed to use his basic abilities and sense who was within his bedroom.

Suzette stepped out into the bedroom, scowling up at him with her arms crossed. “I beg your pardon? Was that a ‘Thank you for taking care of everything for Kimber?’ Or was that even a small consideration of dealing with the gazillion calls I’ve had about your escapade earlier? No, indeed it was not. I swear to goodness you drive me crazy, Victor.”

He stepped forward, crowding her space and towering over her. “Where is she, Suzette? I need her and I need her now!”

She cringed back, her face whitening with the sheer power seeping from his pores and the anger in every syllable that flew from his lips. He knew she didn’t deserve it and later he would apologize but not now. Right this second, he felt as if he was about to rip Suzette’s throat out if she didn’t open those plump red lips and tell him what he craved to know: where was Kimber.

“She’s upstairs in the pool! For heaven’s sakes, Victor! Calm the hell down. As soon as she—”

He didn’t wait to hear what she was about to say, turning so fast that he was but a blur, using his Vampire speed to flash through the room and heading toward the rooftop. His senses were on fire with concern for Kimber’s safety. What the hell was Suzette thinking to allow Kimber to venture to the rooftop alone? It was open to so many threats that his mind was a blaze of alarm and distress. His stomach roiling around like a sea in a storm and, if he were human, he knew he would’ve thrown up. He didn’t have that luxury though so he powered on and in seconds he stormed through the door yelling her name.

“Kimber! Where are you?”

The first thing he saw was a smirking Flint lounging on a chair, with half a dozen more guards dotted around, backs to the pool where Kimber swam. His friend gave him a two-fingered salute before pointing to the water. “She’s fine, boss. I’ve made sure she’s guarded and the men have been warned to keep their eyes averted. I didn’t think you’d be very happy if you found them gawking at her.”

Victor was in front of him in an instant. “And what about you? Your eyes aren’t averted, Flint.”

Flint shook his head. “I thought at least one of us had to keep watch on her. That Elf was using magic, Vic, what if someone else came and used that shit? They could get in and to her without us sensing them. I wasn’t letting her out of my sight. It’s my job to keep her safe and that’s what I’ll do. Unless you’re with her, then my eyes will be on her at all times when she’s not in her bedroom. I’m not allowing anything to happen to her. If that’s not what you want then just say the word and I’ll go.”

Flint’s words made it through the haze of anger coursing through him. He was right. Of course. “Shit. I’m sorry. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me.”

“Yeah, you do.” Flint smirked up at him before he rose, patting Victor’s shoulder. “You’ve found your Bloodmate and, well, not to sound indelicate, but you two need to seal the deal. Maybe then you’ll feel better, or at least not quite so caveman.”

He gave him a slight nod, knowing what he said was true. “I hope so.”

“Do you want me to leave some of the men here?” Flint asked.

Victor responded quickly and vehemently. “No. I’ll look after her now, and Flint, I don’t want to be disturbed for anything. I’ll let you know when I’m ready to conduct business again. Until then, keep everything running and everyone away.”

His friend’s eyes smiled at him but he only gave a one word answer. “Done.”

As he turned away, Flint whistled and the guards quickly followed him, leaving Victor alone with Kimber who continued to swim languidly in his pool. What he hadn’t noticed before was that she went from one end to the other underwater only surfacing now and again to take a small breath before dropping beneath the water once more. He watched her for several minutes, the first thing he was thankful for was the one-piece swimsuit she wore. If she’d been in a skimpy bikini he wasn’t sure how he would’ve felt at the thought of Flint seeing her dressed like that . . . jealousy wasn’t an emotion he’d ever encountered before. However, he was sure it would’ve reared its head for the first time at that moment. As it was she still looked far too sexy, even encased in the swimwear she’d decided to don, but at least it covered more than a two piece.

She glided through the water with no effort whatsoever, her lithe form slicing the water as if it weren’t even there. It was as if she were totally at home in the blue liquid as it slithered around her skin, his eyes glued to her as she effortlessly swam from one end to the other and back again. A few moments longer and he could bear it no more. He had to feel her, touch her, have her in his arms. His breathing picked up as he tore his clothes from his body, throwing them down until he stood naked with his eyes locked on Kimber.

He waited until she was at the farthest end of the pool and then he stepped forward and slid inside, dropping to the bottom and waited like a shark hunting its prey. When she returned to his end he saw the second she sensed she was no longer alone and that’s when he struck, propelling himself up with his strong thighs and grasping her around the waist and carrying her upward to the surface. As they broke through she sputtered, her eyes wide with shock for the briefest of instants before she wrapped her arms around his neck but then she gave him a mouthful.

“What are you doing? I was about to fry your ass!”

“I couldn’t resist you any longer.” He smirked down into her face as they treaded water, her long hair trailing out behind her and her plump lips just begging for his to cover them and kiss her until she was a hot mess in his arms.

“Any longer? How long have you been here?” she asked breathlessly as she hung onto him.

“A while,” he conceded. “I’m sorry my meeting took longer than expected but you look as if you’ve found a way to keep yourself occupied.”

Her cheeks pinked, eyes dropping away before coming back to meet his. “Suzette said it would be all right for me to come for a swim but I didn’t expect Flint and a horde of guards to come too. I had to go back and change when I realized he wouldn’t allow me to swim alone.”

Victor’s head filled with thoughts of what she had planned to wear and he couldn’t help but ask after he reiterated that his Head of Security had been right. “Flint was doing his job, Kimber. He is tasked with keeping you safe, especially when I’m not around. But I have to ask, what were you wearing before he and his men arrived?”

While her cheeks had been a shade of pink before they were now darkening into a lovely crimson, her head falling forward to lean on his shoulder as she mumbled. If it weren’t for his Vampire hearing he would not have heard the one word she uttered, “Nothing.”

With that simple murmur, his cock twitched to life between them, pressing against her belly as desire flooded him at the thought of arriving here to find her swimming in the nude. Shit. That was a sight he couldn’t wait to see and the next words just slipped out of his mouth unbidden. “We’re alone now, Kimber. No Flint and no guards, and if you hadn’t already noticed, I’m already naked. Care to join me?”

Kimber’s head popped back, her eyes locking with his, pupils dilating beautifully. “I hate swimming with anything on so yeah, I’ll join you. Can you help me with this?”

Victor made quick work of the flimsy swimwear, ripping the straps and removing it from her body so fast that she gasped with fright before she gave him a sassy smile. “I hope you don’t make a habit of that because I’ve only just acquired a new wardrobe.”

“I’ll make you a promise,” he leaned toward her, kissing the side of her mouth, “every time I rip something from your body I’ll replace it. Deal?”

She shivered in his arms, her fingers tangling in his hair possessively. “I’ll take that.”

“Good . . . now can I take you? Because I have to admit I feel like I’m going to explode if I don’t, Kimber. You’re so damn beautiful and I can’t believe I finally have you here in my arms and we’re alone with nobody to interrupt us. I want to make you scream my name, baby, and I want to make you come so damn hard you won’t ever doubt that you’re mine.”

“Yours, so does that make you mine, Victor? Are you mine? Is this a two-way thing or not?”

Victor felt as if he’d been doused in ice-cold water as he frowned, not quite understanding her question but he nodded. “Of course. Why would you ask that? You are my Bloodmate.”

“Yes, you keep saying that. I’m your Bloodmate. I’m yours. But you’ve never said anything about you being mine or this being a two-way street. I’m just trying to understand this Bloodmate thing. I need to know where I stand.”