Moonlight glistens on Melissa’s skin, touching the tips of her nipples with silver, deepening the shadow at the curve of her breasts, and highlighting the planes of her flat stomach. She’s a goddess, and as I smooth my palm up her torso, her back arches in response. I smile against the soft skin of her inner thigh, kissing her softly as she moans in response.

It’s been so long. I’ve wanted her so desperately all those nights. The sound of her sexy sighs registers straight to my cock. I’m hard and aching with need to sink between her thighs, dying to release the pressure.

“Yes,” she sighs as I trace my lips along the line of her red lace panties. Her skin is fresh as the ocean, touched with roses, and the scent only makes me want her more. “There,” she gasps as I dip my tongue inside, savoring her sweet taste. How many times have I dreamed of this?

Fuck doing the right thing. Fuck control. Lilith is dead, Melissa is in my arms, and I intend to spend this night making love to the woman I love. I never want to leave her again, even if means I’m trapped in this beachfront cottage flooded with more sunlight than my body can tolerate. For now, it’s still night, and I’m only getting started.

My mouth covers her lower lips, my tongue moving fast as I plunder the swollen depths of her core. Her hips rock in time, and I have to wrap my arms around her legs to keep her from wiggling away. “Oh god, Derek!” I love how her voice goes higher as her orgasm crests. “Oh god… oh! Ooohhh….”

Her fingers fist in my hair as the tremors break through her. I grin as she starts to pull. Rising over her, I only take a moment to position the head of my cock at her slick opening. We’re on the razor’s edge of pleasure, holding our breaths just before… Heaven.

She moans loudly, and I groan with her as I sink deep into her warm, clenching insides. She’s so tight, and I’m going so deep, I never want to come back from this. I’m on my knees, holding her thighs as I hit it hard and fast. A slim pale foot is near my mouth, and I kiss the arch.

“Oh, god!” Her insides tense at the sensation, and I almost come at her unexpected response. Mental note.

Another kiss to those burgundy-tipped feet, and I spread her thighs, wanting to press her body against mine. She’s quavering, halfway between her first orgasm and her second, and I’m holding on, savoring the feel of her warmth on my skin. Her body is so small, so soft.

“Melissa,” I whisper, rocking my hips faster. My orgasm is building, tightening in my ass. “My Melissa.”

She twists her hips, and her inner muscles hug my cock. I’m right there. “Shit,” I cough as the blinding pleasure explodes through me. I’m coming hard, bucking over and over.

A little cry comes from her lips, and I know I’m gripping her ass too tight. I try to relax my fingers, but I can’t. I’m riding out an enormous wave of pleasure and satisfaction.

My gums burn, but my fangs are held firmly in place. I won’t bite her—as much as I crave that crack-orgasm, I’m only just learning the extent of my control over my vampire nature. I’ve spent the last several months studying everything I can find about myself, as well as doing everything in my power to track down the red-haired old one.

Eyes shut, I’m coming down from heaven, when I register tiny kisses, soft lips peppering my shoulders, moving up to my neck. Blinking my eyes open, I’m hit with such a wave of emotion. Melissa gazes at me with so much love, I have to drop my head against her neck.

“I did it,” I whisper against her skin. “I made love to you. I fucking ascended to heaven, and you’re still alive.”

I’m holding her so tight, it takes me a moment to realize she’s laughing. I’m holding her, and her entire body is shuddering with happiness. My head pops up, and I smile when I see her beautiful face.

“What’s so funny?”

Slim hands cup my cheeks, and she lifts slightly to kiss my nose. “I’ve waited for you so long. You’re here… and I’m still alive.”

Again she laughs, and I can’t help joining her. “You have no idea how tempting you are to me.”

“Mmm.” A naughty gleam fills her sapphire eyes. “I think I might.”

“That, for instance.” I can’t resist covering her mouth, pushing her lips apart and finding her tongue, curling mine around it. Closing my eyes as I savor her taste, her softness. It’s another little piece of heaven.

When I pull up, her eyes remain closed, and she’s breathing fast. I grin down at her, waiting. She stays that way a moment longer, and I chuckle. “You still with me?”

Her eyes blink open, and she stares at the ceiling. “I’m not sure,” she whispers. “When you kiss me like that…”

Reaching out, I touch her full bottom lip with my thumb. So beautiful. We lie back, and her dark hair ripples over the pillow. I move my hand down, lifting a gentle curl and allowing it to wrap around my fingers. She scoots around in the bed so we’re facing each other, and warmth spills over in my chest. In my vampire state, every emotion is heightened, and this right here is as good as it gets.

“Does this mean you’ll stay with me now?” Her face seems to glow in the dim light.

“I don’t know how I’ll ever leave you again.” They’re the truest words I’ve ever spoken.

“What changed your mind? Making love just now?”

That makes me smile. “Making love to you only cemented my decision.” I take a deep breath and tell her. “I killed several powerful vampires before the change. I’ve killed a few since. If Patrick hadn’t alerted me Lilith was in the area… I don’t want to think what might have happened.”

She shivers and scoots forward, into my chest. I wrap my arms around her, loving the feel of her body against mine. I’m holding the back of her head, sliding my palm down the length of her back, to the curve of her ass. Gorgeous.

“For the first time, I confess. I was glad I’m a vampire tonight.”

A ball of ice is in my stomach when I recall my partner’s text. Something’s here. Something powerful. It’s after Melissa. I didn’t pause to consider what that meant. I walked out of the building and started to run. One of the advantages of being on foot, being able to run without growing tired, I cut a straight line down and was here before the demon had a chance to hurt my love.

She moves back a bit so she can see my face. “Patrick knew she was here?”

Touching her soft cheek, I nod. “The word has leaked out. My weakness is now common knowledge.” I’m not sure how to say it without frightening her.

Her small hand touches my cheek. “What’s common knowledge?”

It’s no use. I simply say it. “How much I love you.”

Tears glisten in her beautiful eyes. She blinks several times, and I notice a soft shade of pink bloom in her cheeks. The hand that was on my face is now covering her mouth, but she’s smiling. Her eyes crinkle, and two streaks of water trace into her temples.

“Come here,” I growl, clutching her to me.

A slim arm snakes around my chest, and she holds me tightly. It’s all the response I need. My breathing slowly calms, and after several moments of simply holding each other, she wiggles to free herself again. Of course, I let her go.

“You love me?” Her smile is contagious.

“I just said I did.” My voice is gruff. “You might as well be walking around with a bulls eye taped to your back. Every revenge-seeking bloodsucker in the—”

Her soft lips cover mine as she pushes up and over me. I roll onto my back, allowing her to take control, forgetting whatever the hell I was saying. Her legs straddle my waist, and she’s holding my face, kissing me roughly, biting my lip before covering my mouth again and plunging her tongue inside.

I notice her cool fingers fumbling down behind us to my dick. No worries there—as soon as she started kissing me like I was a gourmet meal waiting to be consumed, my erection roared back to life. One little lift, a slight repositioning of our bodies, and…

“Yes!” she cries. I groan loudly, back in heaven. She’s so hot, so wet and clenching, and she’s riding me like we’re winning the race of a lifetime.

Melissa sits up straight, her beautiful hips rocking like a dancer’s. Her long hair falls over her shoulders, and the tips curl around her beaded nipples.

“Fuck me,” I groan, clutching her ass. “You’re a fucking goddess.”

She moves faster still. Her small hand drifts between her legs, and her slim fingers circle fast. She’s working her clit furiously, and nothing is more erotic than the sight of my beautiful lady getting off on me.

“I can’t last,” I groan.

It’s too much. This time I’ve lost all control. My fangs extend before I can stop them. I move her hard, grinding her pelvis against mine as the force of my climax lifts my hips off the bed.

“Oh, god!” She wails, arching forward with the power of her orgasm.

Her fingers still circle, and I feel every spasm of pleasure deep inside her. She’s massaging and pulling me, and I never want it to end.

The haze gradually clears. My angel laughs weakly, collapsing against my chest. Her cheek is warm on my cool skin; the top of her head is under my chin. I wrap her in my arms and close my eyes, holding on tightly as my body returns to normal, my fangs retract. Yes, Melissa, I love you more than my lust for blood.

Contentment fills my veins with every heartbeat. We breathe together, coming down from that amazing place. She takes a deep breath, circling her nail in the light hairs on my chest.

“Does this mean you’ll change me now?”

My brow pulls together, and I answer fast. “No.”

Her head pops up, and she’s frowning. “Why not? I want you to change me. I want us to be together forever.”

Pushing against the mattress, I rise to a sitting position, my back against the headboard. She sits back to face me, pulling the sheet across her breasts.

“I love you!” She’s emphatically cute, claiming my heart with her declaration, and I fight the urge to slide that damn sheet away again. “I’ve waited here for you, miserable, for months! And now…” Her voice breaks.

Is she starting to cry? “Hey,” I whisper, catching her chin. “Why are you crying? I won’t leave you again.”

Pulling her face away, she wipes her eyes roughly. “I’m not crying. I’m just… having a lot of emotions. For one, I was almost killed then you walked in… Now this—”

Leaning forward, I stop her with a gentle kiss, capturing those full lips I love. She holds on a moment longer, touching my cheek. I take another hit of her amazing scent before sitting against the headboard once more. Her chin drops, and she studies her hands in her lap.

“Look at me,” I say softly. She doesn’t at first. “Melissa.” Slowly her face rises, and I smile. “I love you, and I’m never going to leave you. And I won’t doom you to this existence.”

“It wouldn’t be doom if we were together.”

“I won’t take away your chance to have children, watch them grow up—”

Her jaw drops and her eyes go round. “You think I’ll stop loving you?”

“That’s not what I’m saying.”

“It’s exactly what you’re saying. Sloan already took all of those things from us when he changed you. I’ll never have children because I’ll never have children with you.”

My jaw clenches, and my head drops back against the wall. “You might not feel that way… in time.”

In one swift move, she’s in my arms. The sheet is still between us, but she’s holding my face, forcing me to look into her eyes. Her expression is fierce.

“I will never change my mind!”

A deep exhale, and I pull her to me, wrapping her in my arms and looking out the large window facing down toward the dusky beach. The sun will rise soon. A new day will begin—the first day of the rest of our lives together. The rest of her life.

“You need to sleep.” I gently massage her skin, and her body begins to relax.

Sleep enters her voice. “I’m not giving up on this.”

I smooth my hand over her soft hair, watching as the first glimmers of dawn lift the edge of the horizon. The curtain rising.

“Let me hold you now. We’ve got time for the future.”

Her fingers lightly touch my chest before her lips follow them with a kiss. “We can be one through immortality,” she whispers.

I kiss her head. I don’t want to argue anymore. I only want to hold her. “But for now, I’ll be your one immortal.”