She nodded, but instead of kissing him more, she sat up.
Noah did the same. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t want to give you the wrong idea about me. I don’t do this with...any guy.” She rubbed her hands over her anxious face. “I wouldn’t do this if we... weren’t... or maybe we are not. I’ve been bewildered for the past few days. But we seem to click. It isn’t my imagination, right?”
Her widened eyes when facing him made Noah shake his head. “You please me a lot, Grace.”
“Just please? Would you ever kiss me if I didn’t kiss you first in the car?”
“I wanted to kiss you, but I wasn’t sure if you were being friendly or flirting.”
Grace got up and walked to the other side of the room. “Maybe I rushed things between us. I should have waited until Grandpa came back. But it’s hard. I feel the pull between us and …”
Noah got up and fixed his shirt. “The pull?”
Grace sucked in a breath and narrowed the distance between them. “I didn’t save you because you helped us. I saved you because you were glowing. I saw you glow from where I was. I threw a fire dart against your enemy. Do you remember that?”
Noah nodded. “It allowed me to kill Maximilian. You saved me. Twice.”
“We had too many enemies around us, and I had to protect my friends. When I got to you, you were dying. Your gold light was fading, and my heart was breaking. I felt it deep inside of me that we had already met, maybe in a previous life. But I was sure, my angelic form was sure, that you were mine. There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do to save you, even if I had to fight them all and face Vincent.”
Grace’s words made Noah’s head spin. Swallowing dry, he finally understood. “We’re mates.”
“Do you see or feel anything different in me? Am I alone in this?”
“I felt the attraction the moment we met. Even when I was in and out of conscience. I just didn’t know what it meant. Vampires find their mates by bloodlust. My vampire side is extremely controlled around you, but I can’t say the same about my inner beast. He sees you differently. He smells you, and ... you’re mine.” His hand combed his hair. He secured her against him. “Do you want to be mine?”
Grace’s mouth opened slightly, and she closed it again without answering.
“Grace?”
“Are you going to run away from me if I tell you yes?”
Noah shook his head. “I don’t abandon the ones who need me.”
Her body shook, and she hooked her fingers against his shirt. “Good. I don’t want to give you up. It doesn’t matter what you did before arriving here. Grandpa will make sure you have a home from now on. With me, if you want.”
Noah’s answer was holding her in his embrace and kissing her passionately. He let her mouth melt against his and patiently offered her the longest and tenderest kiss he’d ever given in his life. Grace was more than a fling. Grace was his life. He would do anything to keep her safe.