After Stephan licks all the blood up, he laves his tongue tenderly over the cut.
I watch in amazement as the skin seems to close up on itself. He’s healing me! I never knew vampires had healing powers.
“Fuck,” he groans out hoarsely. “You were born to be mine. So motherfucking sweet, Elena. God help me, but I can't resist.”
I feel my neck tingling in anticipation of the bite. I find I don't really care right now. He can bite me for all I'm worth. It's fine with me. I'll make no move to stop him.
But when Stephan’s head looms closer to me, it's not my neck he goes for. It's my mouth.
And holy cow, when his lips crash against mine, it's like fire and ice crashing together, burning me up from the inside out.
I taste the coppery tang of my own blood on his tongue as he deftly delves into my mouth, kissing me until I'm breathless.
His hand comes up to hold the nape of my neck as he angles my head back to allow him deeper access.
He makes a sound that’s like a half growl, half groan, and I feel it reverberate through me straight to my core.
I moan into his mouth, and he jerks back with a curse, flinging me away from him.
I stumble and catch myself on the edge of the wall.
We both stand there staring at each other, chests heaving.
Stephan reaches one of his hands out to me, and I see it trembling.
The evidence of how much I affect him sends me trembling as well.
He catches himself when he's just a hair's breadth away from touching my cheek. He closes his hand into a tight fist and then pulls it back down beside him, the expression on his face torn. His eyes aren't glowing as red as they were, but they're still slightly red.
“Go to your room,” he orders me, but I can't move. I'm frozen to the spot, just staring at him.
When I can finally speak, I begin, “But—”
“To your room! Now!” he roars as he points at the door.
His tone spurs me to action, and I turn with a yelp and go running to the safety of my room. Once I slam the door shut, I lean my back against it and laugh maniacally.
Safety.There is no safety in these walls. He can materialize right through them like some sort of time traveler. There's no escaping him, and after that kiss, after what he just awakened inside of me, I'm not sure I even want to escape anymore.
I am so fucked.
Twenty-Five
Elena
I'm curledup against Stephan’s chest like a contented kitten while he strokes my hair.
I marvel at how warm it is here in his arms. That's apparently another thing Hollywood and Stoker got wrong. Vampires aren't ice-cold. Stephan is anything but. Where our bodies touch, it feels like he's burning me from the inside out.
“What are you thinking, love?” his deep voice murmurs against my hair.
My heart melts a little bit more at the way he calls me “love” in that hypnotic voice of his, that voice that I heard in my ear for weeks before I could ever put a face to it. I knew even then he had to be insanely attractive with a voice so velvety, dark, and sexy. I once imagined what it would sound like right inside my ear—in person and not over the phone—now I know.
It's even more intoxicating than it was over the phone.
“That you're not cold,” I tell him honestly.
His chest rumbles with a little chuckle. “Fucking Hollywood,” he mumbles.