Rowan lifted an eyebrow, skepticism all over his face. “How convenient for him.”
“You think he’s lying?” I grabbed my shirt from the backseat.No more naked in this car. What were we thinking?We were too close to the vampire compound to be rolling around in the car. What would happen if Rowan’s father happened upon us?
This was stupid.
Hot, but stupid.
“Vampires don’t lie. I’m sure he’s telling the truth. It just seems awful convenient that he must be fedeveryday.”
I waved my hand at him. “You were just inside of my body. Let’s not be jealous now.”
“But vampires do jealousysowell.” His smile told me he was joking… sort of.
I opened the window and managed to step out of the car with one leg in my pants and the other out. It took me a second to adjust. It wasn’t just Tanner there. The others stood around the car, too.
“Did I take too long getting home?” I stepped toward Tanner and extended my hand. His familiar, clean scent washed over me. There was a minty smell to his shampoo. They were all starting to leave their things at my little house. His soap had the hint of sandalwood, too. The combination of the scents was heady and all Tanner.
My nipples hardened as he bit down on me to take what he needed.How could I be turned on again so fast?There was going to come a time when I wasn’t going to be able to walk from all of the sex I wanted.
Caesar looked at Griffin and then at me. “We’ll always find you.”
“You were distressed. I sensed it as I woke.” Ace took my hand as Tanner fed. “I couldn’t leave the house, but I could feel it.”
“Right, well, that’s my fault.” Rowan leaned against the car. “Did I need to check her out? Like a library book? Do I say I get to have alone time with her and that means you stay away?”
Tanner released me, licking his lips before he closed the wound. “She decides what she wants and doesn’t want. That’s how it works. If you want alone time, don’t make her so upset the rest of us can feel it.”
“I’ll send a text.”
I laughed. Rowan couldn’t promise not to make me upset. At least he was honest.
Caesar looked around. “Why did you bring her here?”
“To make a point I’m not sure I made.” He nodded toward the houses. “I’m going to go give my nightly orders. I’ll meet you back at the house.” Rowan passed Griffin the keys. “Take care of your girl. Caesar, you’ll be up for fighting tomorrow.”
He shrugged. “Figured as much.”
He had? “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
“It’s not new. I fought just recently. I didn’t think you’d need to know.”
Maybe he was right.All of this is so new.How much did I need to be told about their vampire lives? What were we doing anyway?
“Let’s go home.” I didn’t want to be there anymore. Sure, I just found enormous pleasure and come to some sort of understanding with Rowan, but in the distance, right in front of my eyes, servants worked for the creatures who made my life hell for such a long time. It was too close for comfort. They’d taken too much from me. Even though I knew the guys around me would try to prevent that from happening again, should those vampires try, I also understood what only a person who lived alone most of her life could.In the end, it is always me versus the world.
I didn’t like my chances in the vampire compound.
Griffin nodded. “Sure. Let’s go.”
I was glad no one argued, not that I thought they would. None of them seemed to want to hang around there very much anyway.
* * *
“Tell me again why you have to go?” Griffin tilted his head as he regarded me eating my salad. I needed to do better about what I put in my body. If I intended to keep up a life with them, I had to stay healthy.
Or at least I thought I did.
“Because I want friends. I want to have a life during the day.” I’d explained a few times already, but they didn’t seem to care. The general consensus was they didn’t want me going to a bar without them, and there was simply no way they could go.