“Well, it sure doesn’t help. I did marry the man.”
“You know what doesn’t help, Teddy? You blaming yourself because some asshole beat you almost to death and now he’s free to do it again. How in the hell is that your fault?”
Without thinking, without even breathing, she gripped either side of his shirt and kissed him. Kissed him hard, smoothing her hands up over his broad chest to bracket his face. She kissed him because he’d accepted her answers without hesitation.
Cormac’s tongue slid into her mouth, stroking her own, the heat of the silken rasp against hers leaving her dizzy. His beard, crisp and coarse, scraped against her cheeks with delicious friction. The kiss deepened, becoming heated, their breathing harsh as their chests met.
He scooped her up, pulling her tight to him until they were standing, backing her against the house so the brick wall met her spine and then he melted into her, his rigid body, every muscle, every sculpted line pressed into her.
Cormac’s arms snaked around her, his hand splaying over her ass, pulling her deeper, closer, until there was nothing but the sound of their harsh breathing and their mouths, devouring one another’s.
The door popping open made them both jump, but not apart; rather, they clung to one another tighter.
Carl’s dark head poked out of the heavy door, his lopsided grin in place when he flipped the light on. He motioned them inward, the duct tape holding his index finger on shiny under the bright patio light. “Insiiide, pease,” he said.
“Hey, Carl,” Cormac replied with a warm smile. “We’ll be right in, okay? Go tell Nina and the others, would ya?”
Carl nodded, his grin widening, and then he pointed to the watch at his wrist, which in zombie-speak she’d learned meant hurry it up.
Teddy cleared her throat and nodded her head, smiling back at him. “We’ll hurry, promise. Get in there now so you don’t catch your death…er, I mean a cold. Wait. Can zombies catch a cold?”
Carl snickered and shut the door, leaving them to deal with what she’d just done.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured, unable to look Cormac in the eye.
“Your words, they cut like a knife.”
“Huh?”
“Are you sorry you kissed me? Because I’m fragile right now, and I’m pretty sure if you tell me you’re sorry you kissed me, I’ll flat-out break,” he teased, letting his lips graze her jaw.
Shivering, Teddy shook her head and shrugged. “I’m not sorry I kissed you. I meant I’m sorry I was so abrasive. You telling me I wasn’t to blame just struck a sensitive place. I guess I got overwhelmed. I don’t know. I kissed you, okay?”
He grinned and winked. “Yeah, it was pretty okay. And damn right it’s not your fault. Listen, if the Teddy I’m coming to know is anything like I think she is, you blamed yourself for sticking it out for so long with Dennis, am I right?’
Oh, the endless nights of blame, of reliving all the moments she should have walked out the door and never looked back. “I stayed too long.”
“So you suppose the length of time would have changed the outcome of the end of your marriage? Do you suppose Dennis just wouldn’t have beaten you almost to death if you’d done it sooner?”
“You’re probably right.”
“No. I am right, Teddy. I am right. This fuck’s an abusive prick. He would have been just as angry had you left a few months into the marriage as he would have in a couple of years. And it’s damn well not your fault he got out of jail.”
“I still can’t believe his attorney managed to reduce the charges from attempted murder to assault and battery and jail time. But his parents have a lot of money and a lot of heavy-duty contacts in Denver.”
“Yeah, I can’t believe it either. But you can believe, if he shows up, the murder won’t be an attempt.”
Putting her fingers to his lips, she shook her head. “He doesn’t know where I am, and my brothers are aware he’s out. They’ll keep an eye out and if he so much as sneezes too loud, they’ll see to it he’s right back in jail. I don’t want you involved in this, Cormac. This is my baggage.”
“I’m sorry, isn’t it mine, too? You know, life mates and sacrifices and all?”
Jabbing a finger into his shoulder, Teddy giggled. “I’m sorry, weren’t you the one who gave me up to Nina to save your own pretty hide?”
He made a face. “Well, c’mon. Be fair. Nina’s damn frightening. I don’t care if she’s not a vampire anymore. She’s just as intimidating as a human. I had no choice but to hand you over. Who wants their face chewed off?”
Teddy’s head fell back on her shoulders as she laughed. “She’s a formidable foe even human. I agree.”
Leaning down, he brushed her lips with his once more, leaving her almost breathless. “We’d better get back inside before that foe decides we’re the enemy. But let’s discuss this more in depth later, okay?”