“Power? Me?”
“Yes, you, my brave Lilo. You have power over me.” He took her hand and pressed it to the spot where his heart was beating rapidly. “I wasn’t planning this. But from the moment I first kissed you, I knew I couldn’t stay away from you. You have more power than you think, because you hold my heart in your hand.”
She shook her head. When Blake had held Ronny by the throat, she’d seen something she didn’t like. “You’re possessive.”
“I know.”
“It scares me.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want to be told what to do. I don’t want to be suppressed or dominated. I don’t want to be controlled.”
“Oh, Lilo, baby. You think just because I’m possessive I would do all that?” He shook his head, smiling softly. “A vampire is possessive by nature. But it’s solely to protect and take care of those he loves.” He brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear and tipped her chin up with his index finger. “The only place I might occasionally show my dominance or control will be in bed—and only to give you more pleasure.”
He dipped his mouth to the crook of her neck and pressed a warm kiss to her skin.
“Do you want me to demonstrate?” he murmured and pulled her into his arms.
“Blake…”
How could she be mad at him when he sounded so reasonable? After all, he was right: she had seen more than one side of him. Not just the dominant one, but also the vulnerable one. And the soft one. And it was that knowledge that made her shiver now. Because she had to admit to herself that she liked all sides of him, not just the soft one. She liked his rough edge and his dominance. Even if it spelled trouble.
“Lilo, I’m in love with you.” He lifted his face to meet her gaze. “I don’t know how it happened, but it happened. All I want to do is keep you safe and make you happy. Is that so wrong?”
In love? Her heart stopped. This big bad vampire who managed to rile her up like nobody ever had before, was in love with her?
“Blake,” she murmured, and pressed her lips onto his.
He responded to her kiss, drawing her closer and robbing her of her breath, until he released her lips a few moments later. Panting, he said, “Now about that demonstration…”
He lifted her up and carried her to the other side of the office, where he pressed a switch on the wall. At first she only heard a loud grating sound, then she saw something from the corner of her eye. She snapped her gaze to it. The paneled white wall was lowering.
“You have a Murphy bed in your office?” She gaped at him in disbelief.
“A necessity in my job. Looking after thirteen hybrids isn’t exactly a nine-to-five job. Sometimes I have to get shuteye whenever I can. So Samson approved having it installed.” He grinned mischievously. “But I’ve never used it for sex before. We could baptize it together. How about it?”
“You can’t be serious! This is your office.”
“I know it’s my office. Samson told me to take a breather. I’m just following orders.”
She pointed to the bed, which had now lowered completely. Clean-looking crisp sheets were stretched over the mattress. “I don’t think Samson meant this when he told you to rest.”
Despite her words, he lowered her onto the mattress and began to undress in front of her. “Trust me, baby, this will give me more energy than many hours of rest.”
“We can’t have sex now! We have to prepare to rescue Hannah. We need to be ready when Ronny gets the call—”
“—which won’t be for at least another hour and a half, maybe two. My team is already taking care of everything. There’s nothing else we can do but wait.” He winked at her. “Let’s kill some time.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
He shrugged. “Another one of my many flaws. I’m sure you’ll get used to it. Now strip, baby!”
36
Blake was already naked in front of Lilo, as she started peeling her clothes off.
So she thought him possessive? She’d seen nothing yet. She would be just as possessive of him once she was his. And he couldn’t wait for that. Couldn’t wait for her to claim him. But all in good time. First he had to woo her, and show her what it was like to be loved by a vampire.
He watched her undress, feasting his eyes on her as she peeled away layer after layer, until all of her creamy skin was exposed and she lay back on the sheets. She angled one leg and coyly looked up at him from under her long lashes, her hair draped over her shoulders, reaching her rosy nipples. She looked like a pinup girl, and he was determined that only he would see her like this in the future. He just had to play his cards right.