Vampires Among Us [Vampires Among Us 1] (Siren Publishing Classic)

to resume her packing. She could easily converse with him while packing, so as not to delay their trip any longer. As Kevin observed everything being put in the suitcase, it suddenly hit him there was one piece of clothing that was noticeably missing. Glancing down at the open suitcase next to him, he inquired, “Where is your bathing suit?”
    Erica had been hoping that it would have gone unnoticed. She had packed shorts, and a few short-sleeved shirts, deciding that they would have to do. Not really wanting to confess, she silently debated on what to tell him. “I don’t own one. I haven’t exactly wanted to show this scar-ridden body off in a bathing suit, for several years now.”
    “How do you plan to go to the beach without a bathing suit?” Kevin asked, clearly astonished.
    “What am I supposed to do about all the scars? If anyone sees them,” Erica trailed off, never finishing the sentence. Clearly upset, she closed her eyes and looked away. It was obvious she was ashamed of her body, and that was something Kevin could not abide by.
    He stood up, enclosing her in his arms immediately. Holding her tightly against his body, he gently whispered in her ear, “You will be alone on the beach. You won’t need to worry about your scars. You could go skinny dipping, if you wanted. Besides, I happen to think you have a beautiful body, and I plan to worship it every chance I can.”
    Erica glanced up at him, feeling her face turn red from embarrassment. She simply was not accustomed to someone making her feel beautiful. He gave her what he hoped to be a reassuring smile. “Go ahead and finish packing, and we will swing by the mall on our way out. We’ll grab you a late lunch there and then head on to the beach house when we are finished shopping.”
    “Oh, lovely,” Erica grumbled under her breath, “I’m going to the mall with a man who seems to spend cash like athletes drink water.” Although, thinking things through, an actual bathing suit might be nice since they were going to the beach, and Kevin had assured her of privacy. Even so, she certainly had no intentions of sunbathing nude! What about the scars on her arms, though? She was always more than a little self-conscious about those.
    Suddenly, her mind gave her a perfect playback of what she and Kevin had done just a few short hours ago. He certainly didn’t seem to mind her scars then, she told herself. Her heart hitched a beat, and she felt her cheeks grow warm as she realized they would be alone together at the beach for the next several days. Considering what they had done earlier, Erica assumed the heat in Kevin’s gaze was from wanting her again.
    “You’re blushing,” Kevin teased lightly. Erica made certain she removed herself from standing too close to him, aware that if he reached out to touch her, he would have access to read her thoughts.
    “It’s nothing.”
    “Come, love, no secrets.” He growled in a husky voice, and Erica made the mistake of glancing up into his eyes. With his dark eyes smoldering, she was putty in his hands. He could have asked her anything at that moment, and she would have been unable to do anything but comply completely.
    With a slight shrug of one shoulder, she hedged, “It just hit me, we are going to the beach, and you have never seen me in a bathing suit before.” There was enough heat coming off her cheeks to fry an egg.
    Kevin was oddly touched by her sudden shyness. When he replied, his voice was soft, soothing. “While it is true I have never seen you in a bathing suit, I must admit those long legs of yours prancing around here in your favorite silk night shirt have had my attention for quite some time.” He walked over to where she stood, catching her wrists in his hands and bringing one of them up to his lips for a sensual kiss.
    “Besides, I think I got a pretty good view of your body just a few hours ago, and guess what? I love every inch of it.” He kissed her soundly, immediately feeling his cock surge back to life. Making a quick decision to try and hurry her along before he was tempted to throw her down on the bed, strip her naked, and show her how much he adored her body, he inquired, “Are you about ready to leave?”
    “Yes,” Erica replied, as she closed the suitcase, although her body was tingling just from Kevin’s smoldering gaze alone.
    An hour later Erica found herself unsuccessfully arguing that she didn’t need four bathing suits! She quickly realized she