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

then drew a small box out from behind him. “I have a gift for you,” he stated simply, holding out what looked to be a small jewelry box. When it was directly in front of her, he flipped back the lid to reveal the contents.
    Erica glanced down to the box being held in front of her, and was stunned to find a beautiful diamond ring. It was so breathtakingly beautiful that Erica was speechless. She heard herself gasp when she first spotted it, and then went silent.
    Kevin had stumbled across a jewelry store while waiting for his flight in Brazil. He had immediately spotted the ring, and it was as if made just for her, the perfect ring. The large diamond in the middle was a four-carat marquise cut, and had numerous smaller diamonds nestled around it. It was beautiful, just like the lady he was now giving it to. Kevin heard her intake of breath as he lifted open the box, and as he continued watching her gazing at the ring, he noticed she was still holding her breath. Finally, realizing she had yet to release her pent-up breath, Kevin eyed her in concern.
    He wrapped his arm around her to gently rub her back. “Erica, breathe, love, or you’re going to faint on me right here.” He gave her his crooked smile as her eyes came up to meet his with a perplexed look. “Breathe” he commanded, and finally heard her release the air out of her lungs and then refill.
    Not sure what to make out of her odd reaction, Kevin became a little nervous. “Do you like it?” he asked hesitantly. He had thought the ring beautiful when he spotted it, but hey, he was a man, what did he know about women’s jewelry? “If not, we can go shopping for another ring, and I’ll let you pick out the next one.” He found himself more jittery and nervous then he could ever remember. Had she changed her mind about marrying him? Did she not like the ring? Had he inadvertently done something that brought back bad memories?
    “Oh, Kevin, I love it. It is so beautiful.” She breathed in pure reverence, and then slightly tipped her head towards the box. “May I?”
    “Of course,” Kevin replied, as he took the ring out of the box, and gently picked up her hand. He quickly realized that he was holding his breath as he slipped the ring on her finger. He had no idea what size her finger was when he bought the ring, and he had purchased it as is. He was under the assumption that they would be visiting a jeweler to have it sized. Now, as he slipped the ring into place, they both realized it was a perfect fit. What great luck!
    Erica sat in his lap, admiring the ring for a long moment. “I want you to know I have never been as happy as I am right now,” she whispered with tears streaming down her cheeks. She tilted her head up for a kiss, and Kevin willingly obliged.
    Realizing that he had never answered her question about biting, he now looked at her intently. “Now that you’ve agreed to be my wife, I have no aversion to a small nip once in a while, and although I have the power to help your wounds heal faster, and make the experience pleasurable, I will not leave your gorgeous body full of holes. I don’t need to bite you and leave my mark to know I have your love. And as far as you putting yourself back together, I’ve got all the patience in the world, love,” Kevin whispered against her ear, and then leaned in for a hungry kiss.
     
    * * * *
     
    It was well after three a.m. as Kevin stroked Erica’s hair, watching her eyes slowly drift shut. They had made good use of the remainder of the chocolate sauce after round two of lovemaking, when Kevin let his fangs slide down and latched onto Erica’s neck as he drove into her immediately prior to both of them releasing an orgasm more potent then Kevin had ever thought possible. Erica had screamed out with her release, but it had been purely out of pleasure. He came almost simultaneously with her, and both reached a height of ecstasy that almost caused a blackout. When he released her neck, he used a bit of his own blood to cover Erica’s wound. Slicing his own finger with a fang, he gently spread his own blood over the two tiny dots. The last thing she needed was another scar. Much to his satisfaction, her skin healed up almost before his blood was dry. He then had insisted she eat a snack, since he had taken blood from her. He might not have taken much, but that didn’t stop him from being concerned over her getting lightheaded, weak, or even faint. He dug out the remainder of the food