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

go, you could make a list of items you want, and I’ll go see what I can retrieve.”
    Just the thought of Kevin rummaging through all of Erica’s personal possessions made her blush deeply. “That’s okay. You said we wouldn’t be going alone, right? So, it shouldn’t pose a danger?”
    The two were lying next to one another on the bed. Kevin reached up and took a piece of hair between two fingers as he whispered, “Erica, I know this is a bit early in the ball game for what I am about to tell you, and I want you to know that we can take things just as slow as you feel comfortable. And please believe me that it is not my intention to have you feel pressured or pushed into anything. But I need to tell you something.” Kevin paused there for a moment as he gazed into her eyes. “I am falling in love with you, and it would be near impossible to have you walk out of my life now. Please stay and consider this to be your home now. I promise you, I will not push you into anything you are not ready for. We can truly get to know one another, and see what happens from there.”
    Erica quickly sat up on the bed in front of him, her mind spinning out of control, as her heart started racing uncontrollably. Holy cow! Was she ready to tie herself to another vampire? Why didn’t the idea of being with another vampire have her terrified? Deep down, she knew that this was what everything was coming to. She sighed nervously. What would she do if things didn’t work out? Where would she go? She glanced back over to Kevin, and her eyes locked with his. He was the complete opposite of Shawn, and she knew this to be fact. He was gentle and kind to a fault, yet strong enough to keep his family and community safe. Erica knew she was starting to fall for him, even though she wasn’t truly free to do so. She also knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would never hurt her, not the way Shawn did.
    She slowly eased back down on the bed as Kevin watched the conflicting emotions skate across her face. Instinctively realizing that she needed to make this next move on her own, and also with the knowledge that her trust was still being given cautiously, he remained absolutely motionless. He had come too far to scare her off now. He silently observed her as she reached up to lightly stroke his cheek, much like he had done to her on numerous occasions. Before he could stop himself, his lips moved on their own accord, and he turned his head and caught one finger with his mouth. He ran his tongue across the digit, and then gently sucked on it. He took a quick glance to her face to gauge her emotions, and found her eyes closed, with a look of blissfulness on her face. He took that as permission to continue. Releasing her digit from his mouth, he trailed kisses down the inside of her hand, and then to her wrist. He brought his own hand up to steady hers, as it was becoming a bit shaky, and slowly swirled the tip of his tongue along the inside of her wrist. He inhaled deeply, the scent of lavender from her bath filling his senses. He heard her quick intake of breath, and glanced over just in time to see a delicious shiver run over her. “Your skin is so amazingly soft,” he whispered, as he continued torturing her with his tongue on her wrist. He trailed kisses back up her hand, and then finally broke off with a low groan. Another quick glance confirmed she certainly seemed to be enjoying his attention, but he knew it was imperative to take things slow with her. Besides, his body was already screaming in agony, as he noted that yet another cold shower would be on his agenda this evening.
    Erica opened her eyes, a little surprised at both the fact that Kevin had stopped, and even more importantly, she had actually been enjoying his attention. He was being so very gentle that it surprised her to realize she had let her guard down and had been able to enjoy the attention he was giving her. Still caught up in the heat of the moment, her body acted on its own, as she leaned forward, and gently pressed her lips to his.
    What Erica had meant as a very short “peck on the lips” turned out to be the exact opposite. As soon as her lips touched his, Kevin quickly took over. His hands went immediately to tangle in her hair, as he gently pulled her closer to him. He had waited for this moment for so long, and he now allowed just a tiny bit of his feelings to flow through him to her. He felt his fangs pushing their way forward, threatening to drop