He nodded briefly, then turned to the door. But he didn’t open it. “Wesley?”

“Yeah?” his brother’s reply came instantly.

“Take the blankets from the cots and hang the window with it. Make sure you get the sides as well so no light will filter through.”

“Okay.”

Then Haven turned back to her and crossed the one-foot distance that was between them. There was no getting away from him in the miniscule bathroom. His look was serious when he gazed at her, making her aware again of how much taller and bigger he was. “You can beat the shit out of me later, but right now I have to hold you.”

And just like that, he pulled her back into his embrace.

“What—”

“Shh. Not now, Yvette. I almost had a heart attack thinking you’d die right in front of me.”

Her heart made a flipping motion as if somebody had installed a trampoline and was jumping up and down on it. This big, bad vampire slayer was worried about her. The man who’d confessed that he’d killed other vampires to avenge his mother had saved her with his quick thinking by pushing her into the windowless bathroom. And now, he was holding her in the tightest hug she’d ever found herself in as if something bad were to happen if he’d let go. A hairline crack appeared in the door to her heart as her next thought took root.

Haven didn’t hate her.
Seventeen

Haven tried to calm his galloping heart. Holding Yvette in his arms helped a little, reassuring him that she was alive and well. Had he not watched her while he’d been listening to his sister’s stories, he wouldn’t have picked up quickly enough that something was wrong. But the instant he’d seen her scan the room for danger, his own senses had picked up the sound and realized what it was.

He’d never moved that quickly in his entire life. He’d acted on pure instinct when he’d grabbed her and practically slammed her into the tiny bathroom to get her out of the way before Bess had pried a corner of the plywood away from the window. He still felt his knees tremble at the thought. But he was in no mood to examine his reaction to the threat that was solely aimed at Yvette. He didn’t want to dig too deeply into his reasons of why he was protecting her.

He didn’t want to think right now. He only wanted to feel. Her.

Haven eased up on his tight hold and shelved her chin on his hand, tilting her face up to him. The shock and fear in her eyes had dissipated. In its place was surprise.

“Kiss me,” he demanded.

And damn it if she didn’t move her head closer to his to follow his command without objection. He’d at least expected a little tussle before she’d give in. But maybe she was just as shocked as he was and needed this release as much as he needed it.

“But this time, don’t bite me. I want to make sure that what I feel has nothing to do with any side effects.” Not that he hadn’t enjoyed her bite, but he was desperate to find out why he was so drawn to her. And the only way to figure it out was if she didn’t use any of her vampire powers on him. He needed to be sure.

“No biting,” she whispered on a shallow breath. “Not even a little?”

His cock hardened at the mere suggestion. Haven shut his eyes for a moment, trying to block her out. Instead, the darkness only intensified Yvette’s presence. Her orange scent was all around him, the sound of her heartbeat reverberating against his chest, and her shallow breaths blew warm air against his face. Her hands now moved up his chest, the skin-on-skin contact sending electric shocks of lust through his veins as they traced their way toward his shoulders.

This woman would be his death if he allowed her to get too close.

“No,” he finally answered before he opened his eyes and looked into hers. Deep down in those green eyes lay the answers to all his questions. “No, baby, right now, this is just between you and me. No tricks, no powers.”

Just plain lust.

Raw.

Untamed.

When her lips met his, he forgot everything that had just happened. Only the sensation of soft lips pressing against him registered in his mind: sinful lips that knew what to do, passionate lips that explored them. Haven parted his lips, and invited her. How he loved the feel of a confident woman who simply took what she wanted. Just as much as he liked to take from her. To drink from her lips, to explore her, to make her respond to him.

When her tongue ran along his lower lip in a sensual caress so soft, a softness of which he’d never thought a vampire capable, he growled in frustration. He couldn’t deal with soft right now. Didn’t she understand that? He needed fast, hard, pounding. Only then would the shock of almost losing her be wiped away.