“It takes longer with bottled blood. It’s not as potent.”

His voice was strong again. But his words made her curious.

“I thought the bottles contained human blood.”

“They did. But when it’s bottled it loses some of its potency. Blood coming directly from a human is preferable in a case of severe injury.” Blake shrugged. “But as you see, I’ve recovered. And all thanks to you.”

Lilo shook her head. “Why didn’t you say something? I could have given you—”

His finger over her lips stopped her. “That’s exactly why I didn’t. I want your blood, but not as an act of charity. And I didn’t want you to feel obligated to give me your blood.”

She grabbed his wrist. “But you saved my life. You took a bullet for me!”

He blew out a breath. “The bullet was silver, Lilo. It was meant for me, not for you.”

“You can’t know that. And when Ronny shot at you, you couldn’t know it was silver. Yet you threw yourself on me to shield me. In my book, that’s still saving my life.” She tipped her chin up in challenge. Did this man have to rile her up like this? Couldn’t he just accept the cold hard truth, the fact that he was a hero?

“Woman, do you always have to be so stubborn?”

“I’m not stubborn. I’m—”

“—brave.” He smiled at her. “My brave Lilo.” He sighed. “I could feel the bullet in my bone. I knew it was lodged in there. I had a one-in-a-million chance of survival. But you did it.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “With a spoon.”

He snaked one arm around her waist and pulled her to him.

“You gave me strength when I needed it. You said what I was yearning to hear.” His eyes started to shimmer golden as he looked at her. “Or did I hallucinate when I heard you say you didn’t regret it?”

She ran her hand up his bicep and over his shoulder. “No, you didn’t. It’s the truth. I don’t regret that we had sex.”

“That we made love,” he corrected softly.

“That we made love,” she repeated, feeling heat rise into her cheeks. “I wanted you to know it, because I didn’t know if you’d make it, and I would have never forgiven myself if I hadn’t told you.”

“Ah, my beautiful, brave Lilo. And now? You saw me at my worst. An out-of-control beast. Few have ever seen me like that. It couldn’t have been a pretty sight. Yet you’re still here. You didn’t run away.”

“Why would I run away? With you I’m the safest I’ve ever been in my entire life. And now that I know what the world is really like, and what hides in the dark, I need to know there’s somebody who can keep me safe.” She smiled. “Besides, I still have to thank you for saving my life.”

He rolled his eyes in mock-frustration. “I thought we’d cleared this up. I didn’t save your life. You saved mine.”

“Fine,” she conceded, realizing that she wouldn’t win this argument with him. “Then maybe I should get a little thank you from you.”

He arched an eyebrow. “What did you have in mind?”

“Promise me first that you’ll give me whatever I ask for.”

He tilted his head to the side, pondering her request. “Given that I wouldn’t be standing here if it weren’t for your ingenuity, I can’t really refuse you anything. You can have whatever you want. My car? My house?”

She stepped out of his embrace and pointed to his midsection. “I’d like that towel, please.”

He looked down at himself. “This towel?”

She nodded, suppressing a grin. She’d managed to surprise him. “Yes, that towel. And I’d like it right now. You can’t possibly deny me such an inexpensive gift.”

“No, I can’t.” He reached for the side where the towel was tucked in and undid it, pulling it away from his body and handing it to her.

She took it and tossed it behind her with barely a glance. “Thank you.”

“Already tired of your gift, I see,” he commented, pointing to the discarded towel on the floor.

“I’ve never been very fond of wrappings,” she said, and went down on her knees. She reached for his already semi-hard cock and wrapped her hand around it, feeling it grow with every second. “I’ve always liked what was inside.” She looked up at him and reveled in his heated gaze.

“Lilo, I hope you know what you’re doing,” he warned.

“Don’t worry,” she murmured. “I believe I’m very good at this.”

She brought her face closer and guided his erection to her mouth, licking over the bulbous head with her tongue.

“Fuck, Lilo!”

“Shhh.” She blew against his heated flesh. “Let me do this.” She lifted her eyes to look at Blake, then wrapped her lips around his tip and slid down on him until she could go no farther.

~ ~ ~

If he didn’t know any better, he’d say he’d died from the gunshot wound and gone to heaven, because Lilo on her knees in front of him, his cock in her mouth, was more than he’d hoped for in his wildest dreams. Particularly not this quickly. After having confessed to being a vampire less than twenty-four hours earlier, he’d expected that she would need time to accept him for what he was—not immediately want to go down on him and worship him with her divine mouth.

But the intense pleasure she was unleashing on him with her soft lips and her wicked tongue was too real to be a figment of his imagination. No, he was truly awake, and Lilo was making love to him with her mouth. Her eyes were closed now and she sighed softly, her breath teasing his engorged flesh, sending a tingling sensation down his shaft and into his balls. They tightened in response.

“Lilo, baby,” he groaned and shoved his hands into her hair, not to force himself deeper into her, but to pull back a bit. “Easy, or you’re gonna make me come too quickly.”

She opened her eyes then and lifted her gaze while she continued taking him into her mouth, then sucking on him as she slowly withdrew.

He’d never seen anything more erotic than the scene that was unfolding in front of him. Her lips were plump and red, wrapping tightly around his hard-on. The warmth and wetness of her mouth felt as if he was diving into paradise. She was all feminine softness as she licked him with such devotion.