“I’ll be there in a second.”

~ ~ ~

Lilo followed Blake silently as he led her to his office and shut the door behind them. Too many thoughts were swarming in her mind, producing too many conflicting emotions. Residual annoyance about Blake having left her behind was still coursing through her veins, but now something else was keeping it company. But first things first.

“How are we gonna save Hannah?” she asked. “I heard everything Ronny said. But I didn’t hear what Scanguards’ plan is now that we know Ronny doesn’t have her. What are we gonna do?”

Blake reached for her, but she pressed her hand against his chest, pushing him back. A guarded expression spread on his face. “Let us do our job. Trust me on this. Everybody is working on this already. By the time Norwood calls Ronny, we will have prepared for anything he can throw at us. We’ve done this many times before. We’re good at this.”

She breathed to calm herself. Yes, she’d seen Scanguards in action. But she wished she could do something. “I know you and your colleagues are good at what you’re doing. But I need to do something, too. I need to help, too.”

He shook his head and smiled. “There’s nothing for you to do. I know you hate waiting, but maybe I can occupy you until we get the call?” He smiled and leaned in.

She pushed him back. “Not so fast!”

He pulled back, his forehead furrowing. “I get the sneaky feeling that I’ve said or done something you don’t approve of.”

She huffed. “Where do I even start?” She planted her hands on her hips. “First of all, you can’t just use sex to make me compliant so you can leave without me! I wanted to come with you.”

“I told you it was too dangerous.”

“Bullshit! Quinn told me there were eight of you and one of him. It wouldn’t have hurt if you had taken me. But no, because I’m a woman, you think you can steamroll me.”

“Well, apparently I’m paying for it now…” he remarked dryly.

“You think that’s all? I haven’t even started yet!”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “What else have I done?”

“You’re dominant and full of yourself!”

He lifted an eyebrow. “That’s harsh. I didn’t think you had any objections to my dominance earlier. If I recall correctly, you enjoyed it tremendously when I—”

“I’m not talking about the sex!” She scoffed. “I’m talking about you! How you behaved in that interrogation room.”

“How I interrogate prisoners is up to me.” He narrowed his eyes, clearly annoyed now.

Well, so was she! “You told Ronny to keep his hands off your woman. Damn it, Blake, you have no right to talk about me like that! You told him I was yours. As if I were your property!”

Blake’s mouth suddenly twisted into a smile and he dropped his arms. “So that’s your problem? That I told Ronny that I would kill him if he hurt you? That’s what you take offense to?” He laughed.

How dare he laugh? “This is serious! I won’t be treated like one of your possessions! Just because you’re a vampire and stronger than I, you think you can order me around! I won’t have it.”

“Ah, how I love feisty women.” He reached past her and flipped the lock shut.

She shot him a stunned look. “What are you doing?”

“I’m ensuring that we have privacy while we discuss our relationship.”

She swallowed, her throat parched. “Relationship?”

He moved closer, forcing her to step back until she hit the wall. “Yeah, our relationship. So you think I’m stronger than you because I’m a vampire? I guess you must have forgotten that I was at your mercy not twenty-four hours ago. I put my life in your hands, trusting you to keep me safe. Don’t you remember that side of me? And what about when we made love? Don’t you remember the power you had over me then?”

“Power? Me?”

“Yes, you, my brave Lilo. You have power over me.” He took her hand and pressed it to the spot where his heart was beating rapidly. “I wasn’t planning this. But from the moment I first kissed you, I knew I couldn’t stay away from you. You have more power than you think, because you hold my heart in your hand.”

She shook her head. When Blake had held Ronny by the throat, she’d seen something she didn’t like. “You’re possessive.”

“I know.”

“It scares me.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want to be told what to do. I don’t want to be suppressed or dominated. I don’t want to be controlled.”

“Oh, Lilo, baby. You think just because I’m possessive I would do all that?” He shook his head, smiling softly. “A vampire is possessive by nature. But it’s solely to protect and take care of those he loves.” He brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear and tipped her chin up with his index finger. “The only place I might occasionally show my dominance or control will be in bed—and only to give you more pleasure.”

He dipped his mouth to the crook of her neck and pressed a warm kiss to her skin.

“Do you want me to demonstrate?” he murmured and pulled her into his arms.

“Blake…”

How could she be mad at him when he sounded so reasonable? After all, he was right: she had seen more than one side of him. Not just the dominant one, but also the vulnerable one. And the soft one. And it was that knowledge that made her shiver now. Because she had to admit to herself that she liked all sides of him, not just the soft one. She liked his rough edge and his dominance. Even if it spelled trouble.

“Lilo, I’m in love with you.” He lifted his face to meet her gaze. “I don’t know how it happened, but it happened. All I want to do is keep you safe and make you happy. Is that so wrong?”

In love? Her heart stopped. This big bad vampire who managed to rile her up like nobody ever had before, was in love with her?

“Blake,” she murmured, and pressed her lips onto his.

He responded to her kiss, drawing her closer and robbing her of her breath, until he released her lips a few moments later. Panting, he said, “Now about that demonstration…”

He lifted her up and carried her to the other side of the office, where he pressed a switch on the wall. At first she only heard a loud grating sound, then she saw something from the corner of her eye. She snapped her gaze to it. The paneled white wall was lowering.