“Hey,” I smiled up at him. He pulled his head back so he could look down at me, already setting the book aside. “Sorry I just passed out like that.”

“No, it’s cool. I understand,” he grinned.

“I missed you.” I snuggled closer to him, pressing my body against his, and his heart sped up.

“For awhile there, I wasn’t sure if you’d ever come back.” When he pushed a strand of hair from my eyes, his face went stormy, re-imagining all the horrible things he had thought happened to me in Finland.

“But here we are!” I hurried to erase his dark thoughts, rubbing my hand over his chest. “In your room, in your bed, alone.” My expression faltered, and his face fell with concern. “We are alone, aren’t we?”

“What do you mean?” His arm tensed up around me, and his voice had an edge to it. He incorrectly assumed that I was thinking of Peter, but he was the furthest thing from my mind.

“Milo and his new ‘friend.’” I nodded to the thin wall that separated our rooms.

Listening to Milo and Bobby fool around earlier had been rather nauseating, and I didn’t like the idea of them overhearing me messing around with Jack. I was really, really hoping to finally take things to next level with Jack, and I wanted it to be as intimate and private as possible.

“Oh, no, they’re long gone,” Jack smiled and relaxed next to me. “They went to a club a few hours ago.”

“A club?” I arched my eyebrow and knew I was ruining the mood, but I couldn’t shake my concern. “Is that safe?”

“Yeah,” he shrugged. “Milo is a vampire. He can handle himself.”

“What about Bobby?” I didn’t really care much for his safety, but Milo would, and if other vampires moved on him, I wasn’t sure how wisely Milo would respond.

“They’re okay,” he said. “And if they weren’t, they have cell phones, which they know how to use. Unlike some people.” So he hadn’t entirely forgiven me for not calling him from Finland, but that was okay. I planned on making up for it.

“So what you’re saying is that Milo is gone, Peter is gone, and Mae and Ezra are too preoccupied to notice anything? And we are completely, entirely, alone?” I said, sliding my leg up over his.

“It would appear that way,” Jack smiled wickedly.

I tilted my head up towards him and his mouth pressed softly against mine. The kiss was only gentle for a minute, though. As soon as I felt his lips searching mine, this frantic need took over me.

Throwing one leg over him, I moved so I was sitting on top of him, straddling him between my legs. Jack moaned, but it was barely audible through our kisses. His hands searched my body, and his skin was already smoldering. My temperature would soon match his, and I felt the warmth racing through me.

I pulled away long enough to tear off my shirt, and he smiled appreciatively at me. He looked like he wanted to say something, so I silenced him with kisses. I loved talking to him, but right now, words weren’t enough.

We’d been forbidden from being together almost since day one, and even after I turned into a vampire, we’d been forced to stay at arms length.

After he slipped off his shirt, I took a moment to take him in. His skin was tan and soft over the smooth muscles of his chest and stomach. Jack was completely perfect. A painful happiness spread over me as I thought about how lucky I was that he wanted me. I leaned over, peppering him with kisses, on his mouth, cheeks, chest, everywhere.

When my lips came to his neck, a delicious heat surged through me. I could feel and smell and taste his blood through his skin, and I remembered how wonderful it felt when I drank it to turn. All of his love and pleasure had coursed through me, filling me with the most intense heat. Every other emotion paled in comparison.

“Alice, no,” Jack breathed heavily, but he sounded reluctant to stop me.

If I pushed it, I knew he would let me drink from him. It’d feel almost as amazing for him as it would me, but it was dangerous. As much as I wanted Jack, it would be nearly impossible for me to stop once I got started.

“Sorry,” I whispered, using all my strength to pry my lips from his neck.

His hands on my back slid below my pants, pressing me even harder against him. His kisses had gotten hungrier and more aggressive, and I knew it was a battle for him to keep from biting me as well. It would be too easy for me to get out of control, even if I was the one being bled.

Jack started pushing down my pants, and my body started to tremble with excitement.

I heard the bedroom door open, but it was a secondary sensation. My hunger for Jack blotted out everything else. He was slightly more grounded than I was, and thinking quickly, he pulled the covers up to hide me, since I was almost entirely naked.

He had stopped kissing me, but there was a fog over my mind where I could still taste him. It took a moment to clear, and I realized Milo and Bobby were standing in the doorway. Bobby looked embarrassed, but Milo just looked grossed out and disapproving.

“What the hell are you doing?” I was almost screaming. I had probably never been as pissed at my brother as I was then.

“What are you doing?” Milo countered, crossing his arms firmly over his chest and glaring down at us.

Jack sat up so he could shield me somewhat, and I wrapped his comforter around me. Bobby snuck an admiring glance at him, and I moved closer to Jack.

“I don’t think that’s really any of your business,” I snapped.