Part 5 (1/2)

Nothing has ever hurt this bad before.” Her voice sounded puzzled and Colin mentally kicked himself. He knew what he'd done had sucked the soul right out of her.

In general, he considered himself a nice guy, an upbeat, happy guy. Not angsty or arrogant like many men. He didn't like to hurt people or bad mouth them. He didn't like lying or bending the truth. He didn't have a manipulative bone in his body. He rarely believed the worst of people, but he had tonight for a few short minutes. In the process, he had hurt the last person he would ever want to hurt.

”Eden, what happened tonight will never happen again, I promise you. You are my bloodmate. I am falling in love with you. You come before everyone else in my life now.”

A ghost of a smile touched her lips. ”I believe you, Colin.” She burrowed her face into the hollow of his shoulder.

”Good.” Now, that she seemed more at ease, he wriggled his hips, working his way out of his uncomfortable briefs.

He tossed them out of the bed and a little smile curled her lips. With a sigh, he settled her gently against his naked body, his hands stroking her comfortingly. ”Sleep now. You've had little sleep and far too much excitement and emotion. I can feel how tired you are.”

She murmured something unintelligible and he watched her eyelids droop, her beautiful face growing slack as she fell asleep. While she slept, Colin mentally made a checklist. He needed to call his sister and Declan. He needed to call the airline and he needed to call Corey. He had decided to take Eden home with him.

Despite the fact that Colin hated confrontations and fighting, and he didn't like hitting people, he would do whatever was necessary to protect his mate both physically, mentally, and emotionally. That thought fueled his determination to ensure that one thing above all others became the truth. Sean Antaeus had told his last lie about his sister.

Chapter Seven.

Eden's body burned. Usually, her dragon blood kept her pretty warm so she rarely slept with more than a sheet covering her even in the coolest weather. The heavy weight of a sheet and blanket pressed onto her, and she wondered how that had happened. Something itched her nose too. Without opening her eyes, she wriggled her nose. Something still tickled it. She took a deep breath. Sugar cookies. Who the h.e.l.l was baking? Was that why it was so hot?

She drew another breath. d.a.m.n. Sugar cookies?

Her eyes popped open. The sheet and coverlet on the hotel bed covered her. However, the heat she felt didn't come from her coverings but from the big male body that curled around hers. Colin's head rested half on her shoulder, half on her pillow, and his blond spikes brushed against her nose. He had one long arm draped across her body, and his hand curved possessively over her naked hip. One of his thighs nestled intimately between hers. For a moment, Eden savored the feeling of him lying half on her. He radiated heat like an oven. She wondered if all vampires were warm like Colin. With a rush, the events of the previous night came flooding back. Now, that the thought of losing her mate on the day she had found him no longer crushed her, anger took hold.

f.u.c.king Sean would pay for what he had said to Colin about her. Paris Hilton? She'd show him Paris f.u.c.king Hilton! Her dragon uncurled within her, anger and adrenaline fueling the beast's instincts. Unfortunately, the dragon then noticed Colin draped across her body. Instantly, the urge to mate became her dragon's priority. Kicking Sean where the sun didn't s.h.i.+ne took a backseat to her dragon's primal instincts.

The scent of sugar cookies overwhelmed her. Eden wondered why Colin's body gave off the scent so strongly. He moved a little and something hard and hot dug into her hip. A wry smile tilted up the corner of her mouth. That would be why. Morning wood. Apparently, Colin dreamt of her.

Her mouth turned down. At least, she hoped he dreamed of her. With a frown, she tried to wriggle out from beneath him.

I am dreaming of you. Stop moving and let me finish.

His amused thought slid into her head and she felt a strange warm tingle there. She hadn't noticed that little tingle the day before. Now, she was fully aware of his presence in her head.

You're not having a wet dream, are you?

He flexed his hips and his c.o.c.k pressed into her flesh. Does that feel wet to you?

Not yet, she admitted, trying to wriggle free of his grasp.

Keep moving like that and it will feel wet much sooner than expected.

Eden froze. Colin's chuckle sounded in her head. Don't worry, love. We have far too much to do today. There's no time for s.e.xual escapades. Get your a.s.s in the shower. He reached out and lightly smacked her right b.u.t.tock.

Her eyes widened. Did you just spank me?

Yes. Now get outta here or you'll have to watch me spank the monkey.

She scooted away from him, and he laughed out loud. ”I'm joking. I have phone calls to make and you probably want a shower.”

Eden grimaced. Oh, yeah. Hot water ruled when you'd been tucked up against a living furnace all night.

He flopped onto his back as she slid out of bed. ”I thought that might be the case.”

”You're not always gonna be right in this relations.h.i.+p, Colin, so you'd better not get used to it,” she warned.

I wouldn't dare.

She showered quickly. When she got out, she could hear the murmur of Colin's voice as he spoke on the phone.

She brushed her teeth three times, grimacing over the fact that she'd practically spewed in front of him. Walking into the bedroom, she found him on his laptop. He looked busy except for the fact that he was naked.

”How many other naked a.s.ses have been on that chair? Don't sit on it! Sit on a towel!” she exclaimed.

”Don't have one,” he quipped.

She whipped off her damp towel and tossed it to him. He put it on the chair and sat back down. He looked at her with a wide grin. ”Now you're naked. Perfect. I love it when a ploy works as it's supposed to,” he laughed.

”You're a crazy man.” Eden kept her voice stern, but let him see her grin.

”Crazy like a fox.” He turned off his computer. ”I need to shower. You need to pack.”

”Come again?” Her eyebrows shot upward.

”You and I are booked on a flight back to the west coast this morning. I got the last two first cla.s.s seats,” he told her.

”What if I don't want to go?” She crossed her arms over her chest.

”You'll go. We're going to my house, not your family's.”

Eden walked over to the closet and pulled out her suitcase. Despite her words, she wasn't going to argue with him.

Both of them knew that it was time to go home.

The flight was uneventful. Both of them slept a little. During the movie, they cuddled under a blanket and m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.ed each other to o.r.g.a.s.m. Luckily, Eden had thought to grab a napkin before they started or Colin would have been a mess. Well, as much as he came, they both would have.

The dinner hour had pa.s.sed and night had fallen by the time they landed. An eerie sense of ent.i.tlement welled from within Eden as they walked through the airport. Usually, she walked this concourse alone. Now, she strode along, hip to hip with Colin, one hand clasped in his, each of them with a laptop case slung over their shoulder and their free hands pulling their suitcases along behind them. She knew they looked like any other young affluent couple arriving home from a trip. And her sense that this was the life she deserved grew stronger with every brush of Colin's hip against hers.

Instead of heading toward the line of cabs at the curb, Colin turned her toward the long term parking structure.

Eden played a little game in her head trying to guess which car was his as they walked along. She'd progressed from SUVs to sports cars when suddenly he stopped. She c.o.c.ked an eyebrow up at the sporty Lexus sedan in dark candy apple red.

Her mate pulled a key fob from his jacket pocket and with a blip and a flash of lights, disarmed the alarm. The trunk opened remotely. Colin stowed their suitcases there and their laptops in the backseat. When they got inside the car, he turned down the volume on the stereo. Eden's brows rose curiously, but then he started the engine. Music blared from the speakers and she winced a little. Apparently, he liked his music played at concert level. With an apologetic smile, Colin turned the volume down further. Minutes later, they rolled out of the parking structure.

Eden watched her lover drive. He was relaxed, his fingers drumming on the leather and burlwood wrapped steering wheel in time to the music. Although she should have been angsty about coming home but not going home, excitement bubbled within her, warring with her eagerness to see where he lived. Colin had told her about his house, that it was less than a year old, in a new private community on the beach. He'd moved in just after his sister had hooked up with her brother. She wondered what it looked like.

She knew this stretch of coast highway, and his turn onto a private road marked Crimson Beach didn't surprise her.