Original Sin (The Order of Vampires 1)

“Who else have you fed from? I deserve to know.”

There it was again. He’d never felt it from her before. But he’d felt it from others.

A slow grin pulled at his lips. “You’re jealous.”

“Oh, please—”

He laughed. “Lie all you want, ainsicht. I know what jealousy feels like and it’s radiating from you.”

Her jaw hardened and she scowled, but she gave up denying it.

“Does the thought of me feeding from others bother you?” He hoped so, because it certainly bothered him. “Only out of necessity would I choose a donor other than you, my love.”

She seemed irritated by his response. “Have you ever...” Her lips twisted. She glanced away, running her finger along the edge of the dresser. “Were there any women?”

His smile stretched as he approached her. He caught her hand and lifted it to his lips, pressing a kiss to her pulse. “Only you.” He playfully nipped her soft skin and her breath hitched. “Does that satisfy you?”

She tried to hide a smile and failed. She yanked her hand away. “Yes, as a matter of fact it does.”

He liked this side of her, liked that less secrets lived between them. The more they got to know each other, the more eager he was to start a life with her. Each glimpse he stole of her playful side, hinted at more than salvation. Together they might share a life, full of inside jokes and precious moments like this.

He caught her chin and kissed her. When his mouth left hers, she blinked up at him, as if asking what the kiss was for.

“Your jealousy flatters me. But it’s unnecessary. You’re all I want, Annalise. You’re everything I need.”

Her lashes lowered and she blushed. He also loved when her softer nature showed. As much as he enjoyed the feisty woman that challenged him at every turn, he saw the vulnerable girl who hid inside. He loved them both.

Chapter Thirty-Three

The perils of buggy travel didn’t truly register until it was too late to turn back. Bensalem was a little over a hundred miles from Adam’s home, and though they traveled at night, they still could only use back roads, which added an extra hundred miles of detours. Not to mention the hard bench seat that made every bump and divot feel like a spanking, combined with the occasional air freshener left by the horse.

Simply put, traveling by horse and carriage was only romantic in fairytales. In reality, it sucked.

Cruising at a rapid eight miles an hour, they only made it a quarter of the way by dawn. With the sun rising and the horse sweating, they had no choice but to stop.

Adam knew of a place on the way that also had stables. At first, it looked like another Amish property, but then she spotted wires.

“Oh, my God.” Her excitement to feel air conditioning on her skin and plop down in front of a television set, nearly had her sprinting out of the buggy.

Mennonites ran the establishment and Adam spoke to them in Pennsylvanian Dutch. There seemed no difference between the two at first, which confused her.

“Is he...?”

“No,” Adam answered, escorting her to their room.

When they entered the hotel room she sucked in a breath and practically squealed with euphoria. Rushing over to the dated television set sitting on the dresser, she wrapped her arms around it and sighed.

“I never thought I’d be so happy to see a television.” She pressed her cheek to the set and smiled, her gaze falling on the bathroom. “Oh, my God, plumbing!”

“We have plumbing.”

“You have a pump and well. It’s not even close.”

“We have plumbing, Annalise. My parents’ house is older. The newer homes connect to the sewer line and have copper coiled water heaters.”

“What? Do you have any idea what that ice cold well water has done to me? I almost died, Adam.”

“The water’s not that cold.”

“It’s cold enough.” Flicking off her bonnet, she tossed it at his chest. “I’ll be in the shower for the next two hours if you need me.”

“You need to eat,” he called.

“After I use up all the hot water. Since you see nothing wrong with the cold, I’m sure you won’t mind.”

Bathing in the tiny shower, proved a divine experience. One would have thought she’d been at the Four Seasons for how luxurious she felt.

Pruned and wrapped in a towel, she emerged in a cloud of steam. “That was almost sexual it felt so good.”

“I noticed.” He arched a brow, reminding her how in tune he was to her emotions.

“Hey, you’re watching TV. Isn’t that a sin or something?”

“I needed a distraction.”

She frowned. “From what?”

His gaze trailed up her legs and lingered at her chest. “There’s a large, homemade breakfast in a few minutes. You need to eat.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Adam, if you’re hungry, I don’t mind...”

“I can tolerate the hunger. You, however, skipped supper and need to eat.”