“You will stay here as long as it takes for you to recover if you’re unsteady, but I won’t take so much blood that you faint. Your wellbeing is my first priority.”
“Okay,” Adel said. “That’s good to know.”
“Did you have sex with the vampire who took your blood?” he asked.
She flushed bright red. “Uh … yeah. Things got heated.”
“I want you to understand that nothing like that is going to happen between us. The reason you’re here is because I need nourishment. I don’t want you to harbor any false expectations.”
“Lee said I’d feel pleasure.”
“Yes, you will, but only my teeth will penetrate you.”
Adel looked slightly disappointed, not that Maya could blame her. Hell, sitting there, even with what was about to happen, she wanted Tim. He looked so in control, so hot in his white shirt, red tie, and tight, black pants.
“Maya is my chosen mate, much like a wife would be to a husband for humans.”
Maya gave a start at the statement. She hadn’t realized their bonding was that serious to Tim.
“See the mark on her neck?” Tim continued.
Adel leaned closer to Maya and nodded.
“You won’t carry such a mark. My teeth will sink into your skin only shallowly and leave you unscarred. My saliva will heal the holes when I’m done feeding.” He gave her a panty-melting smile. “Now, you must be wondering what Maya is doing here.”
“Well, if this isn’t about sex, yes.” Adel shot Maya a nervous look.
“A feeding with a chosen mate is also a bonding experience. Maya has no way of knowing that I won’t share with you what I’m sharing with her. I need for her to see that what happens between us is purely nutritional, like having a meal, with some pleasurable side-effects.” He leaned forward and took Adel’s hand. “I need your permission to use you, as one would use a volunteer to teach students, to show Maya, step by step, what happens when I feed.”
His face was so handsome, his words so soft, even Maya would’ve been unable to deny him his request.
“You just want her to watch?” Adel asked.
“I need her to watch.”
Tim turned his gaze on Maya. His eyes held an unspoken message. He needed her to do this so it wouldn’t become the poison between them he’d warned her about.
Adel shrugged. “Okay. Is she human?”
“One hundred percent,” Tim said. He let go of Adel’s hand and looked between the women. “Ready?” When both Maya and Adel had verbally given their consent, he said, “From now on, I’ll give instructions, and I want you both to follow. Can you do that for me?”
Adel nodded eagerly. Her first time with a vampire had obviously been pleasurable. No wonder she was keen to repeat the experience.
“First of all, I want you to relax, Adel. Come sit here.” He pointed between his legs.
Adel obeyed immediately, scurrying to kneel in front of him with her back to the sofa. He leaned forward and massaged her shoulders gently.
His gaze returned to Maya. “My donors are always willing. I will never take a woman against her wishes or if she’s not comfortable.”
Maya watched in fascination as Adel became putty in Tim’s hands.
He bent down and whispered in Adel’s ear, loud enough for Maya to hear, “I apologize for the clinical execution of the feeding, but I want Maya to know exactly why I do what I do.”
As Tim kneaded her muscles, Adel closed her eyes. “That’s okay. I actually find it kind of erotic.”
Maya bit her lip to keep from saying anything. She didn’t want Adel to find anything erotic. She had to remind herself that Tim had to feed, and that it meant nothing more.
After a short while of Tim rubbing Adel much like a professional masseur would work on a client, he stopped, seemingly satisfied.
“That’s better,” he said. “Much more relaxed.” He got up and held a hand to Adel. “On your feet, please.”
She rushed to execute his command.
“Lying down is the most comfortable position,” he said to Maya, “and the safest, especially if the donor happens to get dizzy afterward. On the bed, please, Adel.”
Adel kicked off her heels and lay down on the bed.
Tim walked to her side, removing his tie. He dropped it on the foot-end and undid the first two buttons of his shirt. “I need to have access to the donor’s neck and heart. I need to monitor her heartbeat while I feed. Since my mouth will be on her jugular vein, my hand will be on her heart to keep track of her pulse. It’s where I can feel it the strongest. If it slows, I stop. It’s a way of keeping track of how much blood I take, in case I get carried away by hunger or by taste. Adel is wearing a good outfit, exposing both her neck and chest. If she had worn something too concealing, I would’ve asked her to unbutton her shirt or remove her top.”