Nectar (Nectar 1)
She was quiet, absorbing his words, admiring his beauty. Not just his outward beauty but the beauty of him showing her his emotions.
“I’ve never wanted to sleep beside someone before either,” he said and ran his thumb across her bottom lip, “That first night I fell asleep with you. That’s never happened. I woke up a while later and tried to go back to my room after we were together and I couldn’t sleep. Never before had insomnia in my life. I sat up all night and watched you sleep, looking like an angel. I’ve never done that. I knew that first night that there was something different between us. I was sated. For the first time. The next night I moved you into my room. Never had a woman in there before. I always used the guest room ‘cause I didn’t want anyone in my space. I don’t ever want you out of my space. Even when I was pissed at you, you belonged in my bed, not somewhere else. I slept in the guest room for those few days but slept like shit because you weren’t beside me. It’s intense; these feelings. Intense isn’t a strong enough word.”
“All consuming,” Kyla muttered.
“Exactly. I’m sure you’re not gonna want to hear this but I need to tell you this so you understand the impact you’ve had on me. I’m different. Some nights I’d go through 3 or 4 women and it wouldn’t put a dent in my hunger. Not even a little dent. But you…you are all I need, Kyla.”
Her eyes widened and she let out a long, slow breath. “Wow Tristan. Such a slut.”
He laughed. She laughed.
“I’m different too,” she whispered, feeling tingly all over at his words, “I never trust. I’ve never let someone in; not like this. Now with you…I’m different, too. My walls are beginning to come down, or my bubble of steel has a crack or whatever, and that’s because of you. I don’t want it to stop, either. But I’m so scared it will. I’m afraid something bad is gonna burst this bubble, the bubble we’re both in. And there’s still so much I don’t know. I have so many questions.”
He started to kiss her, “Your walls are sugar and I’m hot water. I’m going to dissolve you into a sweet syrupy, sticky mess and then lick it all up. Mmm.”
Kyla felt everything south of her waist clench, “I don’t want this, us, to end. But all the other stuff…” she sighed as he kissed her throat.
“Things are just on pause, baby. I need this conference to go smoothly, no hiccups. Everything is on pause, that’s all. Remember that. If you see things that upset you or if I do things that confuse you please know that we’re just on temporary pause, okay? After this is over we’ll find a way to move forward so that you’re safe.”
“What’s the conference about?”
“It’s just an annual meeting for high ranking vamps in the company. It moves around and this year it’s here. It’s always got a banquet for the kick-off. I know you’re probably going to see and hear things that upset you but I hope it doesn’t make you feel differently about me. Can I just ask you to try to trust me? I know trust won’t come easy but it feels like you are trying. Keep trying, okay? And I need you to remember through this that whatever you see or hear around others that it’s who I was. I have to figure out how to transition into who you’re helping me become. It has to look like it’s seamless otherwise we’re in trouble. I’ve got so much to figure out.”
“Transition to what? Are you saying you don’t want to be a leader any longer?”
“Don’t know. But I have this new conscience now. I…I can’t imagine just walking away like it’s a job I’m quitting or anything like that because I have to help protect the secrets and I’m good at this, growing the company, making it more profitable, and I’m the voice of reason in a lot of volatile situations. I don’t know that I’d want to give it all up and it wouldn’t be easy to just walk away from something I’ve been told for a decade is my birthright. But I know I can’t knowingly put you in danger and I don’t want to keep doing some of the things I’ve been doing. You’d probably want to run from me if you knew all of it. There are things I’ve done that I’d never want you to have to sift through emotions about. Argh. I need to think...” he got out of the tub and wrapped a towel around his waist. Before she could say anything, he was gone. So much for the syrupy sticky mess.