"It makes you freaking amazing," he said. "Even when you're a vampire." He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. The kiss tasted of innocence. And odd as it was, she suddenly remembered him kissing her like this before, but way before. Like before she'd ever come to Shadow Falls. She touched his cheek, and when he pulled back, she asked, "Did you ever ... climb into my window when you lived beside me?"
He looked guilty, but not much. "Just once. I swear, you left the window open. And I didn't ... I just-"
"Kissed me?" she asked. The idea didn't make her angry; it made her feel cherished.
"You were ... my first kiss," he said.
She grinned, and then his mouth lowered to hers again. She barely felt the warmth from his lips when he pulled back. "But I'm still pissed at you for throwing that net on me." He exhaled. "Not that I can stay mad at you."
He kissed her again. Only this kiss wasn't so innocent. Not that she complained. He tasted like passion, like raw, sweet passion. His weight came against her in all the right places and she felt differences in what made him male and her female. His vibration, his humming seduction, entered her every place his hard body now touched hers.
She met his kiss with desperation, wanting to feel it, wanting to savor how he made her feel. His hand resting at her waist, warm against her naked skin, slipped farther under her shirt, and his palm cupped her breast. She moaned with the sweetness of his touch and ached for more.
His kiss moved from her lips to her neck. The feel of his warm kisses made her feel liquid inside. Need, want, desire, she felt it all.
When his hand moved to her back to unhook her bra, she rose up to make it easier. When his hand came back around to her bare breast, she trembled with the pleasure.
He slipped the tank top over her head, discarding the bra at the same time, and his eyes shifted downward to what he'd uncovered. She'd thought she'd feel embarrassed. But it wasn't embarrassment stirring inside her. She felt ...
"You're so beautiful," he said hoarsely.
That was it. That's how he made her feel. Beautiful. Cherished.
He inhaled sharply. "We probably shouldn't-"
She pressed a finger to his lips. "I want this." She moved her hand behind his neck, threaded her fingers in his thick black hair, and brought his mouth back to hers. And in seconds, they were both lost in each other.
Chapter Twenty-four
The kiss went from hot to smoldering in a vampire's heartbeat. She wasn't even aware that he'd removed his shirt until she felt the wonder of his bare chest against her breasts. She shivered with pleasure. His kisses moved down to her neck and then lower. The sensation had her arching her back and saying his name.
And then his phone rang.
His growl, deep and low, came against her bare shoulder. He raised his head. His eyes were bright, the blue irises hot with desire. "I hate ... hate modern technology."
She grinned.
He rolled over to his back and reached into his pocket for his phone. As he studied the little screen, a frown chased away the passion from his expression.
"It's Burnett." He closed his eyes, then opened them. "I should ... take it." He looked at her with an apology in his eyes.
"I know," she said, and then, suddenly aware of her lack of clothes, she crossed her arms.
His gaze lowered briefly to her covered chest. He reached for her bra and shirt beside him and handed them to her.
She clutched them to her front to cover herself. Their gazes met again. There was a sense of rightness at stopping things before they went any further. And while she accepted that letting it go this far had been risky, she knew she'd savor the memory.
"I don't regret it," she said.
"Good." He looked so darn sexy without a shirt, but wearing a kiss-me grin. "Because I don't, either."
"Thank you," she said.
"For what?" He frowned at the ringing phone.
"For going into the cemetery even when ... you hate spirits." For not hating me because I'm vampire.
A seriousness filled his eyes. "I'd go to hell to keep you safe, Kylie Galen."
She believed him, too.
He answered Burnett's call.
* * *
Kylie spent the rest of the night mostly tossing and turning, unable to sleep. The call from Burnett had just been to check if Lucas had found anything suspicious when he'd looked around after the alarm had gone off. Then Lucas and Kylie jumped over the gate holding on to each other so it would appear only one person had entered. How he'd figured it out, Kylie didn't know and hadn't asked. However, the idea that Lucas had tied, and that Perry might also have to lie for her, didn't sit well with her.
Fretting, she stared at the ceiling while mentally juggling everything she'd learned. She was a chameleon. A rare type of supernatural. But at the moment she was a vampire. And that explained why, in spite of how hard she'd tried to dreamscape to Lucas, she'd failed. Vampires couldn't dreamscape. Rolling over again, she thought about everyone seeing her new pattern.
Her great-aunt's words flowed through her head. The few who did not hide were viewed as outcasts, freaks, and not belonging to any one kind.
She could already imagine the campers whispering behind her back again. Look at Kylie. You'll never guess what she is now.
Not that whispering was going to do them any good. Her sensitive hearing was in tip-top shape. She'd not only heard Miranda and Della each time they'd rolled over in their beds, but she heard some baby birds crying for their mama to hurry up and chew up the worms and regurgitate them back into their mouths. Regurgitating worms was not a pretty sound, either.
Her mind did another U-turn and she remembered her and Lucas's time together. She grabbed her extra pillow and hugged it. A smile worked its way to her lips. Not just because of how sinfully good things had been, but because ... because now she believed he cared for her. And accepted her. That was huge. It changed things. She just didn't know how yet.
Recalling his touches, she felt her face grow warm. Probably not really warm, considering her core body temperature was extra low, vampire low, but she'd bet her cheeks were red.
Her brain did another veering off the subject and landed on words her grandfather had said. You are one of us. We share the same blood.
Her need to get to know her grandfather, to learn everything about her heritage, sat heavy on her heart. But to leave Shadow Falls...?
That wasn't an option. Even with some of the campers not completely accepting her, she belonged here.
As the night continued, she tried to decide what, if anything, she was going to tell Holiday and Burnett, and even Della and Miranda and Derek ... She couldn't lie to them all. Could she?