Another Curvy Girl and Grumpy Vamp (Just Another Girl Meets… #5)

7. Baden

Baden

M erri’s soft breath against my chest is the first thing I register as consciousness slowly returns. Her fingers rest, light as feathers, on my belly, and for once, I can't think of a single reason to move. I'm rarely gifted with a morning this quiet, with someone this... fierce and unguarded, pressed close beside me.?

?I kiss her forehead, hot lips pressing lingering kisses to the line of her neck. Her breath hitches, in her sleep and her hand curls near?my straining erection—driving me closer to madness. I continue mapping her collarbone with the tip of my tongue, inching aside the comforter to bare more of her skin to my greedy view. I'm rewarded with the barest shiver when I rake my teeth across the fine bones, slowly working my way downwards, savoring every inch of her.?

I pause just short of her breasts, head rising to meet her foggy gaze, espresso-colored eyes darken with the beginnings of arousal. "Can't believe I'm actually waking up next to Steele City's grumpiest vampire," she murmurs, her voice warm and teasing. "You know, people would pay good money for a picture of this."?

A lazy smile pulls at my lips.?"They'd pay a lot more than that," I reply, my voice low and husky, "for a glimpse of you like this. Rumpled and sexy, your beautiful face, this sexpot body—too bad, I’d have to kill them first."?

Merri’s brows furrow as she tries to figure out if I’m serious. I give her a half-smile making sure to drop my fangs. Instead of being intimidated her?eyes sparkle and her lips curl into a wide smile. She stretches, arching her back in a languid curve that makes my mouth dry. "Yeah, right," she says, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I?don’t think Baden Eames became one of the most successful vampires in Steele City, without learning a modicum of civility."?

I growl and lean in to nip at her earlobe. "Don’t try me," I whisper, "All that civility would vanish the second someone put their hands on you. No one gets this," I rub my hands up and down her body before settling them on her ass. “Except me.”?

Merri's breath catches, and she wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me down for a kiss. Our lips meet, and the spark of attraction ignites into a full-blown flame. Instantly, I’m lost in the taste of her, the softness of her skin, the way her body fits into mine like two matching puzzle pieces.?

I slide down again. Refusing the temptation of her lips to worship her breasts with my mouth and hands. Reveling as she arcs beneath me and cries out in pleasure. Her hands wander down my back, tracing lines of muscle and bone, and I shudder.?

"Want you," she whispers, her voice barely audible over my pounding heart.?

“Take me.” I roll onto my back, pulling her on top of me. Merri accepts the invitation, straddling me with a smile that's pure, unadulterated sin. She takes me in hand and guides?me home. The vaccine muted my senses—grayed them. But Merri brings me more pleasure than I’ve had in years. Vaccine be damned. I’d take the risk of being the monster just to be her monster.?

She rides me and the world narrows down to this one moment, this one sensation. The universe gasps, sucking in time and space as if preparing to release it all in another big bang. I’m losing control in the best possible way, free-falling into a sea of pleasure.?

Merri's voice rises, her sweet cry is my symphony. Wrapping my arms around her, I hold her close as we crest the wave together, our bodies crashing, colliding as we break apart upon the shore.?

For a moment, we just lie there, panting, our hearts still racing from the exertion. Then Merri lifts her head, a slow smile spreading across her face.?

"You know," she says, her voice husky with satisfaction, "I’m not a morning person. But I could get used to you as an alarm clock."?

I laugh. Some would be surprised that my face doesn’t crack from the rarely used smile. ?"I'm glad to hear that," I reply, pulling her down for another kiss.?

She’s breathless when I finally release her. Her stomach rumbles and she tucks her chin in embarrassment. After all the things we’ve said and done to and with each other. This is what embarrasses her? I trace my fingers across her stomach?enjoying the curves. Curves, softer than the finest silk, quake under my exploration. ?

I imagine her rounded belly, full and heavy with my child. I even cup the weight under her navel before jerking my hand away. Nothing good can come from these thoughts. Vampires can’t procreate. Now, in modern times, there are options for us. A vampire can withhold giving his mate the mating bite. Giving her enough time for surrogacy. But that path is rarely traveled. Would Merri want children? Would she want me more???

Her stomach rumbles again shaking me out of my gloomy speculations. “Fine. Hold on a few minutes. I’ll go and see what foods I can burn for you.”?

Merri laughs. “Tempting as that offer is… Why don’t we go out instead?”?

“Deal,” I say. Sweeping her up and carrying her to the bathroom. I love carrying her around, despite how she tenses in protest. She feels so right in my arms. If she were mine, her feet would never touch the floor.?As soon as we hit the showers, I take her again. Unable to resist the water glistening her cocoa skin and her excited squeal at my luxury shower. I'm jealous of the way she leans into the body jets with a wicked gleam and a saucy wink. Jealous of a damn shower head—if Luca could see me now. I tug her away, stopping her before she can make love to the wall, and I punch a hole in it. She stops laughing when I pin her arms above her head, press her into the warm tile and slam into her from behind while the damn body jet pulses her mound.

It's another hour before we leave, and I can feed her.

***

Later, back at my apartment, we lounge on the couch. Merri’s feet are tucked under her. Her head rests on my shoulder and she sips on a cup of tea while I rub my hand up and down her arm, playing with her fingers. I haven’t enjoyed this kind of mellow, comfortable silence since Luca. I remember the times he and Claudia would sit together in this exact pose. By the time she came into our lives we had lost everyone else in our circle of family and friends. We were satisfied living like monsters, taking and leaving, hunting and feeding. But when he found her—he swore, she returned his humanity. I was happy for him—for them. She became my sister. He gave her the bite, so they’d have eternity. Only… they didn’t. When I lost him, I pushed everyone else away. What was the point in loving and losing? I tighten my arm around her, almost reflexively, as if I could hold her here forever. And yet… that’s exactly what I can’t do.

She must feel the shift, because she tilts her head, eyes narrowing. “Okay, what’s with the serious face? Don’t tell me you’re planning on getting rid of me already.”

I smile, though it’s strained. “No, the opposite. I’d keep you here forever, if I could.”

Her brow lifts, clearly catching my meaning. “And by that, you mean…” Her voice trails off, a hint of unease creeping in.

“Merri…” I hesitate, but the words spill out. “You’ll change with time. I won’t. And while I’d like to ignore that, I can’t. Vampires… we’re not built to lose the people we care about.” My throat tightens. “Unless I—”

“Bite me?” She finishes the sentence with a wry smile, but I see the apprehensionbehind it. “Well, hate to disappoint, but I’m not exactly in a rush to sign up for the whole ‘mated for life’ package. My parents pretty much taught me that’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”

Her attempt to keep things light tugs at something inside me, and I manage a faint smile. But the sting of what she said lingers. “Your parents… they’re mated?”

“Yep.” She sighs, and I let her pull her fingers away—giving her space. “For life. They’re bound together, whether they like it or not. And let’s just say… there are days they definitely don’t.”

I nod, absorbing her words, but the idea of her turning away from the bite—not just because of me, but because she’s seen what happens when that bond doesn’t go right—it stabs into my soul with a serrated edge.

She turns her head to look at me, her eyes searching mine. “For a vamp you also seem reluctant. Most mates are like, must bite now. Not you. What is it about the bite that freaks you out so much, anyway? I mean… if you’re serious about keeping me around, wouldn’t it make sense to, you know, consider it?”

My mind circles around the past. “It’s not that simple,” I say quietly, shifting to sit up. “There was someone—someone who meant a lot to me. Her name was Claudia.”

Her eyes widen and she starts to shift away. But I squeeze her hand, bringing it to my lips for a kiss. She doesn’t have to say a word. I’d feel the same if she brought up another man’s name. Our connection is too fresh for others. Since there’s no avoiding it I let the words come. Slowly, revealing a part of my past I’ve kept locked away.

“She was my brother’s mate, but she became like family. Wethought we were untouchable, all of us.” My voice tightens, and I pause, catching my breath. “But we were wrong. We couldn’t protect her from the dangers that come with this life. She was… everything to him, and yet, all the strength we had didn’t save her.”

Merri’s hand covers mine, anchoring me with a simple touch. “I’m sorry, Baden. What happened?”

She was human. As she began to age… ” I close my eyes. “They wanted forever. They knew the danger of the bite. They risked it all for love. So fucking stupid. She died instantly and he… he walked into the sun. Choosing her over everything—every one else.” I stand up and pace, my legs restless, steps weary. “Watching someone you care about suffer like that… it changes you. I can’t bear risking that again.” I look down at her, the words are almost too painful to speak. “Especially not with you.”

She’s quiet, taking it in, I’m certain I’ve laid too much bare. But then she squeezes my hand, a small, fierce gesture that says more than words.

“Look, I get it. Loss is… complicated. But you can’t keep me in a bubble just because you’re afraid of what could happen. I’m not fragile.”

I hold her gaze, caught off guard by the strength in her voice, by the conviction there. “I know you’re not Claudia,” I say, and it comes out rawer than I intend. “But it doesn’t change the fact that I’m… terrified. I’ve never felt this way before, not about anyone.”

She offers a small, understanding smile, her eyes softening. “Guess that makes two of us then.”

A beat passes between us, and for the first time, I let myself believe—just a little—that maybe she’s right. Maybe we don’t have to solve every part of this right now. Maybe, for once, I can let go of the weight I’ve been carrying and just… be here, with her.

Fate wouldn’t fuck me over twice. Right?