Vail glanced down at the floor, where his clothes still laid in a pile. Now that he’d gotten what he had come for, he knew he should get dressed again. He and Victoria had already talked before he’d fed on her, so there wasn’t anything else for him to say to her. As much as he enjoyed being around her, it would have been a better use of his time to simply return to his family’s manor and wait for her to signal him another day. He had no more reason to linger at the inn.

However, before he could move to get up from the bed, his attention was drawn back to Lady Crest as she suddenly smeared her own blood across her lips like paint. The sight captivated him. He’d never seen a human taste their own blood before. The way she licked her scarlet-stained fingers was both intriguing and seductive to him, and he had a feeling he knew what she was trying to do. He swallowed, tempted by her enticement.

Even though he was attracted to her, he was still leery about getting closer to her than he already had. They were naked together, but he had avoided pushing any boundaries that might lead to anything romantic between them. It was dangerous for a vampire to fall for a human, and he had avoided doing so for most of his life. He knew he was toeing the line with Victoria though. She was already attractive enough to him. Her personality was captivating and her figure was beautiful. If he took things farther, he doubted he would have the willpower not to get emotionally attached to this enchanting vixen. She stimulated him in ways that no other woman had before.

[i]Still…[/i] His eyes were fixated on her ruby lips, and he absently swept his tongue across his teeth. He couldn’t deny that even though it was risky, he [i]did[/i] want to let her in—to push past their predator-prey relationship into something more. What was the difference, really? He was already addicted to her blood, and he was already tempting fate by sneaking out to meet with her when he would surely be killed if he was caught. It was no different than the actions of a smitten lover pursuing a forbidden romance in the night.

Unable to hold back any longer, Vail took the Lady suddenly by the waist and pressed his lips to hers. His heart pounded wildly, and the metallic tang of blood wetted his tongue, which only made the kiss all the more exhilarating to him. He leaned into her passionately with ardor that was almost desperate in its intenseness. He hadn’t realized just how fierce his desire to close the gap between them had been until after he’d finally done it.

“You’re trouble,” he breathed when he pulled back again. His eyes only met hers for a moment before lowering to her lips as he kissed her again. He only paused once more as he added, “I’m beginning to wonder if [i]you[/i] like having control over [i]me[/i]...”