The sound of his voice roused her from her dreamlike trance as he declared his pleasure in knowing she had missed him. Although his actions caused her to become curious as she watched him step back and take his shirt off. Was he joining her in the bathtub? She would not object to that. It would be the first time she shared an intimate bathing session with a man. But her hopes were short lived when he only removed his torso clothes and resumed his stance by kneeling on the floor. She’d be lying if she didn’t feel a little disappointed.

As Vail’s hands slid into the water to caress her body, she exhaled deeply at his touch. She felt very lucky indeed that he had already declared to his own father how he wanted her and not some other vampire female as a mate. His lips against her neck was intoxicating, she couldn’t stop him from priming her for a bite even if she wanted to. It was all up to him to show her he had self-restraint or face the fear of pushing her away by letting her think he only wanted her for her blood.

And then he revealed his inner most secret to her. She felt her heart leap out of her chest. Never before had she heard a man declare his love for her. She genuinely thought it was purely infatuation for her and her unique blood. She almost gasped with delight the moment his voice uttered those four words into her ear. She shuddered. If she were standing, her legs would have weakened and given way beneath her. She turned toward him and took his cheeks in both of her wet fragrant hands and planted her lips upon his firmly. She didn’t have the strength to drag him into the tub with her but she had the energy to show him just how much it meant to her that he admitted he loved her.

In fact, Victoria was so happy to hear it that tears wept from her eyes as she kissed him. Tears of joy. She slowly released his lips and stared into his hazel eyes. “You do?” Whether she didn’t quite believe it at first and had to hear it again, or if she just wanted to hear it again out of pure revelry, she had to question him for confirmation. “What about your father? He said he would disown you if you keep seeing me...” She remarked sadly with a saddened gaze. Her violet blue eyes glinting in the candlelight. “You said it yourself, he is stubborn and won’t change his mind about me. And…we agreed that turning me is just too risky.” She gripped onto his hands like a vice, never wanting to let him go again.