There was so much he wanted to say to her but didn’t know where to begin. He felt vulnerable enough without pouring his heart out to her.
Sonia showed much more courage than him. She released him, closing the puncture wounds on his neck while he did the same with her. “I love you.” She captured his face in her hands and stared deep into his eyes, into his soul. “I don’t want you to feel responsible for me. I know you never planned to make this relationship permanent, but were forced into it by circumstance. I only ask that you let me stay long enough to learn what I need to learn.”
He nodded slowly and gently closed his mind to her, needing to get his balance again. I love you. He said the words in his mind but made sure his thoughts were shielded so she could not hear them. Cowardly, perhaps, but he didn’t like feeling vulnerable.
“I fear,” he began, and felt her withdrawal from him. But he would not allow it and banded his arms around her waist, keeping her close. “I fear it will take centuries for you to learn all you need to know.”
Sonia stopped trying to pull away and a smile played at the corners of her mouth. “Centuries?”
He solemnly nodded. “At the very least. Probably longer.”
Sonia longed to hear Damek say the words aloud, longed to hear him say he loved her. She thought she remembered him saying it to her when she was dying, but she couldn’t be sure. Maybe she’d imagined the words in her head. Her memories of that time were disjointed and fuzzy. Probably just as well. She wasn’t sure she wanted to remember dying. Damek’s actions were those of a man in love even if he hadn’t given her the words. For now, that was enough.
Her body was still pulsing from the most explosive orgasm she’d ever had. Every time she and Damek came together it just got better and better. She could still taste his sweet, potent blood on her tongue and savored the flavor. His cock still pulsed inside her body, a reminder of his blatant masculinity.
There was no one like Damek. He was unique and he was hers. She wasn’t letting him go and considering what he’d just said, she didn’t think he wanted her to let him go. “Then I guess I should stay with you.”
He buried his face in the curve of her neck and held her so tight she feared her ribs would crack. He was so lonely, her vampire, yet too proud to ask for what he needed. It was a good thing she wasn’t afraid to take what she wanted.
When he finally eased up on his crushing embrace, she leaned back slightly so she could see his handsome, beloved face. “I want to go home for a visit.” She thought about the logistics. “I’ll need to quit my job and pack up my things. I can leave the furniture there so we’ll have a place when we visit. My apartment is right next to my parents, right next to my brothers too. I told you we all had apartments in the same building, didn’t I?”
“You want us to stay with your parents?”
He sounded so appalled by the idea she laughed. “Not with them. I’ll keep my apartment, but I’ll pack my personal belongings and bring them here.” She glanced around the room. “I may need to make some changes.”
Damek rolled suddenly, taking her under him. He loomed above her, large and powerful and hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled when she felt his erection growing again. My guy has a fast recovery time.
He threw back his head and laughed and she realized he’d heard her thoughts. “I thought that too loudly, didn’t I? I’ve got to work on that,” she muttered.
Damek leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips and nose. “I hope not. I find your thoughts endlessly fascinating. And you can change anything you want. In fact, I think we should move, find another apartment and have it renovated to your specifications.”
She gasped and shook her head. “That would cost too much. This place will be fine with a few modifications. We might be vampires, but I refuse to live with all this black. I am Greek. I need color and plants and life.”
He grinned and shook his head at her. “Money is no object. I have more than you could ever spend.”
Sonia laughed. “Good to know, but I am frugal. Blame my upbringing. We work hard and we do not waste.”
Damek began to move his hips, pressing his erection inward before easing it almost all the way out. “Glad to hear you don’t believe in waste, because it would be a sin to waste this.” He powered inward, his hard cock filling her, leaving no doubt as to what this was.
“Waste not, want not. That’s my motto.”
He nuzzled her face and chuckled. “I’m glad to hear that.” He stroked in and out again and whispered in her ear. “You are mine, Sonia. Now and always.”
How she wanted to hear him whisper that he loved her. But she was patient and could wait. There was plenty of time for their relationship to grow and flourish. Her vampire was used to being alone, was not used to being able to depend on another. Although he would deny it, she knew trust was an issue with him. With time, he would learn what it meant to be loved and to love in return. She would teach him if it took her an eternity.
She clutched at his shoulders and lifted her hips to meet him. “I love you, Damek. Forever.”
There was no more talking as they found bliss once again.
Chapter Sixteen
Damek held a glass of ouzo in his hand and wondered how in the hell his life had changed so quickly in such a short time. He was a thousand-year-old vampire and he had…in-laws. And a huge extended family. He shuddered to think about it.
Even his chauffeur, Jerome, had been taken into the Agostino family and was currently enjoying the feast the entire family had set out for their arrival.
Sonia was talking with one of about a million cousins that were jammed into her parents’ large apartment. Some were in the kitchen and dining room, while the rest of them ranged around the living room. Children raced around, being fed and petted by the adults. One tiny blonde girl tripped and fell and before she could start to cry was picked up, comforted and sent on her way again.
He’d never been in a room with so many related people before. They were loud and boisterous and he found them endlessly fascinating.
“Not what you’re used to, eh?” Roberto stood next to him, pride on his face as he surveyed the large room. “We are many and you are used to being alone.”
“It’s not that different from the crowds at my nightclub.” That wasn’t quite true. There was a purity to this group, an openness and honesty that he’d rarely seen in his long lifetime.
Rather than being offended, Roberto gave a hearty laugh and slapped him on the back. A lesser man would have taken a header, but Damek didn’t move an inch. He simply stared at the half-breed werewolf.
“Just as loud, at least. It is a good thing we own the entire building and only family lives here or we would have many complaints.”
Damek didn’t think anyone would be stupid enough to complain about anything the Agostino family did. In spite of their open and jovial natures, there was no mistaking the deadliness of the males who watched over the females and children.
He turned to his host. “How old are you, Roberto?” He usually never asked people personal questions, but found he was curious.
The werewolf sighed and dragged a hand through his slightly graying hair. “I have seen three hundred and fifty years. I will live another hundred and fifty, give or take, but my Nicola will not last that long.”
“I’m sorry.” Now that he had Sonia, Damek couldn’t imagine living without her.
“That is the way of the world, is it not?” Roberto nodded toward his son, Vincenzo. Sonia had worked her way over to her father and was chatting to him. “My son will live to be a hundred or more, but he too will be gone in less than fifty years.” He turned to Damek. “You are luckier than most.”