Page 49 of Blood Sugar

“And my girlfriend,” Rowen added.

“Thank you for handling the booth so Rowen could come rescue me,” I managed to say, my cheeks tingling with how hard I was blushing.

Behind Amelie, three figures strode toward us.

“Love, are you ready to go?” asked an elegant woman with long, shockingly red hair and a flowy dress with a slit nearly to her waist.

“It’s getting late, even for us,” the middle woman said. Multiple piercings glinted in her nose, and her white-blonde hair was chopped at her jaw. An oversized green-and-black-striped sweater hung over one shoulder.

The third woman glanced between us. Her dark hair was pulled into a chignon, and she wore a frilly black dress like a traditional witch. “It seems that Amelie’s brother has found a true partner. We should celebrate.”

“That’s not necessary,” I said, raising a hand.

“We can party another time,” Rowen said resolutely. “Right now, I need to get Sadie upstairs so she can recover. Thanks again for handling the booth. I’ll text later about tomorrow.”

“Nice to meet you,” I called around Rowen’s bicep as he walked away from his sister and her three companions. Leaning closer to my witch, I whispered, “Who were all those people?”

“Fuck if I know,” Rowen muttered.

A tired, breathy giggle escaped me, and I relaxed into his hold, letting him carry me past the kitchen and up the stairs to his apartment.

As I sank into his mattress, Rowen hovered beside the bed, his fingers working to unbutton his shirt. Cringing, I noted the drops of blood on his pants.

“I’m sorry, I was a mess.”

His saturated hair fell over his brow as he shook his head. “Don’t apologize. I wouldn’t have cared if you destroyed my entire wardrobe, so long as you’re okay.”

My heart squeezed. “I’m okay.”

His shirt fell away, followed by his pants. Looking him over, I licked my lips.

“Don’t look at me like that. You’re healing,” he said sternly.

“Fine, but help me out of this dress. It’s not exactly comfortable.”

His warm honey eyes flared with heat as I twisted to give him access to the zipper. His arm hooked under the small of my back as he slid my dress up and over my head, exposing my breasts. Despite his warning, he couldn’t help dipping his head to press a kiss to where my dress had protected me. There was a distinct line where creamy white skin turned to a mix of pink and gray. It was ugly, and I cringed.

As if he could read my thoughts, Rowen brushed my hair back. “You’re beautiful no matter what. And don’t worry, you’ll heal up just fine. And it’ll be faster if you drink more from me.”

“Is that why you stripped? To entice me? We still haven’t discussed the whole soul-bond thing. Not really.”

Placing one hand on my other side, he loomed over me. Light filtered in from the doorway, painting his elegant profile, the curve of his nose, the fullness of his lips.

“I’m all in. I would marry you right now if you wanted that. I’m not worried about my soul being connected to yours. It’s a good thing, as far as I’m concerned.”

“Oh.” After I’d hounded him about discussing the situation, that was all I could manage to say. But what does a girl say when their boyfriend-boss-blood source basically proposes?

“We have time,” he murmured, his fingertips dancing along my neck where the skin hadn’t been burned. “I’m sure it takes much longer for the bond to solidify and become permanent. So for now, you need to feed. And later, we can figure out our relationship.”

“Okay.” Another eloquent answer on my part.

Rowen held out his arm, but my heart felt like it would burst and I needed more of him. Tugging at his arms, I pulled him down beside me, so we both lay on our sides facing each other, our bodies brushing.

“Thank you,” I whispered again, hooking one leg over his hips, and pressing myself against him.

His arms wrapped around my middle, so every inch of our bodies touched. My bottom hand threaded into his hair, cradling his head, while the other roved down his side, feeling the expanse of skin over muscle.

“I’d be lost without you.” With a kiss to his cheek, and then his jaw, I moved to his neck. There was no rush to feed, so I kissed and sucked on the tender skin there, eliciting a moan from him.