Stone In Love

Chapter 14

"I'm not leaving while she's asleep. I'll keep you posted on my timing."

Vincent's voice echoed from the kitchen, and my heart did a little tap dance. He was still here, which was weird considering the shit that went down a few hours ago. By all rights, I should have kicked him to the curb where I sent his brother, but something kept me interested. Morbid curiosity, perhaps? Nah, it was pheromones.

I still wanted to know why Vincent had a hard time with intimacy. According to the rumor mill, there was nothing wrong with his man parts. Some even labeled his sexual antics as kinky and crude, but no mention of biting. Was I the lucky winner? He said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. That isn't something you expect to hear from a guy after one date, especially someone with Vincent's playboy reputation. Being the incurable skeptic that I was, I remained wary.

Still dressed in last night's clothes, I crawled out of bed and headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth and inspect the bite mark. The punctures were barely noticeable, which didn't surprise me. The damage wasn't that bad, and my ability to heal had always been freakishly quick. As I pulled a brush through my hair, Vincent's face greeted me in the mirror's reflection.

"Good morning, Reese. How are you feeling? How is your neck?"

"I'm fine, and my neck is fine, too."

Heath never asked about the wounds he inflicted, and I awarded Vincent bonus points for that. He walked up behind me and slipped his arms around my waist. It felt so natural, and I leaned my head on his chest as I looked up into his face. I could tell he wanted to kiss me. His eyes were sparking like a welder's arc.

"I'm sorry I hurt you," he said. "I could have really blown it. I could have lost your trust. The horrified look on your face... It will haunt me forever."

He brought his lips to my temple, inciting a shiver as he gently kissed me once, twice, three times. I was taken aback by his tender display, and despite my disappointment that he didn't target my lips, it showed we were making progress. I also didn't see any sign of sharp canines.

"I'll try to keep my horrified looks to a minimum." I grinned, hoping to tease a smile from him, but he seemed preoccupied with sampling my skin, turning me in his arms and pecking his way down the bridge of my nose and across my cheek. A frustrated sigh escaped him as he pulled away before reaching my lips, and I watched the spark fade.

"I have to leave soon, but I want to give you everyone's phone numbers first." He claimed my hand and led me to my cellphone, which had spent the night on the kitchen counter. Although my battery was nearly dead, there was enough life left to plug in the numbers for Amelia, Jonathan, and Rizzo as he rattled them off.

"Who's Rizzo?" I asked.

"He's an expat from France. He came to live with us about five years ago. We consider him family."

"What about Adam and Emile? Are they part of your domus too, or just friends of Colin's?"

Hard lines formed on Vincent's forehead as he pocketed his cell. "Adam is Amelia's brother. He comes from the Lassiter domus. Emile is Rizzo's brother, and he lives with the Lassiters. Emile is still finding his feet here. If either Adam or Emile make contact with you, I'd like to know about it."

I nodded, feeling like I'd done something wrong. It was probably my long-standing paranoia that I saw Vincent's behavior as controlling. I just needed to stay on top of it. "Do you want breakfast? I've got eggs and yogurt."

"I'm fine. I had some mango juice I found in your fridge. I hope that was okay."

"Of course. What's mine is yours."