Belly of the Beast

Chapter 32

The ride back to Twenty Exchange Place was mostly silent. Even Griffin remained uncharacteristically quiet, and it was all I could do to keep the tears at bay until I finally escaped into the apartment. Everyone had been right. I wanted to blame myself for the situation with Colin.

But he knew I was never interested in him. I had been up front about that from the beginning. And his misconduct inside his apartment, when I caught him coming out of the shower bare-assed, that was all on him. Wasn't it?

I set down the slices of zucchini bread Bianca had sent home and crouched to greet the whippets as tears streamed down my face. It wouldn't be the same without Colin living next door. He was the wise cracker to Vincent's straight guy. Whenever Vincent was acting like a maniac, I could count on Colin to make me laugh. I knew without question that if Colin and I had hooked up, I would not have been able to stay away from Vincent. So, I totally got where Colin was coming from, and it made my heart ache for him.

A text chimed in from Vincent, and I wiped my eyes to read it.

Heading home. No luck with Dmitry. Fill you in when I get there.

I walked into the bedroom and climbed under the covers. Of course, Bonnie and Clyde had to join me, curling up at the foot of the bed like a pair of fuzzy socks. Although my thoughts kept me awake for what seemed like an eternity, it wasn't long before Vincent's warmth woke me up.

I threaded my fingers between his where they rested on my hip, relishing in his scent and his rhythmic breathing against my neck. Surely, he knew about Colin and Claudette's plan. He was the magister. Maybe he'd even told everyone to keep the news from me due to my condition. Before meeting Vincent, I'd never needed anyone to fight my battles for me. Now here I was, a gollum with the ability to severe arteries with my teeth, and my mate wanted to protect me from everything. Even from worry.

The irony almost made me laugh, and I didn't realize I had until Vincent stirred behind me. "Baby, you okay?" he whispered.

"Yes. I'm glad you're home safe."

"Ditto." He pressed his face into my hair, and I felt a gentle nibble on my shoulder. "How long have you been asleep?"

"I'm not sure. Not that long."

"Then rest. Don't let me disturb you."

"I want to know about your visit with Dmitry."

"We can talk about that later."

I lifted his hand and spun around inside his arms, placing it back on my hip as I claimed his mouth. My lips felt dry and chapped, but his were soft and inviting, and he slipped his tongue inside. His sensual touch ignited a fierce chill, and I shivered as I pulled him closer.

"I love you." I spoke the words as I stared into his eyes through the dim light, getting lost in their silver-gray shimmer. He looked tired, but he also looked hungry, and I knew he wasn't thinking about Bianca's zucchini bread.

"Ditto, baby."

I let him work my mouth over until he broke away to breath heavily into my ear, sucking on the lobe like it was a tender piece of steak. "So, if you don't want to talk about Dmitry," I said. "Then let's talk about Colin."

As expected, Vincent's body went rigid inside my arms, and he pushed back to look at me. "You want to talk about Colin right now...while I'm kissing you?"

"You kissing me has nothing to do with it. I visited Adele and her new baby today, and I had a talk with Bianca and your mom while I was there. They told me about the situation with Colin and Claudette."

His jaw became an unyielding block of granite, but he managed to talk in spite of it. "What did they tell you?"

"They told me Colin and Claudette are moving to an apartment on the upper east side."