Blood Ties (Book 3 of The Blood Bond Series)

34. Breathe

The rest of the night wore on until Quinn was tired. Vampires didn't get winded, but they did need to shut their brains down and rest each day. It was good 'downtime' for them, and they tried to keep as human a schedule as possible in order to blend in. If humans slept when it was dark, they would too.

After they'd left the rink for the cleanup crew to deal with, they all went their separate ways. Adam and Quinn both got into his Lexus and headed toward home, Quinn sinking into the seat with her head resting on the cool windowpane. She'd sweated a fair bit skating and could probably have used another cool drink of water, but she was more tired than anything and just wanted to crawl into bed. It had been a fun night, just exhausting.

On the way home, she dozed in and out of sleep until they were parked, climbing out of the car and stumbling to the front door. Her calves were already aching, and she knew she'd have a hell of a time walking the next day.

Quinn uttered a groaned curse before speaking further. "All I want is about 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep and a calf rub."

Adam smiled. "I'd me more than happy to rub anything you like, up to and including between your toes if they were sore."

She stretched her toes out in her shoes and realized she was not just sore in her calves but her thighs and feet too, though they weren't as bad. As Adam opened the door, she relaxed against a pillar, and he grabbed her hand to pull her through the door after it was opened all the way.

"Well, why don't we take a shower so we're at least clean before getting into bed. Vampires don't sweat, but humans do."

She looked at him and immediately woke up. "Are you saying I smell?" She leaned her head down and sniffed the armpit of her shirt. She thought she smelled just fine to her, though she didn't have the sharp nose of a vampire.

"Not at all. But you might be uncomfortable. From what I hear, sweat contains salt, which can dry out the skin, making it itchy. That can't be a good feeling."

He was right, and once she had walked into their bedroom, she started to strip on her way to the en suite. When she started up the water, she knew she wasn't alone in the room. Quinn didn't know if it was the bond or not, but she could always sense when he was near, though she couldn't figure out just how. It was almost like echolocation, and she was usually able to tell just where he was in a room with an accuracy of a few inches. It felt odd, but she'd grown used to it over the months living with him. Like GPS coordinates that were preset, she'd become accustomed to him and the odd feeling of deeper connection.

"Baby," he cooed in her ear. He'd come over with supernatural speed, cupping a firm tit in one hand before rubbing a thumb over her nipple. She shivered, arching her back ever so slightly.

"Adam." She leaned her body closer. It was like she couldn't help it. Like north and south magnets, their skin connected like it was meant to be.

And, of course, it was.

His lips brushed the skin over her neck, tracing a slow line down to the point where his mark would lay one day. Less than a year. He wanted it sooner but would heed to her wishes to wait. It made sense, and he didn't want forever to be jumped into carelessly like he'd done when he kidnapped her.

Foolish. Foolish then for absconding with her, and foolishly in love with her now. He couldn't help it. Meant to be or not, he would have thought even as a human he would have been drawn to her fragile beauty, her freckle-specked nose, her quiet grace. How she was silent when it was needed, and verbose when she got excited or had a hard time explaining herself. That didn't come often, but it was quite beguiling when it did. She was warmth and bliss and just about everything that felt right and good in the world all wrapped up in one small person.