Then he sank his lips onto hers. She could taste her own blood on his tongue, but it didn’t disgust her. Not anymore.

Quinn’s body moved with hers, his hips grinding, withdrawing, then slamming back against her, his cock never ceasing its relentless rhythm. He filled her with his hardness, reaching deep into her, touching places that released sensations she’d scarcely known she was capable of feeling.

Tilting her pelvis, she responded to his movements, finding the right angle at which each of Quinn’s thrusts sent a tantalizing, tingling sensation through her clit, hurtling her toward the inevitable. As their bodies moved in a rhythm as old as time, she felt him tense in her arms.

“Now, Rose, now!”

As he flooded her channel with his seed, she felt the approach of her own orgasm. Like a wave far out in the ocean, it built and built until it reached the shore line and broke on the beach, tearing down anything in its path.

Rose sensed Quinn’s spasms coincide with her own. His heavy panting echoed hers.

She’d never felt so connected to anybody. Not even their wedding night had been like this. The bite had made her feel a deeper connection to him, even though she had not been the one to do the biting. Would it be even more intense if she bit him? The thought jolted her. Yet, she couldn’t deny that it excited her at the same time.

Quinn nuzzled his face against the crook of her neck as his body stilled and he slowly pulled out of her. Rolling off her, he drew her back into his arms, pressing her against his heated body.

“This was amazing,” he said.

“Better than anything.”

He pressed a kiss on her temple. “Rose?”

She turned her face to look at him, alerted. Would he press her for information about her past now? “Yes?”

“Did you love Keegan?”

Relieved, she let out a breath, then dropped her lids. “Can a vampire love?”

His finger under her chin urged her to look at him. She noticed how he shook his head.

“You loved our daughter. There is love, even for a vampire. You can love, just as you loved as a human.”

Feeling her eyes moisten, she nodded quickly. “I loved her, yes. But that’s different. She was my flesh and blood. But another man . . . I never loved anybody.”

“You said you loved me, or was that only in the throes of passion?” His voice remained light as if he already knew the answer to his question.

Yes, she had said that, hadn’t she? And she meant it.

Rose lost herself in the golden hue of his eyes, unable to say a word.

“So you do love me.”

She could only nod before the tears started streaming down her face. If only things were that easy. If only she could tell him everything, then this would have been the happiest moment in her life.

“Don’t cry, my love. Because I love you too. And we’ve been given a new chance.”

His lips slanted over her mouth, quieting the sobs that tore from her chest. But his kiss could not quiet the guilt that spread in her for continuing to deceive him and accept the love she didn’t deserve.

23

It was already late afternoon, and despite the fact that he’d slept a good eight hours, Blake felt exhausted. They had really worked him in the gym overnight. He would never admit it though, not to Wesley, who seemed totally full of himself, nor to any of the trainers. He would make it through this training if it killed him. Not that he was all that clear about what exactly he was training for. Quinn had been kind of vague about it.

But right now, it didn’t matter, because he’d just discovered that in addition to the extremely beautiful Rose there was another female trainer. She had simply introduced herself as Nina. The woman was drop-dead gorgeous with a sassy attitude to match. Oh, yeah! That was how he liked his women: ample boobs, dick sucking lips, and strong legs. He could tell that Nina had all of that and more to boot.

On top of it she was a natural blonde, her hair only reaching to about chin length. A bit tomboyish, but sexy and feminine at the same time.

Blake allowed his eyes to roam over her hot body while she projected the dullest PowerPoint presentation he’d ever been made to sit through onto the white wall in front of him.

He could tell that the room wasn’t really meant for this purpose. At one point it had probably been a small dining room, and for a moment he wondered why classroom instruction wasn’t held at the facility where he’d passed his test.

At least he was the only student. Wesley had made himself scarce after grabbing a coffee in the kitchen, and Nina hadn’t stopped him. Maybe she didn’t mind being alone with him. After all, she had given him an assessing look when he’d shaken her hand. There was no harm in trying his luck.