Apart from a few stolen kisses during their stay in Washington DC, Oliver hadn’t touched Ursula until they’d boarded Scanguards’ private jet to return to San Francisco. He’d practically mauled her during the flight home, but since they’d had to share the plane with a few staff members of Scanguards, there had been no occasion to have sex with her, and his cock was still as hard as ever.

“Where is everybody?” Ursula asked.

“Rose? Quinn?” he called out, secretly hoping that they were out for the evening, saving him from having to tell them about their trip when he’d rather lug Ursula over his shoulder to drag her into bed. “Blake?”

“Upstairs,” Quinn’s voice finally sounded from the upper floor.

Frustration howled through him. He had no idea how much longer he could pretend to be civilized before he would fall over Ursula and bury himself deep inside her.

“Come on up, we want to show you something,” Rose called down.

Oliver grimaced and took Ursula’s hand. “Let’s go then.”

When they reached the third floor, Rose and Quinn were standing in front of his bedroom.

“Welcome home!” they both said.

Hugs were exchanged before Quinn opened the door to Oliver’s bedroom and motioned him and Ursula to enter.

Quinn rocked back on his heels. “We thought with Ursula here, you both needed a little more space, so we knocked out the wall to Blake’s room and moved him onto the second floor instead. That way, you’ll have a little sitting area for yourselves.”

Oliver let his eyes roam, taking in his newly decorated room. Not only was it almost twice as large as before, it had also been updated. An extra closet had been added to accommodate Ursula’s clothes, and a cozy sitting area had been created.

“And if you don’t like the decor, we can change that,” Rose added.

Ursula turned to them, smiling. “It’s beautiful. Thank you. I love it.”

Oliver put his arm around her and pulled her close, then looked at Quinn and Rose. “It’s perfect. Thank you!”

“You’re welcome,” Quinn said.

Rose tugged at his shirtsleeve. “We should leave.”

Quinn nodded. “We’re spending the evening with Zane and Portia, so the house is all yours tonight. Blake went patrolling with Cain.”

“Patrolling?”

Quinn rolled his eyes. “Don’t ask. He kept on nagging us to let him go on patrol.”

Rose smiled mischievously, winking at Oliver. “Quinn caved.”

But her husband merely shrugged. “Can’t protect him forever.” Then he reached into this back pocket and pulled out an envelope. “Before I forget it, Maya gave me this for you.”

Excitement made Oliver’s heart beat faster. He knew what was inside: the results of Ursula’s blood test. Before leaving for Washington, Ursula had provided Maya with two blood samples: one before having sex, and one after Oliver and she had enjoyed their last night in each other’s arms before leaving for the East Coast.

His hand trembled when he took the envelope from Quinn’s hands. When he looked up, their gazes collided. Quinn was smiling as if he knew what this letter meant. Then he and Rose turned and closed the door behind them. He listened to their footsteps as they walked downstairs.

Slowly, he released Ursula. She stared at the envelope in his hands.

“The results,” she whispered.

With shaking fingers, he opened the letter and pulled out a single sheet of paper. His eyes took several seconds to focus, before he was able to read what was written in neat handwriting.

“Dear Oliver,” he read aloud. “All tests I performed on Ursula’s blood samples came back with the same result.”

Oliver sensed how Ursula held her breath.

“It’s confirmed: her blood is safe once she’s had an orgasm.” Relief poured through him. “However, I cannot say how long her blood needs in order to return to its former potency after sex. More tests will be necessary to determine that. But for now, as long as you only drink her blood right after she has climaxed, you’ll be safe. Love, Maya.”

He dropped the letter and pulled her against him. “You have to make a decision now.”

She lifted her eyes. Mesmerized by what he saw in them, he stopped breathing.

“I think my decision was clear from the moment you kissed me there in the hallway the first day I stayed in this house. I was just too afraid to admit it to myself. Too scared that I could want something that had been forced on me by others for such a long time. But I’m not scared anymore.”