Claiming the Vampire by Chloe Hart Read Free Book Online Page B

walk her to her bedroom door and kiss her goodnight before going to his own bed, where he’d lie awake for hours trying to ignore his raging hard-on.
    But even though their dates tortured him with what he couldn’t have, they had been the best nights of his life.
    They’d done a lot of human things. They’d gone out to dinner, and to the symphony, and to clubs to hear local bands. Some nights they just walked, holding hands like teenagers as they wandered through the streets of Boston.
    And they talked. They talked over dinner, they talked in the clubs, and they talked as they walked along the Charles river and through the Boston Common and past the brownstones of the Back Bay. They talked for hours. And the more he learned about Celia, the deeper in love he fell.
    He knew his own mind, but he didn’t believe Celia could know hers. She was so young, so damn young…
    “It’s too soon,” he said firmly.
    “You said we’d save the world first, and then talk about it. Well, in case you haven’t noticed, the world is saved. No thanks to me, but still.”
    Evan shook his head. “It was thanks to you. This marriage arrangement with Jessica and the prince wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t warned everyone about the Dark Fae’s plans…and risked your own life to show Jessica the truth.”
    Celia looked unhappy. “But that’s all I did. Jessica’s the one who really saved the world…and now she has to marry a stranger and go live in another dimension. I never wanted that. I still think my solution would have—”
    “Your solution would never have been accepted. The Fae would never have agreed to destroy the absinthe and give up their powers. And you told me Jessica’s happy with the plan.”
    “That’s what she said, but I think she might be lying. So does Liz.”
    “Even if she is, it’s still her choice.”
    “I know.” She took a quick breath. “And anyway, that wasn’t what I wanted to talk about. The point is that with the world effectively saved, there’s no reason for us to wait any longer. You wanted us to get to know each other better, and we’ve done that. We’ve been living together for a month. We’ve been on nine dates. And I’m in love with you.”
    “You think you’re in love with me.”
    “If you say that again I’m going to take out my spell book and turn you into something extremely unpleasant.”
    “A newt? A toad?”
    “Only if you’re lucky.”
    He grinned at her as the waiter set down the crème caramel she’d ordered for dessert. “All right, then. Let’s say for the sake of argument that you are in love with me. It doesn’t follow that you have to bind yourself to me for the rest of your bloody life. Don’t you want to look around a bit? See what else is out there?”
    She raised an eyebrow. “You want me to date other men?”
    Just the idea made Evan’s eyes turn yellow, and he barely managed to keep his fangs in check.
    Celia shook her head. “That’s what I thought. You don’t want me to see anyone else, but you won’t let me be with you, either.”
    “You are with me. We’re together right now, aren’t we?”
    “You know what I mean.” She pushed her dessert aside and rested her forearms on the table, leaning towards him again. “I want to sleep with you tonight.”
    His nostrils flared and he clenched his jaw. He wouldn’t let himself vamp out in a human restaurant.
    When he had himself under control, he spoke. “I want that too. You know I do. But we can’t risk it. I don’t think I could have sex with you and not bite you—and if I bite you I’ll claim you again. And then you’ll claim me, and that’ll be all she wrote. One moment of blind passion you’ll never be able to take back.”
    “I won’t want to take it back. But—” she held up a hand to forestall him “—that wasn’t what I was talking about. I didn’t say I want to have sex with you tonight. I just want to sleep with you. My bed is starting to feel really lonely,