Marked Hearts by LJ Swallow

Author:LJ Swallow [Swallow, LJ]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-07-28T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Seven

I wake in an empty bed, but the sheets next to me are warm. The sun filters through the thin, brown curtains, and my bathrobe lies forlornly on the floor from yesterday evening. The air in the room is cool but noticeably warmer than the chill, which came with the shades.

Did Alek leave? His leather jacket is slung over the chair, and he never goes anywhere without that.

I lie back down and stretch like a cat, buzzing with the after-effects of sex with Alek. Heavy footsteps approach and he appears in the doorway, hair mussed, wearing grey sweatpants and carrying mugs.

"Is that coffee? I thought you only drank beer?"

He rolls his eyes at me and sits on the bed. "Here you go, Casper."

I smack him on the back of the head and he rubs his hair. "Stop calling me that or you're in trouble."

Alek sets the mugs on the floor and leans over, rubbing a thumb along my cheek. "Trouble like last night?”

Marvelling at my restraint, I move my face from his touch. "Next time, I'll be taking, not giving."

"Soon, I hope." The seductive smile guaranteed to trigger unclean thoughts tips his mouth.

He's shirtless and I run my finger from his neck to his abs, my eyes fixed on his the whole time. I enjoy how he shivers slightly and his restraint when he closes his eyes against me. He has colour in his cheeks, and the lips I used to fantasise about that have touched almost every part of my body are no longer pale.

"Maybe."

He stopped last night before he drained too much from me. There's a delicate balance between what we can give and take, and I suspect this will take a while to work out. That's if we work out. Alek opens his eyes again then places his mouth onto mine without a word. The strength of his kiss and the hand pressed in the small of my back against the hard planes of his naked chest rewind me straight back to last night.

As Alek's mouth closes around mine and my nipples brush against the warmth of his chest, I'm aware being held by Alek is as powerful as the energy itself. There's a comfort in being anchored to someone else in the maelstrom surrounding us.

Aware we'll be pulled back into part of that maelstrom if I don’t move, I place both hands between us and gently push him away.

"I have a work shift in a few hours," I say.

Alek passes my robe from the floor. "I guess you'd better put some clothes on then."

I shrug the robe on and tie the belt. "Can we leave?" I blurt. "I don't like living here. The house scares me, especially now shades are invading.”

Alek regards me over his mug. "We? That was a bit sudden." I open my mouth to clarify then spot the teasing smirk. "I can't leave."

"Why?"

"Because I'm dangerous, I told you. This house is a focal point for shades, a ready food source. If I leave, I leave my food source.

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