Vampire for Christmas by Felicity Heaton

it.
    Shannon
sighed and put her white one on. She dabbed her finger on the
bloodied towel and caught Rafe staring at her hand. He wanted it.
She wasn’t blind or stupid. He could deny it all he wanted, but she
knew that deep inside him, he was battling his desire to taste her
blood. She was stronger than he gave her credit for. He wouldn’t
break her if he followed her lead. She could handle him, every
aspect of him, and she was going to prove that.
    She would
go downstairs, but she wasn’t going to give up. She wanted him, and
she was going to have him. Now that she had opened the barrier, had
overcome her fear and the voice inside her that said she could
never love a vampire, she felt strong and courageous, and she felt
tired of waiting. She had waited a long time to kiss Rafe, to
finally let herself go and to embrace her feelings instead of
running from them. She wasn’t going to wait anymore. She had
thought that he would give her what she had wanted in the shower,
that he would give in to the passion that so often showed in his
eyes, but her momentary fear and the words that had left her lips
had stopped him for some reason. She remembered that he was over
one hundred years old, born in a time of propriety. He had been a
gentleman to her since she had met him and had abided by what she
had said in the shower, at least until she had started touching
him. If she told him that she wanted him, needed him, and touched
him again, would he make love with her then? If she made the first
move, would he follow her lead?
    Shannon
walked out of the bathroom and downstairs to the living room. She
stopped in the middle of the room and ran her gaze over the
Christmas tree in the corner near the closed curtains. The baubles
and decorations were her family’s ones. They glittered in the warm
light of the fake fire to the right of the tree. She had kept them
along with all their other possessions. Most of them were in
storage, but she had gone there this year and retrieved all of the
Christmas things that she could find.
    Rafe
stepped up behind her and put his hands on her waist. She leaned
back into him, settling against his firm chest, and sighed. How did
he give her so much comfort by only being close to her? She placed
her hands over his and shifted them, bringing them to settle on her
stomach and holding them there. He wrapped his arms around her and
held her close. She stared at the tree, remembering the good things
in her past and pushing away the bad. It was right to move on and
start to live again. She’d had her vengeance and Rafe was right. It
didn’t make her a monster that she had felt good after she had
killed the vampire. It was natural to feel that way.
    She
turned in Rafe’s arms and looped hers around his neck. The cuts on
the side of his head weren’t bleeding anymore. She stroked the
short hair at the back of his head and looked deep into his dark
eyes.
    It was
natural for her to love him.
    No other
man had ever chased her the way he had, had ever persevered when
she had pushed them away, or had ever fought to better themselves
so they could protect her.
    Shannon
kissed him for that reason, for protecting her over the past two
years and for not giving up on her. His grip on her tightened and
he tilted his head, deepening the kiss. Her tongue tangled with
his, unafraid of the coolness of it in her mouth. He groaned and
leaned into her, until she had to arch her back to remain standing.
She traced her tongue over his teeth, teasing his dull canines,
aware of how dangerous it was to do such a thing but unable to
resist the thrill of it. His groan became a growl and he swept her
up into his arms, still kissing the breath from her.
    She
smiled when he pulled back and then kneeled down on the rug in
front of the fireplace. The fake flames flickered in the grate,
emanating warmth that chased the chill from her body. She held his
gaze as he laid her down on the plush rug and leaned over her,
planting his hands either