I notice her cool fingers fumbling down behind us to my dick. No worries there—as soon as she started kissing me like I was a gourmet meal waiting to be consumed, my erection roared back to life. One little lift, a slight repositioning of our bodies, and…

“Yes!” she cries. I groan loudly, back in heaven. She’s so hot, so wet and clenching, and she’s riding me like we’re winning the race of a lifetime.

Melissa sits up straight, her beautiful hips rocking like a dancer’s. Her long hair falls over her shoulders, and the tips curl around her beaded nipples.

“Fuck me,” I groan, clutching her ass. “You’re a fucking goddess.”

She moves faster still. Her small hand drifts between her legs, and her slim fingers circle fast. She’s working her clit furiously, and nothing is more erotic than the sight of my beautiful lady getting off on me.

“I can’t last,” I groan.

It’s too much. This time I’ve lost all control. My fangs extend before I can stop them. I move her hard, grinding her pelvis against mine as the force of my climax lifts my hips off the bed.

“Oh, god!” She wails, arching forward with the power of her orgasm.

Her fingers still circle, and I feel every spasm of pleasure deep inside her. She’s massaging and pulling me, and I never want it to end.

The haze gradually clears. My angel laughs weakly, collapsing against my chest. Her cheek is warm on my cool skin; the top of her head is under my chin. I wrap her in my arms and close my eyes, holding on tightly as my body returns to normal, my fangs retract. Yes, Melissa, I love you more than my lust for blood.

Contentment fills my veins with every heartbeat. We breathe together, coming down from that amazing place. She takes a deep breath, circling her nail in the light hairs on my chest.

“Does this mean you’ll change me now?”

My brow pulls together, and I answer fast. “No.”

Her head pops up, and she’s frowning. “Why not? I want you to change me. I want us to be together forever.”

Pushing against the mattress, I rise to a sitting position, my back against the headboard. She sits back to face me, pulling the sheet across her breasts.

“I love you!” She’s emphatically cute, claiming my heart with her declaration, and I fight the urge to slide that damn sheet away again. “I’ve waited here for you, miserable, for months! And now…” Her voice breaks.

Is she starting to cry? “Hey,” I whisper, catching her chin. “Why are you crying? I won’t leave you again.”

Pulling her face away, she wipes her eyes roughly. “I’m not crying. I’m just… having a lot of emotions. For one, I was almost killed then you walked in… Now this—”

Leaning forward, I stop her with a gentle kiss, capturing those full lips I love. She holds on a moment longer, touching my cheek. I take another hit of her amazing scent before sitting against the headboard once more. Her chin drops, and she studies her hands in her lap.

“Look at me,” I say softly. She doesn’t at first. “Melissa.” Slowly her face rises, and I smile. “I love you, and I’m never going to leave you. And I won’t doom you to this existence.”

“It wouldn’t be doom if we were together.”

“I won’t take away your chance to have children, watch them grow up—”

Her jaw drops and her eyes go round. “You think I’ll stop loving you?”

“That’s not what I’m saying.”

“It’s exactly what you’re saying. Sloan already took all of those things from us when he changed you. I’ll never have children because I’ll never have children with you.”

My jaw clenches, and my head drops back against the wall. “You might not feel that way… in time.”

In one swift move, she’s in my arms. The sheet is still between us, but she’s holding my face, forcing me to look into her eyes. Her expression is fierce.

“I will never change my mind!”

A deep exhale, and I pull her to me, wrapping her in my arms and looking out the large window facing down toward the dusky beach. The sun will rise soon. A new day will begin—the first day of the rest of our lives together. The rest of her life.

“You need to sleep.” I gently massage her skin, and her body begins to relax.

Sleep enters her voice. “I’m not giving up on this.”

I smooth my hand over her soft hair, watching as the first glimmers of dawn lift the edge of the horizon. The curtain rising.

“Let me hold you now. We’ve got time for the future.”

Her fingers lightly touch my chest before her lips follow them with a kiss. “We can be one through immortality,” she whispers.

I kiss her head. I don’t want to argue anymore. I only want to hold her. “But for now, I’ll be your one immortal.”

The End.

Epilogue: Little Gypsy Stuart

Mariska’s chestnut hair is braided into a thick rope. Her heart-shaped ass is perked up, waiting for me, and damn if the sight doesn’t make my mouth water.

“I’m going to fuck you hard.” It’s a low order, and I see her body shiver in response. “Open your thighs.”

She immediately complies, spreading her knees and giving me full view of her beautiful body. My dick points straight up, ready to plunge inside¸ but instead I bury my face in her gorgeous scent.

“Stuart! Oh, god!” She gasps as I grip her ass, spreading her apart and tasting her. My tongue explores every part of her, starting with her clit before making my way up again. She’s perfectly delicious, and I want her scent all over me.

I kiss and slide my tongue over and over until her elbows bend. Her face is buried in the sheets of my king-sized bed, and her entire body shudders as she moans. She’s coming so hard. She’ll be so wet and throbbing.

“Straighten up,” I order, grabbing her braid in my fist and giving her a pull.

With some effort, she pushes against the bed, lifting her shoulders as I position my cock and drive into her core. “Fuck,” I growl.

“Oh!” she wails, taking my full length.

I have to hold myself a second so I don’t lose it like a fucking teenager. My beautiful mate is beyond perfect for me. She’s submissive, she’s responsive—hell, half the time she initiates this—and if I don’t fucking watch it, I’m done before I’ve even had a chance to savor what a lucky bastard I am.

Once I’ve regained my bearings, I start to rock. “Oh, yes, Stuart,” she whimpers, a noise that registers like a pulse of energy straight to my dick. My hips move faster, and she’s pushing back against me, meeting me with every thrust.

“Shit, Mariska.” My voice breaks, and I can’t hold it any longer. From her taste to her scent to her incredible way of moving with me, I’m coming, pulsing deep inside her, filling her to the core.

My grip on her hair loosens, and I reach beneath us, holding her stomach as we collapse onto the bed. Her back is against my chest, and my face is buried in the crook of her neck.

A few moments pass, and I notice her fingers tracing lines along my forearms. One is locked around her waist. The other is over her chest, clutching her small breast in my hand.

My voice is lazy, satisfied when I speak again. “What kind of witchcraft have you used on me?”

Her small body ripples with her laugh, and she pushes out of my arms. I release her and she rolls onto her stomach, lifting on an elbow to narrow sexy, golden-hazel eyes on me. I love the way she smiles.

“I’m not a witch. I’m your mate.”

Reaching out, I trace the line where her light brown hair meets her light brown skin. “You’re bewitching.”

“I’ll never forget the first time I saw you.” Her face is on her hand, and her eyes are dreamy. “I’d been waiting for you to come to me, and there you were. And then you left me.”

My thumb moves down to her full lips, and I slide it over the bottom one, tugging it gently, revealing her straight white teeth.