Tidbits.
I took a deep breath. It was common practice by now, for my body to inhale as much oxygen as possible every time I breathed, like someone getting ready to dive underwater. It no longer trusted me for a steady supply. I blamed the masochistic dazzling vampire.
He lay above me, one arm anchored to keep his weight from crushing me. I've never felt so frail, but now as he lay over me he seemed huge. His bulk was everywhere and so close. I watched his smooth expression as he fought to conceal the obvious discomfort of bloodlust. He seemed to have stopped breathing.
I raised an unsteady hand to place on his cheek. Very carefully, very slowly, like a strategic mission, fingertips first, then fingers, then palm. The hollow of my palm fit the smooth curve of his cheekbone like they were a jigsaw piece. His eyes slid shut. It was odd how someone could look so serene and so tortured all at the same time.
Several moments passed until he moved again. His eyes opened; focused on me. He moved closer to me, dropping his head to kiss the shoulder of the hand holding him. I allowed it to slip down and rest on his neck while his cool lips pressed against me. He moved slowly up to the lean muscle of my neck, his lips tracing across my skin. They pressed harder against my neck. His jaw was tense, mouth clamped shut. His lips parted to reveal his teeth, which pressed flat against my neck. My skin tingled in response.
I took another deep breath.
He ran his teeth back down to my shoulder, his hand suddenly moving up to hold the top of my arm. He groaned in effort. His hand tightened, his fingers turning into claws. His nails dug into me, and moved to the neck of my top to pull it hard off my shoulder and bare the skin to him. His fingers dug into me. I could feel his jagged breath against my skin. His hand moved up to my neck and gripped, his fingers just under my hairline, his thumb near my ear.
I took another deep breath.
I moved my hand from his neck to grip his wrist. His touch suddenly lightened. I began to pull his hand off me, back across my neck to my collarbone. I covered fully the smooth marble of his hand with my own. I moved it down the middle of my chest until it finally rested upon what it owned. My heart.
