I went to the shower, wanting to wash away all the stress I had collected throughout the day. Under the spray of the water, I couldn't help but think about Ash waiting for me on the bed. We had never had The Sex Talk yet. Mostly, we kissed until we were breathless and then I made some excuse to cool things down, like homework I needed to do or a movie we should go too. This didn't mean I hadn't thought about sex with Ash. In fact, I thought about it more than I cared to admit. I reached behind me to massage right shoulder, then worked on my left. I brought a lather of soap into my hands and massaged the muscles in my arms and legs. I wondered how it would feel if Ash massaged me. I know he had experience, much more experience than I did. I grabbed my razor and started shaving. Thoughts muddled with the image of the sexually-experienced Ash, I accidentally nicked the sensitive skin on the back of my knee. As always with razor-inflicted shower wounds, it bled much more than was reasonable. The spray was making it sting, so I swore and turned it off. I grabbed a towel and wrapped myself up.

"What's your problem?" Then I realized: the blood running down my leg.

He was breathing in deeply from his nose, smelling me. He caught my gaze and licked his lips.

I laughed nervously. "I'm not going to have to hit you with a baseball bat to keep you from licking my leg, am I?" I blushed when I realized him licking my leg was a tad sexual.

He blinked a couple times. "Sorry, it's been a while since I've taken blood from a human."

"I nodded, very aware that I was just in a towel and he was an inch away from me. I made to move past him, but he didn't move out of my way. I looked up at him.

"If you let me, I could just close the wound."

I bit my lip. I could tell from his gaze that he might have had a little more than healing on his mind.

He put his hands up in surrender, seeing my hesitation. "It's up to you," he said calmingly. "You're in control."

"I suppose…just to close it."

"Yes," he said, a little too quickly. I sat on the bed, and he followed me, kneeling in front of me on the floor.

He lifted my right leg and rested it on his shoulder so that the bend of my knee was right by his mouth. I felt exposed with my legs parted and his head in between them. Very aware that I was only in a towel, I realized how this position might look to someone just walking in. I felt a delicious heat begin in my lower belly and I wasn't sure that I minded.

I nodded, surprised at how much I wanted this.

He turned his mouth to my leg, gently kissing the wound before opening his mouth and licking the blood away. When he leaned back, the wound had closed. He didn't stop there, instead bending to kiss and lick down my leg to get at the blood that had trailed down. I watched, breathless, when he finished and looked back up at me.

His eyes were nearly all pupil, as dilated as they were. I realized how patient he had been with me up until this point. Most of the soulmates did let their partners drink from them. The last time he fed on me was that night so many months ago. After I realized I didn't want to be a vampire, I never extended an invitation, and Ash had never asked to bite me. I hadn't realized it was something he wanted—at least this much.

"You taste good," he said, his voice low.

""Thanks." I laughed again, because I wasn't sure what else I should do. He was still sitting between my legs and I was still only wearing a towel. He must have noticed my discomfort because he stood, then, and sat next to me on the bed.

"Look, Mary-Lynette, I'm not going to pretend that I don't want you, in every way, because I do. But you're in control here. I'll go as fast or as slow as you want. And I'll make sure that when you're ready, for this or for whatever else, that I'll make it good for you."

I swallowed audibly. If I was honest, I wanted to know how it felt like for him to feed on me. From what other soulmates told me, it was a pleasurable experience. Our interaction just now showed me how that could be true. Without thinking, I moved the hair off the side of my neck nearest him.

"I heard a sharp intake of breath and I looked up at him, at his burning eyes.

"Did you want to?" I asked uncertainly.

"I need you to say it, Mary-Lynette. Tell me what you want me to do."

"I want you to drink from me."

He gave me the brightest smile I'd ever seen on his face, then leaned in to kiss my mouth. Rather than our usual kisses, which started soft, he kissed me with heat, moving his mouth slowly on mine, parting my lips with his tongue. As he did, he fisted his hands in my hair. I moaned involuntarily, and he smiled against my lips. He parted from me only to kiss from my mouth to my jaw and then down my throat.

This was it, I thought. But, instead, he took the time to plant soft kisses on my neck. He held me close, and when his teeth did breach my skin, I felt only pleasure. My stomach tightened as I felt a familiar heat between my legs. This was usually when I made some type of excuse for us to part, but this time my excuses became breathy moans. I felt the heat rise and rise, and just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore, he was licking my neck one final time to close the wound. He shifted back and away from me.

"Thank you for that, Mary-Lynnette. Now," he grinned at me devilishly. "What can I do for you?"