Incarnadine

Chapter 12

The basis of the vampire myth was sexual. Becky remembered reading that argument in some literature class years ago, how the vampire's bite was a metaphor for penetration. Not so metaphorical anymore, Becky thought as Seth spooned behind her. Ever since the second time he had fed from her thigh, sex had followed the feeding as naturally as dessert after dinner. Now I get why none of his girlfriends ever complained. The sex was incredible whether it was before, during, or after—sometimes it ran all the way through—and Becky almost worried that Seth wore off all the blood he had just taken.

"Don't answer it," Seth grumbled, wrapping an arm around her hips and easing into her.

"Answer...?" A moment later, Becky heard her phone ping and she tried to reach for it, but Seth held her fast, rolling onto his back and thrusting up into her hard enough to make the bed creak. He had been staying dangerously late in her room recently, often sneaking out just before all their fellow wrestlers started making their way downstairs for breakfast. "Seth, it could—" A sharp jolt of pleasure left her speechless for a moment and then Seth curled a hand gently around her throat.

"It can wait," he insisted, tightening his arm around her hips.

It can. Becky let herself melt back against his chest, each touch making her shiver. He always made sure she came before he did, and she was still feeling like she had melted when he climaxed, biting down hard on the back of her neck. "If you did that to everyone you fed from," Becky purred, "you would have a waiting list."

"Don't need a list." Seth rolled them both over and then flipped Becky onto her back, pinning her down. "And I don't want anyone else."

"Lucky me." They kissed—and in Seth's case, bit—until the alarm on Seth's phone went off. "That's your cue," she sighed, kissing his shoulder.

"I don't want to go." Seth kept kissing her until Becky pushed at his chest and nearly toppled him off her bed. "We... we could make this a thing," he said softly, brushing hair out of her face as he reluctantly stood. "We could tell people we're dating. Hunter would know I'm feeding from you, and it would explain why we're spending so much time together. Then we could share a room and not have to go through... this every morning."

It was hardly a declaration of love, but it still made Becky smile. She and Seth had been good friends for years, but travelling with him and donating blood had brought them closer in so many ways. She never would have even considered fucking him before and now she looked forward to every evening they were on the road together. "Can we talk about that after breakfast?" she asked. "Some of us haven't eaten yet."

Seth's grin didn't need to show his fangs to be sharp. "I bet my breakfast is prettier than yours."

"Don't bully my toast like that," Becky joked, sitting up and reaching for her phone as Seth pulled on his clothes. A single text was waiting for her—and it was from Hunter. Oh shit. She tried to wipe all the worry from her face as she left her phone on the bed and stood up to give Seth a parting kiss. "See you in a bit." She desperately wanted to ask if he had received a message as well, but she didn't want to raise his suspicions.

"If I get downstairs first," Seth replied, "and there's any quinoa, I'll get you some." Then he opened her door, scanned the hallway, and ducked out.

After locking the door behind him, Becky returned to her phone and reread the message. We need to talk about your contract. Meet me for breakfast, it read, followed by a room number. Becky guessed it was one of the conference rooms on the main level.

"Shit." She sent a quick reply, apologizing for sleeping in and saying she would be there in twenty minutes. Grabbing her toiletry kit, she headed for the bathroom and took a quick shower, looking herself over for any obvious bites she would have to hide. When he was feeding, Seth tended to stick to the neck or the thigh, but when it was during sex, anywhere was fair game. She didn't want to try thinking about what Hunter might have to say; there were too many possibilities to consider, but most of them weren't favourable. She hadn't been thrilled with the assignment at the start, but Seth was a friend and she would be helping him out; then she had grown to enjoy the process and things blossomed even more. Since she wasn't wrestling much, her nights with Seth were one of the few bright spots in her life at the moment, and she didn't want to give them up.