Even as he walked back to his chambers his mind drifted back to that first kiss.

It was a dangerous thing, the kiss between a human and a vampire. True, humans had to take many things into consideration when kissing each other, but at the top of that list were emotional considerations. In addition to taking emotions into consideration, the thing that a vampire had to take the most care with was their sheer physical presence!

He knew as his lips moved against hers that he had to take care not to exert too much pressure, even the simplest slip and he could take out a few teeth or, at the very worst, crush the lower half of her face. No, he had to be as gentle as a human kissing the wings of a butterfly.

He also had to resist the temptation of losing control and letting his lust overtake him. As their lips moved together, his gentle, hers more passionate and insistent, he pushed away the urge to crush her body to his and tried to stay content with their lips being the only point of contact between them.

In the end, he had been the one to initiate the kiss, and he had been the one to end it as well. He had no choice or he truly would lose control and the consequences would involve more than a “little death.”

He was amused at the fact that when he leaned back away from the kiss, she had leaned forward and almost fallen in his lap as she tried to continue the kiss. Putting a gentle, steadying hand on her shoulder he had made sure that she didn’t fall into his lap. That would definitely lead to things that he shouldn’t be doing with her.

She only seemed slightly embarrassed as he helped her gain her balance and she leaned back and giggled. “That was…unexpected.”

He seemed confused by that, not sure about what exactly it was that she found unexpected. He hoped she meant the feelings the kiss had generated, but he wasn’t sure so he tilted his head and asked, “What was?”

She leaned back on her arms again and grinned at him. “The kiss.”

His brows drew together at her words. Hadn’t she been about to kiss him when he had closed the distance between them? That was what he had thought. For the first time in centuries he felt unsure and insecure. Perhaps he had misinterpreted the signals.