Free Family Secrets (Young Adult Edition) (Davenport Manor (Young Adult Edition)) by Melissa Zaroski

.
    She came up with a lie on the spot,
“Ever since my family was killed, I guess you could say I have
commitment issues. I’m afraid to let myself get too close to anyone
because I fear I will lose them.” So, it wasn’t a total lie, she
always had some sort of a guard up with each generation of her
family. She loved each one, she protected them as she could, and
every one of them knew what she was and kept her secret. But, she
wouldn’t let herself get too attached as she knew she would lose
each and every one of them through the years. Daniel was the
closest she had been to a family member since her immediate family
was alive. She loved him more than she did her actual brother,
Christopher.
    Todd’s face softened and he gave her a
sympathetic look. “I can completely understand that,” he said as he
squeezed her hands. “I can’t imagine what you went
through.”
    You have no idea what I’ve
been through , she thought. The last time
she got too emotionally attached to a human, Zachariah became a
vampire. She did to him exactly what was done to her—he had no
choice.
    “We can still have fun together,” she
said cheerfully. Fact was, she couldn’t help but want to spend time
with him.
    “Of course we can!” Deep down, he was
hoping that by spending time with him she would change her mind
about falling for someone. “Is that the reason why you and
Zachariah aren’t together? I get the feeling that he’s a lot more
into you than you are to him.”
    “It is,” she lied again. Full of lies
tonight! She had never been asked so many questions by a human
before. She changed the subject as smoothly as she could. “Would
you want to go horseback riding on your next day off?”
    “Yeah, absolutely! I don’t know if
you’re busy tomorrow, but I’m off from filming.”
    She grinned from ear-to-ear, “I just
have to run into Barrington tomorrow morning to pick up some stuff,
but we could go when I get back. How does that sound?”
    He smiled with his eyes full of
adoration, “Sounds perfect.”
    She tucked a stray hair behind his
ear. “You’re exactly how I thought you would be, you know that? I
have to admit, I’m still a bit star struck by you. I have been a
huge fan of yours for years, and now that you’re really here and
I’m sitting with you having this conversation…”
    He ran his fingers through
her hair and lingered with his hand gently on the side of her head.
He wondered if what he was about to do would be welcome to her and
searched her eyes for an answer. Screw
it , he thought. He glided his hand behind
her head and tenderly guided it towards his. He slowly leaned in
and she closed her eyes, lips slightly parted.
    She could feel his nervous breathing
coming through his mouth, erratic and warm on her face. His lips
grazed hers in a soft kiss, shocking her was the warmth of his
skin. She parted her lips more and kissed him back with slightly
more force. He put his other hand on her waist, she could feel it
trembling as he pulled her closer to him. She put her arms around
his neck and followed his lead.
    While he was ecstatic to finally be
kissing her, it was an odd and startling sensation. Her lips and
tongue were cool, as if she had just taken a drink of a chilled
beverage. His nervous trembling relaxed and his hands were moving
around her waist and head with urgency, he couldn’t touch her
enough. He felt as though he had been waiting forever just for this
moment.
    His lips moved down her jawline and to
her neck, where he softly kissed her cool, white skin. The feeling
of his lips on her neck caused her fangs to begin to descend.
Fearful that he would find out her secret this way, she gently held
his head against her neck while she got her fangs under control and
back up into her gums. It was something very difficult for a
vampire to control while in the heat of the moment.
    “ Emma,” Todd started as he
pulled away. “Would you want to sleep in my room with me tonight?
You have to be