Evie did not realize that she had dozed off for a short time while the both of them were calming down in each other's embrace. She only felt so satiated and also protected and secure within that embrace that she must have totally relaxed and drifted off. When she opened her eyes again, what she saw made her face burn with heat, completely embarrassed.

Gavriel was wiping her down there with a warm wet towel ever so gently. Shocked and surprised, Evie suddenly closed her legs, trapping his hand between her legs.

"W-w-what are you –" Evie could feel herself burning up and her face flushed red as she stammered.

"Shh… open up, love. Let me –" Gavriel on the other hand, was calm and collected. His voice steady and reassuring.

"But… oh, god..." Evie's voice was drowned out as Gavriel bent and kissed her lips.

"Still shy, my lovely wife?" he whispered against her lips naughtily as his eyes gleamed at her so gorgeously, and Evie could only bite down on her cherry lips. Slowly, she relaxed her legs, causing a smile to bloom on Gavriel's face.

She saw him pull away and then felt him continued dabbing the warm towel so gently against her skin. Her eyes nervously wandered everywhere else but to him.

By the time Gavriel finally finished what he had aimed to do, covered Evie with the warm blanket and he disappeared from the room. When he returned after a while, Evie felt her heartbeat hastened as she felt him climb on the bed and laid next to her. His hand slid around her waist before wrapping tightly around her as he pulled her closer to him.

Evie kept her eyes closed until she felt his lips landed on her forehead. The gesture made her heart thump even wilder. How could this male who was oozing with sexiness still be so sweet and gentle in his approaches to her? Her heart melted at his actions.

She stared back at him for a second and the next moment, she hugged him back and snuggled into his muscular chest until their bodies were moulded against each other. Oh, how she loved this feeling… being in his arms… completely secure and wonderfully loved…

"I'm sorry…" he suddenly whispered as he continued planting little kisses on her head.

With creased brows, Evie pulled her head away a little and looked at him with questions in her eyes, her head adorably cocked to one side.

"Uhh… For being such a brute," he added, looking so apologetic, "I failed to be gentle with you for your first time. I don't know but I… I really… I don't want you to think I'm naturally a brute in bed… I…" he trailed off and then raised a brow after he raised his head to look at her. "And why are you smiling?"

Evie could no longer stop herself and she chuckled softly as she lifted her hand and caressed his face. "Because you looked so adorable, just now… Just like a little puppy." Evie stuck out a tongue as she said that.

Gavriel blinked as he watched Evie continue giggling. He caught her wrist and kissed the back of her fingers as his gaze smouldered through the dark strands of his damp hair. "Are you saying that you don't mind me at all being the brute that I am?" he asked, his voice serious. He decided to ignore the comment of him being compared to a puppy.

Evie stared at him, and she caught her breath at the intensity blazing within his eyes. She realized he was truly worried and bothered about his perceived loss of control.

Her giggles turned into a gentle smile and then she hugged him tighter. "Yes." She answered and Gavriel growled low. Evie almost told him he was not a brute. This man had been so gentle with her ever since the very beginning, almost treating her like some fragile creature that could crumble with the slightest push. That was why what he showed her tonight was truly surprising. To Evie, it had seemed as if he already spent all of his gentleness during those earlier times. Since he was so exaggeratedly gentle to her for so long, it probably was that he ran out of it when they finally made love. And to her surprise, she actually could not say that she did not like it, his roughness. Yes, it might have hurt crazily right at the beginning, but she had already known that. Just that maybe it was a little sudden that she was not fully prepared. However, she realised that she had liked it maybe because she was so used to him being so gentle that his roughness in bed gave her so much thrill and yes, pleasure.

"You've always been so gentle to me," Evie said, and then she shyly looked away as she continued, "but I think I don't mind you not being too gentle to me sometimes…" there was a rosy-pink hue high on her cheeks as she said that.

Gavriel's eyes widened slightly, and he brightened so incredibly at what he had heard. "Oh, thank goodness!" he gave thanks silently within him. He would not know how to coax his wife if she was actually scared to make love with him again after the savageness he had shown her.

A slow smile finally curved on his face, his worry had completely disappeared from his eyes and the mischievous look now took over.

"Does this mean, you liked me rough in bed, my love?" he teased, and Evie blushed, unable to respond to what he asked and the mischievous and knowing look in his eyes.

"I… I didn't say that…" Evie stammered and this time it was Gavriel who chuckled. "I said… sometimes…"

"I got it, love…" Gavriel kissed her on her head again, "I will try my best to behave… sometimes."

They went quiet for a long moment again until Gavriel's arms around her tightened. "Evie…" he whispered and his voice this time sounded as if he were struggling with something. "I can't explain how grateful I am… I was scared you'd start flinching away from me again… I thought… what you saw in the dungeon…" he paused and took another deep breath.

Realizing that it was hard for him to talk about it, Evie's hand on his back moved in circles and she began to caress him. She did not speak but Gavriel could feel that she was trying to console him and at the same time urging him to speak about it because she wanted to know.

"You told me before," Evie started, her voice soft and gentle, "that there's a reason why you're the only vampire who is warm… is that have to do with what I saw?"