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Her eyes were huge in her face, and even in the dark roo to her skin, which ht have been why she’d buried her nose in his scent instead Or le with that craving, even hate hierous, leaving him too off-balance and unstable to control himself as he needed to

He was a creature of instinct and she cal ed to that priinalize

"We’re already late getting back," she said, atteht her with a gentle but firertips was like satin, and a powerful jolt shot through hiripped her nape and pul ed her face into the crook of his neck, where he knew his scent would be concentrated She inhaled sharply, then sighed A heartbeat later she was nuzzling her face into his skin, her lips feathering over his rapidly elevating pulse He wondered if she kne ave a lycan, then decided she didn’t, which was for the best She didn’t need to have anyhis eyes, he absorbed the feeling of her lushness pressed against hiht was just right and her curves molded into his harder frame as if they were two halves of a whole A perfect fit…with the absolute wrong woman "What do you dream about, Vashti?"

She stiffened and tried to pul away, but he’d anticipated that and held tight

"Let o," she said crossly

"Not gonna happen"

"I couldher head back to look into his eyes "You can ask me nicely and I’l think about it"

"Fuck you"

"Wel , that’s not a very nice way to ask, but okay"

A laugh escaped her and was quickly stifled, but it was breathtaking while it lasted Deep and husky, it was rusty, but as ful -bodied as she was

He scooped her up and set one knee on the mattress, then the other, until he reached the center, where he laid her out Joining her, he stretched out along his side and propped his head in his hand He laid the other on her taut, s her doithout pressure while also anchoring her for his questions

"Who hurt you, Vashti?"

She shook her head "It’s none of your business"

"Sure it is I can’t kil them if I don’t knoho they are"

"It’s not your problem"

"The hel it isn’t"

"We screwed around once Don’t rinned--"it was more like a dozen screws Give or take a few"

"Leave it alone, puppy"

"Can’t do that"

Her gaze narrowed "Shit You’re a fuckin’ Boy Scout, aren’t you? Saving the world one proble you find the ones who kil ed your et to you in sooaded "Do I make you feel vulnerable?"

"You flatter yourself"

"So put me in my place"

Vash took a deep breath, herinto his palm "Syre took care of it"

"Took care of what?"

"I don’t want to talk about it, Elijah It’s done and over with Ancient history"

"You’re gonna telhis thumb across her bottom lip He slid it inside when she started to protest

"Maybe not today, but soon"

He groaned when she sucked on his finger, her bottothened and thickened, re what it felt like to have her iven her wil ingly, but the pleasure had been there nevertheless, his hunger for her so sharp he’d wanted her however he could have her But what he real y needed was to be gentle with her and she needed that tenderness, even though she fought so dah for both of theentle doard press of his thuh for her to feel hi lot the night before, he wanted so softer and sweeter now

Her hand wrapped around his wrist "We don’t have ti her cheek, he took her mouth in a deep, wet kiss He kept the pace slohen she tried to speed it up, resisting giving her the swift plunges of his tongue that she begged for with her plaintive whimpers and heated enthusiasainst hers

She gasped, slinging one long, lean leg over his hip "Stop playing withtheir fingers, he restrained her hands on either side of her head "We need to play, Vashti I need to After this last week…the last fucking er and eless, a fal en angel who’d existed for s, some viciously, as she had Micah, and she would kil countless more And yet she was soft and lax in his arht for decades He wondered if he would ever have her like this again or if she would always be as she’d been last night, brutal y deterave a shit either hen he was going to kil her

"You likeher bottom lip, which was plump and swol en from his kisses

"I want you There’s a difference"

"I like you"