“And you’re willing to stake your life on that?”
Darius frowned. “Poor word choice, love.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Yes, I’m willing tostakemy life on it. Grinaldi is not my ally, but you must remember, Gray—not all vampires are like Hollis and Weston. There is still honor among us—especially in the old families like the Grinaldis.”
I blew out a breath. That was something, at least.
“But,” I said, “we already know that at least one member of his clan feels differently. And for all you know, that rogue vamp could be Grinaldi himself.”
Darius didn’t deny it, which only deepened my concern.
“Anything is possible,” he said, “and I’ve done my best to prepare for the worst-case scenario. But my instincts are telling me Grinaldi is just as eager to get to the bottom of this as we are. In fact, I hope I’m able to track down his rogue before his people do; if the Grinaldis find him first, he’ll be of no use to us.”
“They’ll kill him?”
Darius nodded. “Torture first. Then they’ll kill him, yes.”
I closed my eyes, staving off images of dead vampires. In the last week alone, I’d seen way more than the lifetime recommended dose of decapitated bloodsuckers. “When do you leave?”
“I’ve still got a few hours.” His hand curved down around my ass again, stroking softly.
“Are you trying to distract me from your imminent departure?” I asked.
“No. Maybe. Is it working?”
“Not really.” I opened my eyes, my gaze landing on the squishy back scrubber that hung from the shower caddy. In a burst of inspiration, I reached behind Darius and grabbed it.
“Shall I do your back?” he asked.
“No.” I shot him a wicked glare. “I’m going to do your front.”
Before he could respond, I dropped to my knees, sliding the scrubber beneath them to cushion the hard bathtub.
The hot shower had warmed his skin, and I slid my palms up his legs, then dragged my fingernails back down his thighs, his slick muscles flexing at my touch.
“Conditions, Miss Desario,” he warned, but he was already hard for me, his body’s desire overriding his mind’s need for control.
“Your willpower is admirable,” I said. “But I agreed to your conditions for taking me in your bed. We didn’t make any bargains about this.”
I brought my lips to his cock, briefly buzzing over the tip.
Darius let out a small sigh of pleasure, but he was still trying to resist me. “Ah, but I’d much rather do this toyouright now. Perhaps we should switch places?”
The idea of Darius going down on me in the shower sent a rush of heat to my core, and I was beyond tempted to take him up on it, but… No.
This moment wasn’t about me. It was about Darius.
It was about him trusting me enough to relinquish his control for just a few minutes and let me give him this pleasure.
It was about breaking down some of his walls, just a little bit.
“You’ll like it,” he said, still trying to convince me. “I promise.”
“I have no doubt about that, Mr. Beaumont,” I said, imitating his accent. “However, when that moment happens between us, it will be inmybed, andIwill be taking charge, and your giant ego will be nowhere in sight.”
Darius chuckled, and his muscles relaxed beneath my touch. “You drive a hard bargain, Miss Desario. And I do mean hard.”
