Page 16 of The Flame Game

“As I do not share, I approve. Did you have fun?”

“I tossed him!”

“I have several pictures of his expression when your pretty little self knocked him flat on the floor. They are now priceless treasures, and I have determined I need to reward you for good behavior. I’ve been informed if you ruin my new suit, I can have it replaced as part of my uncle’s wedding gift to us. I know how you can get with buttons.”

And shirts. And pants. And anything else getting between me and a close look at his skin. “You have the best uncle.”

“That shirt looks great on you when wet,” my husband commented, making no move to help me out of the canal.

Considering he likely had an excellent view of my cleavage, I couldn’t blame him for that. “I’m sure it has nothing to do with your position up there.”

“It has everything to do with that. I’m hoping you slip a few times. That will teach you to let my grandfather toss you like that.”

“Oh, come on. He has arms of steel. There was no way I was able to keep my hold on him. Give me a break.”

“More like stone, but that’s fair. Was your pride stung, my beautiful?”

I held up my bitten hand, which didn’t bleed nearly as much as I thought it should. “No, but my hands and arms were.”

“I have noticed you were given a rather high dose of his venom. The angels are likely making sure his venom doesn’t kick in until the victims are somewhere more appropriate.”

“Victim is not the word I would use. The blessed. The receiver of great gifts.”

“The soon to be incredibly frisky.”

“Yes,” I purred. I scrambled out of the water, grabbed hold of his hand, and dragged him towards the nearest set of elevators. “Merry Christmas to me!”

Four

Are you ready to surrender?

After at least four days of being under the influence of the venom, I decided I would need the help of an archangel to restore me to being a functional human rather than a fire-breathing unicorn turned succubus with a taste for gorgon-incubus doohickey. Quinn wouldn’t stop smirking, not that I blamed him.

He ruled our hotel suite, I was putty in his hands, and I hadn’t come close to exhausting him. In the four whole days we’d kept each other company, we hadn’t opened a single damned present, I could barely move, and I wanted to drag my rather happy husband back to bed. Again.

“Are you ready to surrender?” Quinn asked, his tone amused.

Through a feat of extreme willpower, I’d managed to keep my hands off him for thirty minutes, long enough to eat a meal. I’d lost track of the time, the day, and anything else important. I’d lost my sanity along the way, too. I’d only eaten because he’d insisted on it, getting dressed and refusing to remove any clothes until all the food on my plate disappeared into my stomach.

“We could go back to bed,” my mouth contributed.

Damn. My mouth was going to get me killed one of these days.

“We could, but we have presents to open.”

“If you want me not taking you back to bed long enough to open presents, you need to tell your grandfather to turn this off, or I’ll kill us both. Or at least me. I might not make it.” Well, I’d probably make it back to bed, but I’d have to crawl to get there.

“I’m not even tired. Incubus,” he reminded me.

Evil, evil gorgon-incubus doohickey, using his sinful body against me in the best ways possible. In my last gamble to restore sanity, I replied, “I don’t know if we can keep the children pawned off on your grandfather much longer.”

“That’s not a problem. They’re having a good time, and they’ve never gotten to interact with other hives before. They’ll be fine. Once you fully surrender, I can help with your little problem, not that I view it as much of a problem. You purr in your sleep, you’re warm, and I enjoy tiring you out.”

I narrowed my eyes, and it sank in I’d married a gorgon-incubus doohickey. “How much of my problem is your fault?”

“Right now? All of it. The venom only lasted six or so hours. After that, I was enjoying myself. Why not encourage you to show more of your wild side? I’ve been having a great time. How about you?”

Evil, evil gorgon-incubus doohickey! “You’re going to pay for that.”