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“It suits you,” he said.
I wasn’t sure if that was an insult or a compliment.
His voice lowered. “And I must admit that Kaelle gave it to me when the Beast had you.”
“That was pretty bad, huh?” I whispered. “I didn’t know he would drink my blood. Telling him I’m bonded to you was a risk.”
“Not a measured one,” he growled.
“Of course it was measured. He would’ve grabbed one of the other women if I hadn’t, and I couldn’t risk their lives.” My voice was growing softer as my exhaustion set in.
When Kierden pulled my face gently to his neck, on the side I hadn’t bitten, I rested it against him without a fight.
There was no reason to fight when his skin felt so good on mine.
It probably wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear, but I was too exhausted to be thinking clearly.
“I would prefer you riskeveryone’slives before yours,” he said. I felt something on my cheek that reminded me of the way my father used to kiss my forehead as a child, strangely enough. Perhaps I imagined it.
“Well, you’re the only one who feels that way,” I whispered back.
“And the only one whose opinion matters when it comes to your life, Nissa.”
The words would’ve stunned me if I’d been more conscious. I wasn’t, so I didn’t fully understand them.
I felt him move, and supposed he had climbed out of bed. The world spun a bit. My body wasn’t recovered enough for the motion to feel natural. “Where are you going?”
“I’m bathing you. If you want me to leave your scanties on, I will.” His voice grew grumpier when he said the last bit.
My lips turned downward. “You say that like you’re actually interested in me being naked.”
He moved my thigh just slightly, so his erection pressed against my leg as he walked. “I can assure you that I am.”
“You don’t do casual sex. You only pinned me to that wall to control me,” I mumbled.
He scoffed. “We’re halfwaymated, Nissa. There would be nothing casual about us having sex. It would electrify our bond, and probably strengthen it too.”
Oh.
I hadn’t thought of it like that.
And damn, I liked the way he said my name. Like it wasn’t just a word but was something important. Something thatmattered.
He stripped his shorts off with one hand, then sat down on the ledge of the bathing pool with me on his lap.
Trying to ignore the feel of his bare thighs against my legs, I asked, “So you actually liked touching me?”
“I’ve hardly thought of anything else since,” he growled. “Having you beside me constantly is the only thing that’s kept me from stroking myself to the memory of it day in and day out.”
Damn, I loved that.
And as much as I didn’t want it to, it erased the bitterness I’d felt toward him when I thought he’d feigned interest in touching me. The same bitterness I’d been using to keep myself from growing too fond of him or starting to like him in any way.
“Maybe you can stroke yourself to the memory of it sometime while I watch,” I mumbled.
My exhaustion was making things come out of my mouth that I wouldn’t have said otherwise.
“Any day and any time, little human.” I felt that feeling again—the feeling of his lips on my cheek. “Am I removing your scanties, or not?”
