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The cons of her situation were clear. The pros: her, two hounds, and a heaven-forged blade, which was useless in this situation.
“Lust.” Cronus stared at her over Shade’s bruised and blood-smeared chest. “He heals with lust.”
That may be, but Eddie kept her tone even as she said, “I hardly think he’s in any condition for that.”
“Your lust,” Cronus said with a penetrating gaze. “Your lust could help.”
“What do you expect me to do?” Eddie had tried to be nice about her explanation. “He’s near death, and you want me to get freaky with him?”
Xerxes raised his chin again and inhaled.
“You do that, and I’ll stab you,” she snapped at him.
She wouldn’t—well, she might—because panic was starting to take hold.
“Lust is an emotion.” Cronus glowered at her as if she was the one making ridiculous suggestions. “Feel it.”
“Lustful thoughts?” Eddie surveyed the broken and bleeding form between them. Getting a good fantasy rolling was going to be a problem and felt all kinds of wrong. But given her lack of better options…Eddie took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
“Skin contact is best,” Cronus said.
Placing her hands gingerly on a marginally less battered part of his forearm, Eddie screwed her eyes shut. She pictured Shade as she had first seen him, lying beside the hell gate. Nope! He’d been pretty battered that time too. For a near-enough immortal being, Shade seemed to be walking close to the mortal line a lot.
She tried harder. Shade leaning against her bedroom doorjamb, all long, lean, and muscular, exuding CFM vibes.
“More,” Cronus whispered.
Shade pinning her against the wall, every hard inch of him pressed against her. His deep, raspy voice in her ear. “I can do anything I want with you.” His breath warm against her neck. “Your body is mine to play with.”
And he’d been right. Her body would have obeyed him without question.
Xerxes made a noise like a deep-throated purr.
Her memory leapt to Shade in her bedroom, lying over her and waking her up. The silver glow of his eyes, the taste of him when she’d kissed him—honey and musk—the silk of his hair between her fingers. His hard, hot body rubbing against her, driving her need into a frenzy. She ached for him, more of him, all of him.
Him sitting in her bed, sculpted chest bare, sheets pooling around his trim waist. His hand rubbing his chest, disappearing beneath the sheets.
That time he’d stopped, but in her imagination, Eddie let his hand slide beneath that sheet. His hand gripped his shaft, his slate eyes went slumberous, and a flush rode the high jut of his cheekbones as he stroked. He murmured her name as he watched her. She couldn’t see beneath the sheets, but she saw the up and down stroke of his hand, watched the tendons flex in his wrist and forearms.
Her imagination stripped the sheets away, and now she could see his hand on that perfect cock as he pleasured himself. She wanted that and more.
She wanted him spread naked on a bed, sweat gleaming off the defined planes of body, his cock erect and straining. Except now, he was spread eagled like a delicious offering in front of her. Red silk ties bound him to the bed posts. The hand stroking him was hers. In her palm, he was hard and velvety. His gaze bored into hers, demanding she touch him, take him, use him. Eddie had no idea where this fantasy had come from, but now that it had bloomed, she went with it. She added a blindfold to those slumberous gray eyes. He licked his lips, arching his back as he fought the restraints. She had the power. She could taunt him, and tease him, promise him what he wanted and then withdraw that offer with a soft laugh.
He was hers to do with as she pleased. Hers to command.
“Eddie?” Shade’s voice popped her fantasy like a soap bubble, and she opened her eyes.
He was staring at her with a quizzical expression, almost as if he could… Dear God, let him not have seen what she’d been conjuring up. “Can you read minds?”
“Read minds?” Shade flinched and eased himself into sitting. He was still pale, but much better. “No, but I sensed your lust.”
“Your wounds.” She leaned closer. Where gaping, jagged wounds had oozed blood, now thick pink scars had replaced them. “They’re healing.”
“Yes.” Shade cricked his neck. “Your lust gave me what I needed to heal.” His smirk held only a shadow of his former arrogant expression, but there nonetheless, and she took hope from that. “Told you before, you’re like a nuclear reactor.”
Feeling vulnerable and exposed on the lust front, Eddie went with a sidestep. “It was all imaginary.”
“Imagination is often the best aphrodisiac.” And he had to be feeling much better because he followed up with his signature Shade smolder.
