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Wait. Words covered her thigh in permanent marker. He frowned as he read.
19 drops Deadpool
1 tsp minced dirt snake
8 PB&J eggs
½ tbsp fried Lot Us
Stir with arrowhead
Drink and bake
A recipe? For what?
A mystery for later. Rathbone rifled through the former guests’ backpacks and confiscated a coil of wire. With deft fingers, he rigged a clothesline and hung his and Neeka’s damp garments.
“I hope you’re ready for me.” He lay beside the oracle and pulled her on top of him, chest to chest, then wrapped his arms around her, surrounding her with his body heat. Before long, her chill faded. Warmth overtook the entire hideaway, leaving him damp with sweat.
She shivered, rocking against him, and Rathbone hissed. He fought to keep his mind centered, doing his best not to notice the perfect fit of her lush curves, the sublime glide of her soft skin, or the heady scent of sugared cherries and sweet almonds.
An impossible battle. He noticed everything. And craved more.
Guilt racked him.Think of Lore, soon to return.His mate deserved his devotion, considering he planned to demand hers. Would she give it?
Irritation joined the guilt as he recalled his earlier conversation with the oracle. She’d asked if he trusted his wife.
For the first time in forever, he’d remembered rumors he’d heard when he’d moved into the palace after Lore’s death. Whispers about her dealings with Styx. How she hadn’t been his prisoner, but his puppeteer. It was one of the reasons he’d killed the servants.
Not once in their relationship had Rathbone noted any evidence to support the outrageous claim. There was no one sweeter or gentler than his Lore. She was tenderness and light. Necessary ingredients for his life. She wasn’t some bold warrior woman who sometimes forgot his name and rarely made sense. Who teased and tempted him with her wit at every opportunity, making him laugh and growl in equal measure.
As Neeka snuggled deeper into his hollows, getting comfortable, he measured his breaths. When she released a throaty moan, he decided she was warm enough. Time to search for a way off this planet. But as he shifted, intending to rise, she opened her eyes and jerked upright, dislodging his arms.
Their gazes met. Anticipation unfurled, a spring ready to pounce. She had better remember him. Or else. “Hello, Neeka.”
Neeka tried to make sense of her current reality. “You are Rathbone, King of Agonies.”
“I am,” he replied without an emotional inflection.
“I’m draped over you, almost naked.” And a lot too cozy for her peace of mind. “Since I haven’t said yes to a guy in eight centuries, Imma need to hear your explanation for this situation in the next five seconds, so I can decide how to kill you.”
Firelight danced over his face as he double blinked. “Eight centuries? Without sex?”
That was his takeaway? “Four. Three.”Think, think.What had happened? “Two. One and a half.”
He narrowed black diamond eyes. “You told me this might happen. I didn’t wish to believe you, but here we are.” Inhale. Exhale. He ran his tongue over straight white teeth. “I’m wrong, and you’re right. That is your safe phrase.”
Dang. That did sound like her. But there was only one reason she’d abandon her no nooky rule and seek to protect a male from her wrath...
Had she found her consort at last?
Vulnerability softened her tension. “Well, then.” She cleared her throat and, though stiff, settled atop him. “This is your second chance to make an awe-inspiring first impression. Don’t blow it.”Please.“Are we dating?”
“We are... partners,” he said.
What did that mean? Hewasher type. Not traditionally handsome, but better. Arresting. Intense. Rough. And don’t even get her started on the massive body all but incinerating her.
The fact that he was naked and growing bigger by the second left her breathless.
