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He dismissed her concern with a slow, wicked smile. “We’ll figure it out.” Using the tip of one fang he traced her lower lip. “Together.”
“Together?” Peri slid her hands up his chest and over his shoulders, clasping her fingers together behind his neck. “I like the sound of that.”
She felt a shiver race through his body, as if he sensed she’d conceded to the inevitable. “What else do you like?”
From the moment she’d caught sight of Valen he’d fascinated her. She’d known he would be trouble. And that he would demand more than she ever thought she could offer. But for the first time in her life, she was prepared to take a chance and find out where her heart would lead.
“I like this.”
Threading her fingers into the short strands of his hair, Peri tugged his head down. Valen didn’t hesitate, claiming her mouth in a kiss that sent blasts of pleasure tingling to the tips of her toes.
* * *
Valen released a low growl of relief.
His nerves had been scraped raw as he waited for Peri to open her eyes. It didn’t matter that he could hear the steady beat of her heart. Or that she was resting easily without any hint of pain or discomfort. He’d refused to leave her side until he was certain she had fully recovered.
At last he could allow himself the pleasure of appreciating the sight of Peri in his bed. Or maybe he would do more than just appreciate her. But first he had to be sure she didn’t have any lingering repercussions from her battle with the miasma.
Framing her face in his hands, he reluctantly lifted his head to gaze down at her.
“Are you okay?”
She arched her brows, her eyes dark with a passion that was scenting the air with her sweet perfume.
“Don’t I feel okay?”
A groan rumbled in his chest. “You feel perfect.”
His hands slid down her throat before lightly tracing the deep vee of her robe. He’d sent Renee to purchase the silk garment after he’d returned to New York despite the fact he had a dozen robes in the guest bedroom. Those were for lovers who were passing through on their way to somewhere else. Peri was here to stay. Forever.
“I just want to know that you’re fully recovered,” he assured her.
A slow smile curved her lips. “I’ve never been better.”
Assured she was healed, Valen lowered his head, unleashing the hunger that pulsed inside him.
“I’m fairly confident you’re about to be even better.”
“Is that a promise?” she teased, smoothing her hands along the width of his shoulders before she placed her palms flat on his chest. She didn’t push him away; instead, she lightly scraped her nails over his bare skin.
Valen shivered in pleasure, holding her gaze as he parted the lapels of her robe to expose her rose-tipped breasts. Her nails dug into his flesh, creating delicious pinpricks of pain. He groaned in approval, his gaze lowering to the soft mounds.
“So much power contained in such a delicate form,” he murmured in amazement.
Peri flushed with pleasure even as she clicked her tongue. “There’s nothing delicate about me,” she protested.
He didn’t bother to argue. She enjoyed her image as a ruthless mage who was willing to terrorize the local demons for the right price. And if she felt as fragile as a flower to him, he was willing to keep the thought to himself.
A lifetime together meant compromise. A word that Valen had always considered a weakness. Until Peri.
She’d changed everything.
Trailing kisses down the length of her jaw, Valen exposed his fangs to skim them along the curve of her throat.
Hunger blasted through him. He hadn’t fed since returning to New York. The mere thought of taking the vein of anyone but Peri was unthinkable. That intimacy wasn’t going to be shared with anyone but the woman in his bed.
But first, there was another hunger that had to be sated.
