before? Fucked me? Because plenty have. What do you care anyway? I saw your little princess leave, and she looked ready for some action. You better get to her.”
He’d been dismissed. And what more could he say? He turned to leave.
“Unless . . .”
He sucked in a breath and froze. Unless what?
“Unless you want to see for yourself that I don’t mind a little pain.”
FIVE
W raith saw Caleb’s back muscles tense and closed her eyes.
What. Had. She. Just. Said?
One minute she’d been watching the golden boy walk away, imagining him doing the nasty with that vixen of a cat instead of just dancing with her; then, in quick unison, she’d experienced denial. Lust.
Entitlement.
Not this time, she’d thought. This time, she wasn’t going to resign herself to having him walk away. Not when she might not have another chance to be with him.
Over the sounds of music and revelry, she heard him breathe a curse.
Her eyes flared open. Swallowing hard, she waited for him to laugh and walk away.
He didn’t. Slowly, he turned to face her, keeping several feet between them.
“You’re joking? Right?”
The way he said it, he clearly believed she was playing him. Her brain screamed for her to backtrack. To laugh it off. “Yep. Gotcha , ” she’d say, then let him walk away to go fuck the feline he’d been dancing with.
But even though she opened her mouth to say just that, nothing came out.
He narrowed his eyes and took several steps closer. “Wraith?” His confusion was apparent, as was the fact he was going to reject her. “Sex hurts you. I don’t see how it couldn’t. I can’t . . .”
She’d been waiting for his refusal, but now that it was on the tip of his tongue, she couldn’t bear to hear it. One night. Was that too much to ask? A bit of forgetfulness. A hint of pleasure to go along with the pain she always carried around with her. After what she’d done, what she’d helped achieve, didn’t she deserve that? She’d blown herself up , for God’s sake.
“We don’t have to have sex,” she said, wanting to be with him in whatever manner she could. She needed it. Craved it. He was sexy no matter what he wore, but tonight, in his formal tux, he looked like every woman’s fantasy—tightly leashed sexuality thinly disguised as charm and elegance. She’d sensed his true primal nature from the very beginning, and it had made her core ache with the need to be filled.
By him.
But even though she was willing, she knew he’d never agree. Caleb was a good man. An honorable man. A warrior, but also a healer. He could never receive pleasure from hurting her, even though there had been plenty of men who could. She could probably find one or two in this very room, in fact. But she didn’t want that tonight.
There was only one man she wanted, here and now. Just once, before she died the way she should have long ago, she wanted something different—something she’d never experienced in her current form. Something she might not have experienced in her human life. She wanted to touch and be touched by someone who cared about what she felt. What she needed.
She wanted to have sex with someone who cared about her . And she didn’t want to be doped up on drugs in order to experience it, either.
No matter how she’d treated him, how she’d pushed him away, she knew Caleb cared for her.
So she took a chance and bargained for what she needed. “I can . . . I can touch you. I can control it. I can pleasure you,” she assured him, knowing that touching him, no matter the pain it caused, would be her pleasure. Her nipples hardened as she imagined it. Stroking his broad shoulders and chest. Trailing trembling fingers down his abs to encircle his shaft. “I . . .”
Again, his confusion was evident. “Why would you want to do that? I thought you hated me. Were pissed at me for acting on Mahone’s behalf. I mean, you saved me and Mahone, but that was the job . . .”
She scowled. Of course he’d
He’d been dismissed. And what more could he say? He turned to leave.
“Unless . . .”
He sucked in a breath and froze. Unless what?
“Unless you want to see for yourself that I don’t mind a little pain.”
FIVE
W raith saw Caleb’s back muscles tense and closed her eyes.
What. Had. She. Just. Said?
One minute she’d been watching the golden boy walk away, imagining him doing the nasty with that vixen of a cat instead of just dancing with her; then, in quick unison, she’d experienced denial. Lust.
Entitlement.
Not this time, she’d thought. This time, she wasn’t going to resign herself to having him walk away. Not when she might not have another chance to be with him.
Over the sounds of music and revelry, she heard him breathe a curse.
Her eyes flared open. Swallowing hard, she waited for him to laugh and walk away.
He didn’t. Slowly, he turned to face her, keeping several feet between them.
“You’re joking? Right?”
The way he said it, he clearly believed she was playing him. Her brain screamed for her to backtrack. To laugh it off. “Yep. Gotcha , ” she’d say, then let him walk away to go fuck the feline he’d been dancing with.
But even though she opened her mouth to say just that, nothing came out.
He narrowed his eyes and took several steps closer. “Wraith?” His confusion was apparent, as was the fact he was going to reject her. “Sex hurts you. I don’t see how it couldn’t. I can’t . . .”
She’d been waiting for his refusal, but now that it was on the tip of his tongue, she couldn’t bear to hear it. One night. Was that too much to ask? A bit of forgetfulness. A hint of pleasure to go along with the pain she always carried around with her. After what she’d done, what she’d helped achieve, didn’t she deserve that? She’d blown herself up , for God’s sake.
“We don’t have to have sex,” she said, wanting to be with him in whatever manner she could. She needed it. Craved it. He was sexy no matter what he wore, but tonight, in his formal tux, he looked like every woman’s fantasy—tightly leashed sexuality thinly disguised as charm and elegance. She’d sensed his true primal nature from the very beginning, and it had made her core ache with the need to be filled.
By him.
But even though she was willing, she knew he’d never agree. Caleb was a good man. An honorable man. A warrior, but also a healer. He could never receive pleasure from hurting her, even though there had been plenty of men who could. She could probably find one or two in this very room, in fact. But she didn’t want that tonight.
There was only one man she wanted, here and now. Just once, before she died the way she should have long ago, she wanted something different—something she’d never experienced in her current form. Something she might not have experienced in her human life. She wanted to touch and be touched by someone who cared about what she felt. What she needed.
She wanted to have sex with someone who cared about her . And she didn’t want to be doped up on drugs in order to experience it, either.
No matter how she’d treated him, how she’d pushed him away, she knew Caleb cared for her.
So she took a chance and bargained for what she needed. “I can . . . I can touch you. I can control it. I can pleasure you,” she assured him, knowing that touching him, no matter the pain it caused, would be her pleasure. Her nipples hardened as she imagined it. Stroking his broad shoulders and chest. Trailing trembling fingers down his abs to encircle his shaft. “I . . .”
Again, his confusion was evident. “Why would you want to do that? I thought you hated me. Were pissed at me for acting on Mahone’s behalf. I mean, you saved me and Mahone, but that was the job . . .”
She scowled. Of course he’d
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