Burning Dawn (Angels of the Dark #3)(64)
Author: Gena Showalter

“You’re a barbarian. Let’s make out,” she said. And maybe her new nickname should be Octopussy, because her hands were everywhere, all over his wings, stroking the feathers, sifting through the ultrasoft down. “You just stand there and look pretty, and I’ll do the bulk of the work.”

“Uh, Elin,” Bellorie said, coming up beside her. “You might want to zip your lips. Your mouth is making promises your body won’t want you to keep.”

“What did she drink?” Thane asked, his lips quirked at the corners.

“Legspreader,” she and Bellorie answered in unison.

His gaze had never left her and now gobbled her up. “You’re never drinking that again, unless you’re with me.”

“Because it makes me handsy?” she asked, leaning closer to nibble on his earlobe.

“And bossy. But I like this side of you. I like all sides of you.”

My man is sweet. “Even the Phoenix side?”

He tensed.

Answer: no. Won’t let myself be hurt over that. Baby steps.

He kissed the shell of her ear and whispered, “I believe there’s something you wanted to tell me about my penis.”

Lost in a world where only Thane existed, she admitted, “Well, I’ve thought about it a lot today.” She toyed with the ends of his hair. “I saw it while we were at camp together, and I felt it while we were in the tub, and it’s so big, and it’s pierced, and I want to flick my tongue over the piercing, and you practically promised me I could and you never lie and, oh, I’m boning this up again, aren’t I?”

“You’re certainly boning me up,” he muttered. “Let’s go home.”

He darted into the air, and the bottom dropped out of her stomach. He soared through the building—through it!—then the sky, with her clutched tightly to his chest. Stars glowed brightly, winking from the sea of black velvet. And the moon… The perfect strobe light for a worldwide party.

“Gorgeous,” she said.

“Yes. But I want you to look at me,” he commanded, and she was helpless to obey. “A human could die after sixteen Legspreaders. Do not drink so much ever again.”

As strands of her hair slapped at her, she rubbed her nose against his. “Guess my other half came in handy today, huh?”

He glared at her.

“Fine, whatever. I won’t drink so much ever again.”

He nuzzled her neck, drawing a groan from deep in her throat. “Good girl.”

Her eyes closed as she savored the sensations. “Mmm, that feels amazing.”

“My lips, or will anyone’s do tonight?”

“Yours. Only yours. How many times do I have to tell you?”

“As many as it takes.” He sucked on the wild thump of her pulse, and a lance of nearly unbearable pleasure shot through her. “Gorgons can hypnotize with a glance. Never again look one in the eye.”

Took her a moment to look past her desire and concentrate on his words. “But you did. You looked him in the eye.”

“My mind isn’t…right.”

“What do you mean?”

He sighed. “You said it yourself. It’s full of weeds. Not as many as before, but some are still there. After Kendra…”

“Oh…oh, Thane.”

“I’m more guarded than ever, which means it will be difficult for anyone to hypnotize me. But somehow,” he added softly, “you have managed it.”

She cupped his jaw and forced him to meet her gaze. “Another romantic proclamation. What am I going to do with you, baby cakes?”

“I know what I would like you to do,” he muttered.

“Does it involve rolling around naked?”

“Several times. But, Elin? In the spirit of honesty, I have to warn you. I’m not romantic.”

“Are you kidding? Multiple times you’ve sent me books and flowers and chocolates. And your note! Do you remember your note? I almost died from romantic-overload when I read it.”

He looked boyish and shy as he asked, “So romantic-overload is a good thing?”

Her heart clenched. “Very. It’s like a Valentine’s Day parade in my heart.”

He straightened out, keeping her snuggled against him. “We’re here.” A second later, he came to rest on the roof of the Downfall so gently there was barely a jolt.

“To your room!” she commanded.

He moved forward at a swift pace, bypassing the vampires and double doors. The hallway seemed to stretch for miles, but he finally entered the suite…and the barren room he’d taken her to last time.

She pouted. “Why do you keep bringing me here? Why aren’t I good enough for the fancy hobag room?”

“Good enough?” He tenderly placed her on the mattress. “Elin, that room isn’t good enough for you. This one is mine, and I have never shared it with another.”

“Oh.” He’d just given her the best. Response. Ever. “I’m special, then?”

“Beyond.” He settled beside her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You arouse me, amuse me, anger me, frustrate me, challenge me, and did I mention you arouse me?”

She almost melted. Almost. “But can I satisfy you?” she asked, putting the rest of her fears out there. “What do you do to them, your lovers? Besides chain them up and, I’m guessing, spank.”

A blank mask covered his features. “Be specific with your questions.”

“Do you hit?”

“Did I. Yes. Sometimes.”

“And that arouses you?”

“Aroused. Past tense. I think it eased something in me, and that aroused me.”

“But you could have hit other men instead. Like you did with the gorgon.”

“Yes. I’m a skilled fighter, and I enjoy that, too, but it comes with a different kind of satisfaction. A muted version, like tasting a cake—that someone other than you baked—instead of eating the entire thing. More than that, it can get me into trouble. My opponents tend to…die.”

Oh. “Yes. That’s best to avoid. So…will you get into trouble for the gorgon?”

“No. He’ll survive. Barely.”

Good. But back to what she really wanted to know. “Did you maim them?”

Strain pulled his body taut, making her think of a rubber band ready to snap. “Nothing permanent,” he admitted quietly.

So, yes. He had. But because they were immortals, they’d healed. “Forgive my curiosity. I’m just having a hard time understanding the pleasure in pain.” When Elin had been looking for a bang-and-bail candidate, and she’d considered letting Thane hurt her, she hadn’t actually expected to feel pleasure. “Especially when it springs from an angry pain.”