The Darkest Secret

“I need a bath,” she murmured to the backpack. “A real bath. Can you fit a tub in there? Huh?”

A whoosh at her side had her twisting and reaching for the blade she’d dropped. Though there had been a rocky wal beside her only a few seconds ago, there was now a wide, bubbling spring of water.

Haidee’s eyes widened with shock. How had…why…the backpack could manipulate the earth?

Seriously? Then she thought, who the hel cared? The urge to soak and scrub overwhelmed her and left her trembling with anticipation.

“Soap, shampoo, conditioner,” she said giddily.

The backpack plumped at the sides, signaling it had fil ed with everything she had requested. After lining the items along the edge of the spring—a real freaking spring!—she stripped herself, stripped Amun, and then shook him until his eyelids cracked open. His spirits needed this. Besides, she was stil concerned about him, fearing she had struck him too hard, and if he’d just wake up for a few minutes, she could relax.

He moaned, the sound broken, his throat obviously tender.

At least he was rousing.

“Shh,” she said, covering his mouth with her hand. “Don’t talk out loud, baby. Okay?” Neither one of them was strong enough to deal with the consequences just yet.

His black eyes were glassy as he focused on her.

Something wrong?

“Something’s right. Can you stand? We’re going to take a bath.”

A bath?

“That’s what I said,” she told him with a grin. And just then she knew; he was going to be al right.

“Come on. On your feet, big boy.”

He lumbered to a stand and tripped his way to the edge.

Then he just sort of fel over the side, splashing headfirst into the water. Haidee jumped in after him and dragged him to the surface before he drowned. His eyes had closed again, his head lol ing to the side.

She chuckled as she settled against the rock and anchored him against her, chest to back. “You stil awake, baby?”

Yes. He uttered a soft sigh. Just barely.

“I’m going to scrub us both. Tel me if I hurt you.”

You couldn’t hurt me.

“You’re injured and—”

And I’m in your arms. I’l be fine, I promise.

Darling man. She tried to be impersonal, she real y did. He wasn’t ready for the seduction she had planned. Yet. Stil , as her hands lathered the soap and spread the bubbles over his big arms, his corded chest, his strong thighs, her blood heated with desire, a reaction only he could cause.

His silky skin covered a body built for war, and she marveled. He made her desperate, hungry, mindless of anything except pleasure. Maybe because, when she was with him, she didn’t belong to herself. She belonged to him.

And that probably should have frightened her. Instead, it only made her trust him more. Amun would die before he hurt her—as he’d proven time and time again.

“Amun?”

He gave no response. Poor baby must have fal en asleep again.

“I love your body,” she admitted, bold because he couldn’t hear her. “Did you know that? Everything about you seems custom-made for me. I mean, it’s almost like I ordered you from a catalog. And I wouldn’t change anything about you.

You’l probably never believe that, but it’s the truth.”

One day, she hoped he would feel the same about her.

After she shampooed his hair, breathing in the scent of sandalwood, she tilted him backward and rinsed every strand. When she finished with him, she gently shook him awake. Or maybe he’d been awake the entire time. His eyes were no longer glassy; they were blazing.

Her cheeks flushed. “Can you get out on your own?”

Yes. He climbed out and settled back on the floor, lying on his side to peer over at her. Your turn to scrub up.

The flush spread as she washed herself from top to bottom.

Despite her embarrassment, the water soothed the little aches and pains that continuous walking and sporadic fighting—and nearly being eaten alive—had left.

Haidee? Amun said after she’d rinsed her hair.

The water splashed as she straightened. She leaned over the edge and stared down at her mighty warrior. His eyes were closed again, lines of tension branching from them.

“Yes?”

Come here and hold me.

For a heartbeat of time, she could only gape at him. He had just requested her touch? No, not requested. Demanded.

Such sweet progress already, and his true seduction hadn’t even begun.

“Anything you want,” she rushed out before he could change his mind. Naked and dripping, she moved out of the water.

She didn’t bother drying off but curled into his side, spooning him, resting her cheek on his outstretched arm.

He didn’t draw her closer.

She didn’t let that irk her. Much. She linked their fingers, and though the action wasn’t meant to arouse either of them, it did exactly that. His penis grew and hardened against the crease of her bottom, and liquid need pooled between her legs. God, she wanted to arch back, grind into him, beg him to grind into her, but she didn’t. Not even when his heat wrapped around her, far headier than it had been in the water, the force of it causing her to tremble.

Not yet, girl. Not yet. He wasn’t ready for her seduction to begin. That tension… Soon, though. Please, God, soon.

“You’re not mad at me for bashing your skul in, are you?”

She didn’t expect an answer, but a soft chuckle wafted through her mind. I’m grateful. I’m just too weak to show you how much.

Show her, he’d said. How? “I’m glad,” she said, suddenly breathless. “Now go to sleep and rebuild your strength.”

You’re going to need it. She kissed the inside of his wrist.

“I’l be here when you wake up.” And by that time, she would be doing things to his body that he would never be able to forget—things he wouldn’t want her to stop doing.

Unaware of the sensual assault he would soon experience, he obeyed her, his breathing evening out as he drifted back to sleep.

AMUN’S MIND JOLTED into sudden awareness, three things instantly, absolutely certain to him. His body was on fire, his cock was being iced and he was loving the hel out of both. He jerked upright, panting, wondering if he’d had an erotic dream and embarrassed himself.

When he saw a lusciously naked Haidee planted between his legs, licking his hardened shaft from root to tip, then swirling her tongue over the slit, then moaning as if she’d tasted something sweet, he realized he hadn’t been dreaming. He hadn’t embarrassed himself, either, but was probably going to.

He wanted to come. Desperately.

Secrets was eerily silent, and hiding in the back of his mind. The other demons were silent and hiding, as wel .

Again. That icy chil of hers must truly scare them. That, or they feared she’d start doing that tugging thing and they were trying not to draw her notice.

Sweetheart?

Haidee paused, lifting her head away from him, and every cel he possessed screamed in protest. Cool breath tickled his skin as she offered him a wicked smile, her breasts firm and taunting, her nipples hard and pouting, almost close enough to rub against his thighs.

“Yes, baby?” she asked throatily.

I—I—Shit! He didn’t know what to say to her. Except, maybe, continue. But he couldn’t al ow her to do this. She would regret it, and he wouldn’t be able to live with himself.

“You’re awake, right? You’re not in danger of fal ing back asleep?”

I’m only in danger of dying.

“Too weak, then?”

No.

The huskiness of her laugh echoed between them. “Do you want me to stop?”

Yes.

“Real y?”

She gave him another lick and he was rushing out, No. No, I don’t want you to stop. Oh, gods, he thought. Yes, you have to stop.

She blew on the weeping tip of his shaft. “What if I don’t want to stop?”

Oh, gods, he thought again. The torture…the pleasure…the possible repercussions…he’d never been this torn.

“Amun, darling, say the word and I’l suck you so deep you’l feel my throat closed around you for days.”

Another chil y breath coasted over his slit. “I’ve been thinking about this, needing it. Craving it. Let me have it.”

His resistance shattered. Do it. Please, do it. You can blame me later. Hate me later, but please don’t stop. He didn’t care about later, didn’t care that he was begging. He had to have this, couldn’t exist another moment without it.

“I wil , I’l do it,” she said, fingers tracing up one side of his shaft, then down the other. “And I promise I’l blame you later.”

He knew he should be concerned but couldn’t manage the emotion. Sweat beaded over him in an effort to purge the intensity of his hunger. She hadn’t fit her mouth back over his length, but her breath stil stroked him. So good, felt so good. And then that was the only word he could say. Good.

He was trembling, aching, desperate. Good, good, good.

Her voice lowered. “I’l blame you because you’re too beautiful to resist. Because you think of my wel

-being even when you’re in danger yourself. Because you’re mine. My warrior. My…demon.”

The admission affected him as potently as her actions, and he found new words to give her. You’re kil ing me, sweetheart. You’re kil ing me, yes, yes, yes, please kil me.

Any moment and he would start arching his hips, thrusting up, unable to stop himself.

Her wicked grin returned. “Lie back and conserve your strength, baby. Sweet little Haidee’s gonna do al the work.”

He didn’t lie back. He’d been yearning for this forever.

Yearning for her forever. He wanted to see every move she made. Like this. Just like this.

“Whatever my warrior desires…” Lips of scarlet at last closed over the tip of him. She moaned in delight.

His back bowed. Her cold little tongue flicked the slit it had suckled only moments before, and he had to brace his arms behind him to remain upright. Down, down she sucked him, taking every inch, just as she’d promised, not backing off even when he hit deeper than she’d probably wanted him to go.