Tingles swept up her skin, and her cheeks burned. Why, she didn’t know. “It’s a personal massager. To provide clitoral stimulation.” It wasn’t worth the time and mess if he was the only one who reached orgasm. With all the stress in the past week, she could use relief.
For several heartbeats, he just stared at her. “Ah, baby. You’re not gonna need that.”
She swallowed. How did he know that fact?
An unidentifiable light glittered in his eyes, and then he prowled toward her, all muscled grace. When he came close enough that she could smell his masculine scent, he reached around her for the light pink device and flipped it on with one hand, drawing it between them. It instantly sprang into a familiar buzz, and she swallowed, trying without success to read his expression. Had she somehow insulted him? Being practical and adultlike about sex was necessary to reach satisfaction. “You’re not supposed to turn it on yet,” she murmured, her skin suddenly feeling too tight.
He glanced down at the device between them, his heat washing over her. “Ah. When do I turn it on?” Without waiting for an answer, he lifted his hand and ran the pulsing tube down her neck.
Vibrations tickled through her skin. She shivered. “When it’s closer to time.”
“Closer to time?” His voice deepened even more, the hoarseness almost a physical burn. “You mean when I’m balls deep inside you—fucking you hard enough to rattle the walls?”
His words sank even deeper than the vibration. “I’m amenable to dirty talk, but I don’t require it.” It was necessary to be up front in situations like this.
“Amenable?” He continued exploring, sliding the massager across her clavicle. “What else are you amenable to?”
She blinked several times as the pulses dug beneath her skin, somehow zinging down her chest to her breasts, even though he’d kept the massager just at her collarbone. What had he asked? Oh, yes. “Well. What pleases you?” She blinked, trying to concentrate on those glittering eyes studying her so intently. “I’m open to different positions. I, ah, believe most men are drawn to what’s commonly called ‘doggie style.’”
The sound he made was a strangled groan. “Baby, if I fuck you from behind, you’ll be more than amenable.”
Oh, lord, she had insulted him. “I should’ve waited until we were in bed before taking out the provisions. I’m sorry, Ivar.” She met his gaze directly as she made the apology.
His smile came out of nowhere, making him look both boyish and lethal. “God, you’re sweet. And cute.”
She amused him? Well, that was better than hurting his feelings. And she truly was curious about his hard body, so perhaps she hadn’t ruined the chance of physical intimacy for the night. “Okay. Shall we get in bed?”
His entire body tensed, and he turned his head, his gaze going down and his ear lifting. Both of his nostrils flared like a hunter catching a scent. He flipped off the massager and tossed it on the bed, grasping her arm. “They’re here. We have to run.”
* * * *
A wave of power rolled over Ivar, and he settled into battle mode even as he grabbed Promise’s arm and all but dragged her from the bedroom. He’d been so thrown by her vibrator and lube, not to mention her willingness to sleep with him, that he had allowed himself to become distracted. Energy signatures cascaded from outside, from the street, drawing closer and making his muscles vibrate with the need to fight.
The enemy was there.
His blood heated and then flowed faster, providing him with oxygen he needed to battle. He recognized the signatures as Kurjans, coming from north and east. Kurjans were white-faced monsters with fangs who drank blood and enjoyed killing. It was rumored they were cousins to vampires, and that made sense, except vampires could venture into the sun. The sun killed Kurjans, which was why they’d waited until night to attack.
And he’d been busy playing with Promise and her personal massager.
He kept his grip firm and led her through the living room to the sliding back door. Thunder bellowed high and strong, and the clouds opened up with a roar. The grass looked already soaked. When had it started raining hard?
She fought his hold. “What are you doing?” Her small feet tried to dig into the sensible tiles, and she pulled back, fighting as she slid where he wanted her to go.
He yanked the door open, and rain splattered inside, thrown by the chilly wind. There wasn’t