how he was going to keep such a fragile human safe in his violent world. “I’ll let you get some sleep.”
She looked up at him, her gaze direct and a pretty pink suffusing her dusky skin. “Why don’t you stay with me?”
The blood drained out of his head and rushed south so quickly his ears rang. He glanced at the sofa and back up to her face.
She pressed her lips together in an obvious attempt to stifle a smile. “I mean in the bed. With me.” She placed her hands on his chest, spreading out her fingers with a soft hum. “I like how hard you are.”
The woman had no fucking clue. He swallowed.
“I understand that mating is a part of sex. Or vice versa,” she murmured.
“You don’t have to worry about that,” he said quietly. “We can control the mating process.” He struggled to regain his composure, but her soft touch was wreaking havoc on his system. “Unless you want to mate.” He attempted the joke.
Thus his shock when she didn’t reply. Instead, her lips now pursed, and rapid thoughts altered her expression.
He almost stepped away. “I was joking. Mating is forever.”
“I might need forever to solve the theories you’ve presented to me,” she said thoughtfully. She blinked. “You don’t believe in romantic love or any of that, do you?”
“No,” he croaked.
She smiled. “Logic and biology explain everything. We’re on the same page here.” She tugged his shirt free of his jeans and slid her hands over his bare abs. “And you’ve given me my first nickname. That matters. We should see if we’re compatible. Then we can discuss the matter.”
His cock hit his zipper so hard he winced. “You need to understand.” His words came out garbled, sounding like Russian. “Logic and mating don’t belong in the same universe.” Oh, she didn’t get it. Not at all.
“Logic belongs everywhere.” She leaned up and kissed the side of his neck. “Are you staying or not?”
Chapter Eighteen
Promise made the offer with her eyes wide open. The male had intrigued her even before she’d discovered he was a vampire-demon mix. They were working well together and were possibly becoming friends, and she loved having a feminine-sounding nickname that only he used. Missy. It didn’t fit her at all, and yet, she enjoyed it. And they could both use a healthy outlet for the stress pounding against them. When he’d mentioned mating, she hadn’t been put off in the slightest. They might make a good pairing.
First, he had to agree to stay. Then if they were compatible physically, she’d broach the subject. Immortality appealed to her on many levels, and she liked Ivar, especially since she’d discovered he had a vast intelligence.
His hands folded over her shoulders, and he set her lightly away from him, his gaze darkening. “I’m a demon-vampire hybrid.” His words came out clipped.
She nodded. “I know.” Was there something about that fact that would matter to her? “I can’t be infected with some demon or vampire illness, can I?” She’d left her condoms back at her house, and it appeared that Ivar hadn’t grabbed them when he’d secured her clothing.
“No.” His voice sounded strangled again. “I’m trying to explain. We don’t approach mating or even sex as a logical matter.”
Ah, passion. Now she understood. Did immortals have the same brain chemistry as humans? If so, elevated levels of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin led to the physical connection between love and body. “I understand,” she said.
His eyes flashed to that odd iridescent green. How marvelous that immortals had secondary eye colors. “I don’t think you do. Let’s change that.” The intriguing color of his eyes and the intensity of his gaze trapped her in place. Or perhaps that was her own curiosity. She caught her breath as he reached out and cradled her chin.
Tension rolled from him and surrounded her. She tilted her head. How was that possible? She opened her mouth to ask him, and he lowered his head. His lips touched hers, and an electrical shock zinged through her blood. She gasped, and his lips firmed, his tongue sweeping inside her mouth.
His other hand slid to the small of her back and pulled her closer, into unimaginable hardness. Desire flooded her, much faster than ever before.
He released her mouth, his own hovering just above her lips. “You still thinking?”
She blinked, trying to hypothesize. “There’s chemistry at play here.” She needed a notebook.
“Guess you’re still thinking.” He pressed her up against him, his mouth taking hers again. This