more like a grimace. “Given what my companions and I have already been through, I’d rather not risk taking my needs to the streets. Any potential lover I encounter out there is also a potential jailor. I know you have my best interests at heart.”
I wasn’t sure I’d put it exactly that way, but he did have a point. That didn’t mean I had to go along with it, though. “You’ve toughed it out this long. You can’t hang in there a little longer while we get this whole Omen situation sorted out?”
He shrugged, the twinkle coming back into his eyes. “I could, but I’d rather be at my full capacity, so I can properly contribute and all. Is the thought really so distasteful?”
He was definitely teasing now. I doubted he could sense much from me using his powers while I was wearing my badge, but certain parts of me were responding to his appeal. From the heat creeping up my neck, I suspected I had a flush coming on. Lord only knew how dilated my pupils might be right now, taking in that striking face.
I was only human, after all. And it’d been months since I’d last gotten it on with anything not battery-powered, let alone a master of the sensual arts.
That was exactly why I shouldn’t give in to temptation, wasn’t it? I couldn’t be completely sure Ruse had my best interests at heart, and I wasn’t sure how clear a head I’d keep in the heat of the moment.
At the very least, I should take a little time to think about it. He and his friends clearly weren’t planning on going anywhere anytime soon. Maybe someone at the Fund would have an idea of extra precautions to take with the cubi type of shadowkind.
Vivi would love to know what had provoked that line of questioning, wouldn’t she? I was definitely going to have to keep this unexpected roommate situation on the down low when it came to my best friend. If the trio had gotten themselves caught up in something dangerous, which it sounded like they had, the last thing I wanted was to drag her into the mess too. She had no idea about any of my totally illegal nighttime crusades.
I opened my mouth to tell my attempted paramour that I needed a rain check until at least tomorrow, and my gaze snagged on the hand he’d set on the door frame. The hand that wasn’t simply resting there now. A faint twitch of his fingers had caught my attention—a trembling he must have mastered by grasping the frame harder, because his hand had stilled, but his knuckles had whitened.
The second my gaze landed there, he jerked his hand away and tucked it behind his back in another flirty pose. But now that I was alert to the possibility, that stance looked a tad more rigid than fit his laissez-faire expression.
He’d talked as if he wasn’t doing that badly, but how much was he downplaying his weakness? He was aiming to win me over with charm, not pity.
A sudden flicker of concern gnawed at my hesitations. I didn’t enjoy seeing any being in pain. And it would make a hell of a lot more trouble for me if one of my new volunteer bodyguards collapsed on my watch. That was the main reason I was reconsidering: a totally practical consideration.
Oh, come on—would your resolve really be unshakeable in my position?
That didn’t mean I was going to leap straight into bed with the dude, of course. I prodded his chest—ooh, he was packing some muscle under that silky shirt. “Maybe I’d be open to, let’s say, making out a bit. Nothing too intense. I wouldn’t want you using any voodoo on me. Can you feed while I’ve got this badge on?”
He cocked his head, considering the circle of twined silver and iron. “A little energy would seep through—more a light snack than a meal, but it’d help. And I can provide plenty of satisfaction without any extra-worldly influence necessary. All I ask is that you reconsider the whole protective amulet thing once I’ve proven that. If you don’t want me affecting your emotions, I have no problem staying out.”
He could say that all he wanted, but that didn’t mean he’d stick to it. The thought of him meddling with my mind sent a cold jab of panic through me. I stifled it and the shiver that came with it. “Badge stays on. That’s the limit of my