He had to be casting a spell over her, she fuzzily told herself. That was why her fingers were digging into his arms until she was drawing blood, and why her core was so hot and wet that she thought she might come at the slightest touch.
Otherwise it would mean…
A sudden pounding on the door interrupted the terrifying thought.
“Cezar.” A male voice floated through the air, making Cezar lift his head with a blast of dark curses.
“Si?” he bit out.
“Sorry to intrude, but we have a situation.” Styx’s commanding voice carried through the door with remarkable ease.
There was another string of curses as Cezar grudgingly released his hold on Anna and surged from the bed.
“I’ll return in a moment,” he muttered, heading for the door.
Following in his wake, Anna reached for the robe that Darcy had kindly loaned her and, shoving her hands into the sleeves, silently assured herself that the shivers that wracked her body were nothing more than relief.
Only they didn’t feel like relief.
They felt like gut-wrenching frustration that was settling in for a good long stay.
“Wait, Cezar.” She forced herself to reach out and lay her hand on his arm. “If this concerns me then I want to be involved.”
Coming to a halt he turned to stab her with an impatient gaze. No. Not impatient. Frustrated. The same expression that was tightening her own features.
She didn’t doubt if she glanced down she would discover he was still hard and aching to be inside her.
With an effort she squashed the urge to confirm her theory and instead concentrated on holding that burning gaze.
“Querida…” he began, only to give a startled blink when she pointed a finger directly in his face.
“I mean it,” she gritted. “The days when I was forced to beg on my knees for a bit of food and shelter are long over. These days I take care of myself. I won’t give that up.”
Something flashed through his dark eyes. Something that might have been disappointment? Pain? Wounded pride?
“You refuse my assistance?” he demanded softly.
She ignored the odd prick of regret. She couldn’t have hurt him. The man was arrogant, and aggravating, and utterly impervious to anything remotely resembling human emotions. Except for desire. Hell, hadn’t he seduced her and then abandoned her for nearly two centuries?
Still, she found her voice softening despite her best intentions. “Of course not, I’m not stupid. I don’t even know what I’m up against.” She gave an awkward shrug, tugging the belt of her robe tighter. “But, accepting your assistance is considerably different from being ordered around and kept in the dark. We’re either partners or I’m leaving.”
A tense silence filled the room. It was obvious that Cezar’s arrogant need to be in charge was grimly warring with the knowledge that she wasn’t jerking him around. She fully intended to walk if he didn’t agree.
Expecting an angry response, Anna was caught off guard when his lips at last twitched with a wicked amusement.
“Partners, eh?” he murmured, his hand reaching up to trail through the tangled strands of her hair.
Her eyes narrowed with a wary uncertainty. This all seemed waaaay too easy.
“I’m not kidding, Cezar. I’d rather be dead than back to feeling like a beggar.”
His gaze deliberately skimmed down to the deep vee of her robe. “You know, I wouldn’t mind doing a little begging if you would…”
Reaching up, Anna slapped a hand over his mouth. His low voice was a nearly tangible caress that flowed over her sensitive skin, bringing with it thoughts of pushing him back onto the bed and crawling on top of him.
They were both nearly naked. It would only take a few tugs and…
Focus, Anna. Focus.
“Do we have a deal?” she rasped, gritting her teeth at the knowing expression on his face.
He could sense the desire that still pounded through her, but strangely he didn’t try to take advantage. Instead he gave a small shrug. “I’ll try.” He abruptly lifted his hand as her lips parted. “Hear me out, Anna. I’ve been alive a long time.”
“How long?” Anna demanded, unable to halt the question. She’d had a lot of time to think and brood over this man. Her curiosity went way beyond casual.
“Over five hundred years.”
She studied the bronzed, breathtaking beauty of his face. “Were you a conquistador?”
His brows lifted at her words. “When I awoke after the transformation I wore the uniform of a conquistador.”
“You don’t remember?”
“We have no memories of a life before becoming a vampire.” His lips twisted in a wry smile. “A good thing, actually.”
His confession startled her. How odd to simply have your life erased. Surely they must be curious as to who and what they had been before?
“Why is that a good thing?”
He nodded his head toward the door. “Because my king is an Aztec.”
“Ah.” A grudging smile touched her lips. “Yeah, I suppose that could be trouble.”
His hand shifted to grasp her chin between his thumb and finger, his gaze shimmering with his restless energy. Despite Hollywood’s depiction of vampires, they weren’t walking corpses. Their skin might be cool to the touch, and their hearts might not beat, but they possessed a frenetic power that surrounded them like a force field. In truth, being close to Cezar was like being next to an electrical charge.
“My point is, that I have a tendency to act first and think later,” Cezar said with a grimace. “Trust me, I’ve learned to regret the habit, but it hasn’t changed who I am. I can’t promise you I won’t…”
“Be a pain in the ass?” she finished sweetly.
He gave her chin a pinch. “Something like that.”
There was another rap on the door. “Cezar?”
Ignoring the distinct edge of irritation in his king’s voice, Cezar stepped close enough to shock her with the force of his nearly bare body.
“A minute,” he rasped, his eyes glittering as he stared down at Anna’s pale face. Without warning he leaned down and captured her lips in a rough, demanding kiss. Anna gave a soft moan of pleasure, but before she could even begin to respond, his head lifted and he was regarding her with an intensity that made her breath catch in her throat. “You will never be a poor relation again, Anna Randal,” he whispered. “You were born to rule the world.”