“For God’s sake, is there anything you don’t think is sexy?”
A poignant, entirely unreasonable warmth filled his heart at the genuine amusement shimmering in her eyes.
“Not when you’re near,” he husked.
“So predictably male.”
He pressed her closer, his c**k already stirring with a ready passion.
“A wolf is never predictable…” His words broke off as a cold, sweeping power filled the air.
“What is it?” Harley demanded.
“The leeches are stirring.”
“Is that a problem?”
“I need to speak with Styx.”
“About what?”
He shrugged. His conversation with the Anasso was not something he intended to share.
At least not with Harley.
“Unfinished business.”
Her brows drew together in suspicion. “Could you be a little more vague?”
He brushed a light kiss over her lips. Time for a distraction.
“What about you, cara?”
“Me?”
“What are your plans?”
She stiffened in his arms, the wary expression returning with annoying predictability.
Ironic really.
Wasn’t it traditionally the role of the male to panic at the mention of “happily ever after”?
“For tonight?” She deliberately misunderstood. “Popcorn and a movie in bed sounds pretty good.”
It sounded better than good. It sounded like paradise.
A pity he had a few loose ends to tie up.
Which meant he had to leave Harley behind. At least for a few days.
He intended to make certain she would be safe until his return.
“Harley, you know what I’m asking,” he said softly.
“I don’t have an answer.”
“Do you intend to remain here with your sister?”
“Perhaps for a few days.”
“And then?”
Her expression hardened, her hands moving to press against his chest.
“That’s my business.”
Content with the knowledge that she was willing to remain with the vamps for at least a few days, Salvatore smiled. It shouldn’t take more than a day or two to finish his business, and then he could concentrate on his obstinate mate.
“There’s no need to jut that chin at me.” He kissed the chin in question and then the tip of her nose. “I have no intention of locking you in my lair. At least not in the foreseeable future.”
She frowned in confusion. “You’re just going to let me go?”
Let her go? When hell froze over.
He merely smiled. “You’re not my prisoner.”
Far from stupid, she narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “This is some sort of trick, isn’t it?”
“No trick.”
“It doesn’t bother you that your mate isn’t going to be with you?”
“As I said, we’ll figure this out in time.” Sliding out of bed, Salvatore scooped Harley into his arms and headed for the attached bathroom. “For now, I need a shower.”
She widened her eyes as he crossed the marble floor and entered the shower that could fit an entire army regiment.
“What are you doing?”
Setting her on her feet, Salvatore savored the scent of her sharp excitement that perfumed the air.
She could snap and snarl and pretend she wasn’t destined to spend the rest of her life with him, but this…
This she could never hide.
Turning on the hot water to spill over them, he skimmed his lips over her cheek, his hands cupping the perfect curve of her br**sts.
“You can’t expect me to scrub my own back, woman,” he teased. “That’s what a mate is for.”
“Creep,” she whispered, a smile curving her lips as she plunged her fingers in his hair and kissed him with a hunger that had him pushing her against the ivory ceramic tiles and spreading her legs.
“And this…” With a slow, steady thrust, his c**k was deep inside her. “Is what I’m for.”
She groaned, wrapping her legs around his waist.
“Not bad, Giuliani,” she whispered. “Not bad at all.”
An hour later, Harley was settled on the bed wrapped in a terrycloth robe, aimlessly flipping the channels on the plasma TV that had appeared, with a push of a button, from behind a sliding panel.
Her skin was pruny from the hour she’d spent in the shower with Salvatore, and her body deliciously sated, but she felt oddly restless as she shifted on the silken sheets and adjusted the pile of pillows behind her.
It would be simple enough to blame her fidgets on the chases, cave-ins, and numerous near-death experiences she’d endured over the past few days. What woman wouldn’t be twitchy?
Or even the fact that she was in an unfamiliar house, surrounded by dangerous demons who could call themselves family, but still were little more than strangers.
She knew, however, those weren’t the true reasons she couldn’t relax.
No.
Her inability to relax was directly due to Salvatore.
Or more precisely, the absence of Salvatore.
Damn the man.
After their prolonged, and deliciously erotic shower, Salvatore had dressed in one of the numerous designer suits that had been left in the walk-in closet, and pulled back his hair with a leather cord. Then with a lingering kiss, he’d taken off in search of Styx, leaving her to enjoy a quiet evening alone.
Exactly what she wanted.
So why did the humongous bed feel empty and the night stretch before her with a tedious boredom?
She clenched her teeth, jabbing her finger on the channel button of the remote control as she scrolled past infomercials, reruns of Green Acres, and a number of movies that involved an abundance of naked bodies and juvenile humor. There were a thousand channels. One of them had to have something worth watching.
She had just started on her third run through the channels when a light tap on the door offered a welcomed distraction.
Tossing aside the remote, she sucked in a deep breath, recognizing the scent of her sister.
“Darcy?”
“I come bearing gifts,” she called through the thick wood of the door. “Can I join you?”
“Of course.” Harley slid off the bed, her eyes widening in surprise as Darcy wheeled in a small cart that was overflowing with stacks of movies, bowls of popcorn, and large ceramic mugs. “How did you know…Salvatore.”
“He mentioned you wanted popcorn and a movie. I thought we could watch together if you don’t mind.” Darcy flashed a charming smile, looking decidedly impish in her casual shorts and skimpy top, her blond hair spiked. “I brought everything from Die Hard to You’ve Got Mail.”