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Rasmus reached across the small distance between our chairs and slid the now empty glass out of my fingers. I guess I’d guzzled it when he arrived.

He carefully set it on the side table before dropping to his knees in front of me.

I leaned forward and ran my fingers through his hair, releasing it from the band that had kept it constrained in a ponytail all day. I pulled it over his shoulders, barely conscious of what I was doing. “I often wish I understood ya better but I’m still glad ya’re in my life, Rasmus.”

His solemn gaze met mine. “I want to be someone who never angers you.”

To a woman my age, a handsome man kneeling at her feet whispering promises was the stuff of fantasies. My laughter as I cupped his jaw was light as a girl’s.

Best of all, I knew Rasmus meant his words and that they were not just romantic drivel being uttered to get me into bed with him. That was going to happen the moment he’d smelled me on his bedsheets. I’d had a hard time not going to the blue house last night and making him return with me.

“Yer wishes are less likely to come true than mine, guardian, but I’m not angry with anyone tonight. Let’s just go with that, shall we? Tomorrow will bring its own challenges. It always does. I appreciate ya saying such nice words. Women like to hear them and I’m no exception.”

His hand came up between us and cupped my jaw too. “I've never felt attracted to any female like I am to you. It’s important to me that we bond in every way, not just the physical.”

“Ya’re such a sweet talker,” I teased.

When his mouth closed eagerly over mine, it opened under his with profound relief that we hadn’t lost this. He slid me out of the chair until he could wrap my legs around his waist. He stood up with both of us, momentarily stopping to press me into the chair and kiss me even harder.

Rasmus always knew when to unleash his masculinity. And his timing was always perfect. It was a rare and wonderful skill for a man to possess. I felt lucky all over again that this male—whatever manner of being he was—wanted me so desperately.

He finally let go of my mouth and summoned enough restraint to get to his feet. I clung to him, refusing to let go of my python hold. Using his wide shoulders for leverage, I hoisted myself higher. The guardian was a tall male to climb.

Once I was where I wanted to be, I kissed under his jaw and down his throat.

He stopped and stared down at me. The bed was still several steps away. His hold tightened to where I thought for sure he would take us both to the bare, hardwood floor. I would have paid for that tomorrow and not have cared one whit.

“Bed,” I whispered. “I’ll try to be patient until ya get us there.”

His head shook as he began walking again. “I don’t want your patience. I want to know how hungry you are for me so I can satisfy you.”

“Well, I’m starving,” I said in a low whisper.

He turned and fell on the bed with me on top of him. His hands were tight clamps on my waist as he pressed my hips down tightly on the evidence of his need.

I worked hard to free myself until I was on my knees over him. Then I attacked his jaw again with my lips... and his throat. I kissed and nipped and moaned against him until he shook under me.

This time I didn’t stop what I was doing, not even when Rasmus whispered my name in a choked, hoarse growl. I pressed my hips to his again and pushed his shirt up to kiss more of him. My hands worked deftly between us as I did my best to free him from his clothes.

Desire for Rasmus ruled me, and I soon forgot to be civilized. I nipped at the muscles above his waist when the clothes I hadn’t removed stopped me from going any further.

Rasmus sat up with me and tore at my clothes to remove them. I don’t know how we managed, but eventually, we were both naked and wrapped around each other.

We gripped and pulled in a desperate need to mate like we had the first time we’d joined this way. I think I called his name more often than he called mine. But who was counting?

In golden moments afterward, it was Goddess Danu’s name I called. I thanked her profusely for sending me a lover who was a genuine match for the fire that had always burned so hotly inside me. I needed a man’s passion like blooming flowers needed sun.

I still had no idea how the guardian and I could ever co-exist peacefully outside of bed. Yet there wasn’t a single doubt in my mind that keeping him with me was worth the trouble of trying.

Rasmus had knockedon the door around nine-thirty last night and now it was nearly two. It had taken several bouts of lovemaking to sate us both enough to have normal conversation again.

“When Zara and I went to say goodnight to the demon wolves, we saw Mulan working on her tiny patio. She was chanting over a tool and seemed to be writing on something. It had a cord and was plugged into a longer one. I think the tool was electrical.”

My chuckle was soft. “Do ya remember when we first met that I took ya to Mulan to see if she could cast out the demons in ya? We thought ya were demon-possessed because Conn and I discovered Lilith’s compulsions. That was before we knew the truth of what ya really were and what had happened to ya.”

“No, I don’t recall that. My memories of being held prisoner were only partially recovered after I could transform back. I know Jack was kind to me and I recalled your determination to restore me. I also remembered thinking you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever met. I remembered wanting to kiss you but holding back because of Jack.”

Of course, he remembered Jack. Even after seeing Jack turn into a monster of biblical proportions, Rasmus still acted like my ex-husband’s biggest fan. I would never understand how the guardian’s mind worked but I refused to torture myself with that shortcoming tonight.