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“Funny.” I took more cake. “Very funny.”

“I’m not kidding, Pandora.” His hand flashed out and stole my plate—and my cake. “A baby cannot survive on cake alone. And neither can you.”

“Excuse me, your holiness, but have you ever been pregnant?” I tried to retrieve my stolen property.

Nero lifted the plate out of my reach. “No.”

“Precisely.” I abandoned my efforts to reclaim my slice of cake; there wasn’t much left of it anyway. “Then you really don’t know what you’re talking about, do you?” I grinned at him as I licked the icing off my knife.

The corner of his mouth twitched. “You’re incorrigible.”

“Actually, I’ve been very corrigible today. I didn’t punch Colonel Fireswift, not even once,” I said proudly. “Despite all of his carefully-crafted digs at my character.”

“Good.” Nero ate a slice of carrot off the end of his fork.

I had to admit it, the man could make even healthy eating look sexy.

“Good? Oh, you like when I behave myself?” I winked at him.

He met my eyes, giving me a look that incited a very different kind of hunger deep inside of me.

I glanced down to make sure my top was zipped down far enough.

“You’re trying to seduce me,” he chuckled.

“Is it working?” I asked hopefully.

His eyes dropped to my chest, lingering there for a moment. “Yes.” His gaze lifted to my eyes. “But I promise to be a gentleman.”

“I wish you wouldn’t be,” I complained.

“You’re not supposed to engage in anything dangerous,” he reminded me.

“When Nyx made that mandate, she meant killing monsters. Not sex, Nero.”

“Angels are far more dangerous than beasts, Pandora.” His voice was a soft caress. “And I couldn’t restrain myself. You are more beautiful than ever before.”

I blushed. “Ah, stop.”

He set his hands on my cheeks and leaned in, meeting my eyes. “I’m serious. You’re positively glowing. And your magic…” He drew in a deep breath, his eyes closing. His tongue slid across his lips very, very slowly.

“Like catnip for angels?” I asked.

“Better. It’s like the Fever.”

His hand was suddenly on my thigh. Temptation tickled his lips. His eyes were undressing me.

I decided I liked that. I liked it a lot. I moved off my seat and sat on his lap, straddling my legs around him. I kissed him, long and slow and deep.

Nero moaned against my lips. His hands locked onto my hips. He lifted me up, then repositioned me on his lap. He now held me in an embrace, no longer a sexy straddle.

“No, it was better before,” I complained.

“Behave, Pandora,” Nero whispered against my lips.

“I’ve been behaving all day,” I told him. “Now I want to play.”

Nero caught my misbehaving hands. He trapped them in his, preventing me from roaming, from exploring his body.