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Cade freezes.

My hips buck instinctively, chasing the sensation, that final bit of friction to send me hurtling over. But it’s not enough. I want—need him to do it. I grit my teeth in frustration as the pleasure begins to ebb.

I cannot fucking believe this guy is edging me.

My eyes snap open, expecting to meet his infuriating smirk, only to see that Cade isn’t even looking at me. He’s staring at the source of the thunderous interruption.

I whip my head around to find Saint filling the doorway, a vision of fury. His fur bristles like iron filings drawn to a magnet, cropped ears pinned flat against his skull. The growl rumbling from his chest seems to shake the very air and his red eyes burn with primal threat.

“Cade,” I gasp, gripping his shirt. “What’s wrong with him?”

Cade stays eerily still as he withdraws his finger from me. “He thinks I’m hurting you.” Then in a voice much like Saint’s growl, he commands, “Stand down, mate.”

Saint wavers, his gaze darting between us. Something almost human flickers in those blood-red eyes—conflict, as if he’s weighing loyalty against protective instinct.

After a few moments, Saint’s growl softens to a worried whine as he sinks back, but those unnerving eyes never leave my face.

My eyes widen in disbelief as it occurs to me that Saint was—is protecting me.

Saint, the one creature Cade controls without question, was ready to challenge his master because of me. I glance at Cade, searching his face. His jaw is tight as he watches Saint with a strangely thoughtful expression.

“Why . . . why would he defend me like that?”

Cade shrugs. “Because he takes his orders seriously. And because he’s a little sweet on you.”

I rear back in shock. “H-He likes me?”

Cade says nothing; he only flexes his fingers on my thigh, and apparently, that’s all it takes to derail my mind off the subject.

My gaze is helplessly drawn to the contrast between my smooth thigh and his large, inked hand. The skin around his wrist is scarred but cleverly covered with ink.

Bonds? They must have been tight enough to cut. Or he struggled so hard to get free he’d sawn his skin off. What the hell happened to this man?

As if he knows I’m gawking at his hand, he spreads his fingers wide, this way and that, until I realize what he’s showing me: his middle finger—still glistening with my juices.

Heat rises up my neck as I glance up to meet his knowing gaze.

A dark smile lifts the corner of his mouth. I watch, transfixed, as he raises the finger to stroke my bottom lip.

“Beg me, princess,” he murmurs as he slowly coats my lip with my wetness. “And maybe I’ll make you come.”

Desire surges hard, and my core tightens.Please.One word, and I could be back in that swirling vortex of pleasure. But does my pride let me?

With a saccharine smile, I spread my thighs meaningfully. “Get on your knees and kiss me, and maybe you’ll get your wish.”

A single eyebrow arches, heat and something dangerously close to approval flaring in his eyes. For one heart-stopping moment, I think he’ll actually do it. But that dangerous grin flashes across his face, and he steps back, leaving nothing but a cold draft against my wet center.

“Good answer.” He picks up his glass of scotch and moves to the opposite side of the kitchen. Taking a measured sip, he schools his face into that impenetrable mask. Only the fine tremor in his hand tells me I managed to rattle him.

It feels like a victory, though I’m paying for it—with the taste of my pleasure lingering on my lips and a pulsing emptiness between my thighs.

I would kill for Bliss Xtra and a closed door right now.

“Now,” he says into the charged silence. “About your Russian could-be fiancé. How attached are you to the idea of marrying him?” His tone is flat, but I hear the hard edge beneath it.

Thesudden shift in topic jars me, but I recover quickly with a mocking smile. “Why, Cade? Are you suddenly feeling territorial?”

“Answer the question, princess.” The sharp command sends a pleasurable tightening in my pelvis, an inconvenient reminder of what I could be experiencing right now had my pride not gotten in the way.