The Caro of two months ago was bored; she just didn’t realize it. Now she felt more alive than ever before and had the man beside her to thank for that.

He kissed her, his tongue lightly slipping into her mouth to explore every inch in long, languid strokes. She met him move for move, her body responding to his as if living solely under his command.

“Caro,” he breathed, pushing her back into the bed and settling over her. He’d exchanged his towel for jeans at some point but hadn’t bothered with a shirt.

His chest burned against her bare breasts, sending delicious tingles to every nerve ending of her freshly healed form. “I’ll never tire of this,” she vowed, arching into him.

Sethios went to his elbows on either side of her head, the lower half of his body cradled between her thighs. “I’ve been with thousands of women, and men, too, when I was bored, as well as a combination of both at times. The majority of my experiences were forgettable occurrences. And honestly, nothing surprises me anymore, and my interest in new partners tends to wane quickly.”

He pressed a finger to her lips when she opened them to point out that this was neither a romantic speech nor something she wanted to know. She actually preferred him to stop speaking.

“But,” he continued, a smile in his voice, “you surprise me, Caro. At every turn. When I bargained with you that first night, I thought a few hours would satisfy my curiosity. Instead, it heightened it. And every moment since has stoked that curiosity to an eternal flame that will take centuries to dampen, perhaps even forever.

“However, it’s not me who should be concerned about losing interest; it’s you. I’ve sowed my oats thousands of times before, but you haven’t. And that, my darling Caro, provides me with the biggest challenge of them all. I have to maintain your interest—for eternity.”

“Something tells me your ego can handle that,” she deadpanned.

He chuckled. “Oh, it’s a task I’m very much looking forward to mastering. Every. Single. Day.”

She tried to smile, but something still nagged at her, even as he lay atop her discussing their future intimacy. He might be right about her lack of experience being a concern for straying away from the bond, but he was the one who had admitted several times that long-term commitment wasn’t his strength.

Should Sethios ever take another, Caro would require herself to do the same—if anything, to hide from the pain of his betrayal. Because that’s what it would be, especially with her being able to sense his emotion through the bond.

His brow furrowed as he studied her. “I did not mean for my history to cause pain, love. I only meant to explain that my background solidifies my decision to bond with you because I’ve lived long enough to know being with you is a true gift of life. But you’re only just experiencing pleasure and sensation for the first time; therefore, it will be on me to entertain you for eternity—physically, mentally, and emotionally.”