“Something’s happening again,” Allie said anxiously.

Her words drew his attention from his thoughts to the realization that he was losing his erection again. Sighing, he laid his forehead on hers and said, “I am shrinking.”

“Well, don’t do that!” she exclaimed with dismay. “You have to stay in me for half an hour.”

Magnus released a helpless chuckle and raised his head. “I am aware of that, but ordering me not to lose my erection is not going to . . .” His words died as she suddenly shifted beneath him, thrusting her hips up to press herself tighter to him, probably in an effort to make sure he didn’t slip out. Fortunately, it had the added benefit of restirring some excitement in him and he felt himself hardening again.

“What can we do to keep you . . . interested?” she asked now, and then added, “But not too excited.”

She understood the situation and didn’t need it explained to her. That was good at least, Magnus decided, and was considering her question and the best way to approach the problem when she suddenly knocked his legs out from under him with one of her own and then turned him onto his back, coming up on top of him. She then sat up, only to raise an arm to cover her breasts from his view.

“Don’t look,” Allie ordered, and he raised disbelieving eyes to her face.

“You have gone shy?” he asked with surprise. “Now? After prancing around naked in front of me for—”

“I wasn’t prancing,” she said with a roll of the eyes. “And I’m a virgin. Or I was,” she added with a grimace. “Of course I’m shy.”

“Forgive me,” he murmured with amusement, raising his hands to her upper arms and running them lightly up and down her skin. “But you did not appear shy in the bathroom.”

“No.” She shivered slightly at his light caress, but then wrinkled her nose. “I don’t even know who that woman was. I was just desperate to . . .”

When she paused, looking confused, he said gently, “It was blood lust.”

Allie’s eyes widened slightly, and she peered at him with surprise. “Really? Because it felt like . . .”

“Desire?” he suggested gently. “Blood lust can be easily mistaken for desire at first, I am told.”

“Oh. So, I was actually hungry for blood not sex.” She considered that briefly and then nodded. “Yeah. That makes sense. I mean, you smelled like a big juicy steak when you came into the bathroom. But after that bag of blood . . .” She inhaled briefly and then nodded. “Not as hungry. You still smell good, but more like meat loaf than a steak. Steak I’d crawl around naked for. Meat loaf.” She shrugged. “Not so much.”

“Meat loaf?” he asked with dismay. Magnus had heard the mated men he worked with complain about meat loaf meals. According to his comrades, they were all right, but simply couldn’t compare to steak.