Kisten’s eyes opened, finding mine. They were clear and blue, the black of his pupil normal and calming. “Now you’re afraid?” he said. “It’s a little late for that.”

His gaze lingered on my black eye—only now seeing it with my amulets on the floor. I pulled myself up from him, immediately falling back as it was cold. My limbs started shaking. “Um, that was fun,” I said, and he laughed.

“Fun,” he said, running a finger down my jawline. “My wicked witch thought that was fun.” His smile wouldn’t leave him. “Nick was a fool to let you go.”

“What do you mean?” I said, shifting to move, but his hands held me to him.

“I mean,” he said softly, “that you are the most erotic woman I’ve ever touched. That you’re both a wide-eyed innocent and an experienced slut all at the same time.”

I stiffened. “If this is your attempt at pillow talk, it sucks eggs.”

“Rachel,” he cajoled, the heavy look of satisfied tenderness the only thing keeping me where I was. That and I didn’t think I could stand up quite yet. “You have no idea how arousing it is to have your tiny little teeth on me, struggling to break through, tasting without tasting. An innocent, experienced and hungry all at the same time.”

I raised my eyebrows, blowing a strand of hair out of my eyes. “You had this all planned, didn’t you?” I accused. “Thought you could come in here and seduce me like you do everyone else?” It wasn’t as if I could be angry, lying atop him as I was, but I tried.

“No. Not like everyone else,” he said, the glint in his eyes going right to my core. “And yes, I came over here fully intending to seduce you.” He lifted his head and whispered in my ear, “It’s what I’m good at. Just like you’re good at evading demons and kicking ass.”

“Kicking ass?” I questioned as he dropped his head back to the arm of the couch. His hand was exploring again, and I didn’t want to move.

“Yeah,” he said, and I jumped as he found a ticklish spot. “I like a woman who takes care of herself.”

“Not much of a white knight on a horse, huh?”

He raised one eyebrow. “Oh, I could,” he said. “But I’m a lazy son of a bitch.”

I laughed at that, and he joined me with his own chuckle as his grip about my waist tightened. With a little lurch, he lifted me from him. “Hold on,” he said as he stood, swinging me into the cradle of his arms as if I was a five-pound bag of sugar. With his vamp strength, he held me with one arm and hoisted his pants up loose about his hips. “Shower?”

My arms were laced about his neck, and I inspected it for bite marks. There wasn’t a one, though I knew I had bit down hard enough to leave them. I also knew without looking that he hadn’t made a visible mark on me despite his roughness. “That sounds great,” I said as he shuffled forward, his jeans still unzipped.