I rolled my eyes and shivered lightly in my jacket.
“Your deals are intrusive to my personal boundaries,” I grumbled. “Okay, fine. In what new way would you like to make me uncomfortable and test my control?”
He threw his head back and laughed.
“There’s the spirit.”
He leaned to the side then fell gracefully to his feet. Steam rose from his chest. My mouth watered, and I struggled to swallow. All I wanted to do was lick that valley of skin between his pectorals.
I shivered harder, this time with need and hunger.
“I’m freezing, and you’re walking around in the snow, barefoot,” I said, desperate for a distraction. “You’re absolutely the insane one.”
He stopped walking, his humor disappearing as he stared at me.
“I was kidding,” I said quickly. “I don’t think you’re insane. I’m jealous and wish I could stay warm like you.”
“I like that. That’s what I want,” he said.
“Huh?”
“Your honesty. With me. With yourself. Whatever you were thinking when I was walking toward you made your scent change. It didn’t match what you said. I can never tell if you’re lying to me or yourself in those moments.”
“Right. Unconditional trust.”
“Wrong. Unconditional honesty. Give me that, and I’ll go try to sleep.”
“I think I’m supposed to get something out of these deals too, aren’t I? You’re getting honesty and sleep out of this, and I’m getting nothing.”
“Fair enough. You get one ‘Fenris, stop pushing me’ a day while you’re giving me unconditional honesty.”
“You’ve already been respecting my requests not to push.”
He started moving again, prowling closer to me. The smile didn’t change, but his gaze did. I shivered again, feeling more like prey and less like a predator.
“Fenris, cut it out.”
He didn’t stop. Instead, he leaned in and inhaled deeply, teasing the side of my neck with his soft exhale.
“No.”
I fisted my hands as the dark thing inside of me responded to the challenge in his tone.
“I’m trying to help you, Fenris. Please, stop.”
“And I’m trying to help you, Eliana. I don’t think stopping is helpful anymore. I think you need more pushing. So I’m going to push, and you’re going to be honest about what you’re thinking and feeling.”
“Fine. You want to act like a sleep-deprived bully and lose all your friends? Go ahead. I’m not making that deal with you.”
“That’s your fear talking,” he said. His hands gripped my sides, and he slowly pulled me against him so we were flush.
I couldn’t stop shaking.
“Let me go.” The words were a broken rasp.
“Unconditional honesty.”
“I wanted to lick you. I still do. The way you smell reminds me of the cakes I dream about. I think all the time I’m spending with you is why I dream about them. I want to feed on you so badly right now that it hurts. But not as much as the idea of turning you into my dad.
