“What’s wrong?” I knew her moods better than my own. She shook her head lightly, as if shaking off something unpleasant.
“Nothing.”
I merely raised one eyebrow and waited her out. She poked me in the stomach, her hand immediately giving my abs one long stroke.
I caught her hand before she could distract me. “You will tell me.”
Annoyance flared in her eyes, immediately followed by amusement. “You’re just trying to piss me off now.”
I grinned at her. “It’s remarkably easy. Tell me, little witch.”
She blew out a breath, then wrapped her arms around my neck. Her breasts were almost at my mouth level, the perfect place for me to–
I glowered at her.
She let out a low laugh. “Fine. Look, it’s not a huge deal, but the Dearg Due… she took a memory from me. A memory of us. Something important. I can feel the hole, like a missing tooth. And I want it back, Samael.”
Fury clawed through me, but I kept my voice even. Danica didn’t need my anger. She needed solutions.
“Do you know which memory?”
She shook her head, and I tucked her hair behind one delicate ear. I couldn’t resist pressing a kiss to the shell of that ear, and she shivered.
“Then I will just have to share my favorite memories with you until we find which one she took.”
She smiled, and I wanted to be responsible for that expression every day for the rest of my life.
“Well then,” she said, “In the meantime, we should get to creating some new, very dirty memories.” Her grin turned wicked, and she clamped her hand around me, until all of the blood seemed to rush from my head.
We’d been together in dreams, of course, but nothing compared to actually having her in my arms, to feeling her soft skin, to knowing she wassafeand I was now here to protect her.
“If you’re thinking that hard, I’m obviously not doing a good enough job distracting you,” my little witch murmured. She moved her hand, leaned close, and nuzzled my neck, before biting down in a way that made me curse, my hips lifting and thrusting into her hand of my own accord.
A low laugh.
I opened my eyes to find her looking extremely pleased with herself.
Time for the tables to turn. Since her breasts were still at mouth level, I took full advantage, lowering my head and kissing every inch of them, carefully avoiding her nipples, which had already hardened enticingly.
“Tease,” Danica growled, and I laughed. She shivered as my breath caressed her damp skin, so I blew against her, groaning as she shivered in pleasure.
I wanted to take my time with her. Wanted to inhale her. Wanted to cut myself open and tuck her under my skin where I could keep her safe. Knowing she was risking her life to save mine had driven me slowly crazy, and now I was barely teetering on the edge of self-control.
And I was relatively sure she’d be concerned about the direction my thoughts were taking if she knew what I was thinking.
“You have your psycho face on,” she said.
Obviously, she’d determined the direction of my thoughts herself.
I nipped at her chin, and she laughed, batting me away.
I reached for the scented soap and ran it over her arms, shoulders, and finally, her breasts. She shivered as I replaced it with my hands, caressing every inch of her.
Her soft moans drove me on, until I couldn’t take it any longer. I lifted her from the tub, grabbing a thick, fluffy towel so I could pat her dry.
That lasted for approximately three seconds, and then I was pushing her against the door, holding her in place for my kiss.
I couldn’t get enough of the feel of her, the taste of her, the knowledge that she was alive. I’dneverget enough of her, and I’d accepted that the witch I’d bound to me, out of ego and retaliation, had become more necessary to me than oxygen.
