We walk them to the door, exchanging warm hugs and promises to get together again soon. The sound of their pickup truck engine fades into the winter night, leaving Darhg and me alone once again.
He closes the door and turns to face me, and everything changes in an instant.
The playful atmosphere evaporates like morning mist. His eyes blaze red and hungry as they lock on mine, looking down at me with unmistakable lust. My heartbeat accelerates, responding to the predatory intensity in his gaze.
"You should go to bed," he says, his voice rough with barely controlled want. "It's getting late."
I meet his gaze directly, refusing to be intimidated by the raw need I see there.
"I'm not tired," I tell him, my voice steady despite the way my pulse is racing. "Not one bit."
His eyes turn that bright red that means he’s aroused and I watch as he swallows, his throat moving up and down visibly. We're right back where we started, circling each other like magnets.
And this time, I'm not backing down.
Chapter Twelve
Darhg
Istandinthecabin's warm golden light, my red eyes blazing with barely controlled lust as I stare at Rona. She meets my hungry gaze without flinching, her back against the kitchen counter, looking like prey that refuses to run.
And fuck me, that makes me want her even more.
"You should go to bed," I repeat, but my voice comes out rough and my tone husky. My hands clench at mysides as I fight the urge to cross the small space between us and claim her perky, mocking mouth.
She tilts her chin up, those pale-blue eyes sparkling with defiance and something darker. Something that makes my cock throb against my jeans.
"What if I don't want to?" she challenges, her voice soft but steady. "What if I want to stay right here with you?"
My jaw clenches so hard I'm surprised my teeth don't crack. "Rona, don't play with fire."
The smile that spreads across her lips is pure wickedness, all heat and promise enough to bring me to my knees.
"Maybe it's time I got that spanking you promised me."
The words hit me straight in the cock. My vision darkens around the edges as every primitive instinct I possess roars to life. Despite every warning bell in my head, despite every rational thought screaming at me to walk away, I find myself walking toward her.
She doesn't move. Doesn't run. She just watches me approach with those big blue eyes, her breathing quickening as I close the distance between us. The scent of her arousal hits me like a drug, clouding my thoughts and making my hands shake with the effort of maintaining control.
I stop just close enough to feel the heat radiating from her body, close enough to see the rapid pulse beating at her throat. The lamplight catches in her strawberry-blond hair, turning itto spun gold, and I have to grip the counter on either side of her to keep from tangling my fingers in those silky strands.
I want her so badly it hurts. I want to fuck her, to bury my cock in her tight, wet pussy and hear her scream my name as she comes all over my cock. I want it so much, it’s the reddest flag of all red flags.
So I grit my teeth and stay like that, hovering above her like an idiot. Or a monster. Or a monstrous idiot.
She holds my gaze, her blue eyes so big and wide, I could drown inside them.
"What are you so afraid of?" she asks quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Why do you fight this so hard when we both want it?"
The question cracks something open inside my chest. Something I've kept buried for so long I'd almost forgotten it was there. But looking down at her now, seeing the reflection of my own desire in her eyes, I know she doesn’t understand. And that I owe her an explanation.
"Because I've seen what happens when an ogre claims someone," I say, the words torn from somewhere deep inside me. "I've seen how it destroys everything good."
She reaches up, her small hand coming to rest on my chest, right over my racing heart. The touch burns through my shirt like a brand.
"Tell me," she says simply.
And God help me, I do.
