Petra put her hands on the backs of his and was a little surprised when he let her pull them away from her breasts.It’s only fun if I give him the power willingly,she reminded herself as she turned to face him.
It was easy to forget when he was… well,him,but Silas showed her again and again that he respected her boundaries.Mostly. It helped when she knew what they were, which wasn’t always a given when she couldn’t decide if she wanted to live in debauchery for her final days or do the things sheneededto do.
Silas watched her from under lowered brows, his hands hovering over her hips. He still had that sleepy look about him, which was awfully distracting. Especially when he was half naked, all of his pale skin, pink nipples, and smattering of dark moles on display.
“As much as I would like to say yes, Silas, I just don’t have time for any of that right now.” She hadn’t meant to put so much real regret into her voice, but there it was. Petradidwish she could let him have his wicked way with her. Carnal delights hadn’t been an option for her for so long, it felt criminal to pass them up now, with so little time left.
But that was precisely why she couldn’t.
“In the shower, then,” he drawled. “Let me clean you up so I can make you dirty again.”
Petra eyed his sturdy frame dubiously. “There is no way on Burden’s green Earth you and I will both fit in that shower. I don’t even know if you’ll fit in there on your own.”
“It’s worth a try.”
She shook her head. Needing to get some breathing room, Petra stepped away under the guise of pushing the cart toward the bed. Her gaze stayed away from him as she hopped onto the mattress and began filling her cup with coffee. “Listen,” she began in her most professional voice, “last night was— interesting. But the situation I’m in isn’t one where I can just fool around and do whatever I want. Until the Protector is handled, I can’t afford to play games with you. Wehaveto make a plan.”
For a man of his size, Silas moved with shockingly little noise. Her only indication that he was near was the sudden dip of the mattress behind her. Petra’s breath caught as he slid intoplace at her back, caging her legs in with his own and reaching around her to pluck a wedge of apple from the bowl of fruit.
After a wet crunch and some contemplative chewing, Silas informed her, “I have a plan.”
Petra clutched her cup of coffee close to her chest as she twisted her torso, trying to get a good look at the suddenly clingy demon behind her. “You do? What is it?”
Silas curled one arm around her waist and hunched a little to offer her the other half of his apple slice. “Eat, baby.”
“What’s yourplan—”He cut her off by tucking the juicy chunk of apple past her lips.
Watching her chew belligerently, he informed her, “If I could trust you not to do something reckless, I’d tell you. Since you’re a cute liar with a penchant for trouble, I won’t be telling you shit-all.”
Petra swallowed the bite of apple as quickly and furiously as she could. “You have no damn idea what you’re walking into!”
He shrugged and reached for a wrinkled slice of bacon. “Then tell me.”
“Oh, so you want to knowmyplan. How convenient.”
“You’re the one who needs this done,” he reminded her. “So you can tell me and hope I’ll take what you say into consideration, or you can watch me do whatever the fuck I want. Your choice.”
Petra took an angry sip of her coffee, immediately blamed him for the fact that she’d forgotten to douse it with sugar and cream, and lowered it again to scowl at the clawed hand rummaging around the cart.
For a moment, she strongly considered telling him off. But that was pride talking. She had no room for pride in her life now.
Letting out a cleansing breath, she forced out, “The Protector arrives at six PM tomorrow. He’s supposed to stay in thevisitor’s suite, which was recently renovated. That means I’ve got blueprints for you.”
She ignored the rumbling purr at her back and its accompanying silky murmur ofgood girl.
It took another sip of bitter coffee to brace herself before she could continue. Tension made her desperate for some distraction, so she leaned forward to flavor her coffee as she explained. “I have a dinner meeting with the Protector at seven. That’s the only time I know for certain he’ll be completely occupied, so that’s when you need to sneak into his room and get whatever you can from his computer — or whatever else you find. Anything will help.”
Silas went very still behind her. “You’re having dinner with him?”
“Unfortunately.” She strove to sound calm, collected, but tension bled into her voice anyway. There was no hope of hiding it, only obfuscating its origin. “It’s not the first time I’ve had to. He stopped for a surprise visit several weeks ago — never told me why — and took the opportunity to inspect the staff, the buildings, and…”
“You?”
“Yes.” She found herself making her usual plastic, High Priestess smile reflexively, though he couldn’t see it. “He was very curious about me, probably for the same reasons you are.”
“Was he now?” The tangled mass of her hair shifted over to one shoulder. An incongruously soft mouth whispered over the side of her throat. It was a delicate touch, but shocking, even after the previous night, for someone who hadn’t been touched intimately in years.
Petra froze, the muscles of her abdomen tightening as opposing impulses roared to life. Three distinct wants clamored for attention: the desire to get as far from a predator like Silas as possible for the sake of self-preservation, the pressing needto see her task to the end without distraction, and the desperate sort of lust that begged her to take what he offered while she still could.
