His mouth tightened, not surprised that Finnén had gotten rid of them. “I’ll get you another. Use mine.”
He set her on the bed, but she grasped his hand before he left to fetch his phone, her eyes dark with despair. “He canceled everything, the caterers, the cake, the flowers—”
“Don’t fret. It will all be okay,” he promised, freeing a damp curl sticking to her cheek. “I’ll take care of everything.”
Damn bastard!
Tartarus. Indeed, it was a fitting confinement for him. And Blaéz more than anyone knew the horrors that place held.
* * *
Darci’s eyes flashed open and darted around the gloomy room, taking in the vaulted ceiling, the familiar row of windows on the far side, revealing the stark white winter’s day outside.Oh, thank God!She rubbed her thudding chest in relief. She wasn’t trapped with Finnén. It was over. And Blaéz would finally be safe from his sadistic twin.
As her heartbeat slowed back to normal, the weight on her stomach registered, along with the warmth against her back. She glanced over her shoulder. Blaéz lay on his front and faced her, his eyes shut. Even in sleep, he’d slung one powerful arm over her waist, keeping her close to him.
“You stare at me any longer,a leannan,” his sleep-husky voice murmured, “I’ll think you want to lose.”
Now he would taunt her? She rolled her eyes. “Lose? We both conceded hours ago. The bet’s off.”
He grunted, eyes still closed.
Well, then, biting back her smile, she turned to him. She slipped her hand beneath his naked hips and wrapped her fingers around his semi-erect sex. It felt so good to touch him again.
He stiffened. She stroked him and he grew harder. “Hmm…seems someone’s happy to greet me at least.”
Blaéz’s heavily muscled body shook with laughter. His eyelids opened marginally, revealing blazing blue strips of hunger. “He’s always excited when you’re about.”
In that impossibly fast way of his, he moved, his body pinning hers to the mattress as he settled his naked body between her thighs. “Last night, I didn’t make love to you because I felt your exhaustion, and you needed rest after what happened. I could wait. But now? No longer. I need to be inside you so damn bad—”
His mouth covered hers in a deep kiss, and she slid one of her legs over his muscular one. His rock-hard erection jerked against her panty-covered cleft. Just that slight touch, and desire swelled like a geyser about to go off. A moan slipped free. Darci tightened her arms around his nape and rubbed herself against his rigid cock.
As Blaéz grasped her underwear and tugged, through her passion-filled miasma, the sounds of noisy rapping on wood drifted to her. A low growl rumbled from deep inside his chest. He pulled his mouth from hers. “Get lost!”
Laughter sounded. “Blaéz, you have to let her go. It’s your mate’s day for pampering,” Kira yelled through the door.
At his disgruntled expression, and despite her aching body demanding release, Darci struggled to hold back her smile. She kissed his mouth and ran her palms over his scarred back. “It’s only one day, my love. Don’t you need today to work a miracle—I mean, get everything back on track?”
He rolled off her and fell back on his pillow. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“No…” She pressed her lips together, but the smile broke free. “Okay, maybe a little.”
“You’re going to pay.”
“I can’t wait—”
“Darciiiiii!” More hammering now. “C’mon, girl, get a move on! The day grows shorter. It’s already past noon.”
“Don’t break the door,” she hollered back. “I’ll be right down.”
“Nuh-uh! It’s the day before the wedding. There’ll be no hanky-panky or any quickies! I’m waiting right here,” Kira called out cheerfully. “Don’t trust you guys after waiting all this time.”
Blaéz’s eyes narrowed.
“I didn’t say a word,” she protested. Well, not to Kira anyway. “My lips were sealed.” God, she ached so badly for him. If only Kira had waited a half hour more. Darn, if onlyshe’dgotten up a half hour earlier.
* * *
Darci found Kira slouched on the Queen Anne chair ten minutes later, studying a painting on the opposite wall and playing with the beads at the end of her multiple skinny braids. She’d changed her hair color again.
