“Not me, Dars.” The smile lingered. “I couldn’t wait to make Grace mine.”
“Just be glad they’re not at some strip club.” Daniel piped up from the patio as he petted Bob. “Lots of things happen there with naked men around.”
Declan groaned and picked up his coffee. “Dan, don’t give the immort—er, man a heart attack hours before the wedding.”
“But it’s good he knows what girls get up to—”
“Hey!” Darci glowered at him.
“A strip club?” Blaéz’s eyebrow rose, making her scrunch her face.
“I’m innocent of such doings, I promise,” she hastily told him. But at his intense stare, desire swept through like a heat wave. One more day—just one more day, she comforted herself.
“I gotta go,” she told Declan. “The girls are waiting. I may see you later or tomorrow.”
“I’ll walk you back,” Blaéz said. He was already dressed in his patrolling gear, so he’d leave for work soon. Damn, more hours without him.
He remained silent as they headed for the front. The moment they neared the foyer, in that impossibly fast way of his, he had her against the wall, his palms on the surface near her head. His gaze scorched hers. “Male strippers?”
“Only if it’s you,” she breathed. “I’d put all my life savings in your tiny thong.”
Amusement brightened his eyes. He nipped her chin. She kissed him. A low groan rolled out of him. “Fuck, I miss you too damn much.”
Blaéz grasped her hand, pushed the nearest door open, and whisked her into a small living room. He shut the door with his booted foot. Before she’d even blinked, his mouth came back to hers. He kissed her with a deep hunger that curled her toes, licking and stroking her tongue. His hands lowered to her bottom, he held her closer.
Every hard inch of his tough body aligned against her. A moan broke free as he trailed his mouth along her jaw with little nips and kisses. She slipped her hands beneath his shirt and stroked his back. His mouth came back on hers, his kiss wild, carnal, he had her bent over his arm, his cock pressing into her achy core—oh, dear God! Desire swept through her body like a flame to pool between her thighs.
Her cell rang, a blast in the quiet. He stilled.
“Ignore that,” she gasped, her mouth finding his again.
But at the continued ringing, a growl rolled out of him. “If you don’t get that, they’ll come looking for you.”
Dammit. He was right.
Blaéz pulled her upright then paced a few feet away, tunneling his fingers through his clipped hair. His other hand lowered to his leather-covered groin and pressed on his erection.
Darci bit off her own sigh of frustration and pulled out her new cell from her skirt pocket and answered. “I’ll be right—”
“Dars, wait,” Kira interrupted. “Before you leave your man, tell him about tomorrow.” She could hear the grin in her friend’s voice and bit back a groan—wait, how did they know where she was? “C’mon, girl, it’s not like we can’t figure out where or towhomyou’d meander after saying hello to your family.” Laughing, Kira ended the call.
Darci tugged her rumpled sweater into place and smoothed back her unbound hair. “That was Kira…”
Blaéz said nothing, sliding his fists into his pants pockets as if to stop himself from touching her. “I’ll see you when I get back.”
Aw, man. She bit her lip still tingling from his kiss. He wasn’t going to be happy about this. “Actually, I can’t…”
His eyes narrowed. “Why?”
“Since we’re doing the wedding the human way, the girls insist that I sleep with them tonight. Apparently, it’s bad luck for us to see each other until we meet to pledge our vows…it’s just one more day.”
“Fine. Tomorroweveningthen.” A tic working his jaw, he politely indicated the door behind her.
She sighed, then reached up to him and pressed a soft kiss to his jaw. “Be safe.”
Darci walked out, desperately missing him—missing their intimacy. They’d both called off the bet, yet couldn’t be together. Ugh, she wished the wedding were over already.
