She couldn’t let him go. He didn’t have much time left, and she wasn’t about to let him die.
“Stop!” When he didn’t, she panicked, unsure what to do. All she knew was that his life depended on her. She’d given Mace what he needed, and now it was time to give Blade whatheneeded.
Desperate, she shrugged out of her shirt. “Look at me. Blade! Look. At. Me.”
He halted, hands clenched at his sides, his thick shoulders rising and falling with deep, rapid breaths. For a long, drawn-out moment, she thought he’d take off again. But just as she began to give up hope, he turned. Slowly.
“Ah, damn, Scotty,” he rasped. “What are you doing?”
Good question. She unhooked her bra and tossed it to the ground. His hot gaze fell to her breasts, and in response, her nipples tightened and tingled.
“Did you read the oath’s fine print?” Weird how her voice was steady, but her hands shook, fumbled as she unbuttoned her pants. “We’re released from our vow if it’ll save a life.”
“We didn’t—” He cleared his throat, but it didn’t help the hoarseness. “We didn’t sign a contract.”
Before she lost her nerve, she shoved down her jeans and stepped out of them. “We didn’t have to. The fine print is implied.”
Releasing a tortured moan, he closed his eyes. “Scotty, don’t.”
By now, her hands shook so hard she could barely hook her fingers beneath the fabric of her panties to slide them off. In her chest, her heart pounded against her rib cage, and her gut got all twisty.
This was how she’d felt when Mace had been feeding from her. Excited. Afraid. Wanting.
She’d never experienced this before this assignment. Not with any male. Didn’t matter how hot they were. How smooth their words. How skilled their kisses. Even her attraction to Jon and Skoll was shallow. Forced.
So why now? Why were the two males she couldn’t have…the only ones who made her feel something she’d never felt before?
This couldn’t happen. Yet it had to. She knew that. She’d be saving Blade’s life.
But why did she feel so guilty about it?
Her panties slid to the ground, leaving her exposed.
She’d never been shy about her body, especially around Mace and Blade. They’d seen her in all stages of undress, and she’d seen them that way, too. No big deal.
But this? This felt like a big deal.
Resisting the urge to cover herself with her hands, she took a step closer. “Blade?”
He opened his eyes and moaned again.
“Please, Blade,” she whispered as she lost the battle with her confidence and wrapped her arms around herself, as if that would hide anything. “I don’t know how to do this.”
“Do what?” His words were barely discernible, spoken between clenched teeth.
“Seduce someone.”
Molten gold swirled in his eyes, hypnotizing her as he took a step closer. “Fuck, Scotty,” he murmured. “You wouldn’t ever have to—” He shook his head and stepped back. “This isn’t right.”
Obviously, her seductive skills failed, and he didn’t seem to care about his own life. She was a little humiliated by the former but pissed enough about the latter to try from another angle.
“Listen to me, you stubborn ass,” she barked. “Jon and Skoll arepotentially hours away. If the wendigos show up, you can’t fight like this. Your stubbornness will put me in danger. It’ll putbothof us in danger. We will fail our mission. Do you want that?”
“Never,” he swore. “But—”
“But nothing.” She was her father’s daughter, and he’d taught her how to deal with a stubborn soldier. Hunger gleamed in his eyes as she strode over to him, putting a little extra sway in her hips. She probably looked ridiculous, but it got his attention. “I need you at full capacity, warrior.” She unhooked his weapons harness and tossed it aside. Then she reached for his fly. Behind it, the outline of his erection strained the buttons. “You need to commit. Give me everything you’ve got.”
There it is.
