Page 36 of Elite Metal: Warriors

She chuckled. “We do.”

“I…” He had no idea why the words clogged his throat. “I would like to continue this…exploration with you.”

He loved that she shivered. He loved the light in her eyes. He loved her soft, dreamy smile. “So would I.”

“But I need something from you first.”

His heart clenched when her smile faltered. “I… What?”

“I need to know I’m the only one.” It was a deep, dark, growling ache. Something necessary to him. Something raw and weeping.

He had no idea why she laughed. He shot her an offended glance. “Are you serious?” She thumbed the scruff on his jaw.

Fucking A. “Serious as hell.”

“Jesus, Sterling. Don’t you know? Can’t you see?”

He narrowed his eyes. Set his teeth. See what?

“I’m not interested in any other man.”

Something released, blossomed within him. But, still… “You seemed pretty interested in Ant, who has a girl, by the way. A girl he’d fight to the death for and beyond.” Surely that was not a petulant tone. It should have come out as a growl.

She leaned up and kissed him. “I know.”

He blinked. “You know?”

How she managed that innocent look, he had no clue. “Beth joined us for lunch.”

“She…?”

“Those two are crazy in love.”

True. So in love, it was almost sickening.

“And they had loads to say about you.”

“Me?” He didn’t intend for the word to squeak the way it did.

“Yep. Apparently you helped them grow closer together. But they didn’t say how.” She gored him with a curious glance. “Just what did you do?”

Do? Holy crap. It was way too early for those kinds of confessions. “I…ah… Not a lot. Just pointed out how right they were for each other.”

“But—”

“Wait. If you knew about Beth…why were you flirting with Ant?”

She batted her lashes and nibbled her lip, probably in an attempt to make herself look ingenuous. It didn’t work. Not really. “I was teasing you.”

He frowned. “Teasing me?” Outrage, and something else, riffled through him.

“Yes. Teasing you.”

He slipped his hand into the folds of the robe, just so he could touch her, skin to skin. It soothed him somehow. “Why were you teasing me?”

She put out a lip. “Because you weren’t acting like you were interested.”

The sound he made was a little feral. Not interested? Not fucking interested? “I’ll show you interested…” He found her breast and closed his fingers on her nipple. She sighed as he tweaked it. And then she nestled closer.