For Jorlan, love was not worth the risk. If the woman actually loved you back, what did you get in return really? A faithful partner? Maybe, maybe not. A lifetime of happiness? Not even close. A confidante who would never share your secrets with another? Never. Everyone always blabbed.
On a personal level, he didn’t want Katie to fall in love with him, didn’t want her hurting when he left. And leave he would. Problem was, he needed her to fall in love with him. His future hinged on her emotions.
Why did she grow more skittish every time he drew near? A former unpleasant lover? Misplaced modesty? A need for commitment first?
The more he knew about her, the better his chances of success, whichever route he ultimately chose. What he knew beyond any doubt? He could not return to Imperia tomorrow. Maybe not the next day, either. He could not return until he’d won Katie’s heart.
And he would. I must.
He still wished to meet the psychic, however, and ascertain whether or not their powers were real or faked. And it gave him an excuse to spend more time with his hostess.
He had two weeks to accomplish the deed. His earlier anticipation sparked anew. He suspected Katie would make him sweat every day of those two weeks. Mostly, he suspected those two weeks would be the most nerve-racking—and exciting—of his life.
He arched a dark brow in challenge. “Katie?” he prompted. “This is the part where you wish me a good night, as well.”
“I’m thinking,” she said. “Maybe you should, uh, sleep in my bedroom, after all. On the floor, I mean. If you vow to stay put. That way, if something wonky happens because of your curse or whatever, I’ll know and I can help.”
He had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop a grin from spreading. He hadn’t pushed, and she’d decided to reward him! “I vow that I will not climb into your bed tonight…which doesn’t preclude you from joining me on the floor.”
* * *
SHOULD SHE, OR shouldn’t she?
Katie didn’t know Jorlan, not really, so she couldn’t trust him. A vow only mattered to those with a moral compass. What if he’d lost his?
What if he hadn’t?
The thought of him nearby, radiating body heat, the soft whoosh of his breath filling her ears, his sandalwood scent in her nose…shivers raced down her spine.
What if her control shattered and she did in fact join him on the floor?
Her brother Erik liked to say, Do not feed your temptation. Starve it.
If she let Jorlan sleep on her floor, she would be feeding her greatest temptation. But I’m still going to do it, aren’t I?
Yeah. Decision made. She wanted him close, dang it, so, close he would be. Plus, she’d meant what she’d said. What if he began to return to stone? She needed to know, so she could maybe hopefully possibly do something to halt the transformation.
“Just in case you get any ideas,” she said, “I’ll be sleeping with a can of Mace in one hand and stun gun in the other.”
He winked at her. “Just in case you get any ideas, I’ll be sleeping with a feather in one hand and massage oil in the other.”
A laugh burst from her. A second later, a laugh burst from him. They were both crying happy tears, their bodies shaking. And it was nice. Beyond nice. His face was lit up, and oh, had any man ever been so beautiful?
When had she ever enjoyed a man’s company like this?
Without thought, Katie reached out and clasped Jorlan’s hand to lead him to her bedroom. As soon as their fingers linked, they ceased laughing at last. Her nipples puckered, her belly quivered and heat pooled between her legs.
In that moment, Katie knew she wouldn’t be getting much sleep that night.
With her free hand, she rubbed her temples in a vain effort to ward off an oncoming ache. I’m in more trouble than I realized.
CHAPTER FIVE
“KATYA?” JORLAN SAID. His husky voice felt like a rasp of silk against her skin. Sleek and honeyed, finding her in the darkness, leaving a sultry haven in its wake.
For the past hour, he’d tossed and turned atop his pallet on the floor, and she’d tossed and turned on the bed. Everything she’d wanted—his heat, his scent, the rasp of his breath—she’d gotten. Now she wanted more. All because she’d acted the fool and fed her temptation.
“I’m imagining everything I long to do to you,” he whispered. “Are you imagining what you long to do to me?”
Oh, yes. Her imagination was fully engaged. “Tell me what you see.”
He did not hesitate to obey. “In my mind, my hands cup your breasts and gently squeeze while I trace a path from one waiting nipple to the other—with my tongue.”
Toasty warm under a thick, downy comforter, Katie tried to recall why she was so determined to resist this man. She did have reasons, right? She just didn’t know anymore, and she wasn’t sure how much more she could take before she locked caution in her panty drawer and invited her alien to her bed.
“Would you want me to lave them or suck them?”
The more he spoke, the faster he eradicated what remained of her defenses.
“Suck,” she croaked.
“Mmm, yes. I suck them, hard. Your back arches and your legs spread,” he continued mercilessly. “But I do not penetrate your entrance with my fingers. Not yet. I kiss my way down and taste you with my mouth first. You’re sweet, so incredibly sweet. I can’t get enough.”
She pressed her palms against her ears to muffle his voice, then faked a snore and ended up sounding like an old man with a foghorn stuck in his throat. All the while she pictured bathroom tile and drying grout—anything to keep her mind from thinking about naked bodies and potent pleasures.
You never give me what I want, her body complained, and I want Jorlan.
Shut up, her mind demanded. You’ve gotten us in enough trouble!
Tile. Grout. Tile. Grout. Slowly, her overly sensitized nerves calmed, and tingles of anticipation faded. Then and only then did she taper off her snores and remove her hands from her ears.
Blessed silence greeted her.
Then, as if he remained acutely attuned to her every action, emotion and thought, Jorlan said, “Just say the words, katya. Say the words, and I will give us both a release.”
“I’ve never slept with a stranger or had a one-night stand, and I won’t start now?” Gah! She’d asked a question when she’d meant to utter a statement. “Plus, you’re kind of a bad bet. I mean, you’re going home soon. Very soon. I think it’ll be better if we are friends, nothing more.”
A pause. Then he admitted, “I’ve never had a female friend before. What would we discuss, if not sex?”
“Our lives, I guess. Did you have a girlfriend, wife or significant other before you were cursed?”
“Nay. I enjoyed—” He pressed his lips together.
“It’s okay. You can say it. You enjoyed variety.” Typical male, just like her brothers. Always looking for someone “better.” So why was she relieved about Jorlan’s singlehood? “What are your hobbies?”
“War and training for war. And yours?”
“First, that’s kind of sad. You need fun. Second, I love reading home improvement guides and going antiques shopping.” Crap! Talking to him like this was just as arousing as his fantasy. Maybe more so! “We have to get up early if we’re going to visit a psychic, because I have a list of daily tasks to complete. We should rest.”