Braving Fate (The Mythean Arcana Series Book 1) by Linsey Hall Page A

damn it. He didn’t have the will to last an entire night in the same room with her.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

    Diana would never fall asleep as long as Cadan was naked only a few yards away. She couldn’t get that kiss out of her mind. It had been amazing, mind-blowing, out of this world. All the way up to the point where he’d pulled a one-eighty and stormed out. He’d mentioned the importance of rules to Mytheans, and it made sense that following a strict code was the only way to ensure their survival. And technically, he was on the job. And that job was to protect her from demons. She really didn’t want him to fail at that. But still, it sucked.  
    The sound of a low groan carried through the door and she twitched. Had he slipped? She started to get out of bed to see if he needed help, but paused when another groan sounded. This one did not sound like an exclamation of pain. Heat crept into her cheeks.
    She slipped back under the covers as silently as she could and closed her eyes. It would be best to look like she was asleep when he came out. She couldn’t hear any more noises, but the silence only egged on her imagination.
    Was he really masturbating in the shower? She remembered the hard bulge of his erection pressing against her. Yep, he was definitely relieving some pressure. The idea of him naked under the spray of water made her clench the sheets in her hands. What did he look like? Was he tan or pale? Which hand was he using? Both? Did he stroke quickly or slowly? Roughly or gently?
    Was he thinking about her? She felt a coil of heat between her legs, reminding her of being pressed against the wall by Cadan’s hard body.  
    She began to glide her hand down her stomach to the sensitive flesh between her thighs. Her skin was soft under her fingertips, and in just a few short minutes the dreadful pressure and want would be gone. She’d become quite proficient over the years.
    The sound of the shower turning off had her cursing softly and withdrawing her hand. He would be out any minute, and there was no time for her to take the edge off like he had. Maybe it had been a bad idea to stop him earlier.  
    She’d only lain there a moment when the bathroom door creaked open. Too curious to resist, she lifted one eyelash infinitesimally. Cadan walked out of the darkened bathroom, rubbing a towel against his hair.
    She swallowed hard. He was dressed only in tight, black boxer briefs. The snug cotton concealed nothing, and his semi-erect shaft still pushed against the fabric. She dragged her gaze away from the enticing sight, taking in the rigid muscles of his abdomen and the broad planes of his pectoral muscles. He had those muscles along the sides of his stomach, the ones that led down his pelvis like an arrow. This way, they said .  
    The arm holding the towel flexed, showing off a bicep that could surely lift her off the ground. She pursed her lips. She wouldn’t make a peep.  
    But it was close. Her eyes were drawn back down, and after one wistful glance at his tight briefs, she took in strong, bulging thighs and sculpted calves. He looked like a damn Calvin Klein underwear model, but with a man’s muscles from work rather than built in the gym.
    She’d clearly lost her mind. Of all the thoughts she should be occupying her brain with right now, that wasn’t one of them.
    Moonlight filtering in through lace curtains highlighted the muscles of his back, which were sculpted like those of a Greek statue. She’d never been particularly interested in Greek art or history before, but perhaps she’d better look into it a little more.
    She couldn’t look away as he pulled on a pair of jeans and dragged the chair over to the window. After sinking into it, he gazed out into the night, his eyes intense. But when weren’t his eyes intense?  
    God, she would be so embarrassed if someone could read her mind. She’d never dedicated this much synapse activity to a mere man before. It was beyond embarrassing.
    But he