consider whatever condition was slowly killing him. She didn’t want to imagine a world without his keen, passionate intensity. From his vague description, she thought his issue might be some sort of neurodegenerative disorder, stealing his ability to feel and move. The symptoms were so contrary to the vibrant man beside her, it simply wasn’t right.
“I’m not amazing.” He caught her hand and held her fingers to his cheek. “I’m cursed. And all the riches and thrills of this place won’t change that.”
She could almost believe the truth of that word. “I was going to say you seem lonely.”
“Another way to say what I said.”
“Maybe you just haven’t found the right someone to be with yet.”
He turned her hand over and pressed a kiss to the pulse point in her wrist. “And maybe I have.”
She knew he must have felt the sudden burst of her blood raging under his lips. “Rave…”
“Piper, would you stay? If I asked you—if I said please and thank you and all the other words people say—would you stay and try to save me as you want to save your friends?” His stony-stormy eyes seemed to swirl with mysterious clouds, hiding lightning in their depths.
“Stay? Here?” She almost stuttered the words. “You mean tonight?”
“I mean stay with me. Forever.” His lips brushed her wrist again, not a kiss this time but with a mocking smile. “Although with me, forever probably won’t be very long.”
Her mind raced even faster than her pulse. Why would he even ask her to stay? She wasn’t anyone, wasn’t any thing to him. He could have anyone he asked for. Well, maybe not Esme and Anjali since they’d run away. But anyone else.
But he was here, with her, right now.
She opened her mouth, not sure herself what she was going to say, but he abruptly leaned forward and kissed her, swallowing her response.
“Hold that thought,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”
He spun off the bed, dropping easily to the floor off the high mattress in another scattering of pillows. The firm globes of his butt flexed as he bent to scoop up a couple of the pillows and toss them back to her with a smile. For someone with a supposedly painful and debilitating condition, he seemed all right at the moment…
She frowned to herself as he padded away to the bedroom’s other doorway and flicked on a light that illuminated the dark marble tiles of a bathroom. He closed the door on her semi-suspicious stare, and she heard the sound of water running.
It wasn’t that she doubted him. Exactly. But she knew he had secrets—she’d already seen some of them—and she couldn’t have uncovered all of them in only a day. Even if she had uncovered all of him .
Like the map of tattoos across his body, she suspected there was a lot more to see if she just looked at him in the right light.
She rolled onto her back, staring up at the canopy of the bed. She angled her head a bit to study the carved wood poster holding up the heavy drapes. At first she thought the posters were etched with the standard ivy leaves or some such, but when she looked closer, she realized they were scales. Twining serpents climbed up the poles and snaked across the headboard. No, not snakes. Spines and wings flared over the canopy, and forked tongues seemed to angle down to flicker at her.
No wonder she’d been thinking “here be dragons”.
She didn’t mind scaled things. When she was out in the field taking water samples, she encountered plenty of fish, frogs, and small water snakes, and she liked seeing them since healthy critters usually meant healthy water.
Still, the design seemed strangely sensuous and profane for what was clearly a well-worn antique.
It fit Rave perfectly.
She sighed. What was she going to tell him when he returned? They’d had sex twice and known each other less than one day. That wasn’t enough to base a relationship on, was it? And then there was the whole thing with her missing friends…
She shook her
“I’m not amazing.” He caught her hand and held her fingers to his cheek. “I’m cursed. And all the riches and thrills of this place won’t change that.”
She could almost believe the truth of that word. “I was going to say you seem lonely.”
“Another way to say what I said.”
“Maybe you just haven’t found the right someone to be with yet.”
He turned her hand over and pressed a kiss to the pulse point in her wrist. “And maybe I have.”
She knew he must have felt the sudden burst of her blood raging under his lips. “Rave…”
“Piper, would you stay? If I asked you—if I said please and thank you and all the other words people say—would you stay and try to save me as you want to save your friends?” His stony-stormy eyes seemed to swirl with mysterious clouds, hiding lightning in their depths.
“Stay? Here?” She almost stuttered the words. “You mean tonight?”
“I mean stay with me. Forever.” His lips brushed her wrist again, not a kiss this time but with a mocking smile. “Although with me, forever probably won’t be very long.”
Her mind raced even faster than her pulse. Why would he even ask her to stay? She wasn’t anyone, wasn’t any thing to him. He could have anyone he asked for. Well, maybe not Esme and Anjali since they’d run away. But anyone else.
But he was here, with her, right now.
She opened her mouth, not sure herself what she was going to say, but he abruptly leaned forward and kissed her, swallowing her response.
“Hold that thought,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”
He spun off the bed, dropping easily to the floor off the high mattress in another scattering of pillows. The firm globes of his butt flexed as he bent to scoop up a couple of the pillows and toss them back to her with a smile. For someone with a supposedly painful and debilitating condition, he seemed all right at the moment…
She frowned to herself as he padded away to the bedroom’s other doorway and flicked on a light that illuminated the dark marble tiles of a bathroom. He closed the door on her semi-suspicious stare, and she heard the sound of water running.
It wasn’t that she doubted him. Exactly. But she knew he had secrets—she’d already seen some of them—and she couldn’t have uncovered all of them in only a day. Even if she had uncovered all of him .
Like the map of tattoos across his body, she suspected there was a lot more to see if she just looked at him in the right light.
She rolled onto her back, staring up at the canopy of the bed. She angled her head a bit to study the carved wood poster holding up the heavy drapes. At first she thought the posters were etched with the standard ivy leaves or some such, but when she looked closer, she realized they were scales. Twining serpents climbed up the poles and snaked across the headboard. No, not snakes. Spines and wings flared over the canopy, and forked tongues seemed to angle down to flicker at her.
No wonder she’d been thinking “here be dragons”.
She didn’t mind scaled things. When she was out in the field taking water samples, she encountered plenty of fish, frogs, and small water snakes, and she liked seeing them since healthy critters usually meant healthy water.
Still, the design seemed strangely sensuous and profane for what was clearly a well-worn antique.
It fit Rave perfectly.
She sighed. What was she going to tell him when he returned? They’d had sex twice and known each other less than one day. That wasn’t enough to base a relationship on, was it? And then there was the whole thing with her missing friends…
She shook her
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