Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 83353 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83353 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Samantah turned away, completely oblivious to his lustful thoughts. and went to get into the bed. As she slid between the sheets, R’orn felt the Beast in him growling with need. It was almost fully awake now and it wanted him to take her—to Claim her and knot her and Bond her to him to make her his forever.
“No!” he thought at it. “We can’t—I can’t. She doesn’t even like me and she sure as the Seven Hells couldn’t deal with you! Shut up and go back to sleep!”
But the Beast didn’t show any signs of doing that. As R’orn slid into bed beside the curvy little Elite and deliberately turned his back to her, he thought that it was likely to be a very, very long night.
8
SAM
Sam settled down on her side with her back to her Protector, but she wasn’t a bit sleepy. Her whole body was humming with desire. She could still feel R’orn’s hot mouth on her nipples—which were tingling and swollen because he’d sucked them so hard.
Shouldn’t be doing this! she lectured herself sternly. I don’t even like him—he’s a big jerk!
But the truth was, she didn’t dislike the big Kindred quite as much as she had. He had seemed almost vulnerable when he had explained about his Beast—Sam wanted to hear more about it, but she didn’t know if he would talk to her or not.
You’d better leave him alone, she told herself. Didn’t he say his Beast was dangerous? That it was hungry?
Yes, but that only made her more intrigued. Still, she knew she ought to settle down. Sometimes spirits waited until everything was quiet to manifest themselves. So she sighed and tried to get comfortable on the rather lumpy mattress.
But that was easier said than done because the next moment, an icy wind swirled around her, making her shiver and curl in on herself. Unfortunately, the gown she had on wasn’t very warm—because she lived in Florida, she had almost no cold weather clothes. The thin, silky material didn’t do a thing to keep her cozy.
Sam burrowed under the covers but it did no good—the wind somehow came with her, swirling around her body until she felt like she was freezing to death. Was it the manifestation of a spirit…or was the big old inn just extremely drafty? Either way, she was in real danger of turning into an ice cube!
But there was a source of heat—she could feel R’orn’s big body radiating warmth like a furnace just behind her. Feeling desperate, she turned over on her other side and pressed herself against him.
The big Kindred stiffened immediately.
“Hey—what are you doing?” he demanded, his voice coming out in a hoarse growl.
“I’m freezing!” Sam complained. “I’m not trying to molest you or anything—I just need to warm up.”
She pressed her face against his broad back and tucked her knees against the backs of his legs.
“Is that your nose? Goddess, it’s like a fucking ice cube!” he complained, but didn’t try to move away from her.
“Just give me a minute to get warm,” Sam murmured. “Then I’ll go back to my side of the bed—I promise.”
R’orn sighed deeply.
“Well…all right. But only for a minute.”
“Uh-huh…” Sam slipped an arm around his narrow waist and pressed more firmly against him. She was surprised at how good he smelled and how soft his skin was, despite all the rock-hard muscle she could feel just underneath it. He had a warm, spicy, somehow indefinably masculine scent that made her think of fur and smoke and the forest at night and some dark spice she couldn’t name but which drew her to him like a magnet.
“Are you warm yet?” he asked, after a moment and Sam could feel the tension in his big body.
“Not nearly.” She snuggled even closer. Mmm—hugging the big Kindred was like hugging a warm, muscular teddy bear, she decided. This was nice—comforting and sensual at the same time. She rubbed her cheek against his broad back and inhaled deeply, breathing in his spicy, masculine scent. Someone ought to bottle the way he smelled and sell it—they would make a million dollars overnight, she thought.
“Samantha, what the fuck are you doing back there?” R’orn growled.
“Cuddling you. Warming up.” She pressed even closer. “Mmm…I like the way you feel. Like the way you smell even more.”
R’orn twisted his head to the side, trying to get a look at her.
“What the fuck, sweetheart?” he demanded. “Didn’t I tell you it was dangerous for us to be too close because of my Beast?”
“Tell me about your Beast, then,” Sam challenged him. “You said he was ‘hungry.’ Hungry for what, exactly?”
“What do you think?” He sounded irritated but he still made no move to get away from her.
“Mmm…I don’t know what to think unless you tell me.” Sam rubbed her breasts against his back—his warmth felt good against her tight nipples.