“I would be honored to care for you, Chloe.”

She shook her head hard. His scent invaded her nose. Sweat, salt, man. Good, her body answered to the smell. Chloe pushed her need back down so she could think, could breathe, could talk. Her mind was spinning so she slowed it down just enough for her to form a coherent thought. This warrior smelled good. There was no doubt about it. His hair was the color of golden wheat, his body prime for pleasing, but none of that interested her. She wanted the scent of ice, the man with words that made her shiver from the inside out.

“I don’t want you.” He looked as if he’d be insulted for a moment, but then a grin broke out across his face.

“You like the Commander, don’t you?” She nodded at the same time she pinched her

hard nipples between two fingers. Ecstasy, pure ecstasy rolled through her, taking her higher and higher with that one little touch. How would her body respond when, if, he touched her?

She heard him sigh and then footsteps retreated. The door opened and closed. Where did he go? Was he getting the commander for her? A spark of pride filled her. If she had sex with Tyrian en Kulev, leader of the Atal Warriors, she would have bragging rights forever. Who could top that? No one.

What was taking so long? The urge to delve her fingers between her legs and touch

herself was growing harder and harder to ignore. Her leg muscles tensed and before she knew it, she was sliding listlessly to the floor, sprawling out on the thread-barren rug under her. Rolling her chest into the rug, she grumbled in pleasure as her breasts rubbed against the abrasive material. Her skin was burning up with heat and each touch both fueled the fire and eased it at the same time.

The sound of a door closing had her rolling on to her back. Footsteps, heavy, booted steps and then they came into sight. She craned her neck up.

“Hola,” she said to the vampire commander.

The fact that he didn’t laugh shouldn’t surprise her. He looked at her, his face almost drawn into anger, but not quite. Then his gaze left her face to trail over her neck, where she knew he found the rapid pulse there. Even more slowly his eyes moved down to her chest where her breasts arched towards him with hardened peaks. Like a feather dropping in the wind, his gaze moved down her stomach to her bare legs and feet, lingering, before moving to the center of her legs.

“Draven told me you refused him and would only take me.” Nodding furiously, she

grabbed the bottom of her t-shirt and flung it off her body. Sweet merciful pleasure. Bare skin, free and open. She heard a strange noise and peeled open her eyes to see the vampire commander standing no longer with his arms clenched behind his back, but at his sides in loose fists.

Tugging her lip between her teeth, she arched her hips towards him. “Please.”

“Choose someone else now. A name, any name, and I will get him to service you well.”

It was probably only her lust-induced mind but she swore his words no longer sounded cold but husky and hot. She met his ice blue eyes head on—a challenge.

“You, Tyrian. I want you.”

Silence. Then, “Why?” was his harsh response.

Her eyes glittered with feminine appreciation across his lips, his scar, his strong body.

“You have much that I find desirable.”

“Ridiculous talk fueled by your silly hormones.” That one line was the most passionate she’d ever heard him, and it melted her. Gulp. There you can do it, Chloe. Convince him or else he’ll leave and you’ll never get him again, she knew her gut wasn’t wrong on this. She had this moment to convince him or she’d lose him forever. She didn’t flinch from his hard, cold gaze.

She met him head on and lifted her chin that stubborn inch.

“I know who you are and what you are. My attraction to you isn’t ridiculous or stupid.

You’re gorgeous, sexy. Not in a Hollywood actor kind of way but in a tough-as-nails, man-of-the-world way. Your appeal goes so much further than that, too. Sorry I know that sounds cheesy but give me a break. I’m in a lot of,” she wheezed out a breath like she was doing Lamaze,

“sexual pain here. You would protect me from anything. I can feel that from you, maybe that’s even why Papa sent me here because he knew that about you, too.”

He opened his mouth to say something but she held up a hand then quickly settled it onto her stomach rubbing up and down, closer and closer to her core. He didn’t watch her, which was good, because it made her feel like she had some privacy.

“There are some men who make a woman wonder how good he is in bed. Some men are

so sexy they make a woman wild. And then there are men who are so wrapped up in their work they can’t see what’s good for them. You are all of the above, Tyrian. How you don’t have a woman clinging to you amazes me.” Later she might wish she hadn’t said something so soul-bearingly honest. But at that moment she couldn’t think straight enough to lie. So she’d gone with the raw truth.

Something flashed in his eyes and he looked away from her, out the window. She would give anything to know what he was thinking in that moment. Her breath hitched and she held it tight as one arm moved, his hand lifted and touched the outline of his ragged scar across his cheek. His finger traced the curves of it perfectly as if the pattern had long since been memorized. His hand slowly dropped back down to his side, the fingers of his hand curling into a fist.

Chloe pictured those long fingers wrapped around her breast, gripping her hip as he slid inside her and she gasped as hot cream wetted her sex, softened her, readied her.

“Please,” she said, her throat ragged. He faced her like he was about to issue order to his men, feet forward, chin high, shoulders back.

“This once I will do this, but never again. After this time, you will seek another partner. I will not be here to feed your new sexual appetite for the rest of your life. I will do this as quickly as possible, not to entertain your growth into womanhood.” It hurt to hear him say it, even though she understood it. Did she want him to lay some sort of claim on her that he’d never let another man have her? In her burning state, absolutely. Was it silly? Completely. “Do you accept my rules?” Rules, always with the rules.

“Yes! Just now, please, I feel like I’m dying.” A garbled sound left her throat then turned into a high moan.

“Turn around.” Her mind tried to process the words, tried to make her limbs move but all that happened was her hips arched off the floor. She shook her head futilely—I can’t do it—but then hands were on her, grabbing her and turning her onto her stomach.

She moved her cheek to the side so she could see him, but then he was behind her. Yes, now, please! The first touch of his hands was a sharp jolt of ice on her burning flesh. One hand curled around her hip and then the other. Two lances of ice pierced through her and it felt amazing, helped to cool the heat burning in her veins.

His hands weren’t gentle but precise, efficient. It might have bothered her any other time, but right now only one thing mattered. Penetration.

He lifted her onto her knees, pulled her back towards him. Then her knees were spread open one by one. Amazingly, a blush formed over her cheeks. This was her first time and she wanted it so badly she wouldn’t dare offer any protest. Besides, she loved what he was doing. It was new and intriguing. Something she’d heard of and seen done but had never tried herself. He positioned her to take him into her body, lifting her into just the right position.

She kept her cheek to the rug, didn’t have the energy to look back at him. She simply panted and waited, her stomach clenched in anticipation, her core slick with creamy heat.

The softest sound, a whisper of movement. What was that? Then the undeniable sound of a zipper being pulled down. A moan left her and she arched further back into him. She wanted his hands back on her. Where were they?