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“It’s part of my curse,” she said flatly.

“Being self-destructive? Losing focus? Being a total ass?”

His hand was still on her arm, his thumb rubbing circles on her skin. She might hate how easily he saw through her and called her out on her shit, but she loved the way he could bring her down with his touch, his voice, his very presence.

“Yes,” she sighed. God, she despised herself sometimes. She despised the demon half of her that tapped into a well of evil so deep it would never run dry. “You’re right. I’m an ass. I didn’t mean what I said about your sister.” Her scales leveled out, and she gulped a breath as if she’d been drowning.

“What about when you said you owe me?”

She closed her eyes and chased away the desire to lie, but not because her nature was demanding a lie, but because the truth meant exposing a part of her she wasn’t used to showing off.

“I do owe you, but that’s not the only reason I w nlytant to… to… get you naked.” Her cheeks heated, and she wondered how much she was blushing.

“So what’s the other reason?”

“Remember when I asked you how many women you’d kissed?” She opened her eyes. “Answer me now.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to know.”

He narrowed his gaze on her. “No, you don’t.”

“See,” she said quietly. “You don’t want to tell me because it would hurt me, right?” When he didn’t answer, she nodded. “But if I really, really wanted to know, you’d tell me the truth.”

Muscles in his jaw twitched, and finally he ground out, “Yes.” Lightning streaked across the sky, and it seemed to take forever for the thunder to follow.

“You’re a good person, Arik. Being honest comes easily to you. Protecting those around you does too. I like that. I like that when the khnives attacked, your first instinct was to shove me behind you. You make me feel… vulnerable.”

One dark eyebrow lifted. “Isn’t feeling vulnerable a bad thing?”

She shrugged. “Ares would say yes. But I like that you make me feel that way.” Her hand trembled a little as she pressed her palm against his chest, needing to feel the life pounding in his heartbeat. “You make me feel like a woman. Like I’m not a big, bad warrior who has to stay strong all the time. I like how your strength lets me relax so I can be the person I want to be instead of the one I’m expected to be. That probably doesn’t make sense—”

In a quick movement, he gripped her biceps, hooked the back of her knees with a sweep of his leg, and took her down to the towel. She landed half on top of him, and she didn’t hesitate for a second. She kissed him hard, and he met her aggression tongue for tongue, nibble for nibble, lick for lick.

She lifted herself to crawl more fully on top of him. His hands stroked her back, her hair, her arms, wisely keeping his fingers away from her lower body. Her bikini covered the chastity belt, but no one in their right mind would take any chances, and Arik was definitely not a dummy.

“I want to touch you,” she murmured against his lips.

His tongue made a sensual sweep over her bottom lip. “You sure?”

In answer, she dragged her hand down his rippled abs to where his pants splayed open and his cock jutted upward. He hissed and arched into her touch as she closed her fingers around the thick shaft. The textures fascinated her… silky skin over steely flesh, ridges and bumps that gave way to the velvety smooth head. And when his hips began to roll into her grip, her own pelvis rocked, rubbing her center against his thigh.

With a groan, he gripped her hand and stopped her. “Can you touch yourself? With your chastity belt, are you allowed?”

Heat flooded herat "0em" widt cheeks. “Uh-huh.”

A naughty smile curved his lips. “I so want to see that.”

She pushed herself up off his chest. “You want to… watch?” God, she didn’t think she could do that.

“I can’t touch, so… yeah.” He dropped his gaze to her bikini bottom. “Take it off.”

“But—”

“Do it.” He sat up and whipped off his own T-shirt. “Now, Horsewoman.”

His voice, a resonant, husky command, had her shivering