He blinked for a couple of seconds, then shook his head. “We must hurry.”

“No, sir.” I crossed my arms. “I’m not going anywhere with a man who obviously can’t stand being with me.”

A low, primal growl was ripped out of him as he moved, quicker than I could follow, down the alley. One moment I was standing there thinking how much I’d like to punch him in the arm, and the next I was smashed up against something hard, cold stone at my back and hot dragon at my front.

“You think I cannot bear to be with you?” The silver flecks in his eyes glittered a warning, but I could sense his fire riding high and knew just how close he was to losing control. “I cannot bear to be without you, woman. You are life to me. There’s not a breath I take that does not need you to complete it. The sun rises, and the moon sets, and without you, it would all be meaningless. Do you understand now?”

“No,” I said softly, putting my hands on his chest, melting at the romance of the moment despite the setting and the fact that the words sounded as if he were chiseling each one out of granite. “But that’s beautiful, Kostya. I’m touched, I really am. But if you feel that way about me, why are you treating me like I’m a leper?”

He growled again; this time it was a sexy sound, one that had my internal engine humming. “Dragons do not like to be parted from their women. When they do, they must join. It is an urgent need, one basic to our beings, that can’t be dismissed. We must reclaim that which is ours.”

I squinted at him, confused by his declarations. “You wouldn’t even let me hold your hand, you idiot. How is that the sun rising and moon setting?”

He heaved a sigh, and his lips hovered over mine, but despite me tipping up my head in welcome, he pushed away with a snarl. “You have no idea how you tempt me. How I want to hold you and possess you. How I wish to breathe in your scent and feel the warm satin of your skin against mine. I need all this with a desperation that is almost making me insane, but I cannot have it. If I was to so much as kiss you, I would not be able to maintain control.”

“Oh?” I followed when he turned and continued down the alley, the penny finally dropping. “Oh! You mean you’re giving me the cold shoulder because…”

His jaw was so tight, it’s a wonder he got any words out. “You would not like me taking you here in the street. Besides, it would be unsafe. The red dragons are clearly on the hunt for us. Above all else, I must protect you.”

“I think that’s the sweetest thing you’ve said to me yet,” I said, smiling. His shoulders twitched. “And here I was worried that you were freaking out because I mentioned marriage.”

Kostya didn’t touch me as we reached the end of the alley, but he gestured for me to stay back while he peered up and down the street, obviously looking for signs of danger. With a short nod at me, we continued down the street.

“You expect to marry me?” he asked conversationally. Or as conversationally as you could while keeping a vigilant eye on everything and everyone surrounding you.

“Am I your mate?” I asked.

“Tch.”

“Uh-huh. Well, if you expect me to spend the rest of my life with you, then yes, we’re going to get married. I was brought up to believe that people who spend their lives together should be married, if only because it makes things nicer, legally.”

“It is a mortal convention. I am a dragon.”

“You look human, and I am human, so guess what? We’re getting married. I’m not saying we’ll have a big ceremony or anything, just—”

He held up a hand as we rounded a corner onto a busy street.

“Red dragons?” I whispered.

“No. Mimes.” We hurried onward, pausing only when Jim came barreling down the street, slobber flying.

He skidded to a stop in front of me, and said sotto voce, “Called Rene. He’ll meet us in the Tuileries. Gotta go walkies anyway.” He dashed off again, but not before confusing a little old lady in black with a tiny pug who stared first at Jim, then at me, and finally fainted dead away.

By the time we entered Aisling and Drake’s house, some half an hour later, I was just about done with the lecture. “And if you ever do that to me again—”

“I had to go! I can’t help it if you didn’t have any bags with you. I told you I was about to explode earlier, and I never did get to go because the red dragons dragged us to Abaddon and you wouldn’t let me go in the cell.”

“I’m not talking about the pooping incident, although goodness knows you didn’t have to do it right where everyone walks. I’m referring to you speaking where innocent old ladies hear you and almost keel over because they’re so freaked out at a talking dog. Hi, Suzanne. Rene, can you tell her hi for us? Oh, and Aisling, too.”

I waved as Aisling emerged from one of the downstairs rooms and was about to give Rene a message of thanks to pass along to her when Kostya suddenly scooped me up in his arms and, without a glance at anyone, stalked off to the door leading to the kitchen.

I looked at Kostya. His eyes were glittering with what I was coming to recognize as sexual interest, his jaw tight and his scowl firmly fixed in place. In other words, he looked like the Kostya version of a man who badly wanted to get it on with me.

“I guess your control isn’t going to stand a few minutes more while we make some plans with the ring?”

“No. I told you this is the way of dragons. I must claim you now.”

He nudged open the door to Suzanne’s bedroom, set me down, and closed the door, taking care to lock it before turning toward me and pulling off his shirt. “Undress.”

“Just like that? No foreplay? Not even a kiss and a quick fondle? Just take off your—Oooh.”

He dropped his pants and kicked them off, standing naked before me. I let my eyes do a little enjoyable wandering, my fingers already working on the buttons of my shirt.

“Do you need assistance?” he inquired politely, his fingers spasming slightly.

I was about to say no, when it occurred to me that there could be much fun in having him help me. I gave up on my buttons halfway down my shirt and fluttered my hands at the same time I offered a coy smile. “Why, yes, I think I do need some help. How very generous of you to offer. There are so many buttons on this shirt—”