She wanted to sleep in his arms more than anything she’d ever wanted. That was what was worrying her the most.

“It’ll be all right,” he said. He slid out of her, apparently content with simple penetration. Settling her on her hip, he guided her legs so her knee was nestled between his thighs, up against cock and testicles, their warmth and reminder of male presence. “Sleep. There’s nothing to fear.”

Except him, and the way he made her feel. Curling her fingers into his chest hair, feeling his arms around her, Raina closed her eyes and willed herself to the escape of dreams, even knowing dreams might very well be the problem—old dreams, wishes that she’d lost long ago.

17

WHEN THEY WOKE JUST PAST LUNCHTIME, ANA AND Min brought them a light repast, a kind surprise. The girls, getting an eyeful of Mikhael’s body, the sheet low on his hips, wanted to pile in and share the croissants and strawberries with them. Raina sent them scampering with threats of hair-loss spells and rashes. Mikhael had looked amused at her desire to keep him to herself. She’d been a little unsettled by it, as well as the fact that, though the girls wore lingerie that hid very little, his total attention was on her.

Even as they set the tray on the side table, he’d started placing hot kisses on her throat, tugging at the sheet to get access to her body, barely waiting until they were gone to take her again, all before eating. Then he fed her from his hand, refusing to allow her to feed herself, underscoring his claim of the previous evening. She didn’t tell him the fantasy was over, that her submission had been for that one night, because quite frankly, she wasn’t sure if she ever wanted it to end.

But the world eventually intruded. Li came in with a scheduling issue and a reminder that tonight’s bachelor party, a group of thirty, had several issues that would need her attention. She told him she’d be there shortly. As she got out of the bed, she noticed Mikhael had gotten still, his focus internal. An arc of power flickered off him, an arc not his own, which made her go on alert.

“Mikhael?”

He held up a finger, keeping that internal focus, and she realized then he was listening to someone. Someone speaking in his head, and the message wasn’t entirely welcome.

When his expression cleared, he looked up at her. “Lucifer wants me back in the Underworld for a short meet.”

“Of course. I have a conference call with God later today.” She plucked his custom-tailored dress shirt out of the closet, considering it her due since he’d carried her down here naked last night, uncaring of whom they met in the halls. Now she put it on, ran her fingers through her hair. Time for a reality check, and what better sign than a hail from the Lord of the Underworld himself?

“I shouldn’t be gone long.”

“You don’t report to me, Mikhael. We had sex, not a marriage ceremony.”

She knew if she stood in front of a mirror, she’d have bruises, marks from his mouth, his hand. And she’d be glowing from all of it. But this was a fantasy and, like all fantasies played out in this house, it had a beginning and an end.

“While I’m there,” he said, his eyes on her, “I’ll follow up on some leads about who might be chasing Isaac. I should be back late tonight, but with that tracer on him, and the protections I’ve put with yours to reinforce your perimeter, I’ll be aware if anything happens. You won’t have to be concerned about you or your staff.”

“I can take care of myself.” She tossed her head, gave him her sexy smile. “I’m not worried about that. Go do your thing. I have a life, you know. Can’t be lazing around bed all day.”

He rose, unconcerned about his nakedness. Goddess, the man was beautiful. When he came to her, she saw he had some bite marks and scratches as well, which absurdly pleased her, though it didn’t dispel the apprehension in her stomach. Like some melodramatic teenager, she felt like he was never coming back.

“Raina.” He lifted her up to sit on the dresser, putting himself between her knees. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

Her temper sparked, more with herself than him, but she preferred to lash at him. “I know that,” she said impatiently. “I have a busy schedule today.”

“This is different for me, too.”

That stilled her, her attention snapping to his face. “I’m coming back,” he continued, “not just because Isaac is here, but because I want to figure out what this is. I look at you, and I want to keep you. Protect you. Never let you go.”

There was another word hovering there, for both of them. Mikhael knew she was no more prepared to hear it than he was to say it. It had been three fucking days and, while he knew what he knew about his own kind, she was another species. Succubi rarely mated, and the ones that did were practically an urban legend, probably because of their insatiable and deadly sexual appetites. She wasn’t full succubus, but she surely had an insatiable appetite. So did he.

In fact, his appetites, even for one of his kind, were considered somewhat excessive. He wondered if there’d been a reason for that, and that reason was in front of him. He kept that to himself, though. Even with a succubus’s sensibilities, Raina wouldn’t appreciate the theory that his need to fuck hundreds of women had been preparation for her. She could put a spell on his dick that tied it into a half hitch. He might be able to counter it, but he’d rather not take the risk.

But he could fulfill all her needs on that score, and would be damn sure he did—often.

“All right,” she said, giving him her faint smile, the one that came from the uncertain, vulnerable place inside of her. “Go do your thing, and get your ass back here. Succubi aren’t known for our patience.”

“I saw a few toys in that drawer that might help you pass the time.” He caught her chin, his fingers stroking before he pressed a kiss against her throat. “But record it; else I’ll make you do it all over again in front of me.”

“Sounds terrible.”

“It will be if I tie you up and keep using the toys on you, but never let you come.”

“Sadist.”

“You love it. Masochist.”

She pushed at him. When he kissed her fingers, her eyes stilled on his face. “You smiled. Mikhael, you smiled.”

“I’m sure it was a mistake.” But he squeezed her hand hard, glad to give her something that pleased her. Then he kissed her until she was breathless. “To think about me when I’m gone.”

“You better get back fast. That kiss will only last me an hour. Then you’ll be a distant memory.”

THAT TAUNT HAD BEEN A BIG MISTAKE. THE GOOD KIND. A succubus was never sore from sex, because only another sex demon could have that much sex. Or, apparently, a Dark Guardian. She was quite aware of the speculative glances, the hidden smiles as she moved with slow dignity through the house that day, refusing to limp, hobble or groan. If she had to sit, she chose the edge of a chair. So she did a lot of standing.

When Gina came to her late that afternoon, they had the schedule under control, the night’s preparations down to a few to-dos. Raina was taking a fifteen-minute catnap, stretched out in the side garden, basking in the sunlight while Cathair made a mess in the birdbath, flapping his wings and spraying drops of water on her. Feeling Gina’s approach, Raina cracked her eyelids.

“If Catalina has changed her mind one more time about the outfit she’s wearing, tell her I’m going to turn her out naked in front of those thirty horny men and tell them she’s a no-holds-barred, all-you-can-eat buffet.”

Gina chuckled. “No. I’m here for you.”

Curling her fingers around Raina’s wrist, the young woman tugged her to a sitting position. Curious, Raina rose to follow her. Gina led her through the gardens, around to the back of the estate, to the spa house attached to it by a covered walkway. She’d had it added a few years back, another attraction for female clients. Now her staff had run a fragrant bubble bath in the tub that could hold twelve. Marisa was there, and Li, and Ana. As she stood, unresisting and moved, they undressed her, helped her into the tub.

“Just soak for a while,” Marisa said. “Then we’ll give you a massage.”

Ana stripped to come into the tub with her. She’d brought the herbal remedies that were often used on clients after a vigorous session, but it was the first time Raina had experienced them. Ana attached the mix to the gentle sprayer and applied the diluted rinses where needed, inside and out, shifting Raina as needed. Mikhael hadn’t left an orifice unclaimed, and as Ana’s touch whispered over her, Raina’s mind drifted over those provocative memories. Goddess, he’d been deliciously insatiable, unstoppable.

When they helped her out of the tub after the perfect amount of soaking time and laid her down to apply oil-based salves to those same areas, as well as the scrapes and bites, she let out a simple moan of pleasure.

“He’s a great big animal, isn’t he?” Li murmured, amused. He’d begun her massage, starting at her feet and calves, while the girls worked higher up.

“The best kind,” Raina mumbled. She decided then and there each of the staff would have a turn at this monthly, because it was pure heaven. She wasn’t certain that Li helping with the massage would meet her Dark Guardian’s approval, but such casual intimacy was a sex demon thing. Ana and Min would have joined them in bed this morning without hesitation, following her direction to give both her and Mikhael pleasure, if that had been Raina’s wish. Afterward, if she told them Matilda was making chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, they would have rushed downstairs, squealing like Christmas morning.

Mikhael might discover there were a lot of upsides to calling a bordello home.

She stilled at that thought. She knew the word unspoken between them this morning, both of them too jaded to speak it. While the potential of it was hard to deny, all she’d known of him three days ago had been the rumored reputation of Dark Guardians and Ruby’s account. There were still far too many things to learn.